TABB - Oxford, CO

Oxford, CO

GPS Location: 37.169, -107.714

Miles from Chama: 99.49

Miles from Durango: 15.01 Miles


Silla, a railroad station located about 6 miles north of Ignacio, appears to have been at the same place as present day Oxford. In October of 1909, J.M. Denning of Iowa filed a plat for the Town of Oxford creating about 100 small parcels with the railroad route bisecting the town.[1] A post office named Grommet and operated there from March, 1904 to January, 1908 when the name was changed to Oxford.[2] Oxford had a stone schoolhouse and Grange No. 196, which was established in April 1911.[3] The school house was demolished in about 2009 and the stones were used for the new fire station. In 2010, the main intersection at CR 172 and 311 was widened and the building that housed the post office was demolished and nothing remains of the railroad facilities. About 1 mile south of the townsite, the Oxford Cemetery is the resting place of early area pioneers.

 

About five and a half miles north of Oxford, the railway crossed the Florida River at what was called the Florida Station. The station included a section house, maintenance facilities, windmill, and a water tank. The Florida School was located at the station on the east side of the river, but most of the children lived on the west side of the river. The children had to cross the river by walking over the railroad bridge. The one-room school house opened in 1903 and closed in 1944 with the county-wide reorganization of schools.[4] The rail line crossed the river on a steel Pratt through truss bridge. The bridge is still in use as a one lane road and is listed as site 5LP3864 on the State Register of Historic Places.


[1] La Plata County Records, Plat Book 2, page 66, October 24, 1909.

[2] Bauer, Willam H., James L. Ozment, and John H. Willard. Colorado Post Offices 1859-1989: A Comprehensive Listing of Post Offices, Stations & Branches.  Colorado Railroad Historical Foundation, Golden. 1990. Pages 67, 109.

[3] Colorado State Grange, Colorado State grange History: 1874 to 1975. North Suburban Printing, Westminster, CO. 1975. Page 108.

[4] Spining, Bruce. Clapboards, School Boards and Blackboards: A History of the Florida Area Rural Country Schools 1875-1959. Florida Schools Association. Self published. Durango, CO 1993. Pages 100-101.[1] La Plata County Records, Plat Book 2, page 66, October 24, 1909.

[1] Bauer, Willam H., James L. Ozment, and John H. Willard. Colorado Post Offices 1859-1989: A Comprehensive Listing of Post Offices, Stations & Branches.  Colorado Railroad Historical Foundation, Golden. 1990. Pages 67, 109.

[1] Colorado State Grange, Colorado State grange History: 1874 to 1975. North Suburban Printing, Westminster, CO. 1975. Page 108.

[1] La Plata County Records, Plat Book 2, page 66, October 24, 1909.

[1] Bauer, Willam H., James L. Ozment, and John H. Willard. Colorado Post Offices 1859-1989: A Comprehensive Listing of Post Offices, Stations & Branches.  Colorado Railroad Historical Foundation, Golden. 1990. Pages 67, 109.

[1] Colorado State Grange, Colorado State grange History: 1874 to 1975. North Suburban Printing, Westminster, CO. 1975. Page 108.

[1] Spining, Bruce. Clapboards, School Boards and Blackboards: A History of the Florida Area Rural Country Schools 1875-1959. Florida Schools Association. Self published. Durango, CO 1993. Pages 100-101.