Save the Ward Historic Ward Post Office
Ward, Colorado
High in a Colorado Gold Town
Profile, history, and links to Ward artists and businesses
Home - Ward ProfileWard Reputation, CommunityWard Gov't, Library, BusinessesSwitzerland Trail, Ward fireWard WeatherWard Recreation, Events, TraditionsMountain Hiking, WardWard's favorite holiday 4th of JulyElk, Rocky Mt. Nat'l ParkTourism near WardWeirdArt - Ward, ColoradoArtists of Ward and the Indian Peaks Ward History
Early History of WardHazel Schmoll, Ward, CO,1890 - 1990 Oral Interviews related to Ward
Ward Town Resolutions
| Location, Culture, Counter-Culture9,253' above sea level in the Indian Peaks of the Rocky Mountains, Boulder County
Location“It’s in the middle of nowhere surrounded by a national forest and just below a wilderness area . . .” Located 50 miles northwest of Denver and 17 miles up Left Hand Canyon from the busy town of Boulder, Ward is a small mountain community at the base of the Continental Divide in the Indian Peaks of the Rocky Mountains.  The little town of Ward is home to 190 people and many dogs. The Ward community (the Historic Ward Mining District, est. 1861) covers approximately 210 square miles and includes many people who live outside of the town limits. The district is served by the Historic Ward Post Office and the Indian Peaks Fire Department.
Winter. Left Hand Canyon The Ward Post Office was established in 1863, the first continuously operating Post Office in the mountains of what is now Boulder County. The Post Office, Town Hall, and Library are located in the old Ward School House, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Ward Post Office, Town Hall and Library National Register of Historic Places, built 1898 Both the Ward Post Office and Ward Mining District (1861) existed before Colorado was a state. When prospectors first roamed these hills, the area became part of Jackson County (now Boulder County) in the Jefferson Territory with its capital in Golden. Later Ward was in the Colorado Territory carved from the Kansas/Nebraska Territory. Some say the town is made of radical poets, bohemian Ph.Ds and troubled woodsmen. It is said that they are kind people, but most decamped to 9,253 feet to be left alone and it's not a place to linger (Orr, Francine. LA Times, Oct 1 2006). The Town of Ward has remained small, in part, because of its intense winter weather, its reputation for a standoffish alternative culture, and because it is (purposefully?) littered with old junkyard cars, designed to keep outsiders away.
Summer view of Ward, Colorado
Ward, Colorado - January Ward is located at an altitude of 9253' at the top of Left Hand Canyon and while surrounded by some of the most majestic scenery in the world, it is considered inhospitable by many in the winter.
Continental Divide by Ann Gillis From the Ward area, panoramic views of the peaks of the Continental Divide can been seen.
Niwot Aspens, by Carol Jenkins On a clear day, one can also look down to the Colorado plains and see Denver and Boulder in the distance. Frequently Ward lies above the clouds and enjoys sunny days while Denver and Boulder are "socked in" below.
View of plains from Ward area Profile - Ward, Colorado TodayWard was revitalized by counter-culture in 1960's and 70's
Former Ward Town Marshall Ward was a booming gold mining town from the 1870's to 1920. It became a center for alpine tourism from 1898 - 1920 when visitors traveled by train from Boulder to Ward on the famous Switzerland Trail. Georgia O'Keeffe came to Ward in 1917 and painted landscapes and an oil painting, Ward, Church Bell.
Georgia O'Keeffe, Ward Church Bell, 1917
Throughout the 1930's, 40's, and 50's, Ward shrank to almost a ghost town. Ward changed again in the late 1960's and early 1970's when rediscovered and resettled by well-educated hippies. In the 70's, the new residents elected a new mayor and town council. The Town Charter was rewritten as a home-rule, direct democracy (and signed according to astrological significance). Street lights were removed (so you could see the stars at night). Abandoned cabins were inhabited, the library and firehouse were built, children were born, and families raised.
Crimmins cabin with new addition Ward community residentsThe Ward community today is home to artists, poets, writers, musicians, builders, electricians, blacksmiths, miners, housekeepers, cooks, school teachers, snow plow drivers, health care workers, computer geeks, entrepreneurs, day traders, retirees, woodsmen, and many families and hardy folk who love the beauty of the mountains and are willing to endure the commute and/or the winds and solitude of winter at an altitude of 9,253'.Ward is home to folks who are liberal, independent, who want to be left alone by real estate developers and intrusive government regulations, and who are committed to maintaining the community mountain lifestyle. Ward News Briefs  Friends of the Historic Ward Church is in need of funds for insurance, propane and operating expenses. Please visit the Ward Church website http://unioncongregationalchurchofward.org/ and make your donation via PayPal to help keep the Historic Ward Church operating.
A local Wardite won the Dead Guy Look-alike Contest at Frozen Dead Guy Days 2009 in Ned and led the Parade.
Ice Ball
Oh Yeah!
Frozen Dead Guy 2009, a Grim guy Click here to see comments on Ward website from old friends and new friends: Stacia, Santa Fe Barbi O John McGuire, Chicago Kathy Spratford Patty Billings, Nevada Kay-ann Solem-Pickens Greg Jones, Conneticut Karelle Deb Evangelista Fit (Jeff Freund), Sweden Ward's Reputation - NextThis website is a non-profit educational site. No paid advertising is accepted. Unless otherwise indicated all black and white photographs courtesy of Denver Public Library, Western History Collection, (Ward, Colorado; Mines; Switzerland Trail) or Carnegie Branch Library for Local History, Boulder Historical Society Collection. (PublicDomain-old-50 and/or PD pre-1923/PD-USGov; others claimed under fair use domain) copyright 2007 contact pat cypher: patcyp (at) gmail.com |
