Sargents, Colorado

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Sargents, Colorado
Unincorporated community
Entering Sargents from the north.
Entering Sargents from the north.
Sargents, Colorado is located in Colorado
Sargents, Colorado
Location in Saguache County and the state of Colorado
Coordinates: 38°24′15″N 106°24′54″W / 38.40417°N 106.41500°W / 38.40417; -106.41500Coordinates: 38°24′15″N 106°24′54″W / 38.40417°N 106.41500°W / 38.40417; -106.41500
Country United States
State Colorado
CountySaguache County[1]
Elevation
[1]
8,478 ft (2,584 m)
Time zoneUTC-7 (MST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP code[2]
81248
GNIS feature ID0204762

Sargents is an unincorporated community and a U.S. Post Office located in Saguache County, Colorado, United States. The Sargents Post Office has the ZIP code 81248.[2]

History[]

The community was established in 1880 and was originally called Marshalltown, named after nearby Marshall Pass. In 1882 the community was renamed Sargents after Joseph Sargent, a local cattleman and the settlement's first postmaster.[3]

The town owed its existence to the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad which reached Marshalltown in 1881. The railroad line crossed the Continental Divide over Marshall Pass and descended 17 miles (27 km) to Marshalltown before following Tomichi Creek west to Gunnison. This line of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad ultimately connected Denver, Colorado with Salt Lake City, Utah and points farther west. The station in Sargents was home to helper engines that were used to assist heavily laden trains over the pass. The Sargents station had a roundhouse, a turntable, and a water tank. It was an important depot for the export of mine ore and lumber produced in the area, and it was also used by passengers traveling to and from the mining camps and towns in the upper Tomichi Creek valley.[4]

The population of Sargents greatly diminished when the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad discontinued passenger service in 1940 and completely abandoned the line in 1955. Partially offsetting the loss of the railroad was the construction of the transcontinental U.S. Highway 50. In 1939 the new highway was routed over the Continental Divide at nearby Monarch Pass and southwestward down Agate and Tomichi Creeks and through Sargents. The community still maintains some roadside services for highway travelers.[4]

Geography[]

Sargents is located at

 WikiMiniAtlas
38°24′15″N 106°24′54″W / 38.40417°N 106.41500°W / 38.40417; -106.41500 (38.4041630, -106.4150280).[1]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Sargents". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "ZIP Code Lookup" (JavaScript/HTML). United States Postal Service. January 3, 2007. Retrieved January 3, 2007.
  3. ^ Dawson, John Frank. Place names in Colorado: why 700 communities were so named, 150 of Spanish or Indian origin. Denver, CO: The J. Frank Dawson Publishing Co. p. 45.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b Vandenbusche, Duane (1980). The Gunnison Country. Gunnison, Colorado: B&B Printers. LCCN 80-070455.
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