Bennett, Colorado
Town in the United States in Adams County
About Bennett
Bennett is a statutory town located in Adams and Arapahoe counties, Colorado, United States. The town population was 2,862 at the 2020 United States census with 2,443 residing in Adams County and 419 residing in Arapahoe County.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How Bennett is governed
Form of government not yet listed.
0 of 14 positions listed. Gray dashed boxes are placeholders waiting for a name.
Residents of Bennett
Registered voters elect the officials below.
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Mayor
Executive
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The city's chief elected official. Presides over the executive branch, proposes the budget and represents the city.
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City Manager / Administrator
Executive
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The professional administrator who runs day-to-day operations (in some cities appointed by the council instead of the mayor).
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Police Chief
Administration & departments
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Leads the police department.
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Fire Chief
Administration & departments
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Leads the fire and emergency services department.
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Public Works Director
Administration & departments
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Streets, water, sewer, and city buildings.
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Finance Director
Administration & departments
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The budget, taxes, and city accounts.
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Planning & Zoning Director
Administration & departments
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Land use, zoning, building permits.
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Parks & Recreation Director
Administration & departments
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Parks, programs, and public facilities.
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City Council
Legislative
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The elected body that passes ordinances, sets the tax rate and approves the budget.
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City Clerk
Administration & departments
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Keeps the official records, runs meeting agendas and, often, local elections.
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City Attorney
Administration & departments
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The city's lawyer; advises officials and prosecutes ordinance violations.
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Boards & Commissions
Legislative
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Citizen advisory bodies, such as planning, zoning appeals and library boards.
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Municipal Court
Judicial
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Hears traffic, ordinance and other minor cases.
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Municipal Judge
Judicial
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Presides over the municipal court.
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- Website
- bennett.co.us
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Population over time
From 2,308 in 2010 to 2,862 in 2020 (+24.0%).
Show the numbers
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 2,862 |
| 2010 | 2,308 |
History
Bennett was originally known as Kiowa Crossing or Bennett Station. A post office operating under the name Bennet opened on March 16, 1877, named for Hiram Pitt Bennet, a congressional delegate from the Territory of Colorado and Colorado Secretary of State. The spelling was officially changed to Bennett on June 1, 1907.
Bennett Station at Kiowa Crossing (1877-1907)
During the late 19th century, the settlement served as a pivotal railroad and ranching hub on the Kansas Pacific Railway (later Union Pacific) line.
The Kiowa Creek Train Wreck (1878)
On May 21, 1878, a disastrous flood struck the Kiowa Crossing. Heavy rains caused Kiowa Creek to swell, washing out the railroad embankment and the bridge. A Kansas Pacific Railway train consisting of 25 cars loaded with scrap iron fell into the torrent. Crewmen Frank Seldon (identified in later reports as Belden), George Piatt, and John Bacon were on board during the accident. A 1914 retrospective by Union Pacific Superintendent Vickroy stated that a guest passenger, a hotel clerk named Peysert, also went down with the engine. While most of the wreckage was recovered, the locomotive disappeared into the sandy creek bed.
Eyewitnesses described the flood's force as comparable to Niagara Falls, capable of lifting heavy boulders and iron-like Valmont stone and carrying them downstream. Following the disaster, Colonel Fisher, the division superintendent, quickly constructed a "surface bridge" to replace the lost structure, a method successfully used by the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad to mitigate costs and delays from washouts.
The "Lost Locomotive of Kiowa Creek" became a local legend. While official records identify the engine as #51, the 1914 account claimed it was a new Baldwin No. 73. Public recovery efforts at the time were extensive but futile; Master Mechanic I. W. Nesmith reportedly spent $6,000 probing the creek bed with iron rods and excavating to a depth of 40 feet, but discovered only a pair of car trucks.
The mystery inspired Clive Cussler to write Night Probe!. In 1989, Cussler's National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA) attempted to locate the engine but failed, a search detailed in his non-fiction book The Sea Hunters. It was later discovered by Union Pacific archivist Lloyd Glasier that the railroad had secretly recovered the locomotive shortly after the wreck, rebuilt it under a new number, and successfully collected insurance money for a "total loss" in an act of insurance fraud.
Ranching and Local Life
The area surrounding Bennett Station was home to extensive ranching operations. Colonel John G. Clopper, a veteran of the Civil War, established the "Living Springs" ranch 12 miles north of the station in 1883. Clopper improved the property, which had been a point of interest on the old overland stage route, by building a race track and breeding Hambletonian and Mambrino trotting horses until his death in 1885. Other prominent stockmen, including Hon. Ed Knott and George C. Mack, utilized the station for shipping cattle and hogs to markets in Denver and the east.
Life at the station was occasionally hazardous. In 1898, a sheepherder named Feles Martinez and his dog were killed by lightning on a range south of town. Railroad accidents also claimed lives, including a section hand named Spencer in 1894 and William Epple, the son of a local rancher, who died in 1904 after jumping from a moving train. Criminal activity commonly disrupted the Bennett community, most notably in 1885 when a dispute over mail resulted in the shooting death of Postmaster George W. Smith by Louis Scherrer, who claimed self-defense. Law enforcement also dealt with thefts and property crimes, such as the 1882 recovery of silverware stolen from Bishop Spalding in Denver, the 1900 capture of a horse thief, and an 1898 incident where three boys stole and wrecked a railroad handcar.
Bennett (1907-1909)
Following the official spelling change to Bennett in June 1907, the area became a focal point for the "dry farming" movement in Colorado.
The Scientific Farming Boom
Beginning in 1906, the Campbell System of Soil Culture established a 320-acre model farm at Bennett to demonstrate that agriculture could succeed on the arid plains without irrigation. The project utilized a 32-horsepower compound engine capable of plowing, packing, and seeding 40 acres a day.
The success of these experiments attracted significant attention. The Denver Chamber of Commerce organized excursions via Union Pacific motor cars to view the fields, and lecturers like Mrs. Louise Palmer promoted the scientific methods. By 1907, local farmers such as John Egelhoff were reporting successful yields of barley and wheat using these dry farming techniques.
Real estate developers heavily advertised the area's potential, selling land for $3 to $20 an acre and touting the "Campbell system" as a guarantee of profit. This agricultural boom brought increased traffic to the town; however, it was not without tragedy. In September 1907, Thomas O'Reilley, a young farmer attending a dry farming convention in Bennett, was killed while attempting to jump onto a moving Rock Island flyer train.
Bennett (1910-1919)
During the 1910s, Bennett continued to develop as an agricultural hub while serving as a key transit point on the "Ocean to Ocean" highway route.
Agriculture and Infrastructure
The region faced volatile agricultural conditions early in the decade. In January 1912, a severe winter caused starvation among cattle herds in eastern Colorado; reports from Bennett indicated that while most ranchers fed their stock, authorities had to intervene in cases of neglect. By 1914, however, dry farming efforts had matured. Civil engineer O. G. Emery reported that winter wheat crops were thriving, prompting a Denver milling concern to plan the construction of a grain elevator in the town.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.