Julesburg, Colorado
Town in the United States in Sedgwick County
About Julesburg
Julesburg is the statutory town that is the county seat of and the most populous municipality in Sedgwick County, Colorado, United States. The population was 1,307 at the 2020 United States census.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How Julesburg is governed
Form of government not yet listed.
0 of 14 positions listed. Gray dashed boxes are placeholders waiting for a name.
Residents of Julesburg
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
- townofjulesburg.com
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Population over time
From 1,225 in 2010 to 1,307 in 2020 (+6.7%).
Show the numbers
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 1,307 |
| 2010 | 1,225 |
History
The original trading post was named for Jules Beni. Julesburg was on the Pony Express (1860–1861) route from Missouri to California.
Jack Slade
In 1858, Joseph A. "Jack" Slade, a superintendent for the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company, was tracking down horse thieves, including Jules Beni. Slade caught up with him at Julesburg, but Beni shot him five times. Thinking that Slade was dead, several angry townsfolk chased Beni out of Julesburg. When they returned, they found Slade struggling to his feet, having miraculously survived.
Beni continued to steal horses from the Pike's Peak Express Company, and Slade vowed to hunt him down. Beni attempted to ambush Slade at Slade's own ranch at Cold Springs. But Slade found out about the planned ambush and, along with some of his cowboys, captured Beni. Slade did not take Beni to authorities but instead shot him dead while he was tied to a fence post. He shot off each of Beni's fingers, then put the gun in Beni's mouth and pulled the trigger. Afterward, he severed Beni's ears as trophies.
Battle of Julesburg
Julesburg was a large and prominent stagecoach station and the site of Fort Rankin (later Fort Sedgwick). In revenge for the Sand Creek Massacre, one thousand Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Lakota warriors attacked Julesburg on January 7, 1865. In the battle the Indians defeated about 60 soldiers of the U.S. Army and 50 armed civilians. In the following weeks the Indians raided up and down the South Platte River valley. On February 2 they returned to Julesburg and burned down all the buildings in the settlement, although not attacking the soldiers and civilians holed up in the fort. At the time, the town was said to have had over 1000 buildings.
Union Pacific
In 1867, during the building of the Union Pacific transcontinental railroad, Julesburg served as an "end-of-track" town, where railroad workers would live while not laboring. At that time, about 4,000 workers inhabited the town, which had grown numerous saloons and gambling tents to serve them.
Such towns were generally very violent places. A colonel in the U.S Army stationed in Julesburg, Richard Irving Dodge, reported that of 127 graves he saw there, only six of those buried had died of natural causes. This worked out to one violent death for every day of the town's lifespan to that point. Many had been killed by vigilance committees, lynched and hung from the telegraph poles of the Union Pacific.
As the railroad advanced into Wyoming, new towns such as Cheyenne sprung up to house and service its workers. According to historian David T. Courtwright, end-of-track towns like Julesburg, Cheyenne and others were "agglomeration[s] (the word "community" is not appropriate) of young, transient, expendable, bachelor laborers whose self-image was one of toughness and whose unregulated vices attracted criminals, gamblers, prostitutes, and other armed opportunists eager to siphon off their wages." This mix created the environment that allowed the deadly violence of such places to thrive.
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