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History · Cokedale

Cokedale’s post office opened in 1906, and 92% of its homes were built before 1940

1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 92 buildings. Below: maps from 1951 on and the census since 1950.

1906first post office
1on the National Register
92%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Cokedale began

When was Cokedale founded?

1906

The Cokedale post office opened in 1906, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 214 in 19502020 census: 127120 years
Founding year: the first Cokedale post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Cokedale’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Cokedale are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.A historic districtThe Cokedale Historic District takes in 92 historic buildings.Old housesHalf of Cokedale’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Cokedale’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Cokedale’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the National Register

1 listing protects 92 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
92
each building in a district counts
first listed
1985
Cokedale Historic District
Cokedale Historic District
Districts
Cokedale Historic DistrictDistrict

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story

How Cokedale came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Cokedale.

Read it all →

Cokedale is a former coal mining town. The Cokedale, Colorado, post office operated from December 26, 1906, until October 28, 1997. The Trinidad, Colorado, post office (ZIP code 81082) now serves the area. The mine shut down in 1947, but the Town of Cokedale was incorporated on March 15, 1948. The town was 5 miles away from the epicenter of a 5.3 earthquake on August 23, 2011.

Much of the town is included in the Cokedale Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Cokedale, decade by decade

Today16 recent
Historic Coke Ovens in2019Historic Coke Ovens inGottlieb Mercantile Building2017Gottlieb Mercantile BuildingCoke-Ovens---Cokedale-CO2014Coke-Ovens---Cokedale-COGuard engineers help preserve town, southern Colo. mining history 120811-Z-NQ000-0942012Guard engineers help preserve town, southern Colo. mi…Guard engineers help preserve town, southern Colo. mining history 120811-Z-NQ000-0692012Guard engineers help preserve town, southern Colo. mi…Guard engineers help preserve town, southern Colo. mining history 120811-Z-NQ000-0682012Guard engineers help preserve town, southern Colo. mi…Guard engineers help preserve town, southern Colo. mining history 120811-Z-NQ000-0582012Guard engineers help preserve town, southern Colo. mi…Guard engineers help preserve town, southern Colo. mining history 120811-Z-NQ000-0552012Guard engineers help preserve town, southern Colo. mi…Guard engineers help preserve town, southern Colo. mining history 120811-Z-NQ000-0542012Guard engineers help preserve town, southern Colo. mi…Guard engineers help preserve town, southern Colo. mining history 120811-Z-NQ000-0522012Guard engineers help preserve town, southern Colo. mi…Guard engineers help preserve town, southern Colo. mining history 120811-Z-NQ000-0432012Guard engineers help preserve town, southern Colo. mi…Guard engineers help preserve town, southern Colo. mining history 120811-Z-NQ000-0382012Guard engineers help preserve town, southern Colo. mi…Guard engineers help preserve town, southern Colo. mining history 120811-Z-NQ000-0152012Guard engineers help preserve town, southern Colo. mi…COKEDALE HISTORIC DISTRICT2007COKEDALE HISTORIC DISTRICTCokedale2006CokedaleCOMap-doton-Cokedale2005COMap-doton-Cokedale
On the map

Cokedale on the map in 1951

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Cokedale.

Cokedale on the 1951 USGS map1951Trinidad sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Cokedale.

People over time

Cokedale, census by census

01002001960198020002020Peak: 219

Between 90 and 219 people in every census since 1950.

8 censuses, 1950–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Cokedale’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Cokedale

Nobody well known was born in Cokedale itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Paul L. ModrichAmerican biochemist · b. 1946
Snatam KaurAmerican singer-songwriter · b. 1972
Erskine SanfordAmerican actor · b. 1885
E
Erick HawkinsAmerican dancer and choreographer · b. 1909
Petro VlahosAmerican cinema pioneer · b. 1916
Matthew G. MartínezUnited States Marine · b. 1929
Places that used to be

Places now gone

Cokedale’s post office has been open since 1906.

Gone or out of use
Main Cokedale Minemine

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Cokedale’s history

What year was Cokedale founded?

The Cokedale post office opened in 1906, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Cokedale?

One place: the Cokedale Historic District (listed 1985).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (16), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.