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History · De Beque

De Beque dates to 1880, and 22% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listings are the IOOF Hall and the Colorado River Bridge. Below: 3 old photos and papers from 1973 on.

1880founded
2on the National Register
22%homes built before 1940
3old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From De Beque’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How De Beque began

When was De Beque founded?

1880

De Beque dates its founding to 1880 (Wikidata). Its post office opened in 1888.

2020 census: 493146 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1888.The full story ↓

What stands out about De Beque’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 3 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start De Beque’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewDE BEQUE, LIKE OTHER SMALL TOWNS IN THE…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How De Beque came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of De Beque.

Read it all →

The town is located in a region historically occupied by the Ute people. White settlers arrived in the region in 1880. The De Beque, Colorado, post office opened on March 23, 1888, and the Town of De Beque was incorporated on January 18, 1890.

The town is named after Dr. W.A.E. de Beque who explored the area with several companions in 1884 while looking for a suitable location for a ranch.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

De Beque, 1880 to 1973

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1880
    FoundingDe Beque is established
  3. 1888Post officeThe De Beque post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1973In the archiveDE BEQUE, LIKE OTHER SMALL TOWNS IN THE PICEANCE BASIN, IS BARELY MAINTAINING ITSELF. DEP…
By decade

De Beque, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1970s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1970s3 items
DE BEQUE, LIKE OTHER SMALL TOWNS IN THE PICEANCE BASIN, IS BARELY MAINTAINING ITSELF. DEPARTURE OF SMALL RANCHERS AND..…1973DE BEQUE, LIKE OTHER SMALL TOWNS IN THE PICEANCE BASI…DE BEQUE, LIKE OTHER SMALL TOWNS IN THE PICEANCE BASIN, IS BARELY MAINTAINING ITSELF. DEPARTURE OF SMALL RANCHERS AND..…1973DE BEQUE, LIKE OTHER SMALL TOWNS IN THE PICEANCE BASI…DE BEQUE, LIKE OTHER SMALL TOWNS IS THE PICEANCE BASIN, IS BARELY MAINTAINING ITSELF. DEPARTURE OF SMALL RANCHERS AND..…1973DE BEQUE, LIKE OTHER SMALL TOWNS IS THE PICEANCE BASI…
1980s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today3 recent
DeBeque, Co- Colorado River2012DeBeque, Co- Colorado RiverColorado River, DeBeque, CO2012Colorado River, DeBeque, COCOMap-doton-DeBeque2005COMap-doton-DeBeque
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

DE BEQUE, LIKE OTHER SMALL TOWNS IN THE PICEANCE BASIN, IS BARELY MAINTAINING ITSELF. DEPARTURE OF SMALL RANCHERS AND..…
Retake this viewDE BEQUE, LIKE OTHER SMALL TOWNS IN THE PICEANCE BASIN, IS BARELY MAINTAINING ITSELF. DEPARTURE OF SMALL RANCHERS AND..…, 1973

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on De Beque’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 historic places in De Beque

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

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
1993
IOOF Hall
IOOF HallColorado River Bridge
BuildingsStructures

Architectural styles listings

Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements1
Steel rigid-connected Parker through truss1
IOOF HallLate 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements
Colorado River BridgeSteel rigid-connected Parker through truss

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

Famous people

Famous people close to De Beque

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

See all →
Marilyn FergusonAmerican writer · b. 1938
David L. Bernhardt53rd United States Secretary of the Interior · b. 1969
Maggie BairdAmerican actress · b. 1959
R
Rebecca WardAmerican fencer · b. 1990
Bo NickalAmerican wrestler · b. 1996
C
Chuck HullAmerican inventor · b. 1939
Places that used to be

Places now gone

De Beque’s post office has been open since 1888.

Gone or out of use
Nichols Pitmine

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

Questions about De Beque’s history

What year was De Beque founded?

In 1880, according to Wikidata. De Beque’s post office opened in 1888.

What is on the National Register in De Beque?

Two places: the IOOF Hall (listed 1993) and the Colorado River Bridge (2002).

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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.