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History · Ward

Ward dates to 1860, and 62% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listings are the Ward School, the Modoc Mill and the Ward Congregational Church. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1957 on, and the census since 1890.

1860founded
3on the National Register
62%homes built before 1940
6old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Ward’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Ward began

When was Ward founded?

1860

Ward dates its founding to 1860 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1890.

First census: 424 in 18902020 census: 128166 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1894.The full story ↓

What stands out about Ward’s past

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

Shrank, then grewLost two-thirds of its people between 1890 and 1960, then grew more than tenfold.Old housesHalf of Ward’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · People over time

Ward, census by census

01002003004001900192019401960198020002020424 in 1890Low: 9

Lost two-thirds of its people between 1890 and 1960, then grew more than tenfold.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

The story

How Ward came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Ward.

Read it all →

The town was named for Calvin Ward, who prospected a claim in 1860 on the site known as Miser's Dream. The town boomed the following year with the discovery by Cyrus W. Deardorff of the Columbia vein. Over the next several decades the population fluctuated, growing from several hundred to several thousand before declining once again. The mines in the area remained profitable for many decades, with one mine eventually producing over 2 million troy ounces (62 t) of silver. A post office with the name Ward District was established January 13, 1863; the name was changed to Ward, September 11, 1894. The city was incorporated in June 1896. The railroad reached the area in 1898, arriving over the Whiplash and Switzerland Trail, which climbed over 4,000 feet (1,200 m) from Boulder over the course of 26 miles (42 km). In January 1900 over 50 buildings were destroyed by a devastating fire, altho…

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Ward, 1860 to 1983

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1860
    FoundingWard is established
  3. 1890CensusPopulation peaks at 424
  4. 1894Post officeThe Ward post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1957On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1983In the archiveFalling Down
By decade

Ward, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1980s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1980s6 items
Falling Down1983Falling DownHeavy Equipment1983Heavy EquipmentTexaco gasoline pump1983Texaco gasoline pumpUtica Street1983Utica StreetWard Church1983Ward ChurchWard Library1983Ward Library
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
Today8 recent
Ball cap (Unsplash)2016Ball cap (Unsplash)Ward CO2009Ward COWard CO general store2008Ward CO general storeColorado rocky mtns2005Colorado rocky mtnsCOMap-doton-Ward2005COMap-doton-WardLooking West, Campsite In Brainard Lake Campground2002Looking West, Campsite In Brainard Lake CampgroundIndian Peaks from Brainard Lake Campground2002Indian Peaks from Brainard Lake CampgroundEntering Brainard Lake Campground Area in Indian Peaks2002Entering Brainard Lake Campground Area in Indian Peaks
On the map

Ward on the map, 1957 to 1978

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Ward. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Ward on the 1957 USGS mapWard on the 1978 USGS map1957Ward 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 Ward.

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.

Falling Down
Retake this viewFalling Down, 1983

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

3 historic places in Ward

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

places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
3
each building in a district counts
first listed
1978
Modoc Mill
Ward SchoolWard Congregational Church
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Vernacular Wood Frame1
Vernacular1
Wood Frame1
Ward SchoolVernacular Wood Frame
All 3 listings
Modoc MillBuilding · listed 1978Ward Congregational ChurchBuilding · listed 1989

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

Places that used to be

Places now gone

Ward’s post office has been open since 1894.

Gone or out of use
Alaska TunnelmineAlcyone MinemineBig Five MinemineBoston MinemineBuena Ventura MinemineDavid Owen MinemineEldorado QuarrymineGlen Clover MinemineGreat Western MinemineHarms MinemineHelen B MinemineIdeal Number Two MinemineLeft Hand Peat Company MinemineMadredoro MinemineManyon MinemineMoon MinemineMountain Squaw MinemineN R A Minemine

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

Help out

Finish Ward’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewFalling Down: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Ward’s history

What year was Ward founded?

In 1860, according to Wikidata. Ward’s post office opened in 1894, and the census of 1890 counted 424 people here.

What is on the National Register in Ward?

Three places: the Ward School (listed 1989), the Modoc Mill (1978) and the Ward Congregational Church (1989).

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 (14), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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.