Fort Morgan, Colorado

This article is about the town in Colorado. For the namesake fort, see Fort Morgan (Colorado).

Fort Morgan, Colorado
Home rule municipality [1]
The Fort Morgan City Hall.
Location of the City of Fort Morgan in Morgan County, Colorado.
Fort Morgan Location of the City of Fort Morgan in the United States.
Coordinates: 40°15′12″N103°47′57″W / 40.25333°N 103.79917°W / 40.25333; -103.79917
Country	United States
State	Colorado
County	Morgan County seat [1]
Incorporated	June 15, 1887 [2]
Government
• Type	Home rule municipality [1]
• Mayor	Lyn Deal [3]
Area [4]
• Total	5.403 sq mi (13.993 km2)
• Land	5.334 sq mi (13.815 km2)
• Water	0.069 sq mi (0.178 km2)
Elevation	4,324 ft (1,297 m)
Population  (2020) [4]
• Total	11,597
• Density	2,174/sq mi (839/km2)
•  Metro	29,111
Time zone	UTC−07:00 (MST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−06:00 (MDT)
ZIP codes [5]	80701 & 80705
Area code	970
FIPS code	08-27810
GNIS feature ID	0204722
Website	www.cityoffortmorgan.com

Fort Morgan is the home rule municipality city that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Morgan County, Colorado, United States. ^{[1] [6]} The city population was 11,597 at the 2020 United States Census. ^[4] Fort Morgan is the principal city of the Fort Morgan, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Fort Morgan

Main article: Fort Morgan (Colorado)

Camp Wardwell was established in 1865 along the Overland Trail to protect emigrants and supplies going to and from Denver and the mining districts. The fort was renamed in 1866 by General John Pope for one of his staff, Colonel Christopher A. Morgan, ^[7] who had died earlier that year. The fort closed in 1868 after being used by 19 different companies from 11 cavalry and infantry regiments (about 1,300 soldiers).

Town

The town of Fort Morgan was platted just south of the old military fort's ruins on May 1, 1884, by Abner S. Baker, a member of Greeley's Union Colony. The town became the county seat of the newly formed Morgan County on February 19, 1889. ^[8]

In World War II, a military school at the Fort Morgan State Armory was part of the West Coast Air Corps Training Center. ^[9]

Geography

At the 2020 United States Census, the town had a total area of 3,458 acres (13.993 km²) including 44 acres (0.178 km²) of water. ^[4]

Climate

Fort Morgan exhibits a semi-arid climate (Köppen: BSk)

Climate data for Fort Morgan, Colorado, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1896–present
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	75 (24)	82 (28)	85 (29)	93 (34)	100 (38)	106 (41)	109 (43)	105 (41)	103 (39)	97 (36)	85 (29)	84 (29)	109 (43)
Mean maximum °F (°C)	61.5 (16.4)	65.6 (18.7)	76.7 (24.8)	83.2 (28.4)	91.0 (32.8)	97.6 (36.4)	100.8 (38.2)	98.0 (36.7)	95.9 (35.5)	86.8 (30.4)	73.6 (23.1)	62.5 (16.9)	101.5 (38.6)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	41.6 (5.3)	44.9 (7.2)	56.0 (13.3)	63.2 (17.3)	72.4 (22.4)	84.0 (28.9)	90.2 (32.3)	88.0 (31.1)	80.5 (26.9)	66.3 (19.1)	52.2 (11.2)	41.8 (5.4)	65.1 (18.4)
Daily mean °F (°C)	27.1 (−2.7)	30.1 (−1.1)	40.4 (4.7)	48.1 (8.9)	57.9 (14.4)	68.8 (20.4)	75.0 (23.9)	72.4 (22.4)	63.8 (17.7)	50.0 (10.0)	36.8 (2.7)	27.5 (−2.5)	49.8 (9.9)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	12.7 (−10.7)	15.2 (−9.3)	24.9 (−3.9)	33.0 (0.6)	43.3 (6.3)	53.5 (11.9)	59.7 (15.4)	56.8 (13.8)	47.1 (8.4)	33.6 (0.9)	21.4 (−5.9)	13.1 (−10.5)	34.5 (1.4)
Mean minimum °F (°C)	−7.3 (−21.8)	−2.0 (−18.9)	8.9 (−12.8)	19.1 (−7.2)	30.8 (−0.7)	44.2 (6.8)	52.9 (11.6)	49.5 (9.7)	35.8 (2.1)	17.3 (−8.2)	4.3 (−15.4)	−4.4 (−20.2)	−13.2 (−25.1)
Record low °F (°C)	−35 (−37)	−41 (−41)	−26 (−32)	−1 (−18)	14 (−10)	30 (−1)	34 (1)	33 (1)	11 (−12)	−8 (−22)	−18 (−28)	−30 (−34)	−41 (−41)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	0.25 (6.4)	0.27 (6.9)	0.74 (19)	1.46 (37)	2.24 (57)	2.16 (55)	2.39 (61)	1.71 (43)	1.14 (29)	1.14 (29)	0.49 (12)	0.29 (7.4)	14.28 (362.7)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	3.8 (9.7)	3.9 (9.9)	3.8 (9.7)	1.7 (4.3)	0.3 (0.76)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	2.1 (5.3)	2.7 (6.9)	4.4 (11)	22.7 (57.56)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in)	2.5	2.9	3.7	6.2	10.3	7.5	7.7	7.7	5.0	4.6	3.0	2.9	64.0
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in)	2.0	2.3	1.9	0.9	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.6	1.1	2.6	11.6
Source 1: NOAA [10]
Source 2: National Weather Service [11]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1890	488		—
1900	634		29.9%
1910	2,800		341.6%
1920	3,818		36.4%
1930	4,423		15.8%
1940	4,884		10.4%
1950	5,315		8.8%
1960	7,379		38.8%
1970	7,594		2.9%
1980	8,768		15.5%
1990	9,068		3.4%
2000	11,034		21.7%
2010	11,315		2.5%
2020	11,597		2.5%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census ^[12] of 2000, 11,034 people, 3,887 households, and 2,736 families resided in the city. The population density was 2,472.1 inhabitants per square mile (954.5/km²). The 4,094 housing units averaged 917.2 per square mile (354.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 74.43% White, 0.28% African American, 1.01% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.24% Pacific Islander, 20.62% from other races, and 3.24% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 39.04% of the population.

Of the 3,887 households, 37.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.6% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.6% were not families. About 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.32.

In the city, the population was distributed as 30.2% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 18.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $33,128, and for a family was $36,134. Males had a median income of $27,667 versus $22,346 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,024. About 8.9% of families and 12.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.5% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Lincoln School is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is the location of the School for the Performing Arts.

Fort Morgan State Armory is used as a town recreation center.

Fort Morgan, for the most part, has an agricultural economy.

Cargill operates a meatpacking plant. As of 2016, many of the employees at the plant were Muslims, many from Somalia. ^[13]

Also, Western Sugar operates their main plant in Fort Morgan. It includes turning sugar beet into sugar.

Education

• Morgan Community College

Media

Newspaper

The city newspaper is the Fort Morgan Times . ^[14]

Radio

• KSIR 1010 AM and KRFD (FM) 94.5 have a broadcasting building in Fort Morgan.
• KFTM ("Hometown Radio") 1400 is a short-range AM radio station broadcasting in the city.
• BOB FM 97.5 KSRX is a music station from Sterling and Fort Morgan.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Rail

Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service through Fort Morgan, operating its California Zephyr daily in both directions between Chicago and Emeryville, California, across the bay from San Francisco.

Air

Although the town is served by Fort Morgan Municipal Airport, no scheduled airlines operate from there, and the airport is purely for general aviation. Denver International Airport is 76 miles (122 km) southwest and is the closest airport to provide scheduled services.

Major highways

• Interstate 76
• Business Loop 76
• U.S. Highway 34
• State Highway 52
• State Highway 144

Notable people

Fort Morgan is the boyhood home of Big Band musician Glenn Miller. Miller went to high school in Fort Morgan and was known to have once played trumpet on top of Abner S. Baker School, since destroyed in a fire and now rebuilt, which at the time was the high school campus, but is now an elementary school.

Robert G. Whitehead (1916–2007) was born in Fort Morgan.

Joel Dreessen, former tight end for the Denver Broncos, grew up in Fort Morgan and attended Fort Morgan schools. He graduated from Fort Morgan High School in 2000. ^[15]

Michael Crichton lived in Fort Morgan for a short time during World War II with his family when his father was drafted to serve in the war. ^[16]

Sam Brunelli, football player.

Elvin C. Drake was head track and field coach for the 1956 NCAA Champion UCLA Bruins. ^[17]

Ryan Jensen, center for the 2021 Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Grew up in Fort Morgan and played football at Fort Morgan High School. Graduated in 2009.

Brenton Metzler is a TV producer. He moved to Fort Morgan at the age 16 and graduated from Fort Morgan High School in 1997. ^{[18] [19]}

See also

• Geography portal
• History portal
• United States portal
• Colorado portal

• Colorado
  • Bibliography of Colorado
  • Index of Colorado-related articles
  • Outline of Colorado
• List of counties in Colorado
• List of municipalities in Colorado
• List of places in Colorado
• List of statistical areas in Colorado
  • Fort Morgan, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area

References

1. "Active Colorado Municipalities". Colorado Department of Local Affairs . Retrieved October 18, 2021.
2. "Colorado Municipal Incorporations". State of Colorado, Department of Personnel & Administration, Colorado State Archives. December 1, 2004. Retrieved September 2, 2007.
3. "Lyn Deal". City of Fort Morgan. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
4. "Decennial Census P.L. 94-171 Redistricting Data". United States Census Bureau, United States Department of Commerce. August 12, 2021. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
5. "ZIP Code Lookup". United States Postal Service. Archived from the original (JavaScript/HTML) on November 4, 2010. Retrieved September 20, 2007.
6. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
7. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp.  129.
8. Jennifer Patten, In View of the Mountains: A History of Fort Morgan, Colorado (Aged Page, 2011).
9. Futrell, Robert F. (July 1947). Development of AAF Base Facilities in the United States: 1939-1945 (Report). Vol. ARS-69: US Air Force Historical Study No 69 (Copy No. 2). Air Historical Office. p. 108 (pdf 117). The West Coast Training Center…during 1942 it had obtained jurisdiction over other contract schools at…Fort Morgan, Colo.
10. "U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: FT Morgan, CO". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
11. "NOAA Online Weather Data – NWS Boulder/Denver". National Weather Service. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
12. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
13. Julie Turkewitz (March 7, 2016). "Prayer Dispute Between Somalis and Plant Reshapes a Colorado Town, Again". The New York Times. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
14. http://www.fortmorgantimes.com/ Fort Morgan Times website
15. "Joel Dreessen Thinks Playing For The Broncos Will Take Him To Next Level". World Press.com. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
16. Smith, David (December 3, 2006). "King of the techno-thriller". The Observer. London: The Guardian. Retrieved June 17, 2011.
17. John Cherwa (December 25, 1988). "Ducky Drake, Father of UCLA Athletics, Dies". Los Angeles Times .
18. Yost, Mike (May 22, 2014). "Gay Coloradan talks coming out, moving to Los Angeles, and working as a TV producer". OUT FRONT. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
19. Barker, Dan (January 6, 2012). "FMHS grad Brenton Metzler produces 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition'". Fort Morgan Times. Retrieved June 12, 2018.

External links

• City of Fort Morgan website
• CDOT map of the City of Fort Morgan