Iola, Colorado

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The dock floating above Iola, Colorado Iola, Colorado.jpg
The dock floating above Iola, Colorado

Iola is an extinct town located in Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. The community was inundated and destroyed by the creation of Blue Mesa Reservoir. [1]

Contents

History

When the Denver and Rio Grande pushed west from Gunnison in 1881, a stop was established at Stevens Ranch and had a post office from 1882 to 1896, when it moved east to Iola. A school district was organized in 1882 and served students through 1955. [2] The Iola post office operated from June 24, 1896, until August 16, 1963. [3] The name Iola reportedly was selected simply on account of it being a pleasant name. [4]

The town's population peaked between 200 and 300 residents and had a store, hotel, and lookout tower. [5] In addition to ranching, the area was a destination for fly fishing on the Gunnison River, [6] with several resorts that catered to the activity. [7]

In the late 1930s, Colorado State Highway 149 was routed through Iola with the road crossing the Gunnison River before its northern terminus at US 50. [8]

The creation of Blue Mesa Reservoir in the 1960s inundated the town of Iola, along with the nearby towns of Cebolla and Sapinero.

In 2018, drought caused parts of Iola to be revealed by dropping water levels in the reservoir. An estimated 10-15 building foundations were visible by December 2018. [7] [9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Iola (historical)
  2. ↑ "Schools". Gunnison County, Colorado. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  3. ↑ Bauer, William H.; Ozment, James L.; Willard, John H. (1990). Colorado Post Offices 1859–1989. Golden, Colorado: Colorado Railroad Historical Foundation. ISBN   0-918654-42-4.
  4. ↑ Dawson, John Frank. Place names in Colorado: why 700 communities were so named, 150 of Spanish or Indian origin. Denver, CO: The J. Frank Dawson Publishing Co. p. 28.
  5. ↑ "Ranches, Resorts, and Towns". Curecanti National Recreation Area Colorado. National Park Service. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  6. ↑ Carlson, Stu (November 18, 2024). "Iola – An Underwater Colorado Ghost Town Resurfaces". High Country Spotlight. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  7. 1 2 Lofholm, Nancy (December 10, 2018). "Drought has revealed for the first time a Colorado town flooded to build a reservoir. And scientists expect to see it again". Colorado Sun. Retrieved June 9, 2025.
  8. ↑ "Colorado Completes Big Highway Program". The Alamosa Daily Courier. June 22, 1939. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  9. ↑ Boster, Seth (December 22, 2018). "Drought reveals a long-submerged Colorado town on floor of Blue Mesa Reservoir". Denver Post. Retrieved June 9, 2025.
  10. ↑ Harrison, Abby (February 15, 2023). "'Go As a River'". Gunnison Country Times. Retrieved June 9, 2025.

38°28′30″N107°05′50″W / 38.4750°N 107.0972°W / 38.4750; -107.0972 (Iola)

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