Elbert County • Colorado High Plains

Elbert, Colorado

A quiet historic community shaped by railroad days, ranching, farming, Kiowa Creek and buildings that survived one of the town’s defining disasters.

Why Elbert Belongs on the Colorado A–Z

Small-Town Colorado With a Remarkable Past

Settled around 1860 in the Kiowa Creek valley, the community was first known as Gomer’s Gulch. The arrival of the Denver & New Orleans Railroad in the 1880s helped Elbert grow into a busy rural trade center. A catastrophic 1935 flood changed the town forever, but several historic buildings remain and help tell its story today.

c. 1860Early settlement

1880sRailroad growth

1935Historic Kiowa Creek flood

1906Russell Gates Mercantile built

Elbert Colorado artwork featuring the historic Russell Gates Mercantile

The Artwork

A Colorful Tribute to Elbert

The Elbert collection highlights the rural landscape and one of the community’s most recognizable historic landmarks: the Russell Gates Mercantile. The 1906 brick building once anchored a regional mercantile business and remains a gathering place in Elbert today.

Collect the places you’ve been. Discover the places you’ll go next.

Local History

Railroad Growth, Mercantile Commerce & the 1935 Flood

Elbert grew after the Denver & New Orleans Railroad established a route through the community in the 1880s. At its height, the town supported multiple mercantile stores, banks, hotels, creameries and other businesses serving surrounding farms and ranches.

On Memorial Day weekend in 1935, extraordinary rainfall caused Kiowa Creek to flood, destroying homes and businesses and damaging the railroad so severely that the line was abandoned. Historic survivors include St. Mark United Presbyterian Church, the Russell Gates Mercantile and Sacred Heart Church, which was later moved to higher ground.

What Elbert Is Known For

Elbert is a living piece of Colorado plains history. Its identity combines ranch and farm country, historic railroad roots, the Russell Gates Mercantile, surviving churches, antiques and small independent businesses.

Elbert Character

Symbols That Tell the Story

🏪 Russell Gates Mercantile

Built in 1906, the landmark mercantile once served as the center of Russell Gates’ regional retail enterprise and remains an important community building.

🚂 Railroad Heritage

The Denver & New Orleans Railroad helped transform Elbert from a small settlement into a thriving rural trade center.

🌾 Ranch & Farm Country

Open prairie, livestock, agricultural land and rural traditions remain central to the character of the Elbert area.

⛪ Historic Churches

St. Mark United Presbyterian Church dates to 1889, while Sacred Heart Church survived the 1935 flood and was moved to higher ground.

🌊 Kiowa Creek

The creek shaped Elbert’s settlement and its history, most dramatically during the devastating flood of 1935.

🪵 Antiques & Western Finds

Elbert’s small-town shopping includes antiques, reclaimed materials, western-inspired goods and locally made products.

Shop • Eat • Support Local

Unique Small Businesses in Elbert

Elbert’s businesses are part of the experience: local coffee, western shopping, antiques, reclaimed materials, ranch products and hometown food.

Bar & Grill

South 40 Bar and Grill

A rustic hometown bar and grill serving burgers, sandwiches, barbecue and Colorado-style specialties.

Address: 6735 Garfield Ave, Elbert, CO 80106
Phone: (303) 648-9991

Cafe • General Store • Gifts

The Naked Goat Cafe, Soap Shop & General Store

A destination-style cafe and country general store combining food and coffee with handmade body products, gifts and pantry goods.

Address: 6739 Lavell Ave, Elbert, CO 80106
Phone: (719) 800-2380

Local Coffee

Dancing Jaguar Coffee

A locally owned coffee shop known for single-origin coffee connected to the owners’ family coffee farm in Honduras.

Address: 24295 N Elbert Rd, Elbert, CO 80106
Phone: (970) 331-5320
Website: dancingjaguarcoffee.com

Visit Website →View Business Page →

Western Boutique & Gallery

A Cowgirl’s Heart Boutique and Gallery

Western-inspired clothing, gifts and art in a locally owned Elbert boutique and gallery.

Address: 24295 N Elbert Rd, Elbert, CO 80106
Phone: (303) 929-3480
Website: acowgirlsheartboutique.com

Visit Website →View Business Page →

Antiques • Reclaimed Materials

City Limit Antiques and Reclaimed Materials

An owner-run antique, salvage and reclaimed-wood shop sourcing materials from old barns and structures.

Address: 6743 Lavell Ave, Elbert, CO 80106
Phone: (303) 916-3907

Ranch & Agritourism

Bella Vista Bison

A working bison ranch offering educational agritourism experiences and scenic Front Range views.

Address: 24485 County Road 5, Elbert, CO 80106
Phone: (303) 647-8210

Custom Woodworking

Anchored Woodcraft

Elbert-based custom woodworking and live-edge slab shop creating furniture and specialty wood projects.

Address: 26535 County Road 21 Unit B, Elbert, CO 80106
Phone: (720) 626-4364

Equestrian Center

Latigo Trails Equestrian Center

A 45-acre equestrian and event complex supporting youth, agriculture and western traditions.

Address: 13710 Halleluiah Trail, Elbert, CO 80106
Phone: (719) 495-0176

Ranch

Wild Plains Yaks

A family-owned Elbert ranch raising grass-fed Tibetan yaks and offering ranch products.

Address: 3500 County Road 98, Elbert, CO 80106
Phone: (719) 357-6555

Business information was checked against current local listings, the Elbert County Chamber and official business sources where available. Hours and details can change, so confirm directly before making a special trip.

Explore

Historic Places to Know

Russell Gates Mercantile

The 1906 mercantile is one of Elbert’s defining historic buildings and continues to serve as a community gathering place.

Address: 24223 Eccles Street, Elbert, CO 80106

St. Mark United Presbyterian Church

Built in 1889, this historic church is a notable survivor of Elbert’s early community history.

Sacred Heart Church

A local Gothic Revival landmark that survived the 1935 flood and was subsequently moved to higher ground east of town.

Historic Elbert

Drive through the compact community to see surviving historic buildings and traces of the railroad-era town that once served the surrounding countryside.

History researched from the Elbert Town Committee, Elbert Woman’s Club, History Colorado and Elbert County historical sources.

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