Holly, Colorado

A Brief History of Holly

Holly’s historic buildings trace ranching, railroad commerce and public investment in Prowers County. The SS Ranch barn, built in 1879, survives from Hiram Holly’s cattle operation, among the region’s early large ranches. The Santa Fe Railroad added a brick passenger-and-freight depot in 1912. During the Great Depression, Works Progress Administration projects brought jobs and lasting civic buildings: construction of the gymnasium began in 1936 using locally quarried Niobrara stone. The 1938 city hall combined police and fire services with a library and community room, serving as a gathering place for more than sixty years.