Lamar, Colorado

A Brief History of Lamar

Lamar began in May 1886 when the Santa Fe Railway moved the Blackwell Station depot three miles west after negotiations over the earlier townsite failed. The relocated station anchored a new community named for U.S. Interior Secretary Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar. Railroad transportation supported the town’s growth as a center for commerce and the surrounding agricultural economy. Lamar became the seat of Prowers County, linking local government with its role as a regional service center. The brick passenger depot built in 1907 reflected that growing importance. It remains a tangible connection to the railroad decisions that shaped the city’s beginnings.