Iliff

History

The town was named for John Wesley Iliff, a cattleman who owned a ranch near the town site. Iliff (1831-1878), known as the 'Cattle King of Colorado', arrived during the 1859 gold rush and built one of the largest cattle operations in the American West. By the mid-1870's, he owned approximately 35,000 head of cattle and 15,558 acres of rangeland in northeastern Colorado. He supplied beef to Union Pacific Railroad construction crews, army posts, and mining towns, and was one of the wealthiest men in Colorado when he died in 1878. The people of Iliff have proven to be a resilient folk, surviving a blizzard in 1949 and a flood in 1965. Iliff resides on the fertile banks of the South Platte River. The South Platte has been a cornerstone to the community. The January 2, 1949 blizzard affected northeastern Colorado and led to Operation Haylift, a U.S. Air Force relief effort. The June 1965 South Platte River flood passed through the region between Sterling and Julesburg from June 14-20, 1965. The Union Pacific Railroad completed its line between LaSalle and Julesburg in 1881, providing crucial transportation for shipping cattle and agricultural products. The town was officially platted in 1887, the same year Logan County was carved from Weld County. According to historical records, Iliff was 'so busy with cattle-shipping that its saloon was converted into a land and loan office.' The 1900 census recorded 397 residents in Iliff. The region's economy transformed dramatically after 1905 when Sterling Sugar Company built a beet-processing factory near Sterling, triggering 'unprecedented growth' throughout Logan County. Sugar beet acreage in Logan County grew from 5,352 acres in 1910 to 14,623 acres by 1929. The industry attracted immigrant labor, including German Russians…

Geography

Iliff is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land.

Race & ethnicity