Ghost Town Austin, Garfield County Colorado

Austin had a US post office from 1890 to 1896. The school was built in 1914 and closed about 1960. I am not sure what else. The earliest Meeker stage went through possibly had a stop. Dont think there were any stores or churches or saloons. Mostly farms and ranches. Flora Maxfield in her history writes it had the first post office, and that was then moved to Rifle. The Rifle Creek Museum was formed in 1967 by the Rifle Creek Homemakers Association and was located in a one-room schoolhouse in the town of Austin, which is now under water at Rifle Gap Reservoir. Before the town was flooded when the reservoir was built, the school house was transferred to land near the Rifle Creek Golf Course, said museum board president Cecil Waldron. Then, in the 1980s, the historical items were moved to its current location, the former city hall and fire department building at Third Street and East Avenue.
I heard all the houses were removed, the only existing item from the town is the bridge that is visible right now due to the low level of the reservoir not sure how many of the youngsters that went to school there are still alive.

Austin Students 1937

Kenneth Langstaff, ? Minivier, ? Minivier, Betty Shaw, Alberta Langstaff, Laura Fay Hollenbeck, Vivian Langstaff, Gilbert Zertuche, Bill Bowen, Bessie Langstaff, Edwin Corlett, Irene Hollenbeck & Lucy Voder

 

Building the Rifle Gap Resevoir took from 1964 - 1967  You can see the Austin School in the background before it was moved

Lyman Worth Austin, Mary Emmaline, Susie, Dilly, Charles, Jim & Bertha

L-R top: Nancy Smith, Ruby Zertuche, ?David Zertuche?, Gilbert Zertuche, Kenneth Langstaff, Mrs. Pool, Jesse Meyers, Betty Corlett.

L-R bottom: Jimmy Zertuche, Henry, Langstaff, ? Smith, Patty Bennet, Vivian Langstaff & Pearl Langstaff

 

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