 Before 1859 only the Ute and Arapahoe Indians and an occasional trapper
crossed the Plum Creeks in Douglas County, in the area which was to
become Sedalia. In 1859, D.C. Oakes started a lumber mill on West Plum
Creek, cutting and shipping the finished lumber to Denver by horse and
wagon. People began to homestead shortly thereafter.
After the Civil War ended in 1865 the village was owned by Judge J. H.
Craig and was known as Corral or Round Corral, a cattle holding and
shipping area for cattle drives. In 1865 families came, reflecting a
broad spectrum of background and origin. Many of the early settlers
came with little or no possessions, but they had courage and fortitude.
Farms and ranches were settled and many of those pioneers have
descendants still residing in the area.
In 1871 the Rio Grande Railroad laid its tracks and the town became
known as "Plum" or "Plum Station." The Santa Fe Railroad built their
tracks through the town in 1876 complete with a new depot. The name was
changed to Sedalia officially in May 1882. Sedalia streets still carry
the names of many early pioneer families.
Colorado Telephone Company brought communications into Sedalia. The
first telephone lines were the barb wire fences between farms used with
old crank box phones. There were sometimes twelve on a party line.
By 1900 the town was a flourishing trading center. Commerce included
coal, milk and cheese, cider and apple butter, lumber, railroad ties
and stone. Sedalia was the logical overnight stay for people traveling
from Denver to Colorado Springs. It also became a favorite outing for
bicyclers from Denver.
With prohibition in 1919, Sedalia residents were surrounded by stills
tucked away in the hills around the town. Moonshining became a way of
life at $25.00 a keg or $5.00
a gallon.
In 1923 electricity was installed in Sedalia and in 1925 U.S. 85, the
"new" road from Denver to Colorado Springs was completed. In 1957
Sedalia Water and Sanitation District took control of the entire water
system. The village with 37 windmills had become self sufficient.
Probably the one event that had the most impact on the Village of
Sedalia was the flood of June 1965. Seven homes and three public
buildings were damaged or completely disappeared under a twenty-five
foot wall of water.
The first Sedalia School was a frame structure near the present Post
Office. It was purchased and moved to the Creek area where it was lost
to the flood of 1965. There were twenty students enrolled. In 1891 a
new solid stone school opened. It still stands today just south of the
present school. It was complete with outdoor toilet and wood stove. In
1912 several rooms were added with running water and stoker furnace. In
1951 it was converted to apartments when the present Sedalia Elementary
School opened. The current enrollment is approximately 300 students. |
