Rifle, Garfield, Colorado

Profile manager: J. Crook [send private message]

Goals for this page

1. Create links from overview
2. Add profiles for 1910 telephone directory
3. Add profiles for 1900 census
4. Add profiles for 1910 census
5. Add early Rifle ministers
6. Add people such as Marker, LeRossignol, and the Fraverts.
7. History timeline

Overview

Rifle, Colorado, was Ute land until the Meeker Massacre in September, 1879, after which the Ute tribes signed a treaty which moved them to a reservation in Utah. Rifle is located in Garfield, County, Colorado. The founder, Abram Maxfield, chose the townsite in 1882 or 1883 (sources differ). The town was named Rifle, after Rifle Creek. An account of the founding of Rifle is available online.

Geographically, Rifle is near the eastern edge of the Colorado Plateau. Rifle is located at the junction of Rifle Creek and the Colorado River. The Roan Cliffs, known locally as the Bookcliffs, a mountain largely made up of Eocene deposits converted to oil shale, towers over Rifle to the west; to the east, the Grand Hogback marches on its way from south of New Castle towards Meeker. North of Rifle, bordering the White River National Forest, is Rifle Mountain Park, managed by the City of Rifle. Remnants of U.S. Highway 6 & 24 pass south of the main part of Rifle, a highway which has largely been replaced by Interstate-70. The main part of Rifle is divided by a thoroughfare called Railroad Avenue (no one exactly knows why since a railroad doesn't head north). Railroad Avenue turns into State Highway 13, known historically as the "Government Road", thus giving rise to names such as the intermittent stream known as "Government Creek."

Demographic Data

Historical Census Data from the Colorado Demography Office shows the following populations for each census year:

1900 Census, portion

1910 Rifle and Grand Valley Telephone Directory, Rifle Exchange

Rose Hill Cemetery

Rifle currently has one cemetery, Rose Hill Cemetery.

Profiles which have been added to Wikitree are linked to the Rose Hill Cemetery page

Early Rifle Ministers

People significant in Rifle's history but buried elsewhere