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Rocky Ford
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History of Rocky Ford
The Indian scout and tracker, Kit Carson, actually named Rocky Ford, long before there were any houses and long before G. W. Swink and Asa Russell built their adobe store. There was a ford (shallow crossing) on the Arkansas River, and it had a shale and rock bottom, so Kit Carson named this area The Rocky Ford Crossing Place.
The town moved to its present location in 1884, when the railroad laid
the tracks down in the location that they presently occupy. Most
of the early industry in Rocky Ford was based on the watermelon and
cantaloupe crops that were introduced by G. W. Swink, and from cattle
and sheep. The town was incorporated in 1887 with G. W. Swink
voted in as the first Mayor.
In 1878, Mr. G. W. Swink started the tradition of the first Watermelon Day, when he shared his crop with a passing train. In 1887, he began the tradition of the Arkansas Valley Fair. Both of these activities have been in existence continuously since he started them well over 100 years ago.
In 1899, due to prodding from G. W. Swink, construction began on the Sugar Factory. The first sugar beet campaign was in 1900, and it lasted for 61 days. The sugar beet and the sugar industry were instrumental in the development of the economy of Rocky Ford. They were very important to Rocky Ford and the surrounding area until the American Crystal Sugar Factory closed in 1979. Another blow to the area economy was the downsizing of the Pueblo Army Depot in 1978. The Rocky Ford Area lost many jobs and ultimately many families due to these two occurrences.
Watermelon and cantaloupe continue to be very important to the economy of Rocky Ford, and these products are famous worldwide.
Agriculture continues to be the key to the economy
of Rocky Ford,
however, many of the farmers have sold their water rights to the City of The Rocky Ford Museum resides on Sycamore Street, which is located in Library Park between 10th Street and 11th Street. Come in and see one of the finest local museums in the State of Colorado.
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The town of Rocky Ford began in 1871, when G. W. Swink left
the wagon train that he had been traveling with,
and decided to set down roots
at The Rocky Ford Crossing. Mr. Swink and Asa Russell, who was
also traveling on
the wagon train, built a general store from adobe bricks. The old
Rocky Ford Crossing is located about 2.5 miles northwest of Rocky Ford's
current location.
Aurora. In addition, in the years from 2000-present, the area
around Rocky Ford has experienced a prolonged drought, which has damaged
the economy. The drought does seem to be subsiding, and the crops
should be very good if everything goes well.