Interesting Facts About Loma, Colorado

Located roughly 18 miles west of Grand Junction lies Loma, Colorado—a small town with a vast history in the Grand Valley.

Who Were the First People in Loma, Colorado?

Loma was first home to the Ute people, who had left the area in 1881, followed by homesteaders who headed there in the late 1880s.

Currently, Loma is a small farming community marked by a big "L" on a small hill. It gets its name from the Spanish word meaning small hill.

Things You Should Know About Loma, Colorado

The Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad finished a narrow gauge railway through Loma in 1882, followed by a standard gauge railway in 1890,

A two-story schoolhouse was built in 1910, using yellow bricks fired on the school grounds. The school remained in use until 1982 and still stands today.

A post office was opened in 1905 and is still in use today.

The "Colorado Millionaire," Verner Zevola Reed, bought land in Loma and started the Golden Hills Ranch in 1907 to grow apples. It wasn't as successful as anticipated and was sold in 1923.

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During the Great Depression, the US government sent 32 families from the Dust Bowl to Loma.

In 2015, Loma's first traffic signal was installed at the intersection of Route 6 and Highway 139.

Loma was once a uranium mining and milling town and was known as a "yellowcake town" because uranium oxide looked like yellow cake mix.

Loma Colorado is a Historic Town with an Abandoned School

WARNING: Under no circumstances should you enter this property. By doing so you risk bodily harm and/or prosecution for trespassing on private property.

Take a look at the now-abandoned Loma School in the Colorado town of the same name, a structure that dates back to 1910.

Gallery Credit: Nate Wilde

These 7 Historic Structures are Colorado’s Oldest Buildings

Take a trip back to the earliest days of Colorado by scrolling through this photo gallery of historic buildings. These are Colorado's seven oldest buildings, each of them dating back 166 years or longer.

Gallery Credit: Wesley Adams

Photos: The Amazing View at Highline Lake State Park in Loma, Colorado

We walked around Highline Lake State Park to celebrate the official end of winter on the Western Slope. To visit the park in Loma, Colorado, you will need a State Parks Pass. If you don't have one a day pass can be purchased at the entrance for $10 per vehicle.

Gallery Credit: Wesley Adams

Filed Under: Colorado History