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Wellington, the "northern gateway to Colorado," is located on State Highway 1
between two capital cities, Denver and Cheyenne. It is situated in the heart of
the Boxelder Valley near Coal Creek.
Founded in 1902 and incorporated in 1905, the town was named for a C. L.
Wellington, a railroad man who lived in Denver but took an active interest in
the community's growth. This gentleman helped convince the Colorado and Southern
Railroad Company to extend 12 miles of track from Fort Collins to Wellington in
1903. He was also a stockholder in the Mountain Ditch & Supply Company and a
director of the First National Bank of Wellington.
Wellington is a community with deep agricultural roots.
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Growing community.
An aerial view of Wellington looking southwest toward the Front Range.
--Photo courtesy of the Town of Wellington
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Many of the early pioneers came from Kansas and Oklahoma, and the area also attracted German
farmers from Russia. Sheep and cattle were both raised on ranches around Wellington.
Early on, Wellington had a thriving Main Street including two lumber companies,
a bakery, two mercantile stores, a bank and a hotel. The town also boasted
butcher shops, drug stores, barber shops and blacksmith shops.
The post office in Wellington was established in 1903. A school house was built
in 1905, with a second story completed in 1907. The first Town Hall was built in
1906.
Wellington has experienced rapid growth in recent years and is now home to
about 4,500 families.
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