Moffat was established in 1890 by the San Luis Town and Improvement Company. It was thought to be a good central railroad location between Alamosa and Salida, with Villa Grove to the north, Saguache to the west, and the farming communities of Hooper and Mosca to the south.
Between 1890 and 1910, Moffat, named after the Denver, Rio Grande, and western Railroad president David H. Moffat, was recognized as the "queen city" of the Valley with as many as 2,500 residents. Two passenger trains ran daily. Each was greeted by the nine-piece town band. Moffat was a central shipping point for Saguache County Until the advent of the trucking industry, Moffat was ranked as the second largest livestock loading point in the state. After Moffat’s second boom, it became known as a center for well drillers and hay contractors, as well.
| In 1910, the Oklahoma Land and Colonization Company bought up town lots from the San Luis Town and Improvement Company. They laid out lots and 5, 10 and 15 acre tracts, and set up a lottery selling tickets for $200 each. Winning tickets won lots and tracts, some with buildings, wells, and/or other developments, some with nothing. In 1911, the town had over 30 businesses.
The railroad stopped shipping in the area about 1954. Moffat’s prosperous past came to a close. But the area still remains active as a ranching town with some of the original families following in the footsteps of their forefathers. Several of the original buildings still exist, the old church, hotel, mercantile company, and town hall. In the early 1980s the old hotel was renovated and used in the shooting of the movie "Land of Little Rain".
Today the population of Moffat is approximately 109. Businesses include a clinic, the post office, a credit union, a thrift shop, and Moffat Consolidated School which serves the Moffat and Crestone areas. Read about the Moffat School District- click here |
