Auburn is an
unincorporated community in
Weld County,
Colorado,
United States, five miles southeast of Downtown
Greeley.
["The Crossing: Six Degrees." '' Rocky Mountain News''. Tuesday January 23, 2007]
2
In the 1960s, Auburn was a farming community with no general stores and no post office. Many of the families were first, second, and third generation immigrants with
German-
Russian,
Mexican
Mexican may refer to:
Mexico and its culture
*Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America
** People
*** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants
*** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...
, and
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
heritage. Families attended Baptist, Catholic, and Congregational churches in Greeley,
Gilcrest, and
Platteville.
On December 14, 1961, Union Pacific's "City of Denver" passenger train collided with a school bus, killing twenty children who were on board.
Sixteen children and the driver survived. The crash was the deadliest traffic accident in Colorado history.
Education
The Auburn area is now within
Weld County School District Six
Greeley-Evans Weld County School District 6 (also called Greeley-Evans School District 6) is a school district headquartered in Greeley, Colorado, United States. The district serves most of the City of Greeley, the City of Evans, the Town of Gard ...
. As of 2008, residents are zoned to Bella Romero Academy of Applied Technology K-3 (formerly East Memorial Elementary, named for the school bus tragedy) Bella Romero 4-8 Elementary School east of
Greeley at the site of the former Delta Elementary School, Heath Middle School in Greeley, and
Greeley West High School in Greeley.
For many years, Auburn had a school district and a school at the northeast corner of Weld County Roads 47 and 54. A legislative study posted by the mid-1950s recommended reorganizing Colorado's school districts and declared school district reorganization as the state's main priority. Between 1956 and 1961, nearly 700 school districts closed, leaving 275 open. As a consequence, many small schools in Colorado began to close as a result of the district closures. The Auburn School District and the three-room school in Auburn closed, causing children to attend schools in Greeley beginning in 1961.
During that year children were assigned to Delta Elementary School, Meeker Junior High School, and
Greeley High School.
The Auburn and Delta schools no longer exist.
["The Crossing: Six Degrees." '' Rocky Mountain News''. Tuesday January 23, 2007]
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References
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Unincorporated communities in Colorado
Unincorporated communities in Weld County, Colorado
German-Russian culture in Colorado
Swedish-American culture in Colorado