Eastern Plains

Washington County

7 Porch Notes tied to Washington County — the local details that change from one part of Colorado to the next.

Water and land (1)

Water and land

The Akron Station That Taught the Plains to Hold Its Rain

Just outside Akron, a USDA research station has spent more than a century figuring out how to farm on 14 to 18 inches of rain a year.

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Outdoors and wildfire (1)

Outdoors and wildfire

Prewitt Reservoir is a State Wildlife Area, not a state park

Prewitt Reservoir on the Washington County line is a State Wildlife Area, so most visitors age 16 and up need a hunting or fishing license or an SWA pass to be there.

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Cars and driving (2)

Cars and driving

Driving the Washington County plains means watching weather and gravel

On Washington County's open plains, wind, hail, sudden storms, and winter blizzards matter more than mountain passes, and many roads are gravel that handles weather differently than pavement.

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Cars and driving

Last Chance: the crossroads that named itself for the empty road ahead

A plains junction at US 36 and SH 71 that earned its name warning drivers about the long empty stretch toward Denver.

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Local rules (1)

Local rules

Outside Akron, Washington County's rules come from the county

Most of Washington County is unincorporated, so land-use, zoning, and building questions there are answered by county government rather than a town.

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History and culture (2)

History and culture

Akron: a railroad town on the high edge of the plains

Washington County's seat began in 1882 as a Burlington railroad stop and sits near the highest point on Colorado's plains, roughly 4,663 feet above sea level.

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History and culture

An Easy, Free Afternoon: The Washington County Museum in Akron

Akron's free, year-round county museum keeps Washington County's pioneer and Native American story under one roof.

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