The El Paso County Poor Farm

By On February 8, 2012 · 2 Comments · In A Big Something, Agriculture, Homelessness, Local History

The terms “poor house” and “poor farm” have made their way into popular culture throughout the years. But the terms poor house and poor farm refer to real places. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many counties across America operated one. We found that El Paso County was no exception.

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El Paso County Poor Farm, ca. early 1900's, photographer unknown. Courtesy of the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum.

Photo by Linda Vixie, Pikes Peak Genealogical Society Cemetery Project chair

(This piece ran on Western Skies this past weekend. Click HERE to listen to the entire episode.)

 
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2 Responses to The El Paso County Poor Farm

  1. Jeremy says:
    February 8, 2012 at 11:58 am

    Thanks for the local history lesson. Spotted the 2nd Poor Farm on one of the old City maps housed in Penrose Library’s Special Collections last year, wondering what it was all about. Question answered. Unfortunately, it appears to provide yet another example of local historic architecture that might have been preserved rather than destroyed.

    Reply
  2. Paul says:
    February 10, 2012 at 10:00 am

    Nicely done. Interesting history and also interesting that it lasted as one of last two in the country.

    Reply

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