Iliff, Colorado

Iliff was surveyed and platted in 1887, and named for John C. Iliff, a pioneer cattleman who owned some 15,000 acres of good ranch land. He also controlled another 150,000 acres of BLM grazing land - enough land for him to profitably run between 25,000 and 50,000 head of cattle.

The downtown area still contains several structures built in the early 1900's. There's the bank, the old rectory, the dance hall/opera house and St. Catherine's Catholic Church. At one time there were also two garages, two pool halls, a mercantile, a grocery, a school, a newspaper, hotel, livery stable, theater and a blacksmith shop. The residents today mostly commute to either Sterling or Sidney, Nebraska for work.

The Iliff Post Office