Abandoned Record
About Beecher Island
Beecher Island is a sandbar located along the lower course of the Arikaree River, a tributary of the North Fork of the Republican River near Wray in Yuma County, Colorado. The site is notable for having been the scene of an 1868 armed conflict between elements of the United States Army and several of the Plains Indian tribes.
This is a site record: what public sources say about Beecher Island, gathered in one place. We haven't written a full guide yet, so history, current access and photos are still to come. Treat the status as unknown until a guide confirms it.
Map
Where Beecher Island is
Historic maps
5 historic USGS maps cover Beecher Island
Topographic sheets from the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain), oldest first. Older sheets often show the camp, mines and roads while the place was alive. The downloads are large map scans; USGS topoView shows them in the browser.
- 1954 Limon sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1957 Limon sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1958 Limon sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1963 Beecher Island sheet, 1:24,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1983 Bonny Reservoir sheet, 1:100,000 · GeoTIFF download
Directions
Getting there
Before you go
- Many ghost town sites are on private land, active mining claims or tribal land. Check land status and ask permission.
- Roads to old townsites are often unmaintained dirt. Map apps may route over closed or impassable tracks.
- Removing artifacts from public land is illegal under federal and most state laws.
Nearby
Other sites near Beecher Island
Straight-line distance to other mapped sites in our Colorado index.
- Tuttle31.0 mi SW · Kit Carson
Sources
Sources
- Wikipedia, "Beecher Island": coordinates and summary.
- Wikidata Q814010.
- USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
- USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).