Weld County town wiped out by dust bowl could join National Park System

A ghost town in Weld County could become part of the National Park System.

Democratic Sens. John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet want a Senate committee to take the first steps.

Dearfield was founded in 1910 by Oliver Toussain Jackson - who felt that the best path to prosperity for African Americans was land ownership.

At its height, 700 people from 35 states called the community home before the dust bowl wiped it out. It was the largest Black homesteading settlement in Colorado.

For more information on the history of Dearfield, visit nps.gov/places/dearfield-colorado.htm.