Matheson, Colorado
Encyclopedia
Matheson is an unincorporated town
and a U.S. Post Office
in Elbert County
, Colorado
, United States
. The Matheson Post Office has the ZIP Code
80830.
Established in the mid 1880's by Duncan Matheson a native of Scotland.
Mr. Matheson came to Elbert County Colorado with his wife Jessie and their six children,
Donald, Robert, John, William Norman and Janet.
As a farming and ranching community with a sideline industry of soft coal mining and the desire
of personal independence, many from the east gathered in Matheson, Colorado.
Early businesses in Matheson included a depot, lumber yard, hotel, bank, blacksmith, general
store, livery, drug store, and of course a saloon. Dr. Lewis White was an early physician.
A community church was constructed in 1918, and the St. Agnes Catholic Church at the west
edge of town was built in 1921. It served until 1973. Matheson now has the Community Church
of Matheson and holds services each Sunday for the town members and the surrounding
community.
A large brick school atop the hill south of town was constructed in 1920 and closed in 1969.
The building still stands as a landmark of Matheson, along with St. Agnes Catholic Church at the
west end of town.
The original Rock Island Railroad delivered mail in 1888. The incoming mail was delivered on
train No. 7 and the outgoing mail was sent out on train No. 8. The mail bag was thrown from the
train as it passed and was often torn, scattering mail up and down the tracks. Out going mail was
hung on a pole and picked off the pole by the caboose conductor, yielding a hook as the train
passed by.
The town of Matheson was erroneously spelled Mattison by the Railroad Company. In 1915 the
Post Office Department corrected the name to Matheson.
The town of Matheson once boasted a population of 500+. During and towards the end of the
Great Depression the population started to drop as businesses failed, and folks moved on to find
a better way of life.
was set in Matheson, Colorado. However, the series portrayed Matheson as much larger, a hub of high-tech industry, and located somewhere in the mountains west of Denver.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
and a U.S. Post Office
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
in Elbert County
Elbert County, Colorado
Elbert County is the 21st most populous of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 19,872 at U.S. Census 2000. The county seat is Kiowa...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The Matheson Post Office has the ZIP Code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
80830.
Established in the mid 1880's by Duncan Matheson a native of Scotland.
Mr. Matheson came to Elbert County Colorado with his wife Jessie and their six children,
Donald, Robert, John, William Norman and Janet.
As a farming and ranching community with a sideline industry of soft coal mining and the desire
of personal independence, many from the east gathered in Matheson, Colorado.
Early businesses in Matheson included a depot, lumber yard, hotel, bank, blacksmith, general
store, livery, drug store, and of course a saloon. Dr. Lewis White was an early physician.
A community church was constructed in 1918, and the St. Agnes Catholic Church at the west
edge of town was built in 1921. It served until 1973. Matheson now has the Community Church
of Matheson and holds services each Sunday for the town members and the surrounding
community.
A large brick school atop the hill south of town was constructed in 1920 and closed in 1969.
The building still stands as a landmark of Matheson, along with St. Agnes Catholic Church at the
west end of town.
The original Rock Island Railroad delivered mail in 1888. The incoming mail was delivered on
train No. 7 and the outgoing mail was sent out on train No. 8. The mail bag was thrown from the
train as it passed and was often torn, scattering mail up and down the tracks. Out going mail was
hung on a pole and picked off the pole by the caboose conductor, yielding a hook as the train
passed by.
The town of Matheson was erroneously spelled Mattison by the Railroad Company. In 1915 the
Post Office Department corrected the name to Matheson.
The town of Matheson once boasted a population of 500+. During and towards the end of the
Great Depression the population started to drop as businesses failed, and folks moved on to find
a better way of life.
In Popular Culture
The television series Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV ShowHoney, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show is an American syndicated science fiction sitcom based on the 1989 film, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. It expands upon the original film's concept of a shrinking experiment gone wrong to include a myriad of experiments gone awry...
was set in Matheson, Colorado. However, the series portrayed Matheson as much larger, a hub of high-tech industry, and located somewhere in the mountains west of Denver.