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Office: Crowley County OEM – (719) 267-5522 | crowleycountyco.gov
Alert System: CO-WARN; CodeRED; NOAA Weather Radio
Shelter Info: Ordway school facilities; contact OEM
FEMA Region: Region 8
Notes: Eastern Colorado Arkansas River valley county; Ordway is county seat; tornado risk (southeastern Colorado); drought; Arkansas River; Crowley County Correctional Facility (major institutional population); agricultural decline has driven significant economic depression – Crowley County sold nearly all of its water rights to cities in the 1970s-80s, causing the collapse of irrigated farming and one of the worst examples of “buy and dry” rural water policy in the West
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
County Roads: Crowley County Roads – (719) 267-5522
Transit: None; primarily auto-dependent
Notes: US-96 (east-west through Ordway); US-50 corridor nearby (La Junta); very rural; Sugar City and Olney Springs are small communities; La Junta is the nearest regional center (about 30 miles east)
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Crowley County Building – (719) 267-5522
Services: Very basic county permits
Notes: Extremely limited development; the county’s agricultural collapse following water sales has left abandoned farmsteads and declining communities; prison facility generates some institutional construction
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Crowley County Veterans Services – (719) 267-5522
VA Medical: VA Pueblo; VA Colorado Springs; both distant
Notes: Remote county; VA access challenging; small veteran population
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Crowley County Public Library – (719) 267-3579
Address: Ordway
Services: Books, public computers, Wi-Fi, children’s programs; Arkansas Valley history
Notes: Single library branch; critical internet access point; Arkansas Valley agricultural heritage
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Lake Henry and Lake Meredith (state wildlife areas – important waterfowl habitat; these lakes were created by the irrigation system; now serve primarily as wildlife areas since the irrigated farmland they once supplied is no longer farmed); Arkansas River (wildlife viewing; some fishing; severely diminished compared to upriver recreational sections); Ordway’s agricultural heritage landscape
Notes: Crowley County is one of Colorado’s most poignant examples of failed rural water policy; the county once had thousands of acres of lush irrigated farmland producing sugar beets and other crops; the systematic purchase of water rights by the Denver suburbs and other cities beginning in the 1970s (the “buy and dry” phenomenon) essentially ended irrigated agriculture in the county; the resulting economic collapse caused severe depopulation, declining schools, and community dissolution; Crowley County’s story is studied as a cautionary tale in Western water policy discussions
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Very limited; Colorado GIS; USGS maps
Notes: Minimal GIS infrastructure; “buy and dry” land use change mapping is historically significant
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Shelter: Very basic; Crowley County Sheriff animal control
Notes: Former ranching county; reduced livestock activity following water sales; pronghorn on the plains; waterfowl at Lake Henry and Lake Meredith
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Solid Waste: Crowley County – very limited
Environmental: Colorado DPHE; Arkansas River Compact; Colorado Water Conservation Board; “buy and dry” land management; blowing dust from fallowed fields
Notes: Crowley County’s water sale legacy is one of the most significant “buy and dry” environmental stories in the American West; when irrigated agriculture ceased, the underlying irrigation-created fields dried out; the resulting bare soil has become a source of dust storms and blowing topsoil; fallowed land management is an ongoing challenge; the county has explored alternative land uses including wildlife habitat, dryland farming, and potential small-scale water-wise agriculture; the Arkansas River through the county has reduced flows due to upstream diversions; the river’s cold water trout habitat quality is lower than upriver sections
About Crowley County County
Crowley County is Colorado’s most famous water rights cautionary tale – the county that sold its agricultural irrigation water to Front Range cities and watched its farms dry up, its population fall, and its economy collapse is now cited in water policy discussions across the American West as the defining example of what happens when water is permanently separated from rural agricultural land.
Ordway (the county seat, population ~1,000) is Crowley County’s governmental hub, a small southeastern Colorado plains town whose diminished circumstances stand as a testament to the transformative power of water in the arid West.
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Crowley County Assessor at 631 Main Street, Ordway, CO 81063, phone 719-267-4643. CO assessed at percentage of actual value.
Courts & Legal
Crowley County District Court at 631 Main Street, Ordway, CO 81063, phone 719-267-4468, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK & RECORDER (Deeds, Marriage Licenses, Elections)
110 E. 6th St., Ordway, CO 81063
(719) 267-4643
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Crowley County District Court (marriage licenses, will and estate case files – see Probate section above)
Local societies
Crowley Heritage Center, P.O. Box 24, Crowley, CO 81033, (719) 267-3384
Southeastern Colorado Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 1407, Pueblo, CO 81002 – also covers Crowley County as one of 11 SE Colorado counties.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Crowley Combined Court – District Court (Probate Division) 110 East 6th Street, Room 303, Ordway, CO 81063 (719) 267-4468 Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–Noon and 1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Colorado follows the Uniform Probate Code, one of the more streamlined, less court-intensive systems in the country.
Small Estate Affidavit (personal property) – for estates where personal property totals less than roughly $86,000 (twice the “exempt property” amount under C.R.S. § 15-11-403, which adjusts annually for inflation – always confirm the current year’s figure with the court). Available starting 10 days after the death. No court filing required; present the affidavit (Form JDF 999) directly to whoever holds the property.
Summary Administration for small real property – a separate, roughly parallel threshold applies to real property equity. This route does require a court filing.
Informal Probate – the standard path for most estates with a will or clear heirs and no disputes. Handled largely by the court Registrar with minimal hearings.
Formal Probate – required for contested wills, disputed appointments, or complicated estates.
If using the small estate affidavit (personal property)
Wait at least 10 days after the death.
Confirm the fair market value of the decedent’s property (less liens) doesn’t exceed the current statutory threshold, and that no probate has already been opened.
Complete Form JDF 999, Collection of Personal Property by Affidavit.
Present it, along with a certified death certificate, to the bank or institution holding the property – no court filing needed.
If filing for informal or formal probate
File the appropriate application with the Crowley County District Court: Form JDF 910 (with a will) or JDF 908 (without one). For formal probate, file JDF 920 or the intestate equivalent. Filing fee is $199.
The court (or Registrar, for informal cases) appoints a personal representative and issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
In informal probate, the personal representative then manages the estate largely independently.
Creditors have 4 months from first publication of notice to file claims.
The estate closes once debts are paid and assets are distributed.
What it costs
Small estate affidavit: no court filing fee.
Informal or formal probate filing fee: $199.
Personal representative compensation: “reasonable compensation” – no fixed statutory percentage.
No Colorado state estate tax or inheritance tax.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
Ordway, CO 81063
(719) 267-3551
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK & RECORDER (Deeds, Marriage Licenses, Elections)
110 E. 6th St., Ordway, CO 81063
(719) 267-4643
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Dept
(719) 267-3345
Human Services
(719) 267-4622
CO Benefits / PEAK
(800) 536-5298
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Southeast Colorado Health Department (regional)
Services: Basic public health; immunizations; vital records
Hospital: Crowley County Medical Center (Ordway) – small critical access clinic/hospital; Pueblo for major care
Notes: Very limited healthcare; Pueblo for specialty care; prison healthcare through CDOC; significant rural health challenges driven by poverty and depopulation
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Ordway
Population: 5,500
Area: 800 sq mi
Established: 1911
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