By Shannon Lukens.
Joe Morgan was the first sheriff in Routt County. He was appointed by the governor of Colorado back in 1877. That was before Moffat County was formed and Routt County was one huge county.
Sam Morgan is the grandson of Joe. He’s 87 and lives in Savery, Wyoming. He stopped by the Museum of Northwest Colorado in Craig recently to see an exhibit on his grandfather.
“To my knowledge, Joe Morgan was the first white settler on Bear River, which is the Yampa now. And he was the first sheriff of Routt County.”
The exhibit on display at the museum in Craig says, “Joe Morgan – Yampa Valley’s 1st Sheriff, Business, and Permanent Resident.” That exhibit has Sheriff Joe Morgan’s rifle and more.
“Well, I found the handcuffs when I was a kid and saved them and put them there and I found the gun which came from my uncle.”
Also on display is the ledger Sheriff Morgan used at his fur trading post, when he was trading with others who were coming to the Yampa Valley to settle, and to members of the Ute tribe who lived here at the time.
The display at the museum says, “Morgan’s Trading Post Ledger – This is unquestionably one of the most astounding artifacts within the museum. It documents many of the transactions that were taking place within the Morgan trading post during the 1870s. It contains the names of several of the early-day trappers as well as many of the higher-up Utes. Trading post ledgers rarely survived; the information contained in them are invaluable and fascinating glimpses into the American West.”
