Sterling's old Union Pacific depot is a landmark that was moved to save it

If you want to understand why Sterling sits where it does, the old railroad depot is a good place to start.

Sterling grew as a Union Pacific town. When the railroad came through, the town became a division point and a shipping center for cattle, grain, and later sugar beets. The depot built in 1902 reflected that importance. It was put up in the Romanesque Revival style, heavier and more decorated than a small-town stop would normally get, because Sterling mattered on the line.

Passenger service faded over the years, as it did across rural America, and the railroad closed the depot in the 1980s. Rather than lose the building, the city moved it to a new spot in town and kept it. It later earned a place on the National Register of Historic Places, the country’s list of buildings worth preserving.

That story, a proud depot built, then closed, then saved by moving it, says a lot about how Eastern Plains railroad towns changed. The trains still run freight, but the depot now stands as a marker of the era that built the place.

For the depot’s history, its architectural style, and its National Register listing, see the Sterling Union Pacific Railroad Depot page from History Colorado.