The town was named for John Wesley Iliff, a cattleman who owned a ranch near the town site.[7][8]
The people of Iliff have proven to be a resilient folk, surviving a blizzard in 1949 and a flood in 1968. Iliff resides on the fertile banks of the South Platte River. The South Platte has been a cornerstone to the community.
The first building constructed was a Post Office and Real Estate Office in 1870. On Jan. 6, 1885 the city was surveyed and on May 4 of that year, a school district was organized. By 1887 a grocery store and lumber yard were in business. The Iliff Bank was established in 1907. By 1915 there was a Baptist Church and a John Deere Implement Dealership added to the town. The Farmer’s Alfalfa Milling Company started in 1918. There were also two doctors, Daniels and Houff, who owned a drug store. In 1920 the Glory Park Theater opened. In 1923 a town Marshall was hired and an old rail boxcar was used as a jail. In 1928 the Catholic Church was built.
The growth declined during the depression, and again during World War II. In 1957 there were eleven businesses that slowly diminished with more people willing to drive 12 miles to Sterling, CO and the opening of Interstate 76, which took all but local travelers off of state highway 138.
United States
Colorado
