In 1995, decades after the last residents of the townsite left, Dearfield was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and in 1999 Colorado Lieutenant governor Joe Rogers, an African American man, added Dearfield to Colorado's "Most Endangered Places" list. Over the years the townsite had become quickly run down, and only a few looted and vandalized buildings remained standing. At that time, the Black American West Museum purchased the Dearfield Lodge, last occupied by Jennie Jackson, and began their work to preserve the Dearfield site. Over the years the BAWM purchased land that included three of the six remaining historical buildings. They have a goal of eventually purchasing all original 600 acres that comprised Dearfield. In 2001, Colorado’s General Assembly passed “An Act Concerning the Preservation of Historic Dearfield, and Making an Appropriation Therefor.” This act allotted $250,000 towards the cleaning and preservation of the townsite. Together, the BAWM, Colorado Preservation Inc., which is a non-profit that manages Dearfield's preservation, and the Architectural Preservation Institute at Colorado State University, began working on the stabilization and recovery of Dearfield. The team started with O.T. Jackson's house and Squire Brockman's house.
In 2008, Dearfield Preservation Committee was formed. The committee is based in Greeley through University of Northern Colorado, City of Greeley Museums and Weld County Government, but still collaborates with the BAWM, Colorado State University, and other organizations in the "Dearfield Dream Project." The Committee has been holding annual conferences in May since 2012, as well as facilitating archeological excavations of the site, and annual "Dearfield Days." These days serve as dedicated time for volunteers to come and assist with the recovery and preservation of the historic site.
The Black American West Museum was founded in 1971 by Paul W. Stewart. The museum is known for telling the stories of Black Cowboys, homesteader, and any early Black Americans who came West. Stewart was the owner of a large collection of photographs, oral histories, and documents that depict Dearfield and other early African Americans in the West that is now held at the UNCO Archives and Special Collections. In 1999, the museum got involved with the remembrance and preservation of the Dearfield townsite, and continues to work with the Dearfield Preservation Committee and Dearfield Dream Project.
The Dearfield Dream Project is an interdisciplinary and interorganizational research study dedicated to preservation, study, and education surrounding the Dearfield site. In began work in 2012, and the project aims to use artifacts found at the historical site to research and educate on the realities of Black homesteading and the contributions of Black Americans in the Great Plains and the American Frontier. Dearfield Dream Project has been given multiple grants by the National Parks Service, History Colorado, and other organizations.
Dearfield Preservation Committee:
PreserveDearfield@gmail.com
Mailing Address:
Dearfield Preservation Committee
Campus Box 48
University of Northern Colorado
Greeley, CO 80639-0091
Brunswig, Bob, "Brief Histories of Dearfield and the Dearfield Dream Project" (2021). 2021 Dearfield Conference. 2. https://digscholarship.unco.edu/dearfield_21/2.
Delaney, Anne. "‘Keeping the story relevant’: former Dearfield town site shows signs of reopening." The Greeley Tribune, July 1, 2022. https://www.greeleytribune.com/2022/07/01/keeping-the-story-relevant-former-dearfield-town-site-shows-signs-of-reopening/.
"Our History," Black American West Museum and Historical Center, 2024, https://www.bawmhc.org/our-history.
Junne, George H. et. al. "Dearfield, Colorado: Black Farming Success in the Jim Crow Era." In Enduring Legacies, edited by Artudo Almada et. al. p. 101-117. University Press of Colorado. 2011. https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46nvjc.12.