As the name indicates, Center is and has been the center of many things. Geographically speaking, it is roughly at the center of the San Luis Valley. In 1896, James L. Hurt donated and helped plat the 160-acre tract for the town of Centerview. The U.S. Post Office shortened the name to Center ten years later to reduce confusion with another Colorado town having the same name. In its infancy, Center had a handful of houses, a
school, and the Lockett Baptist Church. The intent of its early founders was to turn this slightly swampy region into a thriving agricultural city. Early on, Center had a newspaper called the Center Star. In 1901, it became the Center Dispatch — and it is still published today as the Center Post Dispatch. Three years later, telephone service was made available and soon after, electricity. A rail spur called the “peavine” was laid down
from the town of Monte Vista, crossing one of the only two bridges that forded the mighty Rio Grande River at the time. Major irrigation ditches were dug to carry precious water from the Rio Grande and many workers traveled to Center to labor in the vegetable fields that were rapidly expanding.

An opera house was built above the general store and it is rumored that dances there became so spirited that items fell from shelves in the store below. The population eventually swelled to 2,000, with a hospital, a dance hall, a hotel, cafés, groceries and a meat locker. In the 1940s, the school building became the temporary home of WWII German POW’s, who were brought to Center to work in the fields. Some local families remember feeding the POW’s during harvest time and others remember seeing cots lining the school hallways. Cesar Chavez visited Center in the 1970s, addressing the workers of the town who were on strike, and soldiers from Fort Carson were even put on standby, in case they were needed to quell an uprising.

Consistent with its heritage, Center’s primary contribution to the county was and is agricultural: growing potatoes, lettuce, alfalfa, spinach, barley, quinoa and carrots. Today, most residents work in some branch of agriculture, while potatoes of every color and variety are the staple crop. Having the largest population in Saguache County, Center is a busy hub of locally-owned businesses, like the grocery store, two banks, credit union, feed store, and an authentic Mexican-style bakery. The community park has grassy play areas, covered picnic
tables, and a sports field. It is a popular location for community and family events alike. An annual event hosted in the park is the Harvest Festival, occurring every August, resplendent with arts, crafts, games and good food.