Fort Morgan, city in northeastern Colorado, located about 120 km (about 75 mi) northeast of Denver. The seat of Morgan County, it occupies a low plateau overlooking the South Platte River. Fort Morgan is an agricultural and ranching center. Jackson Lake, used for irrigation and recreation, is about 27 km (about 17 mi) to the northwest, and Pawnee National Grasslands, a vast prairie reserve, begins about 50 km (about 30 mi) to the north. Fort Morgan is the site of a community college, as well as the Fort Morgan Museum and the Sherman Street Historical District, which preserve the town's history. The town began as a military post, protecting travelers along the South Platte River stagecoach route from 1864 to 1868. After several different names, the fort adopted its present name in 1866 in honor of Christopher Morgan, a colonel in the American Civil War (1861-1865). The settlement around the fort thrived despite the fort's abandonment in 1868. The town of Fort Morgan was established in 1884 on the Burlington Railroad line and was incorporated in 1887. After World War II (1939-1945), natural gas and oil were found in Morgan County, which forms part of the Denver-Julesburg Basin. Population 8,768 (1980); 9,068 (1990); 11,034 (2000).
