Julesburg Webcam – Watch Downtown on the Colorado Plains

The Julesburg Webcam looks south down the 100 block of Cedar Street in downtown Julesburg, the northernmost town in Colorado. Angled parking lines both sides of a wide paved street, with Ace Hardware, a stone-fronted storefront and the D&J Cafe on the left and the Abts Pharmacy sign hanging over the sidewalk on the right. At the far end the block meets 1st Street and the view opens onto flat ground, low buildings and a wide plains sky. A second camera looks north up Cedar Street from 2nd Street, past Julesburg Town Hall. Pickups and SUVs come and go from the diagonal spaces through the day, rain leaves the asphalt shining, and the clouds rolling over the South Platte valley can change the look of the whole street within an hour.

About Julesburg

Julesburg sits on the north side of the South Platte River in Sedgwick County, in the far northeast corner of Colorado. The town lies less than 1.4 kilometers (0.9 miles) south of the Nebraska state line, at an elevation of 1,057 meters (3,468 feet), along US 138 and US 385 and just off Interstate 76. It had 1,307 residents at the 2020 census, in a town covering 3.92 square kilometers (1.51 square miles).

The streets on screen belong to the fourth Julesburg. The first grew around a trading post that Jules Beni opened around 1858 at the Upper Crossing of the South Platte, between present-day Ovid and Julesburg, and it held Colorado’s only Pony Express home station in 1860 and 1861. In 1865, raids by Cheyenne, Arapaho and Lakota warriors, starting with an attack by about a thousand of them on January 7, left that first settlement burned. A second Julesburg went up in 1866 beside Fort Sedgwick, the army post first called Fort Rankin. The Union Pacific reached the north bank on June 24, 1867, and the third Julesburg swelled to nearly 5,000 people as an end-of-track town known as the “Wickedest City in the West.” When the railroad built a branch line to Denver in 1881, the town moved one last time, and it was incorporated on November 18, 1886.

Most of downtown’s shops line Cedar Street and the stretches of 1st and 2nd Street that cross it. Dye Ace Hardware holds the corner at 2nd Street, Abts Pharmacy and Carolyn’s Flowers share 121 Cedar Street, and the brick town hall with the flags out front, at 100 West 2nd Street, anchors the north view. Red Julesburg banners hang from the light poles along the street.

Weather and Climate in Julesburg

Julesburg has a dry plains climate with four distinct seasons and big swings between them. NOAA averages put January highs around 5 C (41 F) and lows near minus 9 C (16 F), and cold snaps have reached minus 37 C (minus 34 F). In winter, snow can cover the parked cars and hide the painted parking lines on this block. July brings highs near 31 C (88 F) and mild nights around 16 C (61 F), and the record high is 43 C (109 F).

Spring and autumn are the mild seasons, with average highs of about 17 C (62 F) in April and 18 C (65 F) in October and chilly nights near 2 C (35 F). The town gets about 469 millimeters (18.6 inches) of precipitation a year, and June is the wettest month at 81 millimeters (3.2 inches). When storms build over the plains, the end of the street can go dark under heavy cloud, and the wet pavement shines once the rain passes.

Things to Do Near Julesburg

History is the main draw, and much of it sits within a few blocks of the camera. The Fort Sedgwick Museum at 114 East 1st Street and the Depot Museum at 201 West 1st Street are both on 1st Street, where the camera’s block ends. Between them, the collections cover Native American artifacts, antique farm machinery and remnants of all four Julesburg sites. The Old Ford Garage, which began as a car dealership in 1908, now shows vintage automobiles, memorabilia and photographs. Back on Cedar Street, the volunteer-run Hippodrome Arts Centre at 215 Cedar Street is a 162-seat theater that screens newly released films on most weekends.

Outside town, the South Platte River Trail is a 31-kilometer (19-mile) scenic byway that passes the Colorado Welcome Center at Julesburg, the original Julesburg townsite, the site of Fort Sedgwick and the other three townsites. Each June, riders re-creating the 3,164-kilometer (1,966-mile) Pony Express route between Missouri and California pass through town. For fishing, Jumbo Reservoir, also called Julesburg Reservoir, covers 639 hectares (1,578 acres) in the Jumbo Reservoir State Wildlife Area and holds walleye, crappie, bluegill and channel catfish.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

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Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Julesburg located?

Julesburg is in Sedgwick County in the far northeast corner of Colorado, on the north side of the South Platte River and just off Interstate 76. It is the northernmost town in the state, less than 1.4 kilometers (0.9 miles) from the Nebraska line.

What can you see on the Julesburg Webcam?

The main view looks south along the 100 block of Cedar Street toward 1st Street, with angled parking, Ace Hardware, the D&J Cafe and the Abts Pharmacy sign. The second view looks north up Cedar Street from 2nd Street, past the town hall, a long covered pavilion with brick pillars and the red Julesburg banners on the light poles.

What is the weather like in Julesburg?

Summers are hot, with July highs near 31 C (88 F), and winters are cold, with January lows near minus 9 C (16 F). Precipitation averages about 469 millimeters (18.6 inches) a year, and June is the wettest month.

Why has Julesburg been in four different places?

The first town burned in 1865, a second grew up beside Fort Sedgwick in 1866, and the third moved north of the river when the Union Pacific arrived in 1867. The fourth was founded on the railroad’s 1881 branch line to Denver, and that is the downtown on the camera.

Was Julesburg a Pony Express stop?

Yes. The original Julesburg, at the Upper Crossing of the South Platte, held Colorado’s only Pony Express home station in 1860 and 1861. Riders on the annual re-creation of the route still pass through each June.

What time zone is Julesburg in?

Julesburg is on Mountain Time, like the rest of Colorado: seven hours behind UTC in winter and six hours behind during daylight saving time. The clock burned into the stream shows local time.

Who runs the Julesburg Webcam?

Both views come from PC Telcom, the telephone and internet cooperative based in Holyoke, Colorado, which also streams a camera from downtown Holyoke.

Source: PC Telcom