10/12/2026
There have been many communities in Yuma County, some are still around, while many have faded away. Today, let's discuss the Alvin community.
Alvin was never more than a store, post office, and residence. A. A. Currence had a store in Cornell, NE and traded it around 1911 with Alvin Davis for his homestead, which was located about 15 miles north-east of Wray. Knowing Currence intended to open a store, Alvin gave him a saddle with the understanding that the new store be called “Alvin” after him. Being a convenient location for the sandhill ranchers to trade their cream and eggs to trade for groceries, to***co, and other supplies, the little store prospered.
When Currence sold the store to Jim Coast, it was moved to his homestead in the NE 1/4 of Section 27. Coast later sold it to a Mr. Dick who moved everything to his homestead in the center of Section 26. Dick then sold everything to Pat Dempsey and H.D. Sigler who continued the business and they carried on the business at the Sigler place, also in Section 26.
Later, Dempsey bought out Sigler and moved the business to his own ranch in Section 23. He eventually took on a partner for short time which is when he moved the business to Section 15. In 1918, a whole new store was built back on his place in Section 23, and operated a good business for over ten years adding gas, oil, car repairs, and much more to his stock as the farmers were beginning to use cars.
By about 1929, a daily mail route had been established between Wray and Holyoke, which served the Alvin community, so the post office was discontinued. The store, however, continued to prosper, transferring between different owners and going through different improvements.
Alvin opened a government airport as early as 1940, five years before Wray opened their runway.
Alvin signified the early day community life despite its constant roaming. On some Saturdays as many as 50 people would gather at the store to shop and visit, even bringing their lunch as they spend the day there. In the afternoon there would be baseball games, foot and horse races, and horseshoe games. On Sundays people would meet at Alvin with their horses to have bronco riding, ball games, and sometimes even fist-fights.
Folks would gather at the Alvin schoolhouse in the winter to sing, debate, or just visit with their neighbors. Today, Alvin is nothing but a ghost town with a dilapidated old building standing forlornly on the corner
Do you have any stories about the Alvin area?
