Day 219: Bromley Farm/Koizuma-Hishinuma Farm, Brighton, Colorado
📌APIA Every Day (219) - Emmet Bromley established his farm in 1883 by purchasing 200 acres in Brighton, Colorado, systematically expanding the property to 1,100 acres. After arriving in Colorado in 1877, Bromley developed one of the state's largest livestock operations, raising cattle, sheep, and horses while maintaining extensive crop cultivation. Beyond farming, he built a distinguished record of public service as Arapahoe County deputy sheriff and deputy assessor, later serving three terms in the Colorado House of Representatives and two in the Colorado Senate. During his legislative tenure, he sponsored the 1901 senate bill establishing Adams County. Following his death in 1922, his family retained ownership for four years before selling the property in 1926 amid changing economic conditions.
During the Great Depression, the farm changed hands several times until I.B. James, a founder of the Trailways Bus System, purchased 160 acres in 1935. Under William O. Roberts' management, the farm maintained significant agricultural production, focusing on sugar beets, alfalfa, corn, grains, and tomatoes, while also raising hogs and other livestock. In 1947, the Hishinuma and Koizuma families purchased the farm for $40,000, continuing its agricultural legacy. Their purchase marked a significant moment in Japanese American history, as Colorado was among the few states permitting Japanese American land ownership during the post-World War II period. Japanese immigrants had initially arrived in the area during the early twentieth century, working on irrigation ditch construction and in sugar beet fields. The Hishinuma and Koizuma families maintained the farm's agricultural tradition until 2006, primarily growing sugar beets, cabbage, alfalfa, and corn.
In 2006, the City of Brighton acquired the property, leading to its inclusion on both the State Historic Register and National Register of Historic Places in 2007. The preserved 9.6-acre property features eight historic structures, including a rare surviving example of transient labor housing: the main house, migrant worker house, wash house, barn, silo, metal granary, cistern, and milk trough. Preservation efforts continue with a $200,000 State Historic Fund grant for main house restoration and $417,300 from Adams County Open Space for landscape rehabilitation. The city's master plan aims to transform these historic structures into a multi-functional event and agricultural education center, converting the main house into a café or teahouse, the barn into a community event space, and the migrant worker house into administrative offices.
LEARN MORE:
History Colorado: Bromley Farm/Koizuma Hishinuma Farm
Denver Post: Brighton works to restore historic Bromley Farm for events, classes
Brighton: Bromley Farm / Koizuma-Hishinuma Farm
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