Purgatory, Colorado: A Real Town with a Heavenly Name

Yes, Purgatory is a real, albeit tiny, unincorporated community in Baca County, southeastern Colorado.

Location & Context

• Coordinates: ~37.15°N, 102.35°W.
• Setting: High plains (approx. 4,300 ft / 1,310 m), in the Purgatoire River Valley (French: Purgatoire = Purgatory).
• Proximity: ~10 miles (16 km) north of the Oklahoma border; ~25 miles (40 km) east of Trinidad, CO (nearest full-service town).

Name Origin

The river was named Río de las Ánimas en Purgatorio ("River of Souls in Purgatory") by Spanish explorers—likely referencing a tragedy or the harsh landscape. The settlement adopted the name.

Current Status

Purgatory is essentially a ghost town / rural hamlet. A handful of homes, a church, and the Purgatory School (historic) remain. No commercial services. It sits along County Road KK. The surrounding area is ranching country (cattle, wheat).

Other "Purgatory" place names in the U.S.: Purgatory Creek (CO), Purgatory Mountain (NC), Purgatory Falls (NH)—but this is the only populated place named simply "Purgatory."