Fleming unveils mural for America 250, Colorado 150 celebration

Fleming turned two milestone anniversaries into a permanent piece of public art, unveiling a new mural created with local students and a regional artist. The town described the work as a Fleming High School civics project that became its newest public art piece, linking America’s 250th birthday and Colorado’s 150th anniversary to something residents can see and share in their own community.

The mural arrives as Colorado prepares for its official America 250 - Colorado 150 observance, a state effort housed at History Colorado and created by the Colorado legislature. The commission’s planning window runs from July 1, 2025, through Dec. 31, 2026, with community events, educational opportunities and a statewide calendar of activities built around the twin anniversaries. Colorado entered the Union on Aug. 1, 1876, and the United States reaches its 250th anniversary on July 4, 2026.

In Fleming, the project also reflects the town’s own history. The statutory town in Logan County had 428 residents at the 2020 census. Fleming says the community was first settled in the 1880s, then took shape in 1904 when the railroad arrived with a store and bank. The town was named for railroad official Henry Bascom Fleming, and its history page points to the Fleming Museum and historical society as part of how that story is preserved in public.

The mural is not Fleming’s first community art project. In 2024, the town completed a splash-pad mural with children and adults from the Fleming Library Summer Reading Program, working under local artist Mandy Ritter and LOCAL. That earlier project showed the town’s willingness to use shared art projects to shape public spaces, and the new mural extends that approach with a stronger historical focus.

For Fleming, the result is more than a ceremonial nod to a state and national anniversary. It gives students a public role in marking the moment, places local history in view for residents, and leaves behind a landmark that connects a small Logan County town to a once-in-a-generation statewide celebration.