4553- Johnstown, Colorado, United States

When I receive a postcard from a small American town or village, I sometimes assume there won't be much of interest to write about. However, Johnstown, Colorado, has a couple of fascinating stories to tell.

Johnstown is a town of approximately 17,300 people in northern Colorado. It was incorporated in 1902 and named after John Parish, the seven-year-old son of Harvey J. Parish, who purchased land in the area in anticipation of the Great Western Railway passing near his homestead.

Parish Avenue, Johnstown's main street, is named in his honour. According to the story, young John was in hospital with a ruptured appendix when his father told him to hurry up and get better because they were going to name the town after him. The name would be John's Town. Fortunately, John recovered, and the town was indeed named in his honour. He later became mayor, serving from 1929 to 1934.

The second interesting story involves the Johnstown meteorite. On 6 July 1924, a meteorite fell near the former town of Elwell, adjacent to Johnstown. The event occurred during an outdoor funeral service attended by more than 200 people. Those present either witnessed the fall or heard several stones striking the ground.

It's remarkable to think that a small town can have such an unusual combination of stories: one about a young boy whose recovery helped inspire its name, and another about a meteorite that fell from the sky during a funeral. Johnstown certainly gave me more to write about than I might have expected!