Dorothy Smock lifts a blanket to find the body of her son, Bobby, along the road near the crossing. Dorothy Smock was haunted all her life by memories of that awful morning. (Jim Hitch/ Greeley Tribune/ 1961)
16 Others injured as "City of Denver" Train Plows Into Greeley School District Bus
By Rob Carrigan, robcarrigan1@gmail.com
The years have not altogether diminished the grief felt that tragic day more than sixty years ago. Still, to this day, the bus accident is among the deadliest traffic accidents in Colorado history. As a result, federal legislation was passed by Congress requiring the drivers of certain commercial vehicles, including school buses, to stop, look, and listen for a train at all railroad tracks prior to crossing the tracks.
"On the cold morning of December 14, 1961, a school bus was hit by a train east of Evans, killing 20 children and injuring 17.
Most of the children were from a small country school called Delta School, located on the eastern edge of Greeley (E. 20th street and Cherry Ave.). Five families lost two children each, and two of those families had no other children. Cousins died. One boy’s life ended on his 10th birthday. Brothers and sisters lived, while their siblings perished," as mentioned in the history of Bella Romero Academy, the K-3 Campus
previously existed as East Memorial Elementary.
"A new school was built nearby and opened in 1963. East Memorial Elementary School was named in memory of these children. Inside the school, hangs a brass plaque that carries the names of the children who were lost that day. Outside, in front of the school, there are 2 trees that are dedicated in their honor. One was planted on the 25th anniversary of this tragedy; the other on the 50th anniversary."
In 2007, a monument was dedicated at the scene of the bus/train accident. This monument is located near Weld County Roads 52 and 43 east of Evans.
"On December 14, 1961 the worst accident, to date, in Greeley’s history took place. The Union Pacific ‘City of Denver’ No. 111 train was traveling to Denver from Chicago, three hours behind schedule. In Greeley, Duane Harms was warming up his bus to start his route in the rural area of Weld County. Between 7:30am and 8:00am, Harms picked up a total of 36 children ranging in age from 6-16, with plans to take them to Delta School, Arlington Elementary School, Meeker Junior High School, and Greeley High School," notes a Guide to the School Bus Accident 1961 Collection at Hazel E. Johnson Research Center, at Greeley History Museum, 714 8th Street, Greeley.
"At 8:00 a.m., Harms moved to cross the railroad tracks when the ‘City of Denver’ No. 111, going 79 m.p.h., collided with the bus, cut the bus in half and destroyed the back end of the bus. In all, 20 children died at the accident and 16 children were seriously injured. Harms walked away from the accident. The bodies of the deceased were taken to the old Armory in Greeley, which had been set up as a temporary morgue, and the 16 injured were taken to Weld County General Hospital."
Harms was charged with involuntary manslaughter. The trial started in March 1962, after a postponement for Harms’ well-being. During the trial, a controversy arose as to whether Harms had stopped at the tracks or not. Witnesses say that he did, the train engineers said he did not, and Harms himself could not remember. The trial lasted a total of four days with a jury of ten men and two women. The jury found Harms innocent of all charges.
As a result of this accident, and many others nationwide, stricter bus regulations regarding train crossings were put in place to ensure the safety of the children on board.
"The Crossing," was a complete series published by the Rocky Mountain News from Jan. 23, 2007, to March 2, 2007, with stories by Kevin Vaughan, photographs by Chris Scheider, Videos by Tim Skillern and Laressa Bachelor.
The Crossing examined the lifelong implications of Colorado's worst traffic accident — a 1961 collision between a high-speed passenger train and a school bus a few miles from Greeley, a crash that took the lives of 20 children and left behind 17 survivors and a grief-stricken community. The stories, which were told with the support and participation of nearly every family touched by the tragedy, showed how a single moment in time twisted through decades, shaping people for the rest of their lives.
After the "Rocky" ceased operations in 2009, access to this project was lost.
It has been resurrected, thanks in large part to the generosity of the staff at the Western History/Genealogy Department at the Denver Public Library, which holds all of the Rocky's archives.
https://thecrossingstory.com/chapters/intro/
The headlines above, and the following information from the front page of the Dec. 14, 1961, Greeley Tribune appeared after a tragic bus accident killed 20 children and injured 16. The tragedy immediately plunged the Greeley farming community into shock. The driver of the bus, 23-year-old Duane Harms, was arrested of involuntary manslaughter and was forced to endure threats and crank calls and letters. Harms was found not guilty and immediately left Greeley with his wife and baby. Friends say he moved to California. His ties to Greeley were severed forever.”
Twenty school children were killed Thursday morning in a tragic school bus-train collision two miles east and a mile south of Evans.
The accident involving a Greeley School District (No. 6) bus, was the worst in the Greeley area’s history.
Sixteen youngsters were rushed to Weld County General Hospital by ambulance and private automobiles.
Seventeen doctors were called into action to handle the emergencies at the hospital.
The bus carried 38 and the driver.
The school bus was carrying students to Delta School, east of Greeley, Arlington Elementary School, Meeker Junior High School and Greeley High School.
Law enforcement officers barred admittance to the hastily prepared morgue, where white sheets covered the 20 victims.
The accident occurred about 8:30 a.m. at an open, but diagonal crossing.
The school bus, driven by Duane Harms, rolled onto the track first, and the westbound Union Pacific streamliner, City of Denver, No. 111, smashed into it at the rear.
Bus Carried Over 100 Yards
The impact carried the huge 60-passeger bus down the tracks more than 60 yards. The hood, engine, wheels and parts of the passenger section were ripped to shreds.
The engineer was Herbert Sommers of Denver. The crash did little damage to the train.
Speed limit for trains in that area is 79 miles an hour. The train was reported preparing to slow down priorto arriving in La Salle.
Historical photos from the court case against Duane Harms who was the driver when a school bus was struck by a train on Dec. 14, 1961. 20 children were killed in the crash. Harms was acquitted of manslaughter.
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