Posted in Colorado Small Towns May 25, 2023 by Christy Articola

One Of The Biggest Names In Boxing Grew Up In One Of The Smallest Towns In Colorado

The town of Manassa, Colorado, has a population of under 1,000 people. It’s kind of out there, too – it’s in the middle of the southern part of the state, about halfway between Trinidad and Pagosa Springs, and roughly 30 minutes south of Alamosa. This small Colorado town was the birthplace and childhood home of one very famous person: boxer Jack Dempsey. Although Jack Dempsey died in 1983 and didn’t box for many years prior to his death, he is still considered to be one of the greatest boxers of all time, and he is, without a doubt, one of the most famous people from Colorado. The fact that Manassa, Colorado is his home town is the source of great pride for the people of Manassa!

Jack Dempsey is one of the world's most famous boxers. He competed from 1919 to 1927 and was World Heavyweight Champion from 1919 to 1926.

Here's a picture of Jack Dempsey in training. Over the course of his career, he fought professionally 85 times. He won 68 of those matches; 53 he won by knockout. He lost 6 boxing matches, and 9 were draws.

Dempsey was extremely popular with the American people and was one of our country's first sports superstars. Here's a picture of him pretending to knock out Harry Houdini.

He was born in the small town of Manassa, Colorado, in 1895. His family remained there for his earliest years before they returned to West Virginia, where his parents were from.

Today, Manassa is still a very small town. There isn't much to see and do in this town. If you're hungry, stop by Val's Place for a good meal.

There's a big Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints here. Dempsey's parents were Mormons.

In addition to those Manassa landmarks, you can visit the Jack Dempsey Museum and learn more about this famous athlete.

The city has moved the home where Dempsey was born to the center of town to house the museum. There's also a statue of Dempsey at this site.

Nicknamed the Manassa Mauler, Jack Dempsey is a big part of the culture of this very small town.

In the museum, you can see some of his boxing gear, some photos, and some of his other possessions.

You're sure to learn a great deal about this amazing man during your visit to this museum.

Be sure to get your picture taken with the statue! Hooray for Jack Dempsey, and hooray for Manassa, too.

Manassa, Colorado, is a lovely small town, and you’ll enjoy visiting it to learn more about Jack Dempsey and to visit his childhood home and museum. Have a safe trip, and we hope you’ll be inspired by this amazing athlete who came from small town Colorado!

There are many more famous people from Colorado – if you’re interested to find out about others, here’s a list of nine more!

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Address: Manassa, CO, USA