Aroya Colorado was founded in 1866 by Joseph O. Dostal, a Bohemian immigrant. His plan was to open a meat house in a mining community but instead, he ended up homesteading a ranch on the Colorado plains. By the early 1900s, the town was thriving with various establishments such as a train depot, blacksmith, feed store, lumber yard, hotel, school, bunk house, and homes. However, the town’s decline occurred due to the highway bypassing the town and the train company’s hard times.