In 2008, a group of colleagues at the University of Northern Colorado started the Dearfield Committee to promote and restore Dearfield, but even before then, there were efforts to preserve the townsite.
Brunswig said the current "goal is to eventually turn Dearfield into a historic site with exhibits filling the now-empty buildings."
Today, the Black American West Museum owns the townsite with those same preservation plans in mind. Currently, the group is looking for funding to preserve and protect the two remaining buildings. In August, the University of Northern Colorado received a $500,000 grant toward preservation efforts. However, Brunswig said there's more funding needed.
"The idea is first to preserve and conserve the resource, second is to really broaden our understanding of what Dearfield represented and what its historical importance is," Brunswig said. "And make that a part of our legacy."