Lamar is the home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Prowers County, Colorado. The city population was 7,804 at the 2010 United States Census. The city was named after L.Q.C. Lamar, a Confederate soldier and diplomat who, after the Civil War, went on to serve as Secretary of the Interior and as a Supreme Court Justice. History Lamar was founded on May 24, 1886, by Issac Holmes. It was named after Lucius Lamar. At the time Lamar was the Secretary of the Interior, but previously he had written the Mississippi Ordinance of Secession, served the Confederacy as an officer and a diplomat. The first town elections were held in December, and C. M. Morrison became the town's first mayor. In 1889 Prowers County was established, and Lamar was elected to house the county's government. Throughout its history, Lamar has suffered from fires and floods. The town was also greatly affected by the Dust Bowl, and as such participated in projects led by the Civil Works Administration, Federal Emergency Relief Administration, and the Works Progress Administration. The northern site of the Pierre Auger Observatory of ultra-high energy cosmic rays is planned to be built near Lamar. Geography and climate The city lies in southeastern Colorado in northwestern Prowers County on the south side of the Arkansas River floodplain. Las Animas is about twenty miles to the west. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. Transportation Lamar receives intercity passenger rail service at the Lamar Amtrak Station via Amtrak's Southwest Chief, which runs between Chicago and Los Angeles. There is also intercity bus service provided by Bustang. Lamar is the last eastbound stop of the Lamar-Pueblo-Colorado Springs Outrider line. Highways US 50 is an east-west highway running from California to Maryland. It is also the main route to Pueblo and Las Animas. Prowers County Road 196 (state has abandoned the highway) is an stretch that connects around Lamar to Wiley. US 287/385 are two concurrent highways that run south through Lamar. They connect Lamar to Springfield. US 287 runs from Texas State Highway 87 in Port Arthur, Texas, to US 89 at Choteau, Montana. US 385 runs from Big Bend National Park in Texas to US 85 in Deadwood, South Dakota. Climate According to the Köppen climate classification, Lamar is located in a cold semi-arid