The town of Garibaldi was established by the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad in 1870. The town served as the southern terminus of the Rio Grande's narrow-gauge Poncha Pass line from 1870 to 1890. The town was named for Italian revolutionary Giuseppe Garibaldi. The Garibaldi Post Office opened on June 13, 1870. The town's name was changed to the less political Villa Grove on January 19, 1872. The spelling of the town's name was changed to Villagrove on October 12, 1894, and back to Villa Grove on July 1, 1950.