Roll of Honor
Incident
Sheriff Lucien Morgan died after becoming ill while attempting to evict claim jumpers at a mine in the mountains west of Buena Vista.
During the rigorous hike, Sheriff Morgan became ill, and after deputizing two men, he stayed behind at a miner's cabin. The deputized citizens caught the claim jumpers, but when they returned, Sheriff' Morgan's health had worsened. The next day, after a night with fits of delirium, Sheriff Morgan left the cabin to walk to Buena Vista on his own. Eleven days later, his body was found buried in five feet of snow near the South Cottonwood Creek.
Sheriff Morgan was a Confederate Army veteran who had served with the Chaffee County Sheriff's Office for over a year and previously served as an Assistant Marshal and Sheriff in Mississippi.
Survivors
He was survived by his brothers and sisters.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CO-BAC7CAA8- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Sheriff Morgan gave the Chaffee County Sheriff's Office 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Salida community. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Lucien J. Morgan served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Sheriff Lucien J. Morgan is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In CO, 101 of 360 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 28.1% of this state's fallen. That is 2.9 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Lucien J. Morgan's cause is highlighted.
How Lucien J. Morgan Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Lucien J. Morgan is highlighted in May.