Woman from Cowdrey, town with a population of 27, wins $250,000 in Colorado Lottery's 100X The Cash Bonus Draw

A Colorado woman who lives in the tiny town of Cowdrey has recorded a big win in the Colorado Lottery. Joanie, who asked the lottery not to use her last name, won $250,000 in the 100X The Cash Bonus Draw, state lottery officials announced on Facebook on Wednesday.

Cowdrey is located north of Walden in Jackson County and is only a couple miles from the Colorado-Wyoming border. It has a population of 27. Joanie works for the local court system in the northern Colorado county.

Cowdrey was presented with her win last Friday and chose not to show her face for the photo op, although she acknowledged that everyone in her area will know it was her. She said she has alpacas on her property and is now considering buying more. She also said she plans to start a trust fund.

Joanie regularly plays Colorado Lottery games and her biggest previous win was $500.

"Joanie found out she was the winner in a slightly unusual way -- by certified mail. She was still suspicious that the whole thing was a scam, so she was pleasantly surprised to walk into the Fort Collins claim center and find out she really was the big winner," lottery officials said in the Facebook post.