Larimer County, Colorado - The whole text, 1911 (part 11 of 22)

The records do not show what effect this vulgar but impassioned appeal had upon Captain Evans' listeners, but the presumption is that Larimer county furnished its quota of twenty men, for the settlers clubbed together and raised a large sum of money for use in paj'ing bounties to the enlisted men. This money, or a part of it, was afterwards paid back to the contributors by the county. A good many horses were also pressed into service at this time, whose owners were also compensated for their property by the county as the county records show.

The troops raised at that time under Colonel Moonlight's order were employed in driving off the Indians and in re-opening and re-establishing the Overland stages on their regular runs. On the 2-7th of April the militia returned to Denver, having accomplished the desired object, and thus ended Colorado's part in the war so far as the citizen soldiery was concerned. The soldiers from Larimer county were absent from home only a little more than two months.

Some of the settlers called upon to furnish horses for military service evidently tried to evade Colonel Moonlight's order by hiding their animals, and these were shown no mercy, according to the following special order of Captain Evans, dated February 14th, which reads:

"It having come to the knowledge of the commander of the post that Messrs. Rice and Boyd, residing on this creek, are trying to evade the order issued by Colonel Moonlight Feb. 7th, 1865. It is hereby ordered that all of the serviceable stock novij owned by them is confiscated for public use. Sergeant Wiseman of Company F, Eleventh Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, with two men, will thus proceed to Virginia Dale or vicinity on the Overland road and there carry out the above order."

It is fair to presume that the Rice and Boyd; horses were confiscated, as on the 15th Captain Evans detailed Sergeant W. H. Sellen, with several men, to proceed to Denver with horses and report to Colonel Moonlight. On the 20th of February, Lieut. K. H. Stone was directed to take with him one sergeant and two privates and proceed to Big Thompson creek and press into service twenty serviceable horses and report with the same to this post without delay. Details of soldiers were also sent on the same day to Park Station on the Overland stage line and collect and gather all horses not the property of Ben HoUaday and bring them to this post.

The Buckhorn country was also scoured for horses which were pressed into the service, as were also all serviceable horses found in Joseph Mason's herd on the Boxelder.

The Indians became so very troublesome on the Plains that year that Gen. G. M. Dodge, commander of the department of the Missouri, decided to organize a new department, and on March 28th consolidated the district of Utah, Colorado and Nebraska into one district to be known as the District of the Plains, and assigned Brig.-Gen. P. E. Connor to the command with headquarters in Denver. While commanding the district of Utah, in 1862-3-4, Colonel Connor had proved himself an able officer and had won distinction as an Indian fighter. For heroic conduct at the battle of Bear River on the 29th of January, 1863, in which 249 Indians were killed and which resulted in causing the Bannocks, Snake and Shoshone tribes to sue for peace, Colonel Connor was made a Brigadier-General, his commission being dated March 29th. On assuming command of the District of the Plains, General Connor appointed the members of his staff, and First Lieut. Charles C. Hawley of the Veteran Battalion of the First Colorado Cavalry was made Acting Ordnance Officer for the South and West Sub-Districts of the Plains. Lieutenant Hawley was later promoted to a Captaincy and at the close of hostilities settled on a farm in the Cache la Poudre valley near Fort Collins, where he has since lived an honored citizen of the county. In one of Captain Evans' orders, issued in March, 1865, Private Eugene H. Bostwick of Company F, Eleventh Ohio Cavalry, was directed to report to Lieut. C. C. Hawley at Denver for duty.

That the soldiers stationed here in 1865 were not averse to stealing cattle now and then from one settler and selling them to another in order to add to their meagre monthly wages and increase their perquisites, is evidenced by a special order issued April 5th, commanding T. H. Branderbury (citizen) to turn over to Jonathan Wild (citizen), of Laporte, certain cattle bought by said Branderbury of Martin

Mills of Company F, Eleventh Ohio Cavalry. The inference is that Mills had stolen the cattle from Wild and sold them to Branderbury. On April 29th, Captain Evans issued an order reading: "Hereafter there will be no Indians allowed to visit within this post and no soldiers will be allowed to visit any Indian camp." At that time Chief Friday and his band of Arapahoes were camped on John G. Coy's land and were given rations and protected by the government in exchange for their lands in Colorado. It is quite probable that the Indian propensity to steal everything not too big to carry away afforded a reason for this order.

On the 2nd of May, Capt. W. H. Evans was relieved from command at Fort Collins by an order issued by General Connor, and Lieut. Ewell P. Drake appointed in his stead. Three days later Capt. Luther Wilson of Company D, First Veteran Battalion Colorado Cavalry, assumed command, remaining in charge of the post until June, when the Ohio troops were sent home to be mustered out of service.

In June, 1865, Hon. Schuyler Colfax, Member of Congress from Indiana and Speaker of the House of Representatives, accompanied by Lieutenant- Governor Bross of Illinois and Samuel Bowles, editor of the Springfield (Mass.) Republican, passed through Fort Collins in an Overland stage coach en route to the Pacific Coast. To guard and protect these distinguished visitors from attacks and injury by hostile Indians, which then infested the stage route and were almost daily committing depredations by interfering with the operations of stages, burning stations, stealing stock and often killing drivers and passengers, details of soldiers accompanied the stage coach containing Mr. Colfax and his companions from one station to another all through the danger zone. From Fort Collins to Virginia Dale the escort of soldiers was composed of Sergeant Wiseman of Company F, Eleventh Ohio Cavalry, and six privates, and they were ordered to proceed with the coach as an escort as far as Virginia Dale, where they would be relieved by Corporal Jenkins of Company D, Veteran Battalion of the First Colorado Cavalry. On the route. Sergeant Wiseman was instructed to "carefully guard the coach and inmates from hostile Indians," also to pay particular attention "that proper respect is paid to the distinguished visitors." When his horses were sufficiently rested at Virginia Dale, he was to return to the post without delay. We have quoted the language of the order issued to Sergeant Wiseman on this occasion to show the care taken by military authorities to protect Mr. Colfax and his companions in their progress through the county; also as an indication of the perils travelers by stage coach had to encounter in those days. A similar order was issued to all the escorts detailed to guard the coach from Fort Collins to Fort Halleck. From Fort Halleck west the visitors came under the care of the commanding officer of that post, soldiers from Fort Collins not being allowed to go beyond that point. That month all of the troops belonging to the Eleventh Ohio Volunteer Cavalry were relieved from duty at Fort Collins and those whose terms of enlistment had expired were sent East to be mustered out. So far as I have been able to learn, only three officers of the Eleventh Ohio Regiment of Cavalry decided to remain in the county, and they were Lieut. Ewell P. Drake, Lieut. O. S. Glenn and Lieut. R. E. Talpey. Glenn and Talpey engaged in the mercantile business at Laporte for a time and then went to farming the land on which the sugar factory stands. Lieutenant Drake, in the late 60's, owned what was afterwards known as the Barry farm, now owned by the Great Western Sugar Company. Lieutenant Drake bought the farm of Capt. C. C. Hawley.

Capt. Luther Wilson of Company D, First Colorado Veteran Battalion, remained in command of the Fort Collins post until August, 1865, when he and his troops were relieved by Colonel Fitzsimmons of the Twenty-first New York Cavalry and a battalion of his regiment. These troops remained at the post, guarding the Overland stage line, performing garrison duty and serving as escorts for emigrant trains, etc., until June, 1866, when they were ordered to Denver to be mustered out. A bat- talion of a Missouri regiment was sent here then to take the place of the New York soldiers. These Missouri troops were principally men who had either deserted from the Confederate army or had been taken prisoners by Union troops and had enlisted to fight Indians on the Plains. They were known as "Galvanized" Yankees. They remained here until the spring of 1867, when the post was abandoned. Four officers of the Twenty-first New York Regiment of Cavalry remained here after being mustered out of service and helped develop the county. They were Capt. Norman H. Meldrum, Capt. George E. Buss, Lieut. John H. Mandeville and Lieut. Fred Wallace. But two of these are still in the land of the living. Captain Meldrum of Buffalo, Wyoming, and Lieutenant Mandeville of Fort Collins. Lieutenant Wallace died in 1878, and Captain Buss in 1908.

The departure of the battalion of Missouri soldiers in the winter of 1867 ended the military occupation of and military rule in Fort Collins. There were but few citizens here then, as only those who were able to get permission from the military authorities were allowed to acquire homes on the reservation. Among those thus privileged were Joseph Mason, Capt. Asaph Allen, "Auntie" Stone, H. C. Peterson, Mr. and Mrs. Harris Stratton, John R. Brown, and a few others. Mr. Stratton came here in 1865 and Mrs. Elizabeth Keays in 1866, and she and Mr. Stratton were married Dec. 30th, 1866, their's being the first marriage solemnized in Fort Collins.

In 1865, Mason & Allen, post sutlers, were given permission to build a large sutler's store on the corner of Linden and Jefferson streets on the site now occupied by F. P. Stover's drug store. This was what was known for years as the Old Grout building, and Harris Stratton superintended its construction. A description of this old building, which was torn down and demolished in the spring of 1882 to make room for Stover & Hocker's drug store, and the different uses that was made of it, is told elsewhere in this book. Other settlers came in, some of them locating in town and others squatting on reservation lands in the expectation that they would sooner or later be thrown open to entry and settlement. What was later known as the "Old Town" was surveyed and platted in 1867 by Jack Dow, assisted by Capt. N. H. Meldrum and others. That year "Auntie" Stone and H. C. Peterson began the erection of a grist mill, completing it in 1869, in time to grind the wheat crop of that year. It was driven by water power, the water being conducted from the river in a ditch. The machinery for the mill was purchased in Buffalo, New York, and shipped thence by rail to Cheyenne and from there hauled across the country by teams. The mill when completed and in operation would not compare favorably with a modern flour mill. The grain was ground with whirling granite burrs or stones and the flour separated from the bran by an old-fashioned bolt, but it served a good purpose for a number of years. It was remodeled and somewhat modernized in 1878. The third story of the old mill was used for a Masonic lodge room in 1870 and 1871, making fairly good quarters. Here the lodge was instituted under a charter in September, 1870, and here many of the pioneers of the valley were made Master Masons. In the fall of 1867 Mr. Peterson left for Buffalo to purchase the machinery for the mill, and while passing through Chicago he was knocked down by footpads and robbed of about $3,000 which he carried on his person and which he intended to use in paying for the machinery. Mr. Peterson had to return to Fort Collins and raise more money before he could complete his purchases, being obliged to make a second trip East. This delayed the completion of the mill several months. Mr. Peterson and Mrs. Stone continued to own and operate the mill until Dec. 10th, 1873, when Mr. Peterson sold his half interest in the property to Joseph Mason. Three weeks later, on December 31st, Mrs. Stone sold her interest to T. M. Roberts, who, on March 18th, sold his half to Mr. Mason, who became sole owner. On Feb. 4th, 1880, Mr. Mason sold a half interest in the mill property to B. F. Hottel and the two operated it together, the firm name being Mason & Hottel. Mr. Mason died in the spring of 1881 and Mr. Hottel became sole owner of the mill in the settlement of the estate, conveying it in 1885 to the Colorado Milling and Elevator Company, which company retained him as manager, a position he still holds. The old mill burned down in 1886 and was immediately rebuilt along more modern lines. It is still in operation and doing a good business, converting from 200,000 to 300,000 bushels of wheat per annum into merchantable flour and food stuffs.

In 1880, Joseph C. Watson and his associates built a large flouring mill on the margin of the first bench above the river along side of the railroad track north of the depot. The enterprise failed to prove a profitable venture and fell into disuse after being operated a few years. In 1886, the farmers of the valley, feeling that they were not being treated fairly in the matter of price for their wheat by the Colorado Milling and Elevator Company, clubbed together and built a fine large mill immediately across the street from the Lindell Mills, at a cost of nearly $100,000. It was largely built with borrowed capital and was known as the Farmers' Mill. This enterprise also proved a financial failure, and in a few years, after much litigation, passed into the hands of mortgagees and was closed down. The building is now used for a wholesale grocery store.

In 1894, John M. Hoffman built a mill for grinding feed for stock on Riverside avenue in the eastern part of the city, and in 1900 added to the building and installed a flouring mill. This mill is still operated by the Hoffman Milling Company and has proved a financial success.

The first school taught in Fort Collins was opened in June, 1866, by Mrs. Elizabeth Keays. It was a private school, opened in a small room in "Auntie" Stone's hotel, for the purpose of giving her young son, William P. Keays, instruction; but she soon had applications for admission from parents of other children in the neighborhood and had several pupils at the close of the term. That summer the Fort Collins school district was set off and organized by the appointment of Capt. Asaph Allen, W. D. Hayes and H. C. Peterson as members of the first school board. In September the board employed Mrs. Keays to teach the first term of a public school ever taught in Fort Collins. She gave up the school by permission in December, and on the 30th of that month was united in marriage with Harris Stratton. This school was opened and taught in one of the abandoned officers' quarters of the military post.

The year 1867, after the departure of the soldiers, was an uneventful one. But few settlers came in and, with the exception of the work that was being done on the mill and mill ditch, but little was done in the way of improvement. That year witnesses the opening of the first farm on what was called the bluff, when Harris Stratton located on a quarter section of dry land one mile south and a mile west of Fort Collins. This he converted into a dairy farm and occupied it with his family for about thirty years. Seven years later the Larimer County Canal No. 2 was built and Mr. Stratton got water then to irrigate his farm. The farm is now owned by E. S. Bumstead. Following Mr. Stratton's example others began to locate on the bluff lands, for it was then beginning to dawn upon settlers that the valley was destined to become a rich agricultural section. The bottom lands along the river had all been taken up by the first comers and these under cultivation yielded enormous crops of hay, grain and vegetables, under crude methods of irrigation. The first irrigating ditches were small affairs and built to carry water on to the bottom lands, but later they began to be enlarged and to be extended out on to higher lands, which were found to be especially adapted to the growing of wheat and oats, which were the main crops produced in those days. The laying out of an irrigating canal designed to carry water on to the blufE lands was the signal for new comers to secure tracts of land that could be watered from the proposed enterprise, hence much of the unoccupied land was taken up and the foundations for new homes were laid. Soon after the soldiers were finally ordered to abandon their posts along the Overland stage line in Larimer county, to be soon afterwards followed by the completion of the Union Pacific railroad on the north and the Kansas Pacific on the south, the county began to take on an altogether different appearance. Settlers, no longer obliged to traverse the broad plains with slow-going means of transportation, came by rail to Cheyenne or Denver and thence spread out into the adjacent country in search of land on which to build themselves new homes. The valleys watered by the Cache la Poudre river and the Big Thompson and Little Thompson creeks, caught many of these emigrants, the most of whom engaged in farming. The markets for all they could produce were not uncertain, for the demand in the mining camps and growing cities and towns was greater than the supply. Wheat, oats, hay and vegetables were the principal staples. No attempt had yet been made to grow standard fruits, though the small fruits, like strawberries, currants and gooseberries had been produced in yearly increasing quantities. Dairying and poultry were also practically strangers to the country. Stock growing and farming constituted the sole industries of the county and in the late sixties and early seventies immense herds of cattle and horses roamed the Plains and grew fat on the nutritious grasses which grew spontaneously from the soil. It can well be said that the country at that time was the stockman's paradise.

There was but little change in the social life of Fort Collins from the condition it was in when the military post was abandoned, until 1868. That year there occurred an incident that somewhat roused the ambition and put new life into the inhabitants. The act of the Territorial Legislature creating counties, passed in 1861, designated Laporte as the county seat of Larimer county. That place remained the county seat until 1868, although there was no county organization until 1864. In August, 1868, the question of locating a permanent county seat was submitted to a vote of the people, a majority of whom decided that Fort Collins was the proper place. It would be an interesting historical fact if the records of that vote Could be given here, but, alas ! the public records are silent on that point. Tradition, corroborated by certain statements made in the record of proceedings of the Board of County Commissioners, is practically all the foundation there is for claiming that the people voted to locate the county seat at Fort Collins. Of course, there is not the least doubt in the world that such an election was held, but the public records fail to say how many voted for Fort Collins, how many voted for Laporte and how many voted for Big Thompson, all three of the localities named being candidates for the honor. We are bound to assume, however, that Fort Collins won out in the contest, for the Commissioners' records show that Mason & Allen were given the contract for moving the public offices and all county property from Laporte to Fort Collins. This included the log jail that "Uncle Ben" Whedbee built in 1864. The county offices were located in the Old Grout building for the time being, and terms of court were also held in that building. This change made Fort Collins the central business point In the county. People had to come here to pay their taxes, attend court and to transact public business. The Board of Commissioners met here and their sessions were nearly always attended by a greater or less number of people with petitions for highways and bridges, etc., and these frequent visitors added life to and increased the activities of the town, though there was no perceptible increase in population until several years afterwards.

In the winter of 1869 an incident occurred that stirred the feelings of the few inhabitants of the little town to the very depths and aroused their sympathies to a high pitch. This was the mysterious and unaccountable disappearance of Capt. Asaph Allen, one of the most prominent and most admired men of the place. Captain Allen commanded a company of cavalry in the Eleventh Ohio Regiment at Fort Halleck, and when he was mustered out in 1865 on the expiration of his term of service, he came to Fort Collins and bought Henry W. Chamberlin's interest in the sutler's store, owned by Mason & Chamberlin, and became Joseph Mason's partner. After the soldiers left and the post was abandoned Mason & Allen continued in the mercantile business in the Old Grout building. They kept a general store and supplied the settlers with such necessaries as they required. They also filled contracts calling for beef by the government to supply military posts in what is now Wyoming, and were doing a large and profitable business. In Feb- ruary, 1869, Captain Alien went East to buy goods for the company's establishment in Fort Collins; also to settle up the firm's accounts at Washington. After completing his business in Washington, Captain Allen started for Lawrence, Kansas, to visit his father. On arriving at Baltimore he got off the train for some purpose and disappeared as though the earth had opened and swallowed him. Nothing was ever heard of him afterwards and there is little doubt that he was purposely made away with. He left considerable property and the settlement of his estate was the first important case to come before the Probate Court of Larimer county. Everybody that knew Captain Allen held him in very high regard and his mysterious disappearance cast a shadow of gloom over the little town. Joseph Mason was appointed administrator of Captain Allen's estate in October, 1869; A. K. Yount, B. H. Eaton and J. L. Brush were the appraisers. A. F. Howes was County Judge at that time and J. C. Matthews Acting Clerk of the Court.

Fort Collins to seek a location for a colony, and the following year Rev. McAdams' family, with the families of George Sykes, Joseph E. Shipler, William Smith and Jacob Collamer, came from the East to join them. This was known as the Mercer Colony and was the first of a number of colonies that subsequently settled in Northern Colorado. They selected a choice body of land lying west of the town, which included what is now known as Prospect Park and the Scott-Sherwood addition, and that year began the construction of the Mercer ditch. They had not progressed very far with the work before their funds gave out and construction of the ditch was abandoned. Ten years later another company took hold of the enterprise and completed it. The colony became discouraged and the land acquired passed a few years later into the possession of John Sheldon, father of Charles H. Sheldon, Cashier of the Poudre Valley National Bank. Mr. Edwards is the only member of the colony who is still a resident of Fort Collins. Joseph Shipler, another member, is a resident of Denver. Mr. Edwards has filled many positions of public trust in the county, including County Treasurer for four years. Secretary and later President of the Water Supply and Storage Company for eighteen years and is now General Manager of the Laramie- Poudre Reservoirs and Irrigation Company, and also President of the State Board of Agriculture.

Simultaneously with the transfer of the Overland stage route from the North Platte to the South Platte in 1862, postoffices were established at Mariana's Crossing on the Big Thompson and at Laporte on the Cache la Poudre. Previous to that time settlers had either to go to Denver or Fort Laramie for their mail. At first station agents of the Overland Company acted as postmasters.

Later when the soldiers came here the post sutlers discharged that duty. Joseph Mason, being post sutler at Fort Collins, was the first postmaster, serving in that capacity until 1868, when Dr. McClanahan was appointed. The office was then removed from the Old Grout building to Whedbee & McClanahan's drug store, which stood on the ground later occupied by A. K. & E. B. Yount's bank building, now known as the Horn block, and John C. Matthews was assistant postmaster. It remained here until 1873, when the building it occupied was moved to the southeast corner of College and Mountain avenues, the present site of the First National Bank building, and J. E. Remington, who was then postmaster, moved the postoffice with it. In 1874, Fort Collins was made a money order office, and on July 6th of that year George A. Kinney bought the first money order. It was for the sum of $15 and made payable to Caroline Kinney at Oriskany Falls, New York. The names of the postmasters succeeding Mr. Remington follow: Joseph Mason, J. S. McClelland, Andrew Armstrong, Charles W. Ramer, Ansel Watrous, Charles W. Ramer, D. C. Threlkeld, J. M. Simms, William V. Roberts, Thos. H. Davy, and Marshall Moore, who is the present incumbent.

The first kiln of brick was burned in 1870, by H. C. Peterson and "Auntie" Stone, who, from this kiln, that year erected the first brick house built in Fort Collins. This house stood on Lincoln avenue near the Lindell Mills, and was occupied by Mr. Peterson and his family until 1882. The second brick house was built in 1871 on College avenue near the mill race by Sam Gano. Both of these structures were torn down in the summer of 1910 to make room for the tracks of the Union Pacific railroad. The next brick house erected in the town was built by L. R. Rhodes in 1873.

In 1870, a movement was started by Judge A. F. Howes to build a school house in Fort Collins. As there was but little taxable property in the district a large share of the money needed was raised by subscription. A small frame building was erected on Riverside avenue near the corner of Peterson street at a cost of about $1,100. This was used for school and church purposes until the Remington building was completed in the spring of 1879. The old school house was then sold to Frank Michaud and others and converted into a Catholic church and used as such until 1900-01, when the parish erected a beautiful church edifice on Mountain avenue at the corner of Howes street. It was then converted into a dwelling and is still used as such.

In 1870, William C. Stover, who had been in the mercantile business at St. Louis in the Big Thompson valley, sold his interest there to A. K. Yount, and came to Fort Collins and, in company with John C. Matthews, purchased the Mason stock of goods, then housed in the Old Grout. They continued in business in that building until 1873, when they erected a large brick building on the northeast corner of Jefferson and Linden streets, using the first floor as a salesroom and warehouse. They sold the second floor to the Free

First Brick House Built In Fort Collins

Masons, who used it for a lodge room until 1885. Mr. Matthews retired from the firm in 1874 and Mr. Stover continued the business until 1880, when he sold it to the Fort Collins Mercantile Company, composed of himself, Albert B. Tomlin and others, relinquishing the management to Mr. Tomlin. From the time that Mr. Stover located here, in 1870, until the Agricultural Colony came, in 1872, there was but little change either in the appearance or business affairs of the town. There were a few additions to the population, otherwise conditions remained about the same as they had been for several years, unless we except the location of the Colorado Agricultural College here by an act of the Territorial Legislature, passed in 1871. The bill for this act was introduced by Hon. Mathew S. Taylor, who represented the county in that Legislature, and who secured its passage and approval. The history of the rise and growth of this excellent institution is given in detail elsewhere in this book.

Perhaps the most notable event in the early day history of Fort Collins was the location here in the fall of 1872 of what was known as the "Agricultural Colony." This project originated with General

R. A. Cameron, First Vice-President and Superintendent of the Greeley Colony and he, aided by several members of that Colony and a number of local citizens, carried it into efEect. Circular No. 1, issued December 9th by the promoters, gives the names of the officers and trustees as follows:

After describing the location, its resources and advantages, climate, scenery, etc., it goes on and sets out the inducements to become a member in the following language:

"Any person may join the Fort Collins Agricultural Colony who is possessed of a good moral character by the purchase from the Secretary and Treasurer by draft or money order on Greeley, Colorado, or by registered letter, of a certificate of membership. These certificates are graded as follows: $50.00, $150.00 and $250.00. A $50.00 membership will entitle the holder to locate one town lot, appraised at not more than $100; a $150 membership will entitle the holder to locate a business lot and a residence lot, or in lieu thereof, a piece of outlying land, or a water right for a government or railroad 80-acre tract; a $250 membership will entitle the holder to locate a business lot, a residence lot and an outlying tract of land, or in place of the latter, a water right to a government or railroad 80-acre tract. Business lots will be appraised from $100 to $300; residence lots from $50 to $150. The lands immediately adjoining town will be subdivided into 10, 20 and 40-acre tracts. The town is being laid out with streets 100 feet wide and avenues 140 feet wide. Blocks will be 400 feet square; business lots will be 25 by 190 feet; residence lots will be 50 and 100 feet front by 190 feet deep.

"As soon as the lots and lands are surveyed onefifth will be opened for selection at a drawing of which public notice will be given. The second fifth will be opened for drawing on the first Tuesday in April, 1873; the third fifth on the second Tuesday in May, 1873; the fourth fifth on the first Tuesday in October, 1873, and the final drawing for the balance on the second Tuesday in May, 1874."

"Choice locations are reserved for a college, seminary, graded schools and for church buildings for each religious denomination, for a first-class hotel, county buildings and for other public buildings, for public parks, for a zoological garden and for a cemetery. It will be the special care of the Colony to make this point a superior one for educational facilities."

"What we need immediately are a good county newspaper with a press for job work; a saw mill and planer ; a hardware store ; a furniture store ; a wagon shop; a livery stable; a number of good stores; a bank, and any quantity of farmers, mechanics and industrious people.

"What we do not want is whiskey saloons or gambling halls. There is not a place in the county where liquor is legally or publically sold as a beverage, neither do we intend that there shall if we can help it."

"A new Colony movement has been organized for the northern part of Colorado, having for its central point Fort Collins, lately a military reservation upon the Cache la Poudre river, some 25 miles west of Greeley. The old town settlement is to be absorbed in the new movement and some 3,000 acres of land adjoining are to be sub-divided into 10, 20 and 40-acre lots for the benefit of the colonists. Outside of this are thousands of acres of government and railroad land, upon which settlements can be made for the benefit of farmers, stockmen, dairymen and others interested in kindred pursuits. The colony is formed upon somewhat the same principle as the Greeley and the Colorado Springs colonies, and has identified with it as Trustees such men as Judge A. F. Howes, Probate Judge of Larimer County, Hon. J. M. Sherwood, member of the Territorial Board of Immigration for the Territory, Rev. E. Hollister, of the Greeley Colony, and other gentlemen of position and influence in Larimer and Weld counties. It has for its location one of the finest agricultural valleys in the territory. The Agricultural College of Colorado is located here and for Eastern agriculturists looking for new homes, no finer point can be presented for settlement. Information concerning the new colony can be had by addressing the Secretary, W. E. Pabor, Esq., at

Fort Collins. General Cameron is President and these two gentlemen cannot fail to make this new colony a great success, as their efforts at Greeley and Colorado Springs amply attest."

The immediate effect of this Colony movement was the infusion of new blood by the addition of several hundred people to the population of the town, the erection of many buildings, an increase in business enterprises and an improvement in the tone of society in general. At the first drawing of lots, held in December, there were many present to take their chances with the wheel of fortune. Among the lucky ones at the drawing who have since figured quite extensively in the history of the development of Fort Collins were Jacob Welch, Franklin C. Avery, Judge Jay H. Bouton and Marcus Coon. Mr. Welch drew two lots at the corner of College and Mountain avenues where the Welch block now stands. Mr. Avery the lot next north of the Welch lots, and Judge Bouton the lots next north of Mr. Avery's, and Marcus Coon the lots at the corner of Mountain avenue and Mason street,

The old town had been surveyed practically on lines parallel with the course of the river and the new town platted by the colony was laid out square with the world - that is, its streets run east and west and north and south. When the two towns were hitched together, a good many sharp angles in the streets appeared on the plat. This caused considerable confusion to strangers. There was one house in the new town when the drawing was held, and that stood on the triangle now occupied by the Avery block.

At the close of the drawing a rush was started to get the first building constructed, and Judge Bouton won out, doing much of the work himself. This building was occupied at first by Judge Bouton as a law office and in 1874-5 by the Standard, the second newspaper started in Fort Collins. "Auntie" Stone's old mess house was moved to the corner of Mountain avenue and Mason street and added to and made a part of the Agricultural hotel built that year by Coon & Scranton.

The opening of the spring of 1873 witnessed the influx of many people seeking homes in Fort Collins and also a great deal of building activity. New homes and new business blocks went up almost like magic, and the demand for building material and mechanics far exceeded the supply. Several good substantial brick business blocks were built on Jefferson street, including the A. K. & E. B. Yount bank building. Stover & Matthews' store, Joseph Mason's store, and others. Jacob Welch built a large frame veneered with brick at the corner of College and Mountain avenues in which he opened an extensive general store. This building was burned down on Feb. 3rd, 1880, and two young people employed as clerks in the store lost their lives in the conflagration. Their names were Miss Tillie Irving and Mr. A. F. Hopkins. The fire broke out about midnight when they were asleep in their rooms on the second floor and the flames spread so rapidly that they were unable to escape from the building. Mr. and Mrs. Welch were also asleep in another part of the second floor and barely missed the fate of the two young people by jumping from a window to the ground. This untoward event cast a gloom over the community, for besides the horrible fate of Miss Irving and Mr. Hopkins, the

In the winter of 1872-3 "Uncle Ben" Whedbee moved his store building and public hall from the corner of Jefferson and Linden streets to the corner of College and Mountain avenues on to the ground now? occupied by the First National bank building. "Uncle Ben" kept a small general store, including a few drugs and patent medicines and his desertion of the "old town" for the new town, caused considerable sectional feeling, which was the beginning of an "old" and "new" town fight which raged with a good deal of bitterness for more than twenty-five years, and it crops out now and then even to this day. It was the "old town" against the "new" in about everything that came up - politics included - ^but fortunately no tragedies ever grew out of it. There were, however, numerous personal conflicts among the adherents of the two factions, but they were none of them of a serious nature. This antagonism retarded the growth of the town for a few years, for new comers were loath to settle here and take sides in a sectional controversy and therefore went elsewhere. The feeling was so strong that measures intended for the public good inaugurated and supported by the "old town" were opposed by the "new" town through jealousy, and vice versa. It was thus that the colony movement which was designed to build up a thriving and prosperous town and make it the chief commercial center of the Cache la Poudre valley practically failed of its purpose for the time being. Nevertheless the spring of 1873 witnessed the arrival of several families and the work of providing dwellings for them and of erecting business houses went on at a lively rate of speed. Contracts for constructing No. 2 irrigating canal through which to water the bluff lands south and west of town was let to B. H. Eaton and John C. Abbott, who completed the work in 1874. The town ditch was built in 1873 by A. R. Chaffee.

On the 3rd of February, 1873, the Board of Commissioners for Larimer County granted the petition of citizens for a town government and appointed B. T. Whedbee, G. G. Blake, H. C. Peterson, W. C. Stover and W. S. Vescelius to act as the first Board of Trustees, until an election for such oflScers could be held. On the following day, February 4th, the Trustees met and organized by electing B. T. Whedbee, President; Joseph E. Shipler, Town Clerk, and Daniel O. Davis, Constable. The first important piece of business transacted by the board was to authorize the making of a road from the north end of College avenue to the river, provided the County Commissioners built a bridge over the river at the intersection. Later the Commissioners appropriated $1,200 for the bridge and the road was built. At the next meeting of the Trustees, the old post burying ground located on the high ground where the federal building is to be erected, was declared a nuisance and ordered abandoned. The bodies were taken up and removed to the new cemetery, southeast of the town. A six mill tax was levied and lots in the center of the colony were assessed at $30 each, while land acreage property was valued at from $20 to $25 per acre.

At the town election held in April, 1873, there were 23 votes cast. The Trustees elected were the same as the ones appointed by the County Commissioners in February. Joseph E. Shipler was elected Town Clerk; Albert Yale, Street Supervisor and E. L. Peterson, Constable. L. R. Rhodes was appointed Town Attorney by the Trustees. The first bill allowed and ordered paid was presented April 25th by C. S. Hayden and called for $136 for services rendered in surveying and platting Mountain Home Cemetery. The Larimer County Land Improvement Company was given permission to erect and operate a saw mill at the north end of Linden street.

One of the most important events that occurred in April, 1873, was the establishment of the Larimer County Express, the first newspaper published in the county. On Mountain avenue, a few feet east of where the Masonic temple now stands, a small frame building with a shed roof, had been erected. A printing press and a quantity of second-hand type purchased in Cheyenne and moved down by team was installed in this building, and on the 26th day of April the first number of the paper was issued, with Joseph S. McClelland as proprietor, editor and publisher. The first edition contained quite an extensive "write-up" of Larimer county and was circulated far and wide to advertise the possibilities of its adopted home.

Unfortunately for the good of this book and future searchers after facts concerning the early history of Larimer county, the files of the Express from the first issue down to 1880, were wantonly destroyed by fire and many valuable and important records of interesting early incidents were blotted out. A more detailed account of the rise and progress of Larimer county newspapers, including the Express, will appear elsewhere in this volume.

Another important event of that year, but which was not so beneficent in results as the founding of the Express, was the establishment of the first bank in Larimer county. A young man named Harry Tutton, son of a Greeley colonist, came here in the spring and opened a bank in a small frame building which stood a little back from the street near where the Owl drug store now stands. For a few months the bank flourished and proved a great convenience to the settlers. Unfortunately for that institution and its trusting depositors, a financial panic, one of the worst known, swept over the country and carried down banks and business houses by the hundreds. Among others Mr. Tutton's bank. He had deposited his surplus funds with a Denver bank. One day, during the height of the financial storm, Mr. Tutton went to Denver, ostensibly to withdraw his deposits, and never returned. His bank remained closed and its affairs were afterwards wound up. This failure absorbed most of the money in the county and wiped out the accumulations of a number of depositors of money they needed to tide them over until a crop could be raised. In verification of the saying that misfortunes never come singly, the grasshoppers, right on the heels of the bank failure, dropped down upon the country in great swarms. They spread over the farms and devoured the growing grain and vegetables, leaving the country destitute of food and the means for obtaining it. It was a gloomy period in the history of the county and embryo town. Many became discouraged and left the country and progress in the work of development suffered severely. Others, however, with stouter hearts, more courage and more means came from the East to take their places, so that growth was not altogether retarded. The second and third years of the grasshopper scourge found the settlers better prepared to fight them and protect their crops from devastation. Through the use of various methods for accomplishing the destruction of the unwelcome invaders, the farmers were enabled to harvest, not all, but a fair share of their crops. Since 1876 the country has not been troubled with these migratory pests, and not an entire crop failure has occurred. It is useless to dwell at greater length upon this gloomy period in the history of Larimer county. Suffice it to say, that most of those who remained and those who came here in the dark grasshopper days, lived through the plague and have prospered and become firmly established amid peace and plenty.

Ordinance No. 1, relating to buildings and chimneys, was passed and adopted by the Board of Town Trustees on May 30th, 1873. This was the beginning of the enactment of laws and ordinances for the government of the town of Fort Collins. On the same date an ordinance (No. 2) was passed and adopted prohibiting the granting of licenses for the sale of vinous, spirituous and intoxicating liquors in the town of Fort Collins, druggists excepted. Sev- eral other ordinances were passed and adopted at the same meeting, including or relating to auctioneers and regulating the use of fire-arms in the town. On July 20th W. S. Vescelius was appointed Fire Warden for the town. The first bill for printing, amounting to the sum of $20.50, was allowed and ordered paid to J. S. McClelland, editor of the Express, on Sept. 5th, 1873. Unpaid town warrants at that time drew 12 per cent interest per annum.

On Feb. 27, 1874, the trustees ordered vacated forty feet on the north side of Riverside avenue from block "G" to the east line of the corporation; also forty feet on the east side of Lincoln avenue. The vacation of the forty-foot strip on the north side of Riverside avenue is what caused the trouble when the Union Pacific sought a right of way over that avenue into the city in 1910, and which, in the end, cost the county several thousand dollars, paid for private property, on the south side of the avenue for use in widening that thoroughfare. On March 16th, 1874, Messrs. Marcus Coon, J. H. Bradstreet and Lorenzo Snyder were appointed judges to conduct the spring election. Joseph E. Shipler was allowed $31 for services rendered as Clerk, Treasurer and Assessor for the year ending April 6th, 1874. This indicates that Mr. Shipler's duties could not have been onerous at that time. Notice of the spring election was ordered published in the Fort Collins Standard. At this election, held April 7th, the following officers were chosen: Trustees, Messrs. A. H. Patterson, W. C. Stover, H. C. Peterson, A. K. Yount and Marcus Coon; Treasurer, B. T. Whedbee; Clerk, J. E. Shipler; Street Supervisor, F. C. Avery; Justice of the Peace, Amrai Smith; Constable, F. C. Thomason. On April 13th, Constable Thomason's official bond, signed by O. C. Peck and T. M. Roberts, and Clerk Shipler's bond, signed by Charles Boettcher and Abner Loomis, as sureties, were approved. The standing committees of the Board were:

On Hnance: Stover, Patterson and Coon. On streets, alleys and bridges: Peterson, Patterson and Stover. On public grounds and buildings: Patterson, Coon and Peterson. A. K. Yount was elected President of the Board, and O. P. Yelton was appointed Justice of the Peace in place of Ammi Smith, who failed to qualify. The official bond of F. C. Avery as Street Supervisor, signed by Joseph Mason, J. H. Bouton and William Sullivan as sureties, was approved. The contract for doing the public printing for the year was awarded to Bouton & Sullivan of the Standard. J. H. Bouton was appointed Town Attorney for the year. One and a half mills was the tax levy for the town. On July 1st, F. C. Avery, Street Supervisor, reported that forty-five citizens had worked out their street tax and eleven had paid the tax in money and thirtyfive were delinquent.

On October 2nd a petition, signed by sixty-eight citizens, was presented asking that the liquor ordinance be repealed. The request was refused by a vote of three nays and one aye. Those voting nay were Stover, Patterson and Peterson; aye, Coon.

The No. 3, or town ditch, built in 1873 on high ground along the west side of the townsite, began to be a good deal of a nuisance through seepage. During the irrigating season when the ditch was filled to its capacity the water soaked through the porous soil and came to the surface in the lower portion of the town, causing marshes and swamps. The ground on both sides of Laporte avenue was covered with standing water, so much so that people had to cross on raised plank walks to get to the Methodist church, which stood a little west of the present C. & S. passenger station. The ground on the south side of Mountain avenue, between Mason street and College avenue, where the Masonic temple stands, was also a swamp of standing water, breeding places for miasma and mosquitoes. At last these conditions became unbearable and the Town Trustees were appealed to to abate the nuisance. This body, at the first meeting, in January, 1875, inaugurated a movement on the petition of Dr. T. M. Smith, M. E. Hocker, Abner Loomis, W. H. Trimble, L. R. Rhodes and others, to provide for a system of drainage that would carry off this seepage water and result in reclaiming the land covered by it. Beyond ordering the ditch and its laterals cleaned out and repaired but little else was done. This was done, but it did not help matters much, and the conditions complained of remained practically unimproved until the city constructed the Mountain avenue sewer in 1886. This sewer and others that were constructed later carried off the offending water and reclaimed the property covered by it. Since then the city has not been troubled by seepage water from the town ditch.

On February 5th A. K. Yount resigned as President of the Board and W. C. Stover was elected to succeed him. For the spring election in 1875, B. T. Whedbee, J. C. Matthews and S. D. Luke were appointed judges. At this election, held April 5th, ninety-seven votes were cast, and Marcus Coon, S. D. Luke, B. T. Whedbee, G. G. Blake and Albert Yale received the highest number of votes for Trustees and were declared elected. Joseph Shipler was elected Clerk, John Schenk, Constable, and W. S. Vescelius, Street Supervisor. S. D. Luke was chosen President of the Board of Trustees, and Jay H. Bouton, Town Attorney. The printing contract for that year was awarded to J. S. McClelland. The tax levy that year was five mills on the dollar. On the 5th of October the anti-license ordinance was repealed and T. J. Wilson given a license to sell beer, wines and liquors. His was the first saloon legalized in Fort Collins, and his license cost him $150.

Up to this time the town tax had been assessed by the Town Clerk and collected by the Constable, and, as there was some doubt about the legality of the town organization, many refused to pay the amount of town taxes assessed against them, so that the collector had more or less trouble in making collections. It often occurred that as much as fifty per cent of the levy was delinquent, leaving the town without funds needed for contingent expenses and for public improvements. In many instances it would have done no good to try to enforce collections, as the delinquent tax-payers would stand suit rather than pay and this would have cost the town more than the amount of the tax. At last, the Territorial Legislature passed a law requiring the County Treasurer to collect all taxes, including the town's proportion of the levy.

An apathetic feeling seemed to prevail with regard to town affairs, partly due, no doubt, to a repeal of the anti-saloon ordinance and the granting of licenses to sell liquors, as there was then a strong but unorganized sentiment against the open saloon, and partly to the unsatisfactory condition of town affairs. This feeling manifested itself at the April election in 1876, as there were but twenty votes cast for town officers. The officers elected were: Trustees, D. Stanbury, W. F. Watrous, B. T. Whedbee, W. S. Vescelius and G. G. Blake; Clerk, J. E. Shipler; Street Supervisor, James Sweeney; Constable, F. N. B. Scott; B. T. Whedbee was chosen President of the Board of Trustees, Charles Howell appointed Constable and Collector for the year. On Feb. 13th, 1877, James W. Norvell and F. C. Avery were appointed members of the Board of Trustees to fill vacancies caused by resignations and removal from town, and on February 15th J. W. Norvell was chosen Town Attorney, and James A. Brown appointed Street Supervisor in place of James Sweeney, resigned. J. W. Barnes, S. D. Luke and David Patton were appointed Judges to conduct the annual spring election on April 2nd, 1877. No election for town offices appears to have been held in April, 1877, or at least the records are silent on that point, and the old officers held over. On June 6 a new saloon ordinance, fixing the license fee at $200, was passed and adopted. J. W. Barnes was appointed Town Clerk.

On June 28th, 1877, the Board of Trustees passed and adopted an ordinance granting to the Colorado Central Railroad Company right of way along Mason street from the southern to the northern limits of the corporation. H. L. Akard was appointed Town Marshal, and William Michaud Night Watchman on September 7th. At this time the Colorado Central Railroad was being built through the town and its employes caused disorder through a too free indulgence in strong drink, making it necessary to appoint additional officials to restrain them.

It appears from the records that B. T. Whedbee, J. W. Norvell, F. C. Avery and David Patton were chosen Trustees on April 2nd, 1878, although there is no announcement recorded declaring them to be such. The records show, however, that they met and transacted business as a Board of Trustees until April 24th, when they granted the petition of citizens asking that an election be held to vote on the question of organizing the town under the provisions of the general laws of Colorado. No meeting was held after that until November 27th, when the names of B. T. Whedbee, F. C. Avery, D. Patton and G. G. Blake appear as Trustees and Eph. Love as Clerk. No mention is made of an election being held in the meantime to vote upon the question of reorganizing. At this meeting saloon licenses were, by ordinance, fixed at $300 per annum. They

On March Nth, 1879, in response to the petition of twenty citizens, President Whedbee of the Board of Trustees, called a special election to be held April 12th, 1879, to vote upon the question of organizing the town of Fort Collins under the laws of the State of Colorado. This election was held on the date named, with Marcus Coon, Geo. H. Abbott and John W. Smith acting as judges. The vote was canvassed April 16th, when it was found that forty votes were cast for municipal organization and one against. President Whedbee of the Board of Trustees then called an election to be held May 16th, 1879, for the purpose of electing one Mayor, one Recorder, and four Trustees. Geo. H. Abbott, S. R. Lyon and John W. Smith were appointed judges of the election. The votes cast at this election were canvassed May 17th and it was found that the following officers had been elected: Mayor, B. T. Whedbee; Recorder, L. E. Denslow; Trustees, F. P. Stover, David Patton, Martin Vandewark and H. C. Peterson. The new Board of Trustees met for the first time on May 24th, with Mayor Whedbee in the chair. L. R. Rhodes and L. E. Denslow were appointed a committee to revise the ordinances of the town, and the following standing committees were named by the Mayor:

On finance: Patton, Peterson and Vandewark. On streets, alleys and bridges: Stover, Patton and Vandewark. On public grounds, buildings and ditches: Peterson, Vandewark and Stover. On laws and ordinances: Denslow, Patton and Stover. William Morgan was appointed Marshal, and James L. Allen Street Supervisor.

The town having been duly incorporated under the laws of the state, entered upon a new and more prosperous period, and its public affairs were better and more systematically managed.

Reviewing the incidents and events that occurred from 1873, when the town was first organized, down to 1879, when it was duly incorporated, I find but little worthy of comment. Following the rush of 1873, after the colony became established, the growth of the town was slow and uncertain. Many of those who came here during the colony rush, becoming discouraged through the failure of the first bank and because of the havoc caused by the grasshoppers, moved away in 1874, 1875 and 1876, and but few of their places were taken by newcomers. Building was practically at a standstill and business of all kinds was in the dumps. In the fall of 1873, Mr. and Mrs. A. K. Yount, having sold their mercantile business at Big Thompson, moved to Fort Collins and began the construction of a brick bank building at the corner of Jefferson and Linden streets. The building was completed in the spring of 1874 and A. K. & E. B. Yount opened a bank in the front room facing on Jefferson street. Money at that time commanded two per cent interest per month, and the bank did a good business.. In 1875 Mr. Yount was elected a member of the convention which met in Denver Dec. 20th, 1875, to frame a State Constitution, and Charles H. Sheldon, a late arrival from the State of New York was employed to take his place in the bank. In September, 1876, shortly after Colorado had been admitted into the Union as a sovereign state, Mr. Yount was killed at Boulder while trying to board a train bound fbr Denver. He made a misstep in climbing into the car and was thrown under the train and run over, killing him instantly. The bank continued to do business under the management of Mrs. Yount, until 1883, when it was forced into liquidation. Mr. Sheldon remained in Mrs. Yount's employ until the fall of 1878, when he and W. C. Stover started the Poudre Valley Bank.

During the summer of 1873, M. E. Hocker came here from Wyoming and opened a drug store in the Old Grout building, continuing in business there until the Yount building was completed, when he moved his stock and fixtures into a room in the rear of the bank, facing Linden street. In September, 1874, Frank P. Stover, a brother of W. C. Stover, arrived from South Bend, Indiana, and being pleased with the country, bought an interest in the Hocker drug store and decided to remain. In the spring of 1874 Clark Bouton established a newspaper, called the Fort Collins Standard. It was the second newspaper started in the County. A few months later William W. Sullivan bought an interest in the plant and its business, and when Mr. Bouton died, in 1875, the publishnng firm became Sullivan & Myrick. The office was located on College avenue about where the Fort Collins Hardware Company's store now is. It was in this office that Herbert Myrick, son of one of the proprietors, learned the printer's trade. He is now president of the Phelps Publishing Company of Springfield, Massachusetts, one of the famous publishing houses of the United States. In the fall of 1875 Mr. Sullivan leased his interest in the Standard to his partner, H. L. Myrick, who continued its publication a few months and then suspended it.

On the 14th of December, 1873, Collins Grange No. 7, Patrons of Husbandry, was organized with twenty-five members, in a hall on the second floor of a frame building which stood where Scott's drug store now stands. The first officers were R. Q. Tenney, Master, and E. F. Kerr, Secretary. This became the leading Grange in the State, and at one time had a membership of about 100. The Grange purchased the hall it met in and the building was known as Grange hall until it burned down, in 1883.

Unloading Beets At A Dump

Judge Omer O. Kent, special Grand Master of Denver. The charter members of the lodge were Jay H. Bouton, A. H. Remington, George G. Blake, David M. Harris, S. P. Holland, J. L. Johnson, and J. E. Remington. J. E. Remington was the first Noble Grand, and Jay H. Bouton the first Vice Grand. The lodge met in a room over B. T. Whedbee's store until 1882, when a brick building was erected for its use on Linden street. This hall is now owned by the Geo. H. Thomas Post No. 7, Grand Army of the Republic, the Odd Fellows having built a larger and better hall on East Mountain avenue in 1895. This hall is over W. A. Collins' furniture store. The lodge has now a large membership and is in a flourishing condition.

As early as 1870 the inhabitants of Fort Collins began to take an interest in social, educational and religious affairs. Before that, society was in an inchoate state and social functions of an elevating character few and far between. The small community was made up of people who had come from different states, bringing with them the customs and habits of the communities they had left. They possessed divergent, political, social, educational and religious ideas and it took time for them to assimilate and become moulded together into one harmonious whole. Then again, they were in a new country, far from a base of supplies, and the problem of "how shall we solve the problem of existence, provide ourselves, our wives and children, with food, shelter and raiment," first engrossed their attention to the exclusion of almost every other consideration. They could get along a few years without schools, without churches and without clubs and societies, but they could not get along without food and raiment. They were not heathen nor barbarians, for a large majority of them were educated, intelligent, law-abiding and God-fearing men and women, drawn from the best and more advanced communities in the eastern states, but the first law of nature impelled them to provide, at the start, for their bodies, even though it be at the expense of their heads and hearts. It is not surprising, then, that but little attention was given to other than material things. They were but few in number at best, and, as stated, these few were lacking that homogeneity of sentiment which later characterized their intercourse as members of the same community.

In 1870, however, we find them getting together and organizing for mutual benefit, for progress and the promotion of higher aims than mere bodily comfort. That year a Masonic lodge was instituted in the second story of the Grout building with H. C. Peterson, J. H. Bradstreet, J. R. Wills, B. H. Eaton, A. Loomis, C. J. McDivit, A. J. J. Davis and Geo. W. Swift as charter members. The first officers of the lodge were: W. M., H. C. Peterson; S. W., J. R. Wills; J. W., B. H. Eaton; Treasurer, Abner Loomis; Secretary, J. H. Bradstreet; S. D., Perry Downing; J. D., Harris Stratton; S. S., C. J. McDivit; J. S., A. J. J. Davis; Tiler, T. M. Smith. The lodge held regular meetings, first in the attic of the mill, second, in the second story of B. T. Whedbee's store and then purchased the second story of Stover & Matthews' store building, where rooms were fitted up in which meetings were held until 1885.

That year the Masons leased the third floor of the Poudre Valley Bank block and converted it into a lodge room, which they occupied until 1902, when the Masonic temple was built on West Mountain avenue, in which lodge meetings have since been held.

selves heavily, to accomplish it, but they were proud of the feat and of the schools taught therein. It was a small frame building, but it was the beginning of better things and the precursor of progress. In 1872 the military reservation was thrown open to settlement and the Agricultural Colony established on its lands an enterprise that brought many new settlers to Fort Collins. The Presbyterian church was organized that year. The following year witnessed the founding of the first newspaper, the opening of a bank, the erection of a Methodist church and the Agricultural hotel, besides several business blocks and dwelling houses.

The years 1874-5-6 were gloomy ones for the little colony owing to the failure of the first bank and the ravages of the grasshoppers. But little building was done and business of all kinds was practically at a standstill. Many left the colony to seek homes elsewhere, so that the population of the town practically remained unchanged until 1877. The gold discovery in the Black Hills drew off quite a number of venturesome ones in 1875-6, the most of them returning later when the northern Indians became troublesome. Nevertheless, the town was not altogether lifeless during this period. The second newspaper, the Standard, was established, and the Yount bank opened for business in the spring of 1874. A Missionary Station of the Episcopal church was established in 1875, the first regular services being held on the first Sunday in May, in the frame building erected for the Larimer County bank. This building stood near where the Owl drug store now stands. It was purchased by the Episcopal congregation and used as a place of worship until 1883, when the new church was completed, ready for use. The old building stands now on East Oak street at the rear of St. Luke's church. Rev. Francis Byrne, who died a few years ago at the age of ninety-seven years, conducted the first Episcopal services held.

In 1876, M. E. Hocker, the pioneer druggist, sold his interest in the Stover-Hocker drug store to his partner, Frank P. Stover, and started for Deadwood, in the Black Hills, with a stock of drugs. While crossing the Plains between Cheyenne and Deadwood his trains were raided by Indians and his teamsters barely escaped with their lives. This incident sickened him of the Black Hills country and he turned back and opened a drug store at Evanston, Wyoming.

The spring of 1877 opened with better prospects ahead for the farmers and townspeople. The grasshoppers had run their race and had practically disappeared, so that farmers were encouraged to seed all their tillable land to wheat, oats and potatoes, so far, at least, as the grasshoppers were concerned. New farms were located upon and new land broken out and seeded to crops, and the harvest that fall was a bountiful one. The first State Legislature, held during the winter of 1877, had appropriated money for the Agricultural college buildings, no great amount, to be sure, but large enuogh to encourage the State Board of Agriculture to make a beginning in the development of its plans. This appropriation would not be available until after the taxes of 1877 had been collected, nevertheless it had the effect of stiffening the courage and strengthening the hopes of the people of Fort Collins, so that they began to look forward to a welcome change in the situation of material things.

The Colorado Agricultural college had been located at Fort Collins by an act of the Territorial Legislature passed in 1871. The location was confirmed by the State Constitution, adopted in 1876, but until the first General assembly made the appropriation spoken of, the Board of Agriculture had no means at command for use in making preparations for opening the school. They could not erect suitable buildings nor employ instructors without money. That is why practically nothing was done towards improving the site until 1878, when the money appropriated became available.

For several years the people of Larimer county had been wistfully looking forward to the time when a railroad should be built from Denver through the county to a connection with the Union Pacifiic at Cheyenne, over which they could ship marketable live stock and surplus agricultural prod- ucts without the long drive or long haul. The spring of 1877 opened with bright prospects for the fruition of their hopes. A subsidiary company of the Kansas Pacific Railroad company completed and opened for traffic on Sept. 23rd, 1870, a railroad extending from Denver to Golden. Later the same company extended the road from Golden through Boulder to Longmont, which remained the terminus for two or three years. It was known as the Colorado Central road and in 1876 It passed from the control of the Kansas Pacific Railroad company into the possession of a new company known as the Colorado Central Railroad company, made up principally of Colorado men with W. A. H. Loveland of Golden, as President. Soon after getting possession of the road, Mr. Loveland went to New York for a conference with Jay Gould, then at the head of the Union Pacific system. The result of this conference was that Mr. Gould, acting for the Union Pacific, entered into an agreement with Mr. Loveland to furnish the means for extending and completing the road from Longmont to Cheyenne. Mr. Loveland returned to Golden in high spirits and was given an enthusiastic reception by his fellow-citizens. The line was surveyed and located In the winter of 1877 by Capt. E. L. Berthoud, chief engineer, and as soon as the frost left the ground In the spring the work of grading and building the road began at both ends simultaneously and was vigorously pushed forward. On June 28th the Board of Trustees of the town of Fort Collins passed an ordinance granting the Colorado Central Railroad company a right of way through the town along Mason street and certain other privileges, such as depot grounds, and lands for yards. The grading and bridging of the road, ready for the ties and rails was completed between Longmont and Hazard, five miles west of Cheyenne, In September and track laying from Hazard south was so far advanced by the end of that month that the smoke of the construction trains could be seen on the summit of the bluffs north of Fort Collins. Thomas J. Montgomery, a nephew of President Loveland, who had been assisting the agent at Longmont, was sent here to be the first station agent and telegraph operator at Fort Collins. He arrived on the 6th of October and on the 7th opened an office In Joseph Mason's store on Jefferson street. At that time the track layers had reached the bridge over the river and on the 8th of October the construction train rolled Into the town of Fort Collins, signaling the event by a long blast of the locomotive whistle. Before the end of October the track had been laid into Longmont, the road opened to traffic and communication by rail with Denver and Cheyenne established.

The arrival on the depot grounds of the construction train on the morning of October 8th was greeted with great enthusiasm by the excited population of the town and congratulations over the fulfillment of their hopes long deferred passed from mouth to mouth. The people of the town and surrounding country were wild with delight, making the event an occasion for great rejoicing. A few days later the first shipment of freight ever brought Into Fort Collins by rail arrived from the north and it consisted of one carload of merchandise for W. C. Stover and three carloads of Rock Springs coal for A. H. Patterson.

When Mr. Montgomery arrived here to take charge of the station, worklngmen were engaged in laying the foundation walls of the depot building, a small brick structure containing a freight room, a small office for the station agent and telegraph operator, and a small waiting room. About the first of November the depot was far enough advanced toward completion so that Mr. Montgomery could move his office from Mason's store Into the freight room, where he remained until after the waiting room and his regular office had been completed and plastered. The advent of the railroad marked the beginning of a new era In the history of Fort Collins and Larimer county. It opened communication by rail with the outside world and brought the town in touch with the rest of creation. It afforded the farmer and stockman an opportunity to ship out their surplus products and* fat cattle to wider and better markets. The home merchants could also get in their stocks of goods in better time, In better condition and at a cheaper rate, consequently the producers and consumers were all benefited.

The winter and spring of 1878, following the completion of the railroad, witnessed an influx of new settlers, the most of them farmers from the middle west who came either to take up new land or purchase improved or partially Improved farms. They brought their families, household goods and In many Instances, their live stock with them, prepared to stay. Not a few cast their lot with the town and began building themselves homes and to establish themselves In business thus, by example, Instilling new life and stimulating new energy among those already here. The entire year was a busy one, many new buildings being erected and several new lines of business established. The con- tract for the construction of the main Agricultural college building was let in June and the corner stone was laid July 27th and the structure completed the following fall; bonds amounting to $7,500, drawing 12 per cent interest, principal and interest payable in gold, were voted by the school district and the proceeds used in erecting the front half of the Remington School building; contract let to John F. Colpitts and Joseph Coyte who began work in September, completing the building in February, 1879; Wilson's hall on Jefferson street, afterwards used for district court purposes, was completed that fall. L. W. Welch built a $5,000 block on College avenue on the ground now occupied by the Murphy-Ready Clothing store; a small brick for the use of the Poudre Valley bank and a frame for the Parlor Drug store were erected on Linden street between Jefferson and Walnut; W. C. Stover and Tedmon Bros, each added a 50-foot brick extension to their stores, and Chris. Philippi and L. Flescher each had buildings erected on Jefferson street, one for a harness shop and the other for a tailor shop; D. M. Harris expended $2,500 in enlarging and refitting the Commercial hotel, which stood where the Express building now stands. In addition to these a number of dwelling houses were erected in different parts of the town that year, the total expenditures for new buildings and additions to old ones, amounting to upwards of $60,000.

The Courier was founded that year, the first number appearing on the 29th of June, with Watrous & Pelton as publishers and proprietors. It was issued from rooms on the second floor of the McConathy block which stood where the Antler's hotel now stands, and the Poudre Valley bank opened its doors for business on Saturday, November 11th, in the Wilson block on Jefferson street, with William C. Stover as President and Charles H. Sheldon as Cashier. The bank occupied these quarters but a few weeks while awaiting the completion of its new building on Linden street. In the fall of 1877 J. S. McClelland built a brick building on Linden street for the use of the Express newspaper. It stood next south of where the Gem Grocery is now and was burned down in the early 80's. During the month of October, 1878, 42 carloads of freight were dispatched and 31 carloads received, making a total of 73 carloads handled at the Fort Collins station, the total receipts amounting to $4,627.09. The railroad had then been in operation about a year.

Courier August 31st, 1878: "We have on exhibition at our office (thanks to Mrs. Kate Trimble) a sample of Fort Collins-grown apples. They are of the variety known as 'Strawberry.' These were the first apples raised in Larimer county and they put to shame the croakers who had declared that apples could not be produced in Larimer county." They were grown on trees brought from Missouri by W. H. Trimble in 1875, and marked the beginning of an important industry. Others began experimenting with fruit growing with the result that Larimer county fruit, berries, cherries, plums and apples are now staple products that are much sought after and command remunerative prices.

The Methodist church was moved that year from lots west of the depot to a new location on Mountain avenue. It was refitted and newly furnished and was occupied for church and Sunday school purposes until the new church was built on College avenue in 1896. There were then three resident clergymen in the town, Rev. C. A. Brooks of the Methodist church. Rev. D. E. Finks of the Presbyterian church, and Rev. Francis Byrne of St. Luke's Episcopal church. The Catholics held occasional services here, sometimes in the Grout building and at other times in the homes of private families, but they had no resident priest.

The Lindell mills that year converted 108,000 bushels of wheat into flour and bran. The wheat was all grown in the Cache la Poudre valley and shows that agriculture was gaining a strong foothold in the valley.

Building operations started late in 1879, but little being done in that line until July, the mechanics putting in good time from that on, erecting forty-one structures at a total cost of $76,000. Among the more important buildings erected that year are the Tedmon house, Colorado Elevator, Odd Fellows hall. Standard Mills, Thomas & Lindenmeier's block, Welch block, F. C. Avery's residence, C. W. Ramer's residence and Eph Love's residence. One million and one hundred and fifty thousand bricks were laid into walls that year and the sales of merchandise of all kinds footed up to $444,379. The following statement furnished by the depot agent shows that the railroad business transacted that year had materially expanded during the twelve months ending December 31st:

"Number of pounds of freight forwarded, 22,- 405,960, equal to 1,120 carloads of 20,000 pounds each. Included in freight forwarded were 14,480 sacks of flour, 10,200 bushels of wheat, 282 carloads of stone and about 60,000 railroad ties."

Work was begun on the construction of the Pleasant Valley and Lake canal in August, and Contractor John C. Abbott practically completed it that year. This canal was being built to furnish water for between 6,000 and 7,000 acres of choice farming land lying west of the town.

The Temperance Gazette, published by W. C. Wheeler, with Rev. E. L. Allen as editor, was founded in November. It was the third paper started in Larimer county and it had a brief but troubled existence. It died of inanition a few months after it was born.

The darkest hour the town had seen in its history occurred on Tuesday night, February 3rd, 1880, when L. W. Welch's large two-story building at the corner of College and Mountain avenues was destroyed by fire with all of its contents. Though the property loss was between $40,000 and $50,000, the most disastrous effect was the death of Miss Tillie Irving and Mr. A. F. Hopkins, two clerks employed in the store, who lost their lives in the conflagration. They were sleeping on the second floor of the building at the time the fire broke out as were Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Welch and their little. grandchild. Dr. and Mrs. T. M. Smith and two children and L. W. Welch, the proprietor, all of whom, excepting the unfortunate victims, escaping with their lives. Mr. Hopkins had left his room and had evidently been overcome by smoke and heat before he reached the stairway, as his body was found in the ruins on the opposite side of the building from his room. Miss Irving's charred body was found directly beneath her room, showing that she had not left it, either being confused by the crackling flames or overcome by the smoke. No event had ever occurred in Fort Collins that cast so deep a gloom and so poignant a feeling of sadness as the horrible death of these two estimable young people. Miss Irving was bookkeeper in the store and Mr. Hopkins a salesman.

Among the notable events that occurred in 1880 was the completion and opening to the public on May 20th of the Tedmon house, admitted to be the finest hotel in Colorado north of Denver. This event was hailed with great pleasure not only by citizens of the town but by the traveling public as well. It had been erected on the corner of Jefferson and Linden streets on the site formerly occupied by the Blake house, built in 1870, and contained sixty-five handsomely furnished rooms. It was built by B. S. Tedmon, who conducted it for about a year and then leased the hotel and furniture to George S. Brown, one of the best hotel men known in the West. For nearly thirty years The Tedmon house was one of the most popular public stopping places in Colorado and had a reputation second to none. It was sold in 1909 to the Union Pacific Railroad company, the ground it occupied being needed for terminal purposes, and was vacated and dismantled early in the season of 1910. Its last proprietor was H. M. Sholine. Charles W. Ramer conducted the hotel for eight years. He was succeeded by Mrs. NelHan Harris after whose death in 1903, it passed into the hands of Mr. Sholine.

The burning of the Welch block in February started a vigorous discussion in favor of better fire protection, which resulted in the organization on May 21 of a Hook and Ladder company and its equipment by the town authorities. The first officers of the company were John Place, Foreman ; W. T. Seamans, First Assistant; E. M. Pelton, Second Assistant; W. P. Keays, Secretary, and John Deaver, Treasurer. A constitution and set of bylaws, drafted by H. N. Hayes, A. B. Ogden and E. M. Pelton were adopted and the company at once began drilling and fitting itself for fire fighting. This was the beginning of Fort Collins present splendidly equipped and very efficient fire department.

North Park began to attract considerable attention that year on account of its fine grazing and meadow lands. Several Fort Collins stockmen, including C. B. Mendenhall, James A. Brown, Marsh Jones and W. F. Scribner moved their herds into the park in the early summer of 1879 and they gave such a glowing description of the country and its advantages as a stock raising region that others followed. Gold was discovered at Independence Mountain in the park in 1846 by members of Col. John C. Fremont's party of explorers and this fact becoming more generally known, incited a rush of prospectors to that section in search of the precious minerals. The mountains surrounding the park were quite thoroughly prospected in 1880 which led to the discovery of a number of rich silver bearing leads, especially in the southeast corner of the park, later locally known as Telx/ ler. Silver was also discovered on the headwaters of Grand river in Grand county, a few miles distant from Teller and a town was laid out there and called Lulu, in honor of the eldest daughter of B. F. Burnett, who was one of the original locaters. These discoveries drew off a good many people from Fort Collins that and the following year, some to engage in mining and others in various lines of business. A good many thousand dollars were spent in 1880-1 and 2 in development work on mining claims which practically went for naught.

son. Since then, North Park has become the stockmen's paradise and thousands of head of cattle are annually kept grazing on its rich pasture lands during the summer and fitted for beef in the fall.

The Tenth Federal census, taken in June, 1880, gave Larimer county a population of 4,862 and Fort Collins a population of 1,356. Thomas M. Cotton was the enumerator for Fort Collins, and he found that the town contained 220 dwellings and 236 families. In the decade between 1870 and 1880 the population of Larimer County had in-

Fort Collins In 1881

Although several good silver and galena leads were located and partially developed, the cost of getting the ore to the smelters at Denver was so great that the miners were left no profit, consequently the camps were abandoned. Some day, when railroads penetrate this region the silver mines at Teller and Lulu will become heavy producers of silver, lead and other valuable minerals. Nearly all of those who left Fort Collins to engage in mining and other enterprises at Teller and Lulu in the early days, returned to their homes here sadder but wiser men. The real home-making settlement of North Park proper began in 1880, although a few stockmen had driven their herds in there in 1879 to graze through the summer, moving them out in the fall. They made no provisions for winter by putting up hay and were afraid to trust their stock to survive the deep snows and cold of the long winter seacreased from 838 to 4,862, a gain of 4,024 and during the three years ending in June, 1880, Fort Collins had more than doubled its population. That year (1880) witnessed a large increase in population and in the amount of building done. Including the Opera house, which was built that year, eighty-five dwellings, store and office buildings were erected at a cost of $200,000. Among the more important structures were the Opera house and Welch block combined; residences for Capt. W. M. Post, Frank Soult, W. S. Vescelius, T. Corbin, Lewis Secord, W. S. Mason, C. B. Andrews, Richard Burke, (now owned by Mrs. Shortridge), A. Armstrong on Remington street, Mrs. Sherrell, Theo. Kutcher, Chas. Evans, J. R. Wills, Mrs. M. P. Carpenter and James Conroy. The last mentioned is now owned by and occupied by N. C. Alford.

Among the business blocks were the Cornucopia restaurant for A. B. Ogden, A. H. Patterson's large store warehouse; L. P. Kemoe's store building at the intersection of Linden street and Mountain avenue, now owned by D. F. O'Loughlin, and others of lesser importance.

The Opera house was built by the Larimer County bank, Jay H. Bouton, Dr. C. P. Miller, M. F. Thomas and P. S. Balcam and was then, and is now, one of the most popular play houses in the state north of Denver. By reason of the rapid growth of the town, real estate advanced rapidly in value, lots that were offered for from $50 to $75 early in 1879, sold in 1880 for $500 to $800.

In the spring of 1881 the Union Pacific and the Burlington & Missouri Railroad companies each sent a corps of engineers here to survey and locate a route for a railroad through the Cache la Poudre canon and no sooner had the Union Pacific run its line to Cameron Pass than it began grading from the mouth of the canon westward, thus getting possession of the route ahead of its rival. After spending something more than $100,000 in building a grade extending about twenty miles up the river, the company abandoned the project. Charles E. Pennock had charge of one of the camps and Robert Walsh of another. In May of that year the Greeley, Salt Lake & Pacific Railroad company made application for a right of way through the town along Willow street. The company which was a subsidiary company of the Union Pacific, proposed to build and operate a standard gauge road from Greeley to Salt Lake and beyond, via Fort Collins. The application was granted and on July 21st a committee composed of A. B. Tomlin, John C. Abbott, Eph Love, L. R. Rhodes and Abner Loomis was appointed to ascertain the value of the property required by the company for its right of way through the city. This committee a few days later reported that the right of way would cost $6,300. The right of way question being settled, grading contractors set their men and teams at work on the grade on Saturday, August 13th, and the work was pushed rapidly forward all along the line between Greeley and the stone quarries. By the 15th of September the grading between Greeley and Fort Collins was completed and the bridge builders also had their work well in hand. The grading between Fort Collins and the quarries was also nearly done.

dwellings, costing $54,547 were erected and that the total sum expended for improvements exceeded $120,000. Among the more notable structures were the Union block on Jefferson street, store room on College avenue now occupied by McGehe's barber shop, Bernheim's brick store on Linden street, Capt. Mclntyre's residence on Matthews street. Dr. C. P. Miller's residence, Andrew Armstrong's residence on College avenue and the Ish residence on Sherwood street; the College dormi^ tory, the city hall and the Reed & Dauth block on Linden street and others. The postoffice receipts that year exceeded $5,000.

At the municipal election held April 4th, 1882, by a vote of 268 for to 44 against, the people of the town emphatically declared in favor of a system of water works that would supply water for domestic uses and fire protection. The subject had been discussed pro and con for several months by the local newspapers and individuals, so that it was pretty well understood, consequently the vote was an emphatic expression of the sentiments and wishes of the people. Up to this time and for more than a year afterwards when the works were completed, the people were supplied with water for cooking and drinking purposes from what was known as the "water wagon", consisting of a tank on wheels. From this primitive system of water works, people were able to supply their needs at the rate of 25 cents a barrel or 5 cents a pail full. This water was dipped up from the river near College avenue bridge and peddled out through the town by the owner of the "water wagon". Water needed for the laundry and cleaning purposes was obtained from the irrigating laterals that traversed the town.

The board of Town Trustees at once proceeded to have plans and specifications drawn for a system of water works that would meet the needs of the town for several years. This done, the Trustees, consisting of George S. Brown, Mayor, Jay H. Bouton, Abner Loomis, H. E. Tedmon and Wm. F. Watrous, with Frank P. Stover, Recorder, and Eph Love, City Attorney, gave notice of a special election to be held Sept. 20th, 1882, for the purpose of voting on the approval or rejection of the plans prepared. The election was held at which 273 votes were cast, of which number 182 were for the plans and 78 against, with 13 scattering. On the 2nd of October the Trustees advertised for sealed bids on the construction of the works, the bids to be opened October 20th. On October 31st, the contract to construct the plant was let to Russel & Alexander of Colorado Springs, their bid of

$80,750 being considered the lowest and best. The contractors at once began making preparations for executing the contract and the Trustees prepared for raising the necessary funds. On November 7th the Board of Trustees passed an ordinance which provided for the creation of a bonded indebtedness of $85,000, the bonds to bear 7 per cent interest payable annually, the principal to be redeemable at the pleasure of the town on and after December 1st, 1892, and to become absolutely due and payable on the 1st day of December 1897. As the work progressed on the plant it became necessary to make changes from the original plans. The town was growing rapidly and larger and additional mains were required and other improvements made. This required a larger expenditure than was at first contemplated and on May 20th, 1883, the city council (Fort Collins having become by proclamation of the governor, a city of the second class) passed an ordinance increasing the bonded indebtedness $20,000 by a new issue of bonds payable at the pleasure of the city after ten years, and due at the expiration of fifteen years. These bonds were to draw 8 per cent interest, interest payable semiannually. This issue brought the total bonded indebtedness of the city up to $105,000. The plant was completed, tested and accepted by the city council on the 7th of June, 1883. H. P. Handy was the engineer in charge of construction.

The whole number of feet of water main, the laying of which was included in the contract, was 43,400; the number of fire hydrants, 20 with 15 water gates. The supply of water was taken from the Cache la Poudre river a short distance west of Laporte and carried through an open ditch threefourths of a mile to the pump house, a brick structure on a stone foundation. From there the water was forced into and through city mains by pumps,