USA > Colorado > Larimer County > History of Larimer County, Colorado > Part 37
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"The present officers of the city of Loveland are: Mayor, J. W. McMullen; Aldermen, First Ward, A. E. Sprague and W. C. Moore; Second Ward, E. O. Hile and O. D. Shields; Third Ward, C. E. Clark and Jared Craig; Fourth Ward, H. M. Mc- Clure and F. W. Loomis; Attorney, Ab. H. Romans; Treasurer, I. G. McCreery; Street Com- missioner, O. B. Ford; Physician, Dr. S. A. Joslyn ; Superintendent of Water Works, J. D. Lease; Clerk, S. J. Krouskop; Marshal, Luther Hagler ; Police Magistrate, H. R. Smith; Police Officer, S. T. Querry.
Churches of Loveland
"The religious orders are represented in Loveland by sixteen separate and distinct church organiza- tions. These organizations, with two exceptions, each have resident pastors and each a place of wor- ship ranging in cost from $1,000 to $40,000. They have an aggregate membership of 2,650, equal to about one-half the entire population of the city. The Methodist was the first church organization founded in the county. The three charter mem- bers of the Methodist church are still living, viz : Judge and Mrs. W. B. Osborn of Loveland and David Hershman of Boulder."
The following data relating to the Loveland churches, gathered by J. N. Gordon of that city, will be of interest not only to the present genera- tion but to those that shall succeed the living:
"First Methodist Episcopal .- Organized in 1866; number of members three; cost of first church build- ing $800; name of first pastor, Rev. O. P. McMains; church rebuilt in 1887 and in 1901; present value of property $25,000; name of present pastor, Rev. W. D. Phifer; present number of members 400; number in the Sunday school, 290. Special mis- sionary work carried on with regular service at the Weldon school, eight miles west of town. Rev. Antes preached the first sermon in 1863, at which the entire population of the Big Thompson valley, numbering 13, was present. This was the first religous service held in Larimer county.
"First United Presbyterian .- Organized in 1875, with a total of 16 members, cost of first building, $1,600; name of first pastor, Rev. W. H. Mc- Creery ; church rebuilt in 1893 and in 1905; present value of church property, $40,000; name of present pastor, Rev. R. C. Gibson ; present number of mem- bers, 374; number in Sunday school, 250. The first service of this denomination was held in the old Weldon log school house, and the church was or- ganized in the Rist school house south of the Big Thompson river.
"First Baptist .- Organized in 1878, with 12 members; cost of first building $2,000; name of the first pastor, Rev. J. C. Cline; church rebuilt in 1902; present value of property, $15,000; name of the present pastor, Rev. L. H. Coffman; present number in Sunday school, 250; present number of members, 403.
"United Brethren .- Organized in 1872 with two members; cost of first building, $1,500; name of first pastor, Rev. E. J. Lamb; church rebuilt in 1906; present value of church property, $12,000; pastorate vacant at present; present number of members 140; number in Sunday school, 90.
"First Christian .- Organized in 1879; cost of building $2,000; name of first pastor, Rev. James McMillen; church rebuilt in 1904; present value of property, $18,000; name of present pastor, Rev. C. L. Dean; number of members, 210; number in Sunday school, 200.
"St John The Evangelist (Catholic)-Organized in 1890; name of the first Priest, Rev. Edward Downey; present value of property, $10,000; name of the present priest, Rev. W. J. Howlett; number of members, 150; number in Sunday school, 85.
"First German Congregational .- Organized November 24th, 1901, with 26 members; name of first pastor, Rev. Phillip Bechtel; present value of property, $7,000; name of present pastor, Rev. John
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Hoelzer; number of members at the present time, 174; number in Sunday school, 175.
"Evangelical Association (German) .- Organized in 1901 with 25 members; name of first pastor, W. Mengedaht; present value of property, $6,000; name of present pastor, W. Noerenberg; number of members at the present time, 56; number in Sun- day school, 85.
"All Saints Episcopal Mission .- Organized in 1902 with 20 members; cost of building $2,500; name of first Rector, Rev. Maurice J. Bywater, Archdeacon of Colorado; name of present Rector, Rev. Edgar Jones; present number of members, 35.
"Seventh Day Adventist .- Organized in 1904 with 12 members; cost of building, $2,000; name of first pastor, Rev. Watson Ziegler; pastorate vacant; number of members at the present time, 28; number in Sunday school, 45.
"First Presbyterian .- Organized in 1904 with 26 . members; Rev. Reuben S. Smith, first pastor ; pres- ent value of property, $5,000; name of present pastor, Rev. Melvin L. Laybourn; present num- ber of members, 183; number in Sunday school, 176.
"Swedish Lutheran .- Organized in 1905 with nine members ; name of first pastor, F. O. W. Gus- tafson; present value of property, $5,000; name of present pastor, Rev. John H. Nelson ; present num- ber of members, 75; number in Sunday school, 12.
"Zion Lutheran (German) .- Organized March 8th, 1905; number of members, 300; name of first pastor, Rev. F. H. Besel ; present value of property, $7,000; name of present pastor, Rev. F. H. Besel; present number of members, 300; number of mem- bers in Sunday school, 75. Special missionary work carried on at Johnstown and Evans,
"German Reformed .- Organized in 1906 with 17 members; name of first pastor, Rev. Peter Bauer ; present value of property, $3,500; name of present pastor, Rev. C. G. Zips; present number of mem- bers, 40.
"First Free Methodist .- Organized in 1906 with 14 members; name of first pastor, Rev. James Glaz- ier; present value of property, $1,500; name of present pastor, Rev. Charles Glazier ; present num- ber of members, 20; number in Sunday school, 25.
"German Congregational Zion .- Organized in 1908 with 40 members; name of first pastor, Rev. Phillip Bechtel; present value of property, $3,000; name of present pastor, Rev. J. H. Eckhardt; pres- ent number of members, 62; number in Sunday school, 40."
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Boxelder Valley and Wellington
The Boxelder valley extends from where the Boxelder creek empties into the Caché la Poudre river to the canon where that stream debouches on to the Plains, a distance of twenty miles. In places the valley proper is from two to three miles in width between bluffs narrowing down in other places to one-half a mile in width, and the soil is rich, very productive and easily worked. The sur- face in the main is level and smooth with just enough pitch to the south to make irrigation prac- ticable and easy. The bluff lands bordering the valley are rich and pliable and produce enormous crops on the application of water. As the valley and bluff lands were, in the early days, supposed to be beyond the possibility of ever being brought under irrigation, they remained unoccupied, except for pasture, for nearly twenty-five years after the set- tlements were made along the Cache la Poudre river. The Boxelder creek is a small stream, ex- cept during flood periods, and soon after the water leaves the canon it sinks into the sand to reappear miles further down, so that for a greater part of the year, it is a dry stream on the surface for several miles of its length. Even if it kept up a constant flow the year around it would not afford sufficient water to irrigate more than a small fraction of the land along the border of the stream.
E. W. Whitcomb, now a resident of Cheyenne, was probably the first settler in the valley. He located a stock ranch on the creek near the canon in 1867 or 68, and pastured a large herd of cattle and a band of horses on the rich and succulent grasses of the valley and adjacent bluffs. Mr. Whitcomb sold his ranch in 1875 to Noah Bristol. John Arthur established a cattle camp in the valley about four miles below the canon in 1861 and con- trolled a portion of the range for twelve or fifteen years. Lower down, William Brandis established a cattle ranch in the 60's where he made his home for nearly thirty years. All the rest of this beauti- ful valley, except a few farms near the mouth of the stream, remained unoccupied by settlers until about 1880. In 1879, Benjamin H. Eaton and his associates began construction work on what is known as the Larimer and Weld Canal. This canal tapped the river about two miles northwest of Fort Collins and is one of the largest irrigating canals in North- ern Colorado. It has an appropriation of 720 cubic feet of water per second, and is about seventy miles in length, extending down into Weld county for a long distance. It carries water out on to the
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bluff lands and covers many thousand acres of fine farm lands. Soon after the project was gotten under way, all the lands in the Boxelder valley that could be irrigated from it were taken up and oc- cupied by thrifty farmers who brought them under cultivation, producing a wonderful change in the face of the country.
In 1881, F. C. Avery, N. C. Alford and their associates organized the Larimer County Ditch company for the purpose of constructing what is known as the Larimer County Canal. This canal takes its water from the north side of the river, a short distance below the canon, and, keeping on grade, carries it far out on to the bluff lands some three or four miles north of the Larimer and Weld canal, which it parallels, and thence on east into Weld county. It is nearly 100 miles in length and furnishes water to irrigate between, 30,000 and 40,000 acres of very productive land. It has an appropriation of approximately 500 cubic feet of water per second and by reason of its mountain feeders, which bring water from the Grand and Laramie water sheds, and its extensive system of reservoirs, is conceded to be the best irrigation sys- tem in Northern Colorado. It covers a large body of land in the Boxelder valley lying north of the Larimer and Weld canal, and the land was taken up and occupied by settlers soon after construction work was started on the canal. But there still remained a large body of excellent farm land in the Boxelder valley lying north of the Larimer County canal and which could not be watered from it.
The subject of putting water on these lands and bringing them under cultivation engrossed the serious thought and consideration of Fort Collins people for several years and as early as 1878 a com- pany composed of John C. Abbott, W. C. Stover and John C. Matthews was formed for the purpose of making a survey for a ditch from the canon of the North Fork out among the hills on to the Plains. The survey was made and the project was demon- strated to be a feasible one, but being unable to enlist sufficient capital to put through the enter- prise, nothing further was done at that time. Three years later, in the spring of 1881, Francis L. Car- ter-Cotton and his associates organized the North Fork Ditch Company, having for its object the con- struction of a ditch and system of reservoirs by means of which these lands could be irrigated. Mr. Carter-Cotton succeeded in enlisting the co-opera- tion of what was known as the English Company with large capital, and the work of building the ditch was started. The company bought up or
contracted to buy all the railroad lands in the dis- trict sought to be irrigated, some 16,000 acres. These lands laid in the odd numbered sections and were a part of the Union Pacific land grant. As soon as the work on the ditch had gotten well under headway, settlers came in and took up the govern- ment land. Among these first settlers were Joseph Mefford, S. R. Wasson, Harvey Caverly, John Gray, C. Goodrich, George Jameson, R. Q. Tenney, P. G. Terry, James W. McGinley, John Cameron, J. L. Smith, V. Demmel, Gustave Wich, William Fertig, Frank Haeckel, John Jones, John Mc- Millan, M. Durand, John Bee, A. K. Morse, Phillip Lariviere, Eugene Kerr, I. N. Thomas, I. B. Harris and others whose names have escaped me. They built houses, fenced their tracts and otherwise improved them, expecting to be supplied with water from the ditch for irrigation. The ditch was completed to Boxelder creek in 1884, but being decreed a late water appropriation, the ditch company could only draw water from the river during flood time when there was more than enough to supply all of the older ditches. The settlers did not get any water for their crops that year. They fared but little better in 1885-6, and the result was the crops burned up and the farmers denied a har- vest and many of them became discouraged and abandoned their farms. The construction of the ditch was costing so much more than the original estimates that the English Company, which had been furnishing the capital, surrendered its inter- ests in the project to the Travelers' Insurance Com- pany, which owned and controlled the enterprise for several years. Mr. Carter-Cotton abandoned the enterprise in 1886 and left the country. While owned by the Travelers' Insurance Company, it was able, now and then a year, to fill some of the reservoirs connected with the ditch system from which a few farmers drew sufficient water to irri- gate and produce a crop, but, as a whole, the ditch proposition was a lamentable financial failure, so far as the company and most of the farmers in the Boxelder valley were concerned.
In the spring of 1901, the North Fork ditch, reservoirs, rights of way, lands and franchise passed by purchase into the possession of the North Poudre Irrigation Company, a strong combination of farm- ers, business men and capitalists, who at once set about improving the property by enlarging and put- ting the ditch in thorough repair, constructing new reservoirs and increasing the capacity of the old ones. This involved the expenditure of a large sum of money, but the changes and improvements re-
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sulted in bringing the company's irrigation system up to a high state of efficiency, so that in the spring of 1902, the company was in position to supply water for irrigation to a greatly increased area of choice tillable land. That year the Fossil Creek reservoir, holding 550,000,000 cubic feet of water, was built and filled that fall and the following spring. Not a drop of the water stored in this reservoir could be applied to any of the Boxelder valley land, but by a system of exchange through which ditches in Weld county with old appropria- tions were supplied from the reservoir, the North Poudre company was given the right to take an equal quantity into its ditch from the river and apply it to lands under its ditch. The water thus acquired through exchange was utilized for direct irrigation of Boxelder lands and for filling reservoirs that could be drawn upon to supplement the supply from the ditch as the stored water was needed. The enterprise and energy shown by the North Poudre company soon attracted the attention of settlers and during the following year all of the govern- ment lands were taken up and occupied and the company had sold nearly all of its land, so that at the opening of 1904, there was a family on almost every quarter section in the valley, and during that year there were under cultivation nearly 30,000 acres of land. The ditch and reservoirs of the company were able to supply all of these new farms with water for irrigation and domestic use and the farmers began to raise good crops of grain, beets and alfalfa, and were prosperous. At the present time the Boxelder valley is recognized as among the best and most productive farming and stock feed- ing regions of Colorado. The moving spirit in the reclamation and upbuilding of the Boxelder valley was Francis C. Grable, to whose enthusiasm, wise foresight and resistless energy is due the most credit for the great work accomplished.
The town of Wellington, situated in the heart of the Boxelder farming district, was founded in the winter of 1902 and at once took on surprising growth. The inhabitants were mainly from Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska, intelligent, thrifty and enter- prising and took a great deal of pride in the town. It now boasts of a population of about 500 with almost every line of business represented. Its streets are broad, clean and well kept, being paved with gravel. Its numerous pretty homes, substantial business blocks, churches, fine school house, bank, hotels, elevator, telephone exchange, town hall and public assembly room and other up-to-date public conveniences, including a weekly newspaper and
municipal water works system, all bear the im- press of stability, showing that the people are pros- perous, happy and contented. In 1903 the Colo- rado & Southern Railroad company extended its line of track from Fort Collins to Wellington, a distance of twelve miles, and from that town north- west to the town of Waverly, a distance of five miles, over which two daily passenger trains are oper- ated. The town is incorporated and has its mayor, board of trustees, clerk, fire department and full set of town officials, public park, sidewalks, etc. Thou- sands of fruit and shade trees were early set out so that the town is now nearly hidden by trees and foliage in the summer season. The Denver, Lara- mie & Northwestern railroad, now in course of con- struction, will pass through the town, making it a junction point. Wellington is already an import- ant shipping point and thousands of car loads of grain, live stock, sugar beets, potatoes, etc., are sent away from the town every year, and it is the supply and distributing point for a large extent of country. All this has been accomplished during the past eight years through the development of the North Poudre Irrigation company's system of ditches and reservoirs, by means of which an extensive body of splendid farming land has been brought under - cultivation. In 1908 the number of votes cast at Wellington was 321, all of the voters being residents of the Boxelder valley.
Churches of Wellington
First Methodist Church-This church was or- ganized in December, 1904, with a class of 22, and Rev. G. A. Spence was assigned as the first pastor. A building for church purposes was erected in the summer of 1905, and the present value of church property is $6,000. Rev. Robert Titmarsh is now serving the congregation. The membership has largely increased and there are 100 children enrolled in the Sunday school.
First Congregational Church-Rev. Horace Sanderson organized this congregation of 22 mem- bers on September 18th, 1904. Rev. Arthur Mor- rison was the first pastor, being called September 25th. A place of worship was completed in March, 1905, and the present value of church property is placed at $5,500. The membership roll now con- tains the names of 58 persons, and Rev. Ernest Jones is the pastor. A Sunday school was organized on May 28th, 1905, and there are now 78 pupils.
First Baptist Church-This congregation was organized on June 11th, 1905, with 15 members,
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and Rev. George W. D. Dixon was the first pastor. In the summer of 1907, a house of worship was built and the present value of church property is $3,500. The membership has increased to 33, and Rev. J. J. Earp is the present pastor. There are 25 children enrolled in the Sunday school. The church has been closed for the past two years, but about two months ago a pastor was called and the congregation is being reorganized.
Christ (German) Congregational Church-This church was organized in the spring of 1905, with Rev. Paul Burkhardt as pastor. A house of wor- ship was built that summer and the present value of church property is estimated at $1,500.
Wellington's Bank
The First National bank of Wellington was organized June 12th, 1905, with a capital stock of $40,000. Its resources amounted to $169,882.64 in November, 1910; its deposits to $65,481.08 and its surplus and undivided profits to $4,917.41. The bank serves a rich and growing agricultural and stock feeding district in a town of about 500 in- habitants, which was founded in 1902. The pres- ent officers and directors are: President, P. Ander- son ; Vice-President, F. M. Wright; Cashier, John S. Cusack; Assistant Cashier, Miss A. B. Wilson ; C. Cusack, C. R. Geith.
Stove Prairie
Stove Prairie was the name given in the early 60's to a beautiful little park situated in the Front range of mountains about twenty-five miles west of Fort Collins. The name originated in the fol- lowing manner: Two prospectors traveled up Buckhorn creek in search of placer ground and finally wandered into a grass covered meadow, be- lieving themselves to be its discoverers and the first white men to step foot within its borders. Their felicitations were short lived, however. They had not completed their explorations ere they came upon an abandoned camp in which the former occupant had left his camp stove. From this circumstance originated the name "Stove Prairie".
The first white settler in Stove Prairie was a man named Williams of Greeley, who about 1875, es- tablished a horse camp and pastured a band of horses there for several years. He built a cabin at the foot of the hill near the entrance and made his home there while looking after his horses. He was
followed a little later by a Mr. Ripperdam with a bunch of cattle. Then came Charles Havens who took up the place now owned by Thomas Morgan, and J. W. Rutherford who settled upon the place now owned by Harlan Bosworth. A man named Beals first located the Harlan Bosworth place. The Graham brothers, Mat and Al, settled there along in the 80's. Mat was found dead in his cabin at the foot of Stove Prairie gulch a few years later, and Al is now an inmate of the State insane asylum. Other settlers on Stove Prairie were Jehiel Shull, Wm. P. Bosworth, the Hollemans, Henry Mc- Ginness. A school district was organized in 1893 and a comfortable and well furnished log school house was built in 1894.
The Stove Prairie country is essentially a stock region and nearly all of the settlers own herds of cattle. It is too high for general farming, only coarse grains for stock food and potatoes and hardy vegetables are grown. The hills about the park are covered with timber and in the early days saw mills cut a great deal of lumber in that vicinity.
The foot of Stove Prairie gulch offers fine camp- ing grounds for fishermen and picnic parties and not a summer passes that the banks of the river at that point are not alive with camping parties. The river for a few miles above and below the mouth of the gulch is the trout fisherman's paradise.
The Utes in their forays on their hereditary enemies, the Cheyennes and Arapahoes and later on the white settlers in the Big Thompson, used to come down from North Park over Ute Pass and thence down Huleatt and up Stove Prairie gulches and across Stove Prairie park to the Buckhorn creek, down which they traveled to the Big Thomp- son valley. In places their trail was worn down into the soil several inches and its outlines are still visible.
Fort Collins
Fort Collins, the county seat and principal town in Larimer county, owes its origin and final place on the map to the intervention of a flood in the Caché la Poudre river. This flood occurred on the last days of May and first days of June, 1864, and is said to have been the worst known by white men. The water poured out of the banks of the stream and inundated the valley from bluff to bluff with a torrent that carried everything not firmly attached to the soil with it. It carried out the toll bridge at Laporte at a time when the movement of emi- gration westward was the heaviest, and more than
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200 emigrant wagons were stalled on the bluffs south of Laporte, being unable to ford the stream because of high water. The Overland stages could not make their regular trips for several days, and as a result many travelers east and west bound, were flood held at Laporte. On the first appearance of the flood and after the bridge had been washed away, John B. Provost sent to Denver for a heavy cable and, constructing a rude flat boat, estab- lished a ferry across the stream at his place. The stages and emigrant wagons were taken across on this flat boat and proceeded on their way. The charge for ferrying a team and wagon across the river was $10 and for a few days Mr. Provost did a thriving business, making money hand over fist, as the saying is. The river was turbulent and un- safe to ford through almost the entire month of June and Mr. Provost used to say afterwards that "it was the biggest month's work he ever did."
In the fall of 1863, Company B of the First Colorado Volunteer Cavalry was sent to Laporte to patrol the Overland stage line and guard and pro- tect the coaches and emigrant trains from Indian raids and attacks, also to protect the lives and property of the few settlers in the valley at that time from the thieving and murderous savages who were making a great deal of trouble on the Plains. The soldiers established their encampment on the bottom lands near the river on Antoine Janis' claim a short distance up the stream from the pres- ent village of Laporte. The land on which the soldiers camped later passed into the ownership of Tobias Miller, who sold it to Joseph Hammerly, the present occupant. Log cabins for the officers and men and stables for the horses were built that fall and Company B remained here through the winter. In April, 1864, General Schofield, com- manding the Department of the Missouri, ordered Colonel Chivington of the First Colorado to send four companies of his regiment to proceed west on the Overland stage line as far as Fort Bridger and co-operate with General Connor's forces in a cam- paign against the Indians, which were becoming very troublesome, threatening to break up the Overland mail and make the emigrant road im- passable. Colonel Chivington ordered Major Wyn- koop to proceed west to the aid of General Connor and to have Captain Logan of Company B join him with his troop at Laporte. On arriving at Laporte Major Wynkoop found that Captain Logan's troop was poorly mounted and indifferently armed, consequently there was considerable delay before the soldiers were ready to march westward. This
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