USA > Colorado > Larimer County > History of Larimer County, Colorado > Part 43
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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 foot- hold in the valley.
Building operations started late in 1879, but little being done in that line until July, the me- chanics 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 & Linden- meier'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 :
"Collections on freight received $36,920.82 Collections on tickets sold. . 6,333.80
Collections on prepaid charges 2,535.23
Total $45,789.85
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"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 car- loads of stone and about 60,000 railroad ties."
The first term of the State Agricultural college opened on Monday, September 1st, with a fair enrollment of students.
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 con- fused 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 book- keeper 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 Jeffer- son and Linden streets on the site formerly occu- pied by the Blake house, built in 1870, and con- tained 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. Nellian 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 by- laws, 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 depart- ment.
North Park began to attract considerable atten- tion 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 Inde- pendence Mountain in the park in 1846 by mem- bers 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 surround- ing the park were quite thoroughly prospected in 1880 which led to the discovery of a number of rich silver bearing leads, especially in the south- east corner of the park, later locally known as Tel-
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V
HISTORY OF LARIMER COUNTY, COLORADO
ler. Silver was also discovered on the headwaters of Grand river in Grand county, a few miles dis- tant 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 stock- men'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-
18 PARKED CHEAP S.
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 sea-
creased 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 popula- tion and in the amount of building done. Includ- ing 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. An- drews, Richard Burke, (now owned by Mrs. Short- ridge), 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.
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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 build- ing 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, pro- posed 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.
The building record for 1881 shows that six- teen business houses, costing $51,178, forty-eight
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. McIntyre's residence on Matthews street, Dr. C. P. Miller's residence, Andrew Arm- strong'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 dis- cussed pro and con for several months by the local newspapers and individuals, so that it was pretty well understood, consequently the vote was an em- phatic 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 sys- tem 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 spe- cial election to be held Sept. 20th, 1882, for the pur- pose 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 Rus- sel & Alexander of Colorado Springs, their bid of
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$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 in- debtedness of $85,000, the bonds to bear 7 per cent interest payable annually, the principal to be re- deemable 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
RUSTIC HOTEL, BUILT ON UPPER POUDRE IN 1881
the work progressed on the plant it became neces- sary 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 proclama- tion of the governor, a city of the second class) passed an ordinance increasing the bonded indebted- ness $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 semi- annually. This issue brought the total bonded in- debtedness 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 three- fourths of a mile to the pump house, a brick struct- ure on a stone foundation. From there the water was forced into and through city mains by pumps,
driven by two turbine water wheels of 75 horse power each.
There was great rejoicing in the city when the works were completed and people realized that they would no longer have to depend upon the water wagon for a drink of water or enough to fill the tea kettle, and practically the whole town turned out to witness the final tests. Under 120 pounds pressure, four streams of water were sent through 13-inch nozzles 102 feet high. This was better than the contract called for or was expected. Fort Collins then had, in the opinion of experts, as good a system of water works as there was in the state and naturally the people were proud of it. They also appreciated more than words could express the privilege of turning a faucet in their own kitchen and getting an abundant supply of pure water for all uses. The filthy old water wagon was rele- gated to the rear, never more to do service in the progressive city of Fort Collins. In after years, due to the growth of the city, the system became inadequate to meet the demands of the people and an enlargement and extension became necessary, but of this later on in its proper order. On the morning of the 14th of September (1882) another devastating fire broke out in F. P. Stover's new drug store block, situated on the corner of Jeffer- son and Linden streets, on the site formerly occu- pied by the historic Grout building, and despite every effort that could be put forth with the means at command, the handsome new building was soon reduced to smoking ruins. The fire spread to the adjoining store building owned by T. H. Robert- son & Co., and it too, fell a victim to the fury of the flames. They were both new buildings under construction and nearly completed ready for occu- pancy. Indeed, Mr. Stover had already moved a portion of his stock of drugs, oils and paints into the basement of his building and would have moved his entire stock within a few days. The loss on these two buildings exceeded $24,000, partly covered by insurance. This calamity quickened and intensified the appeal for the early construction of the water works for which the people had voted.
Although the grading on the Greeley, Salt Lake & Pacific railroad was practically completed from Greeley to Fort Collins and a portion of the bridg- ing done in 1882, the track was not laid and the road completed until nearly a year later. The first passenger train was run over the road on Sun- day, October 8th, 1883. It was an excursion train and arrived in Fort Collins about noon and had on board, in addition to a number of railroad officials,
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about twenty of the prominent business men of February 26th, 1883, and at the election held April Greeley, including Mayor Hawkes. Regular pas- senger and freight service was installed a few days later. In December, regular trains were put on between Fort Collins and Denver, via the Greeley, Salt Lake & Pacific and Denver Pacific roads and were maintained several years and until the Colo- rado Central railroad went into the hands of a re- ceiver in 1889, when they were discontinued.
The amount expended for new buildings and im- provements in 1882 was $223,375. The more im-
JEFFERSON STREET, FORT COLLINS
portant buildings erected were the Poudre Valley bank block, completion of the city hall, completion of Jefferson street block, St. Luke's church, Col- pitt's block on Walnut street, the Keystone block, (destroyed by fire in September) and residences for John C. Abbott, C. C. Enigh, Frank Miller, James B. Arthur, Vandewark business block, Rob- ertson & Haynes business block, Express block on Linden street and Livingston & Sickman block on College avenue.
An enumeration of the inhabitants of Fort Col- lins, taken in December, 1882 and January, 1883, by authority of the Board of Town Trustees, dis- closed the fact that the town had a population of 2,034, a sufficient number to entitle it to be graded a city of the second class. The census showed there were 1,150 males and 884 females within the limits of the town, and steps were at once taken to have the town declared a city of the second class. The Federal census of 1880, gave the town a population of 1,356, making the gain in a little more than a year, 678. On the 2nd of February, Governor Grant issued a proclamation declaring Fort Collins a city of the second class. The Board of Trustees met on February 14th, and directed the town attorney to prepare and submit an ordin- ance providing for dividing the town into four wards. This ordinance was passed and adopted
3rd, a Mayor, City Council of eight members, a City Clerk, a City Marshal, a City Attorney and a City Treasurer were elected. The campaign preceding this election was the most bitter in the history of the town, as it is apt to be whenever a moral question is embraced in the issues. The main issue was high as against low license. For years the town had been charging saloon keepers a license fee of $300 per annum, with the result that the town was over run with saloons and places where intoxicants could be obtained. There were thirteen open bars in the town in addition to three drug stores which sold liquors, and there were also five houses of prostitution in which liquors and beer were openly and flagrantly sold. Gambling houses flourished and the town was really what is known in the wild and wooly as a "wide open" town. To make matters still worse, incendiarism was ram- pant, hardly a night occurring without one or more alarms of fire. The loss in some of these fires was heavy, while in other instances only sheds, stables and barns were burned. The town was full of idle and vicious men, driftwood from railroad and ditch camps, irresponsible creatures, without home or friends, who hung about the saloons and brothels. Several of the fires were laid at the door of these men and were started for the sole purpose of getting a free drink. They had noticed that whenever a fire occurred, the saloons set up a drink to the fire fighters after they had gotten the flames under con- trol. The law and order element in the city be- came aroused and set about organizing for the pur- pose of putting a municipal ticket in the field, pledged to increase the license to $1,000 per annum, believing that policy would have the effect of driv- ing the low down doggeries out of business. The saloon interests then combined their forces and waged a bitter fight in behalf of a mayor and city council that would retain saloon licenses at $300 per annum. High and low license city tickets were put in the field and the adherents of each ex- erted themselves to the utmost in an effort to carry the election their way. The city was thoroughly canvassed and the position of every legal voter was known before election day. The election was held on Tuesday, April 3rd, and resulted in the choice of a high license Mayor, City Clerk and six of the eight Aldermen, thus giving the high license party control of the government. The total number of votes cast was 499, and the high license mayor was elected by 27 majority. The officers elected were Mayor, A. L. Emigh; City Clerk, H. F.
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Sturdevant; City Treasurer, C. H. Sheldon; City Marshal, W. T. Shortridge; City Attorney, Eph Love; Aldermen, W. C. Stover, W. R. Aker, first ward ; E. R. Barkley and L. W. Welch, second ward; J. R. Wills and Louis Dauth, third ward ; W. M. Post and S. H. Seckner, fourth ward.
On Saturday evening, April 14th, the Board of Trustees of the town of Fort Collins met for the last time and after listening to reports of officers and transacting such business as came before it, adjourned, sine die. The newly elected city officers
CORNER OF WALNUT AND LINDEN STREETS, FORT COLLINS
were immediately sworn in and entered upon the duties of their respective positions. On Tuesday evening, April 17th, the city council met again pursuant to adjournment and Mayor Emigh sub- mitted a list of standing committees and also the names of appointive officers. These latter were: Street Commissioner, Robert Walsh; Chief of Fire Department, George T. Wilkins; Nightwatch- man, C. M. Buck. The appointments were promptly confirmed by the council. The committee on law and ordinances reported an ordinance on excise fixing the cost of liquor licenses at $1,200 per annum, payable quarterly in advance. A ques- tion coming up regarding the legality of some of its provisions, the ordinance was referred to the City Attorney for an opinion on disputed points. At a meeting held April 19, the excise ordinance was re- ported by the City Attorney and after an amend- ment fixing the license fee at $1,000 per annum, one-fourth payable quarterly in advance, had been approved, the ordinance was passed and adopted and went immediately into effect after publication. The effect of this ordinance was to weed out all but six of the saloons and the proprietors of these were each placed under $3,000 bonds, conditioned that he should keep and observe all the provisions of the ordinance regarding closing on Sunday and elec-
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