History of Larimer County, Colorado, Part 45

Author: Watrous, Ansel, 1835-1927
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: Fort Collins, Colo. : The Courier Printing & Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 678

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the 16th of October the Fort Collins Sugar Manu- facturing Company was reincorporated as the Fort Collins, Colorado, Sugar Company. The capital stock was fixed at $1,000,000 and the officers of the old company were retained for the new. The company purchased the Alexander Barry farm of 120 acres and the Buckingham tract of 480 acres for a site for the factory, paying $18,000 for the Barry farm and $48,000 for the Buckingham tract, and on Wednesday morning, November 12th, 1902, the ground was broken for Fort Collins' big

TYPICAL BEET DUMP

sugar factory. On the day before the Fort Collins Railway Development company let a contract for the grading of a line of railway from Fort Collins to Wellington in the Boxelder valley, a distance of twelve miles.

The beginning of construction work on these new and important enterprises had a marked effect on real estate values, both urban and suburban. Farm lands in the vicinity of the city that a few months before could have been purchased for from $100 to $150 per acre, almost immediately were advanced to $200 and $250 per acre and city prop- erty felt the impulse in a corresponding degree. The city took on new life and the seasons of 1903- 4-5 and 6 were remarkably busy ones for the build- ers. Labor found ready employment and many new business enterprises were established. The city directory issued in 1905 showed that the town had more than doubled its population since work was begun on the sugar factory and the Welling- ton extension of the railroad. In the summer of 1904 all the local stockholders in the Fort Collins, Colorado, Sugar Company sold their shares to the Great Western Sugar company, a subsidiary com- pany of the American Sugar Refining company, which had been organized. The local stockholders held $300,000 worth of stock of the old company

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for which they were paid par value with 6 per cent interest, and the management of the com- pany was vested in new hands. The factory was completed and began slicing beets on Jan- uary 4th, 1904, with between 60,000 and 70,- 000 tons of beets, the entire crop of the season of 1903, on hand to work up into sugar. The sugar making campaign closed about the first of March with more than 15,000,000 pounds of granulated sugar to its credit. Eight crops of beets have been harvested in Fort Collins district since beet plant-

CORNER OF WALNUT STREET AND COLLEGE AVENUE, FORT COLLINS

ing began in the spring of 1903, for which the Great Western Sugar company has paid to the farmers $5,860,000, and to employes in and about the fact- ory about $2,000,000, making a total of $7,860,- 000 that it has expended for beets and labor. This is exclusive of the cost of the factory which was $1,250,000, a large part of which was paid out for labor and material on the buildings.

The growth of the town was so rapid in 1902-3, that the demand for water for domestic uses was greater than the supply and it became necessary to make provisions for an increased quantity of that indispensible necessity. The old water works sys- tem, completed in 1883, was totally inadequate to meet requirements and besides, the water was in constant danger of contamination from sewage from Bellvue and the settlements on the North fork of the Cache la Poudre and was also full of impurities during the frequent flood periods that had their rise mainly on the North fork. To rem- edy these evils and to insure a larger supply of bet- ter water it was decided, after a series of investiga- tions, to extend the supply pipes up into the canon to a point on the main stream above the confluence of the North fork. In the summer of 1903 the people voted to issue municipal bonds of the city to the amount of $150,000, the proceeds of the

sales of which to be used in the extension and en- largement of the city's water system. The bonds were sold and in September a contract to construct the new system was let to Holme & Allen of Den- ver, who completed the job in the spring of 1904. The contract called for a gravity system that would supply the city with 4,000,000 gallons of water every 24 hours with a pressure of 90 pounds to the square inch at the intersection of College and Laporte avenues. This system afforded an ample supply of unfiltered water for all purposes, but, during the spring floods, the stream carried a great deal of impurities making the water unfit for use for a few days at a time. To remedy this the city, in 1909, installed near the head works a mechanical filter of sufficient capacity to cleanse and purify all the water the system could carry. Since then Fort Collins has enjoyed the luxury of a bountiful supply of the best and purest of water at all times. As a provision against accidents and to make sure of a supply, the city in 1910, had constructed a cement storage basin at Bingham hill, with a capacity of 5,000,000 gallons of filtered water to be held in storage and to be drawn upon only in case an acci- dent should occur to the pipe line above that point. At present Fort Collins prides itself on having one of the best municipal water plants in the Rocky Mountain region.

In September, 1903, a contract for the construc- tion of the Carnegie public library building was let to Butler & McDaniels and the building was com- pleted early in 1904. This is a beautiful building, its exterior walls being of red sandstone ornamented with gray sandstone caps and sills, and cost about $15,000 to build and furnish. It is located in Lin- coln Park, fronting on Matthews street, one of the main resident streets of the city.

In 1904 the Poudre Valley Gas Company was incorporated with a capital of $100,000 for the pur- pose of constructing and operating a gas plant which should furnish illuminating and heating gas to citi- zens of Fort Collins. The stock was all subscribed by local capitalists and construction work was be- gun that fall and prosecuted with vigor during the following winter. The works were completed and gas was turned through 6 miles of mains in March, 1905. Since then about 5 additional miles of mains have been laid, making in all 11 miles of gas mains in the city, from which 800 consumers are supplied with gas for illuminating and heating purposes. The officers of the company are President, B. F. Hottel; Vice-President, F. P. Stover; Treasurer, James A. Brown; Secretary, F. W. Stover; Mana-

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ger, Miss Emma Frederickson. This company annually pays into the city treasury three per cent of its net earnings as a franchise tax.

In the fall and winter 1906 a ten day's cam- paign was started for the purpose of soliciting subscriptions to a fund to be used in erecting and equipping a Young Men's Christian Association building. The campaign resulted in securing pledges to the amount of about $65,000. With this sum to begin with the association selected plans and proceeded to let contracts for the construction of a $60,000 building. The structure was com- pleted in February, 1908, and the first public as- semblage to meet in the new building gathered on February 26 to listen to an address by George B. Hodge, International Secretary of the Educational department of Y. M. C. A. work. The building completed, furnished and equipped, cost $90,000, the entire sum being raised by voluntary contri- butions. The building and its equipments is a monument to the enterprises, liberality and progress- ive spirit of the people of Fort Collins and vicinity.

The Fort Collins Hospital association, organ- ized in 1903, erected a large and well furnished building in 1906, at the corner of Matthews and Magnolia streets, thus supplying the city with a growing and very important need.

Realizing the need of more park room, the city, in 1907, purchased 60 acres of the former John Sheldon farm, paying therefor, $48,000. This tract of land is gradually being improved and con- verted into a public park. It is situated just west of and adjoining the western limits of the city, and is within one block of the Mountain avenue street car line. It is the purpose of the Park Commis- sion, as soon as available funds can be obtained, to make a veritable beauty spot and breathing place of this park. It will command a fine view of the mountains on the west and the city on the east, while on the north and south stretching away for miles in each direction lie cultivated fields and handsome farm homes and orchards.

In the fall of 1906 the city council of the City of Fort Collins granted a franchise to the Denver Interurban Railway company which gave the com- pany the right to construct and operate a system of electric railways along the certain specified streets and avenues of the city. The company began con- struction work in the summer of 1907 and on December 28th began operating street cars over the five miles of track laid upon the following named streets and avenues: College avenue from Jeffer-

son street to Pitkin street; Pitkin street from Col- lege avenue to Remington street; Remington street from Pitkin to Elizabeth and thence along the last named street to College avenue; Mountain avenue to Grandview Cemetery; Jefferson from

THE MAUDE BELLE, CAPT. POST'S PLEASURE BOAT ON LINDENMEIER LAKE

College avenue to a connection with the Moun- tain avenue line at Peterson street; Linden street to Jefferson street. In 1908 the company extended its Linden street line on past the sugar factory to Lindenmeier lake, and in 1909 placed cars in opera- tion on Peterson, East Magnolia and Whedbee streets to Elizabeth street. The company gives a

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twenty minute service on all these lines and the people of Fort Collins find the street cars of great convenience. The tracks and equipment are first- class in all respects and the system is well managed.

Aside from sketches of the rise and progress of the different churches, the public schools, theaters, women's clubs, and fraternal societies, the fore- going completes the story of the salient features of the history of Fort Collins from the time the soldiers were stationed here in October, 1864, to the close of the year 1910. From that lonely military post, away out on the frontier at the base of the Rocky Mountains, 600 miles beyond the boundaries of civilized rule, Fort Collins has grown to a city of 8,210 people, with its churches, public schools, theatres, fraternal organizations, street cars, gas works, water works, embracing 40 miles of distributing mains, 191 miles of sewer mains, its public library, park system, race track and manu- facturing plants, besides many public conveniences and business enterprises which are only found in a wide awake, progressive community. What the next fifty years has in store for Fort Collins time alone will determine. That it faces a promising future cannot be denied, but it must be left to the historian of half a century hence to tell the story of its growth and advancement as intervening time shall unfold and reveal it.

In July, 1909, the Union Pacific Railroad camp- any authorized and instructed its agent, Jesse Harris of Fort Collins, to purchase all the property embraced in five city blocks lying between Jefferson and Willow streets for use as a right of way through the city and for terminal facilities. The purchase was made at an expense of about $400,000, and in 1910 the ground was cleared of buildings, fences, trees, etc., and made ready for the railroad graders. The company had already graded a track from Denver to a point near the town of Milliken for a line of road from Denver to Fort Collins, and dur- ing that summer and fall it had completed the grade to Fort Collins and had also erected all the bridges and culverts along the line. In October work was suspended until the spring of 1911 with the an- nouncement that it would then be resumed and the line completed and placed in operation at the earliest possible moment. This move on the part of the Union Pacific was greeted with many manifesta- tions of pleasure by the people of Fort Collins, who had long looked forward to the time when a com- peting railroad should be built from Denver into the city. The new road, when completed, will afford a shorter and more direct route to the Capi-

tal of the state and also provide a direct outlet to the east over that company's line from Julesburg to Denver, via LaSalle, thus cutting out the delay and expense of the haul to Denver in order to con- nect with lines leading east.

This movement also spurred the Colorado & Southern Railroad company to action and in Decem- ber, 1910, it began the work of grading an exten- sion of its line of road from Wellington to Chey- enne, the Capital of Wyoming, so it is highly prob- able that by the first of July, 1911, Fort Collins

PILES OF SUGAR BEETS

will be on a main trunk line of railroad extending from Puget Sound to the Gulf of Mexico, and also on a direct line eastward via the Union Pacific, privileges the city had been hoping for and ex- pecting for nearly thirty years.

Old Burying Ground

When the soldiers were in Fort Collins in 1864-5 and 6, they buried their dead on ground lying be- tween College avenue and Mason street, now crossed by Oak street. This ground was used for several years afterwards for cemetery purposes, but when the Colony located here in 1872, new burying grounds were laid off at the east end of Laurel street, to which many, but not all the bodies in the old ground were removed. Later when Oak street was being leveled off to grade, the bones of several bodies interred in unmarked graves, were plowed up. These grim reminders of early day deaths were gathered up and properly buried in what is now known as the old cemetery. The names of those who occupied these unmarked graves have passed from the memory of even the oldest inhabitant, and their life history is as a sealed book with the present generation.

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First White Child Born in Fort Collins

Mrs. Agnes Giddings, wife of E. C. Giddings, was the first white child born within the limits of the present City of Fort Collins, and she came into the world as the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. August- ine Mason on the 31st day of October, 1867. As a singular coincidence she was born in the house in which Mr. and Mrs. Harris Stratton were married on the 30th day of December, 1866, and who were the parents of the second white child born in Fort Collins, who is now Mrs. P. J. McHugh. These ladies are both residents of Fort Collins and admired leaders and factors in church, club and social cir- cles. They have grown up with the city, and have seen it develop from a frontier military post to one of the most important cities in the Centennial State, and their efforts and influence have always been cast on the side of moral, educational and social advance- ment. The wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Harris Strat- ton was the first one celebrated in the then embryo City of Fort Collins. Mention of this wedding is made elsewhere in this book.

First Murder in Fort Collins

The night before Christmas, 1881, a colored man named Albert Sherwood, employed as a cook at the Tedmon House, was shot and killed by a white man named Lindeville, better known as "Tex," in a carousal at a bagino kept by colored women on N. Meldrum street. This was the first murder committed in Fort Collins. The murderer escaped punishment by pleading self-defense. Sher- wood was striking Lindeville on the head with a pitcher when the latter drew his gun and shot him.

Churches of Fort Collins

The First Methodist Episcopal church was the first of the religious orders to organize a class in Fort Collins, and the organization has since kept pace with the growth and development of the city and surrounding country, that church having a larger membership than any of its sister denomina- tions. The first class was organized in 1867 by Rev. O. P. McMains. He was succeeded by Rev. Geo. W. Swift, who remained on the circuit which then embraced the Big Thompson and Poudre valley classes for a period of one year. He was succeeded by Rev. J. R. Moore, who ministered to the Fort Collins class two years, the circuit having been re-

duced to the Poudre valley alone. Then followed Rev. J. P. Dew, who, in 1873, began the erection of a place of worship on lots situated immediately west of the Colorado & Southern railroad's main tracks. Rev. R. W. Bosworth succeeded Rev. Dew and com- pleted the building of the church and it was dedi- cated by Rev. Geo. H. Adams, Presiding Elder, in the spring of 1876, Mr. Bosworth remaining in charge three years being succeeded in 1876 by Rev. C. A. Brooks. The lots on which the church was built were donated by the Larimer County Land Improvement company. Through irrigation and seepage the lots became covered with water so that for a greater part of the season it was impossible to get to the church without wading through mud and water, consequently services in the church were abandoned. After that services were held in the second story of the Old Grout building, until the spring of 1878, when the church building was moved to a new site on Mountain avenue. The lots for the new site were donated by A. L. Emigh. The old building was abandoned for church uses in 1897, when the new place of worship was com- pleted at the corner of College avenue and Olive street, but it is still standing and is used as a garage. The new edifice was begun while Rev. James F. Coffman was pastor and completed during the pas- torate of his successor. It is one of the finest church buildings in the city, seating about 1,200 persons. It is supplied with an excellent pipe organ and the attendance is uniformally good. The pres- ent membership numbers 929 and the Sunday school has an enrollment of 1,165. Mission work is car- ried on at St. Paul's chapel on Shields street, and at Sunnyside. Rev. H. G. Porter is the present pastor. The present value of the church property is $43,500.

The First Presbyterian church was organized August 25th, 1872, by Rev. Sheldon Jackson, Super- intendent of Territorial Missions, with the follow- ing membership: Mrs. Caroline McAdams, Miss Hattie G. McAdams, Mrs. Rebecca Lyon, Mrs. Mary E. Peterson, Mrs. Alice McGoffin, Mrs. George E. Buss, Mrs. S. S. Sykes, George T. Sykes, Wm. M. Neece, Mrs. Mary S. Peterson, J. H. Mandeville, Andrew Cowan and Mrs. Christ- ina Vescelius. George T. Sykes was the first elder and Rev. R. G. Thompson, then of Greeley, the first pastor. Previous to that, however, Rev. W. T. McAdams preached to the little band of wor- shippers. The church was received into the Colo- rado Presbytery in September, 1872. Articles of in- corporation were filed in December, 1873, by Henry

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C. Peterson, J. C. Matthews, W. C. Stover, W. S. Vescelius, A. K. Yount and Andrew Cowan, who were elected the first trustees of the church. Rev. Joseph Patterson began ministering to the church in June, 1873, remaining in charge two years. Meet- ings were then held in the Old Grout building, the school house and whenever and wherever a suit- able place could be obtained. Rev. D. E. Finks succeeded Rev. Patterson in June, 1876. The first regular place of worship, which stood at the corner of Linden and Walnut streets was commenced in 1876 and dedicated on June 24th, 1877. The Sab- bath school was organized in July, 1877. Rev. Finks served the church as pastor until the fall of 1881. Between the time MIr. Finks resigned in 1881, until May, 1886, when Rev. J. W. Part- ridge assumed charge, the church pulpit was sup- plied by Rev. Duncan McCall, Rev. J. G. Smith, Rev. David McTavish, Rev. E. H. Curtis, Rev. T. E. Bliss and Rev. Carl H. Stone. The corner stone of the present house of worship at the corner of Remington and Olive streets, was laid on June 27th, 1887, and the building was completed in No- vember of that year. The cost of the new church edifice was about $9,000, and it has a seating capa- city of 400 adults. Andrew Armstrong was super- intendent of construction.

The present number of members is 617. The Sunday school has a membership of 452. The con- gregation purchased a pastor's residence on Mat- thews street in 1905. Rev. J. G. Klene is the pres- ent pastor of the church. Special missionary work is carried on at the Logan street chapel. The pres- ent value of church property is $25,000.

St. Joseph's Catholic Church. The credit for holding the first religious services in Larimer county belongs to the Catholic denomination. A few years after John B. Provost and his companions came from Fort Laramie in 1858, and located at La- porte, Right Rev. Joseph P. Machebeuf, the intrepid pioneer Bishop of Colorado, came to the Caché la Poudre valley and held religious services at the homes of the people. The date of his first visit is not known, but between 1858 and 1878 the new settlement was visited by other missionaries. Fathers Raverdy, Robinson (now Vicar-General), Mc- Grath and Rithmeyer being among the number. They came from Denver and celebrated mass at La- porte and at the homes of Catholics living west and north of Fort Collins, most frequently at the home of Frank Michaud. In the summer of 1878, the late Bishop Machebeuf of Denver, celebrated mass for the first time within the limits of Fort Collins.

The services were held in the hall on the second floor of the Old Grout building. On this visit the Bishop authorized the purchase by Frank Michaud, of the school house of district No. 5 from the Board of School Directors, composed of W. F. Watrous, J. S. McClelland and Dr. W. C. Stephenson. This school house was erected in 1870 and was the first frame school house built in Larimer county. The amount paid by Mr. Michaud for the building was $400, which was raised by subscription. The prop- erty was held for several years in the name of Mr.

FARMERS LOADING BEET PULP FOR STOCK- FEEDING PURPOSES

Michaud, who has always been one of the foremost men of the parish. Shortly afterwards two ad- joining lots were purchased for a rectory and held in the name of W. J. Prendergast for two years, when the whole church property was turned over to Bishop Machebeuf, trustee for the Catholics. The congregation met in the school house, which had been repaired and converted into a place of wor- ship, until in August 4th, 1901, when the beautiful new church was dedicated by Bishop N. C. Matz of Denver.

In 1879 the pastors of St. Joseph's church be- came residents of Fort Collins, their names and dates of service being as follows: Father Abel, 1878-80; Fathers Cummings and Navet, 1880-83; Father Raiber, now of Colorado Springs, also visited Fort Collins in 1880; Father J. J. LePage, 1883- 84; Fathers Gleason and Emblem, 1884-85; Father R. P. Robinett, 1885-91 ; Father Edward Downey, 1891-92; Father R. P. Robinett, 1892-98; Father Volpe, 1898. It was during the incumbency of Father LePage that the old rectory on Peterson street was built. The most progressive and most prosperous period in the history of St. Joseph's church is that of the years that followed 1899, when

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Right Rev. N. C. Matz sent Rev. G. Joseph La- Jeunesse to Fort Collins to take charge of the parish. Since then the membership of the church has more than doubled and the value of all church property has increased from $1,600 to $43,000. The present number of members is 1,000, and the number of children enrolled in the Sunday school is 75. The corner stone of the new church was laid in 1900 and the building was completed and dedicated on August 4th, 1901.

Plymouth Congregational. Organized in 1908, with a list of 40 members. The membership has since increased to 70 and is still growing. At first the congregation worshipped in a room of the Y. M. C. A. building, but in the spring of 1910 a frame chapel was purchased and moved to a lot at the corner of Magnolia and Meldrum streets, owned by the church, and repaired and seated, and where regu- lar services are now being held. The first pastor was Rev. R. T. Cross who resigned in 1910 and moved to Ohio on account of his wife's health. Mrs. Cross died a few months later. The present value of the property owned by the church is $2,500. In February, 1911, Rev. Albert A. Robertson formerly of St. Louis, accepted a call to the pastorate and is now in charge. The number enrolled in Sunday school is 50.

United Presbyterian. The United Presbyterian church of Fort Collins was organized on January 2nd, 1906, with the names of 23 persons enrolled on its membership list. Rev. W. B. Gillis was in- stalled as pastor and he is still serving the congre- gation. In 1907, a very pretty and well arranged place of worship was erected at the corner of Mat- thews and Mulberry streets at a cost of several thousand dollars and here regular services are con- ducted every Sunday by the pastor. The number of members has increased from 23 to 56. The present value of church property is $10,000. The number enrolled in the Sunday school is 55.

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History of Larimer County, Colorado, Part 45

Author: Watrous, Ansel, 1835-1927 Publication date: 1911 Publisher: Fort Collins, Colo. : The Courier Printing & Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 678

Author: Watrous, Ansel, 1835-1927
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: Fort Collins, Colo. : The Courier Printing & Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 678