by Meg Dunn | May 13, 2017 | Agricultural History, Frontier Faces
In 1887, a young Scottish fellow by the name of James Ross got the opportunity to travel to America. He had been asked to care for a shipment of Percheron horses that were being sent to Jessie Harris in the small community of Fort Collins. He was so sick during the...
by Meg Dunn | Feb 26, 2017 | Agricultural History, Local Innovators, Loveland
Necessity is the mother of invention. As the early pioneers crossed the Plains and settled along the frontier in the 1800s, they were often faced with situations either entirely different from what they had faced back East or without the tools to deal with...
by Meg Dunn | Jan 6, 2017 | Agricultural History, Buckeye, Waverly & Wellington, Fort Collins, Nunn & the High Plains, Weld County
One of the most horrible blizzards on the western plains rolled in on January 2, 1949. Temperatures had climbed into the 70s on New Years Day in some areas. But the very next day it took only a matter of hours for temps to fall from the mid 30s at midday to below...
by Meg Dunn | Aug 27, 2016 | Agricultural History, Frontier Faces, Masonville/Buckhorn Valley
James Robinson Mason was an early pioneer in northern Colorado. He settled along Buckhorn Creek where he raised cattle, was an active Democrat, and held a position on the school board. He visited Fort Collins frequently on business. And in 1896, he gave his name to a...
by Meg Dunn | Aug 10, 2016 | Agricultural History
Fort Collins began as a military camp, but agriculture was the basis of its growth as a city. Alfalfa, wheat, corn and beans have all been common crops for the area, but during the first half of the twentieth century, the sugar beet was king. Grown on farms throughout...
by Meg Dunn | Jul 27, 2016 | Agricultural History, Museums & Historic Sites, Sponsors
The Homestead Act of 1862 was a means for the United States government to quickly seed new states, such as Iowa and Kansas, and territories, such as Colorado, with American citizens. It was also considered at the time to be a powerful step towards preserving and...
by Meg Dunn | Jul 19, 2016 | Agricultural History, Loveland
Homesteaders in the Colorado territory quickly learned that water is a precious resource in this semi-arid climate and irrigation would be a necessity in order to consistently grow crops on their newly acquired land. The first irrigation ditch built by an early...
by Meg Dunn | Jul 15, 2016 | Agricultural History, Mountains, Canyons & Parks, Poudre Canyon
We take it for granted that when we turn on the tap, we’ll have instant access to clean, clear water. Though we may have a sense that it comes from the Poudre river, the details might be a bit more murky. So in order to better educate local residents about where...
