by Meg Dunn | Jan 19, 2016 | Fort Collins, Frontier Faces, People Groups
While researching stories, such as that of Charley Clay, Hattie McDaniel, and the Collamer brothers, I repeatedly kept coming across a neighbor’s name in the census records and city directories that intrigued me — Harkless Hicks. I’ve never met...
by Meg Dunn | Dec 15, 2015 | Fort Collins, Frontier Faces
While researching for the story on Miles Maryott back in October, I came across a Fort Collins Weekly Courier article that intrigued me. It mentioned a painting done by Miles that was to be donated to the Elks Lodge. I wondered if the canvas might still be around....
by Meg Dunn | Nov 20, 2015 | Frontier Faces
While flipping through the May 20, 1923 Fort Collins Express, I came across an article entitled, “Crossing the Plains in 1862 by Mrs. W. D. Taft.” The story was a reprint of a reading that Mrs. Taft gave to the Pioneer Association (an organization that is...
by Meg Dunn | Nov 10, 2015 | Book Reviews, Frontier Faces
After World War II, northern Colorado began to see a lot of growth and change. This was particularly true in Fort Collins where the G.I. Bill brought an influx of veterans who attended Colorado A&M. As the city grew, there was an increasing sense that the history...
by Meg Dunn | Aug 26, 2015 | Cultural Character, Frontier Faces, Masonville/Buckhorn Valley, Mining/Quarry Towns
“I often wonder how I could have gone through all I did. How tired sometimes after a hard day’s work. I was so tired I couldn’t pull the blanket over me before I had a little rest. ” — Carolina Hansson Peterson The pioneer life was hard....
by Meg Dunn | Jul 3, 2015 | Architecture & Neighborhoods, Fort Collins, Frontier Faces
Leo and Hilda Ritter moved to Fort Collins in 1919 with their toddler, Jack. Near the end of her life, Hilda sat down with her daughter and reminisced about all the houses they had lived in over the years. She included little details such as what the curtains were...
by Meg Dunn | Jun 30, 2015 | Fort Collins, Frontier Faces
Writing about history often means reading through newspaper articles and books, talking to people and writing down their recollections, piecing together migration stories through Ancestry.com and census records, and looking through old photographs that are on file...
by Meg Dunn | Jun 26, 2015 | Fort Collins, Frontier Faces, People Groups
Every family has its stories. They are passed down from generation to generation and over time one begins to wonder how much is true. Such is the case in the Cienfuegos family, here in Fort Collins. If their story is true, then I can credit Pancho Villa (in a...
