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...
by Meg Dunn | Jun 16, 2015 | Book Reviews, Fort Collins, Frontier Faces
Did you know that in the 1920s, the Ku Klux Klan was active in Fort Collins and even burned a few crosses around town? Fancher Sarchet mentions one such incident in his book, Murder and Mirth: the story of a Colorado Trial Lawyer. He also speaks of dalliances among...
by Meg Dunn | Jun 9, 2015 | Frontier Faces, Loveland, Museums & Historic Sites
The Colorado Gold Rush began in July of 1858. News spread like wildfire across the country and many were lured westward with dreams of striking it rich. William Osborn, and twenty one men with him, heard the siren song of riches and, in 1859, they left their homes in...
by Meg Dunn | Apr 28, 2015 | Architecture & Neighborhoods, Fort Collins, Frontier Faces, Renovations & Razes, Then and Now
There are things that we pass down from parent to child to grandchild: photographs, stories, homemade furniture, favorite books, significant items of jewelry. Some families have a family Bible full of genealogical information. Others pass on property — houses...
