DEDICATION To the memory of Dr. John Carlson who loved the people of Weld County and who gave his life in willing service, this book is dedicated by his mother-in-law.

THE AUTHOR.

Under Ten Flags A History of Weld County, Colorado

BY MARYL. GEF'FS

GREELEY, COLO. 1938 Published by THE McVEY PRINTERY Greeley,..., Colo . FOREWORD A Personal Statement By The Writer ( Given in the First Person, Singular Number; and, Perhaps, a Rather Singular Statement.) When the idea of writing a History of Weld County first presented itself to my mind it brought with it the assurance that 100, or, at most, 150 pages would be sufficient to hold all the valuable data to be gathered. It was easy to see at a glance that \Veld was a wonderful county, but even so a hundred pages ought to hold the story. This was late in 1932. But as the book goes to press in 1938, it has been revised, condensed and re-written three different times in an effort to crowd it into 300 pages. I had almost said it had been boiled down and trimmed to the bone to get it within that space, but that statement would not have been correct. Lik~ a human body a story is built on a skeleton. A human skeleton is not a pretty thing; on the contrary, standing bare and unclothed, it is rather hideous; children and grownups and ani- . . . . . ,...... ma1s. snun u; It Is. nt to .oe seen oruy tnrougn. . a g1ass. case; .out clothed with flesh and blood, soft tinted and harmonious in color, smooth rounded in contour and graceful in motion, it becomes a thing of beauty. So with a story. Its skeleton, standing out alone, bare and grim, might be a nightmare, as, for instance, that of the Meeker l\1assacre or the Thornburg Disaster. Such must be clothed with flesh and blood, with life and spirit, with human emotions and reactions to make them tolerable in their bleak reality. Most acutely is it realized by this writer that the stories of this book are not clothed with the beauty and grace that more gifted writers would have used; but their skeletons have at least not been boiled dry, nor cut to the bune and left to appear in stark nakedness . .And this has taken words, more than twice as many as at first anticipated. And so it is, that to get the book within the necessary Emits, revision and condensation has been needed, with 5 many pages, even whole chapters, left out. It is with actual grief that the writer takes a last look at these pages, knowing that they are as good as, perhaps better than, many going in, and regretting that any should be left out. It is quite possible, of course, that the court of last resort, the reading public, may decide that most of those left in had better been left out. Should such be the verdict, there will at least be this grim satisfaction in it, that the left out pages are the fortunate ones. According to first plans many biographies were to be used; according to last plans, none. It is barely possible that a later Volume may appear containing such valuable records. There have been two all-sufficient reasons for this cutting down process. First, the cost of publication, and, second, the desire for a book light enough in weight and small enough in size to be easily handled by children in the grades. The publisher, the McVey Printery Company, L. L. Wil­ kinson, Manager, has been fair, even generous in business deal­ ing, courteous and patient through all these harrowing changes. But the, thing that has baffled both publisher and writer has been the vastly greater body of valuable historical matter avail­ able than could be crowded within our limits. The Meeker Memorial Museum alone has been found to be able to supply one whole volume of Pioneer material. Possibly, with luck, we may try again.

MARYL. GEFFS, Writer.

6 CHAPTER I

THE FIRST HISTORICAL EPOCH, 1492-1876. Weld County through four hundred years; and Under Ten Flags. Emergence from ,prehistoric to historic times. Being the fortunes and vicissitudes of the fantastic first inhabitant. If you reached the New World with Columbus in 1492 or touched the shores of South America with the same great discov­ erer six years later in 1498, if you crossed the mountains and plains to a point midway on the northern part of the continent and pitched your tent where the Weld County Court House now stands, never moved but lived on that spot ever since, you have lived under three d!f ferent national governments and, in America, under seven different political jurisdictions. And, tak­ ing your nationality from the governments under which you have lived, you have been-twice a Spaniard, twice a Frenchman and once an American; and, as an American, you have been­ a Louisianian, a Missourian, an Indianian, a Nebraskan, a Jef­ fersonian and twice a Coloradoan, first as a resident of the Ter­ ritory and, second, of the State of Colorado. And you have narrowly escaped one other national government, England, one other American, Texas, and one other Territorial government, Idaho. It has all been so long ago that you may not remember, but this is how it happened:

1492. First you were a Spaniard because- When Christopher Columbus made his first voyage of dis­ covery in 1492 which ended at San Salvador, and the second in 1498 ending on the shores of South America, he was financed by the Spanish government, therefore, by the world accepted principle of the Right of Discovery, whatever was found by 7 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

Columbus belonged to Spain. The spot where the Weld County Court House now stands was a part of the continent discovered, and by that Right belonged to Spain. So, when you pitched your tent on a possession of Spain you owed allegiance to that country and became--if you were not already-a Spaniard.

1682. Thirty-nine years back of 1682, (1643) far across the Big Water in a country called France, a child was born who was destined to change the ownership of the spot where your tent stood from Spain to France and you, in consequence, from a Spaniard into a Frenchman. This babe was the son of Jean and Catherine Cavelier and was christened Rene Robert. It was a family of wealth and re­ finement into which he came and the home estate was known by the name of La Salle. In France it was the custom to distinguish families by adding to the family name the name of their estate; so this family was known as the Caveliers of La Salle, much as Americans might say Abe Lincoln of Illinois; then, substituting "Sieur" for ''Mr." the name by which was known one of the most intrepid of all early explorers, Sieur de La Salle, emerges. As the boy grew to manhood he developed a consuming de­ sire to be of real service to his country; to add to its material wealth, its prestige and power, and this led him to cross the waters and through new discoveries seek possessions for his king.

, It is doubtful if so many crushing defeats, so many hard- ships and disappointments ever fell to the lot of any explorer as were crowded into the life of Sieur de La Salle during his twenty years wanderings on the American continent. But to La Salle the final achievement of his life's purpose was ample reward for all his years of uninterrupted disaster. He had discovered the place where the waters of the great river united with the waters of the Gulfoof Mexico, and it is easy to understand how his whole soul was poured forth in the simple ceremony by which he took possession for his king, Louis XIV, of all land touched by the mighty river, "extending westward to the sea." 8 THE FIRST HISTORICAL EPOCH

A leaden plate on which were inscribed the names of La Salle and his company of hardy sailors was planted on the spot and the colors of France erected, and devoutly the words were spoken that changed the ownership of the spot where the Weld County Court House now stands from Spain to France. The words were heard by no human ear other than those of the little company assembled, but they were potent to change the fortunes of a continent. It is difficult for people of today to understand how that could be; but the happenings of the Seventeenth century cannot be justly measured by the yardstick of the Twentieth. Today nothing counts but deeds and records and other forms· of legal transactions, but in 1682 these were unknown, at least in this western part of the New World. Not only were boundary li~ts indefinite, but all human concepts of the magnitude of this vast, unsurveyed territory were vague and uncertain. It was almost two hundred years before the advent of the surveyor, and owner­ ships were expressed in such terms as "From the Mississippi to the sea"; "From the summit of the Alleghenies to the summit of the Rockies"; "To lands unknown and regions unexplored." It was by these indefinite but far reaching boundaries that La Salle's possession for his king were founded. True, Spain did protest, but nothing ever came of it, and so, for eighty-one years the spot where your tent stood belonged to France and you owed allegiance to that country, hence was a Frenchman. La Salle had named the whole vast territory "Louisiana" in honor of his king.

1761-3. Even before this date things were happening in the Old ,v orld to give back the spot on which your tent stood to Spain and make of you again a Spaniard. They culminated on February 10, 1763. In 1761 England was making rapid headway in getting a foothold in the New World. She was firmly established along the eastern seaboard; the thirteen colonies that a few years later 9 A HISTORY OF WEl-D COUNTY, COLORADO

fought themselves free by the War of Independence were then colonies under the political government of England. It was, there­ fore, no great wonder that both Spain and France "viewed with alarm" the rising power of England. Neither was aggressive as was England; neither reaching out for extended domain; but both saw that this rising power menaced their chances for even holding their own; and so, the most obvious thing in the world happened: they made common cause against the common enemy. This trans­ action they called a "Family Compact." Here is a homely, schoolboy illustration of what happened: It is a game of marbles being played "for keeps" by one big boy and two little ones. Now the big boy is about to get all the marbles and, seeing the little fellows are "scared of him," he swaggers a bit, throws out his chest, assumes the air of a con­ quorer and says: "Aw, come on; it's a fair game, and I kin lick the two 'o ye." In other words, England declared war on Spain. She men­ tioned only Spain, but meant France, too. (See History of Spain_. by James A. Harrison, page 443.) This· ~as on January 4, 1762, after France and Spain had entered into the "Family Compact"; but England did not know about the Compact. That is, the two little boys had not told the big boy about their private understanding. Then the big boy took another marble away from one of the little ones. That is, England sent a strong fle~t against Cuba, a possession of Spain, and took it. He did not win that marble easily, but had to maneuver skillfully to get it. It was a great, big, beautiful agate called "Havana," and tremendously valuable, worth at least fifteen million dollars. Of course it had cost the lives of a good many soldiers, but that was to be expected. En­ couraged by his great success the big boy next took a whole hand­ ful of marbles; Trinidad in the West Indies, Manilla, capitol of the Philippines and the Acapulco galleon with a cargo worth three million dollars. Later, however, the big boy is said to have traded them all back for a better bargain. By this time both small boys, France and Spain, were ready 10 THE FIRST HISTORICAL EPOCH to "play quits"; (who wouldn't be?) and the big boy said to the little boys, "all right, we'll play quits; but with the understanding that I keep all the marbles I have won and that you, Spain, give me one more, Florida." That was the Treaty of.Paris. It was a stunner to the little boys, for the Florida of that day was not the little peninsular shaped bit of land running out into the Gulf of Mexico that is seen pictured on the maps today, but embraced what is now South Carolina, Alabama and Mis­ sissippi and was Spain's outlet to the sea. It was a tremendously valuable marble to give up; a big concession to make to the winner of the game, and France was sorry to see Spain have to make it. So, on the spur of the moment, and with what seemed a purely altruistic motive, France said to England, "Please don't take that marble; let Spain keep it and I will give you one lots better, the finest in my whole kit; a reg'lar agate, awfully big and beautiful; its name is Louisiana. Now you let Spain keep Florida and this beautiful Louisiana is yours." "Nuthin' doin'," said the big boy; "when I want Louisiana I'll take it." And so he kept Florida. Then sard France to Spain, "never mind, pal, let the big bluff er have Florida and I'll give you this great big beautiful Louisiana in place of it." It was an unusual proceeding, the only one of its kind found in history. Here was one country willing to turn over to another a vast territory without any other apparent motive than a desire to make up to that country for a loss sustained in a common cause. But now comes the historian Bassett, who, in his United States History Vol. 1 finds a wholly different motive. He states that Louisiana had been costing France 300,000 livres ( approx­ imately $60,000) a year without a sou (cent) in return; and that, with practically everything else on this continent already lost, the territory of Louisiana could never be worth what it was costing to keep it; hence it was to the advantage or France to give it away. But be the motive what it may, the fact remains that France did transfer Louisiana back to Spain, and that it remained in the hands of Spain for thirty-seven years, then passed 11 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

back to France.. And by these two transactions the spot where your tent stood, on the site of the Weld County Court House, passed for the second time into the possession of Spain and again for the second time to France; you in the meantime becoming for the second time a Spaniard and a Frenchman. The better to understand ho,v that happened it will be well to take a bird's eye view of the changes that had taken place in the two countries.

1800. Spain was now under the rule of Charles IV, and France under Napoleon Bonaparte. Charles and his Italian wife, Maria Louisa, ,vere not the wise and high minded rulers that Ferdinand and Isabella had been. James A. Harrison, in his History of Spain, gives Charles and Maria Louisa characters the very anti­ thesis of those of the rulers who sponsored Columbus. He says, (page 448) "An imbecile sat on the throne and a weak, passion- ate and criminal queen scandalized all Europe by the open prof­ ligacy of he.r morals." Strong language, but backed up by the facts of history. They would have been incompetent even had they desired to be just, but they evidently had no such des!re; they were selfish to the core, caring not for the sufferings of their people, but only for their own indulgences and so called honors. Spain was fast losing ground as an empire and no longer held the high esteem of other nations. So the soil was fertile for the prop­ osition that now, in 1800, was forthcoming from the astute Na­ poleon. \Vhile all this was developing, a revolution had taken place in France, and Napoleon Bonaparte, a hitherto obscure army officer, had stepped to the fore and performed brilliant and able services for his country. He had been rewarded, after peace Vv·as restored, by the office of First Consul, which under the new gov­ ernment was almost equal in power to that of President in the l!nited States. If N ar,oleon had died at that time his name would have gone down in history as one of the most illustrious of the age. But he did not dre. He lived to experience exile and dis- 12 THE FIRST HISTORICAL EPOCH honor and finally to die unnoticed and unhonored by the country that once had hailed him as a deliverer. But in 1800 he was at the peak.of his power and greatness and the future gave no hint of tragic failure. He had an un­ quenchable thirst for power and the keenness to see that it could only be attained through the advancement of his country. To this end he wanted that vast territory on the American continent that France had, he considered, so foolishly given to Spain. Knowing well the weakness of the rulers of Spain, he appealed to their lust for personal gain by offering them a province in Tuscany, to be raised to the estate of a kingdom, for the Amer­ ican territory of Louisiana. The bargain was quickly closed and thus Louisiana passed back into the hands of France. This transaction is known in history as the Treaty of Ildefonso, that being the name of the place in Spain where it had been con­ summated. It is true that Charles did extract a promise from Napoleon never to sell the territory except back to Spain; but it is not likely that either party expected the promise to be kept. Charles. with his utter disregard for promises of his own could hardly have regarded it as sacred; and Napoleon certainly had no thought of keeping it, since his own interests were not to be con­ served thereby. At any rate the promise was not kept. As soon as arrangements could be made without showing his hand too clearly, Napoleon sold the whole area to the United States gov­ ernment. And that brings the story down to the year 1803 when, through the Louisiana Purchase, your tent settled itself down on American soil and you became an American.

1803. ,\Thile all this had been happening in France and Spain. changes had been taking place on this side of the ocean also. The thirteen colonies had freed themselves from the rule of Great Britain and become an independent government. Thomas Jeffer­ son was the third to fill the Presidential chair. There was an element almost approaching humor in the 13 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

bargaining between President Jefferson and First Consul Na­ poleon. Each desired most deeply the consummation of the bar­ gain, yet each held off with apparent indifference; but at last it was accomplished to the secret gratification of both. Napoleon, even then, may have seen the handwriting on the wall and thought to save himself by this one brilliant stroke, enriching his coun­ try's treasury by millions of livres; and Jefferson undoubtedly saw the time fast approaching when his country must suffer without this vast western field for expansion. But if he expected a united people back of him in this foresight for the future he was doomed to bitter disappointment; the p e o p 1 e did not stand back of him. He had paid $15,000,000 for Louisiana. It was considered a staggering sum; the magnitude of which was only matched, they said, by its utter uselessness. The Presi­ dent's act was - called "an outrage"; "a shameful waste of money", "a usurpation of authority", and "wholly unconstitu­ tional", which was the last word that could be said of it to prove that "no good could ever come of it". But while the storms of criticism beat about him most fiercely President Jefferson held his ground and calmly said: "The time 'will come when every American will know that this act has been replete with blessings for unborn generations." And Jefferson was right. Long before the century had reached its middle his prediction was verified. So, in 1803, you settled down in i\merica, glad that your wanderings were over. Literally you had never moved a foot from where you firsf pitched your tent in 1492, but you had twice lived on a possession of Spain and twice of France. In 1803 you had plenty of room. Your east lawn, reaching down to the J\,lississippi, was obstructed by only a few teepees, and your west, north and south lawns by still fewer. Occasionally a Spaniard came up from Mexico and once in a while you caught sight c,f a trapper. 1806. Late in the fall of 1806 you may have noticed some tiny specks on the landscape far to the south of you; so far that you 14 THE FIRST HISTORICAL EPOCH

could not make out that they were men and horses and, perhaps, a battered wagon or two; but that is what they were. They were an Expedition sent out by the United States government _to ex­ plore the Rocky Mountains, and the Arkansas River to its source and to find out whether or not civilized man could ever live in your country. The head of the Expedition was a young army officer by the name of Zebulon M. Pike. This was an experi­ ment on the part of the government, and, not knowing what would be needed, the expedition had been poorly provided for and the result was great hardships and suffering; but· about the time you first noticed them they were all elated over their first good view of the Rocky Mountains. They passed on westward and you did not see them any more.

1812.

In 1812 was the time when you began traveling around over the United States-without moving a foot from your first loca­ tion. It was in that year that your Uncle Sam, ( that is what the "U. S." initials stand for, you know,) began dividing up this great Louisiana territory and giving first one state and then an­ other ownership of the spot where your tent stood. First he divided it into two sections, a north and a south, calling the north Louisiana and the south Orleans; but very soon thereafter he changed his mind about the names, dropped the name of Orleans altogether and gave the south section the name of Louisiana; then he found a new name for the north; he called it Missouri. And that was how it happened that you left Louisiana and went to Missouri, or in other words, Louisiana left you and Missouri came. But right here some confusion arises as to just who did own the land where your tent stood. Indiana seems to have had some sort of a claim, too, for the same Act that had named the terri­ tory Missouri had also "appended" it-whatever that might mean-to Indiana. 15 A msTOlt.Y OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

1820. For eight years your Uncle Sam left you to puzzle over the question of whether you lived in Missouri or Indiana, and then he .ettled the matter for you. He decided that any way you had too much room, so he cut up your lawn in all directions. First he took the name of Missouri away from you altogether by making Missouri into a state with a \Vestern boundary about where it is now, leaving you far away to the west of the line. You must have been in Indiana then, for there ii no record of his ever having un-appended you. But before the end of that year, 1820, another thing hap­ pened, close to your home, that made you forget about the puz­ zle; that was when something more than specks appeared on your landscape; this time the specks were close enough for you to see at a glance that they were men and horses anci wagons, and were camping down at the junction c,f the Platte and the Poudre. You watched them carefully, not knowing what to expect, but after a day ~r two they crossed your lawn and disappeared into the west. It was another Expedition, this time headed by a man called Steplten A. Long, who had been sent out by the U.S. gov­ ernment to get more information than the first had been able to gather. The government· had learned from its first experiment that an Expedition must be provided with food and other sup­ plies to do effective work, so this cro,vd was not suffering. You treated them the best you could-by leaving them alone-yet they·made a bad report to your Uncle Sam about your country; they said it would never be good enough for civilized man, but was fit only for the wild animals and wild men that inhabited it.

1854. Next came a gap of about twenty-nine years, when nothing in particular seemed to be happening to you; then your peace was shattered by a tot of people and horses and wagons that grew into a continuous stream and beat a pathway across your iawn from east to west. They began in 1849 and kept it up for 16 THE FIRST HISTORICAL EPOCH about ten years. At first they passed only from east to west, but after a time they began coming both ways. 'fhis was the Gold Rush to California, and, so far as you were concerned, it ~eemed to be all bad. And, to ·make matters worse, in 1854 your Uncle Sam again picked up his ·geographical knife and began slicing up your lawn. He cut it into four lots and named the pieces Utah, New lVIexico, Kansas and Nebraska. Then he drew a line across from north to south somewhere in the Rocky mountains and gave the portion west of the line to Utah and New Mexico and that east of the line to Kansas and Nebraska. .And last of all-for that time--he cut across the Kansas-Nebraska section east and west about where the southern line of Weld county runs now. just north of Brigh~on, and gave the territory north of the cut to Nebraska and that south to Kansas. At that he made no very clear cut lines, but left jagged edges as though his knife had not been sharp or else he had not been able to see right well; which is not surprising when you consider that he did all this at long range, from his headquarters in Washington. It was a long time before all the jagged edges were straightened. But you ,vere far enough north of the line to be reasonably sure you now lived in Nebraska.

1859. In this year new complications arose. Up to this time the men and horses and wagons that beat the path across your lawn had almost always passed on, east or west, but in 1859 they be­ gan to stop about fifty miles to the south of you and to back up into your lawn. The commotion that had shattered your peace and tranquility ten years before had begun to die down to some extent, but now it grew worse than ever; worse because the travelers kept stopping and backing up closer and closer to your tent, and you began to realize that you would never again have your country to yourself. That was the famous Gold Rush to Cherry Creek. 17 A HISTORY OP WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

There was no fabulous gold on Cherry Creek, but by the time that was found out your lawn in all directions, but especi­ ally southward, was filled with shacks and cabins. Among the ne,vcomers were those who did not behave well at all, but com­ mitted all sorts of crimes and depredations against those who did. But while some were like tl ;, most of the newcomers really wanted to live in peace, so they asked Uncle Sam to give them land on which to raise food and build cabins. Uncle Sam gave it to them, and then the others began to "jump their claims," that is, to go on to the land themselves and take possession. That caused conflict, and killings and robberies became so com­ mon that it was soon seen that some sort of government would have to step in to restore order. Appeals were made to both Kan­ sas and Nebraska but neither did a thing to help. Then the peo­ ple called upon Uncle Sam, but he did no more than had Kansas or Nebraska. Then it was that in sheer desperation they got together and decided to create a government of their own. Ex­ pressed in language with which you later became familiar, this is what they did:

JEFFERSON TERRITORY First they issued a call for a constitutional convention to be held in Denver on June 6, 1859. At that convention they out­ lined a definite area, described as between the 102nd and 110th meridians and the 37th and 43rd parallels. From the southeast corner of this area a line ran north across the western ends of both Kansas and Nebraska to a point near the present northern line of Nebraska, thence westward across Wyoming taking in the southern end of Idaho, then southward through Utah making a western boundary near the center, and for its southern line strik­ ing closely along the present southern lines of Utah and Colo­ rado. This Territory they named Jefferson, in honor of the President who had bought Louisiana from France. A constitution was framed that could be made applicable to either a state or territorial government and it was decided to leave the question as to which it should be to a popular vote of 18 THE FIRST HISTORICAL EPOCH the people. It was by such democratic means that they meant to conduct the affairs of the new government, whichever it should turn out to be. Two months time was allowed to give the people time to think it over and the convention adjourned to meet again in August. It met at the appointed time and prepared a formal ballot on which the people should register their decision. The vote was taken on November 7, 1859, and, by a small majority the territorial form of government was chosen. The argument that swung the decision to the territorial form was financial, the conservative ones fearing to take upon the district the extra burden that a state government would entail. The con­ vention that was later called to ratify the election, to organize and elect territorial officers under it, is said by historians to have been conducted with dignity and seriousness, and a full apprecia­ tion of the meaning of what they were doing. A territorial consti­ tution was adopted and Robert W. Steele, (Ohio) elected first governor. Thus the first government of this region was launched. It was the earnest hope of the sponsors of the new govern­ ment that the fact of its coming into existence in answer to the crying need of the times, and its declaration that it stood ready to abdicate at any time that efficient government should be ex­ tended by those already in e..~istence, would insure their hearty approval and move those governments to offer the right hand of fellowship in the common cause of social order; but such was not the case. History has been searched in vain for a reason why, but only the stark fact has been found that neither Kansas nor Nebraska nor yet the U. S. government ever recognized Jefferson Territory, either legally or socially. Had this commonwealth been made up of a less sturdy and right minded citizenry it must have yielded to the discourage­ ments that were its continued portion at the hands of existing governments, and this future great country must have become the rendezvous of banditry and lawlessness and furnished east­ er:pers with proof of their erroneous ideas of the "wild and woolly West." But it was of a different type, and, despite the lack of encouragement or co-operation the people forged ahead, 19 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLO~

maintaining their own government, as one historian puts it, "in spite of bleeding Kansas or incompentent Nebraska." For two years the people of Jefferson Territory went systematically for­ ward, bringing order out of chaos and building a government that commanded the respect of the world. And then- 1861. On February 28, 1861, the U. S. government did take notice. The thing it did was not wholly satisfactory to the people of Jef­ ferson Territory, but was accepted by them without protest be­ cause of their great desire for fellowship in government. The Territory was admitted into the Union, but its name was changed from Jefferson to Colorado. The only reason assigned for the change was that "no State or Territory should ever be named for a President unless it be for the First President." Colorado is a good name; it adds color and harmony of sound to the Family of States, and it certainly is not for the peo­ ple of this day to object since the people of that did not. In the selection of the name Jeffer son had one supporter in Con­ gress, but only in a negative way; he did not especially favor that name. in fact did not care what the new Territory was called so long as it was NOT called Colorado. He was Senator Mc­ G,vin of California and this is what he said: (Smilie's History of Colorado, Vol. 1, p. 317) "I am opposed to changing the name of this Territory to Colorado; I feel that I have been cheated out of the name. The Territory through which the Colorado River flows should have that name. It is the handsomest name that could be given to any Territory, and I want it for Arizona." It was a lame argument all the way through, not the weak­ est part of which was its reference to the river. True. the Colo­ rado River does flow through Arizona; it also flo,vs through Utah, Nevada and southern California, but it rises nowhere but in Colorado; and surely the state. that gives it rise has a bet­ ter claim to it than any one through which it simply flows. And the Senator's other pt>int was weak, too; "Colorado" is a "hand­ some" name, but none has a better right to it on that account than the one that now bears it. 20 THE FIRST HISTORICAL EPOCH

When Uncle Sam admitted this Territory he drew in the boundary lines to practically what they are now, ignoring the larger dimensions of Jefferson. On the re-organization of the Territory the Jeffersonians would have been honored by the reappointment of their own governor, Robert W. Steele, but William Gilpin was appointed instead. The ne,v governor had a brave record behind him. He had explored the territory with Fremont, been l\1ajor in the War with Mexico, led a campaign for the protection of settlers through chaotic early days and through it all had rendered acceptable services. The people and the retiring governor gave him a loyal welcome. But even had the appointment been less satisfactory it is morally sure that it would have been borne in mind that it was made by President Lincoln, and that at that time the most weighty and far reaching questions ever to come before a presi­ dent were facing him. In 1861 the question of slavery was about to break the Union in two; the preservation of the Union and the abolishment of slavery were the two great questions merged in one that paled all others into insignificance, and made the nam­ ing of a Territory and the appointment of its governor matters of minor importance.

1861-1876 COLORADO TERRITORY, COLORADO STATE, And the Struggle That Lay Between Colorado Territory was born when war clouds were lower­ ing and the sound of approaching conflict fell with disturbing effect upon the ears of the new born government; and through­ out its infancy the inevitable struggle went on, the very cradle of the new born government being involved in the conflict. It would have been unreasonable to expect tranquility to prevail or the arts of peace to flourish; they did not in the older govern­ ments, farther removed from the scenes of conflict. But the preco­ cious infant Territory dug its toes into the sands-albeit not the golden sands once reputed-and stuck, not only ma!ntaining a foothold but taking strong hold through the perilous days. 21 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

In the fall of 1861 the first legislative assembly of the Ter­ ritory convened in Denver and organized for business. One of its first Acts was the division of the Territory into seventeen counties-alphabetically, Arapahoe, Boulder, Conojos, Costilla, Clear Creek, Douglas, El Paso, Fremont, Gilpin, Huerfano, Jef­ ferson, Lake, Larimer, Park, Pueblo, Summit, Weld. In spite of the turmoil of the times Colorado Territory be­ gan to dream dreams of statehood. But slow of realization wert those dreams, fifteen uncertain years lying between the birth of the Territory and its admission as a state, and thorny indeed was the pathway that lay between. A veritable nemesis haunted the struggling Territory, a nemesis by no means subtle nor hidden but firmly intrenched in the highest place in the Union and using methods of open hostility. For years Congress and the President "played ball," so to speak, with Colorado's hopes for statehood, Congress on the side of statehood and the President opposing it. i\s early as 1864 Congress was ready to grant statehood and passed an Enabling Act to that effect. The year 1865 witnessed the tragic · death of Abraham Lincoln and the succession of _-\ndre,v Jop.nson to the presidency. The new president opposed the admission of Colorado as a state and did it in no friendly way. He first based his disapproval of the Enabling Act on technical grounds; then Congress passed another and he promptly vetoed it. This was on May 16, 1866. Congress did not quietly accept this second defeat, but passed another Enabling Act before the adjournment of that Congress; but neither did this get past the president, for again he vetoed it. ..,\nd that was not the worst of it. If he had simply vetoed it and said nothing it would undoubtedly have passed as other vetoes had done; but this time he was probably goaded by a per­ sistent Congress to come out with his real reasons, and the result was that the people of Colorado were so angered that they arose in their united might and took decisive action. vVhat President Johnson had said when he lost his temper and can1e out with his actual sentiments, was that Colorado was 22 THE FIRST HISTORICAL EPOCH

too young and poor and small to be admitted into the proud Fami/,y of States; that she was not worthy of such high associa­ tion and could only be a reproach and disgrace to the Famil·y. After what Colorado had suffered and overcome, unassisted by the parent government, this was a little too much; it was not in keeping with the spirit of the West to accept it meekly. It was the proverbial last straw that broke the camel's back, and that patient, docile ranger of the desert reared up and showed the latent fight that was in him ( or her). Colorado put on her fighting clothes and went into :the fray. She won in the end, but it was not until another president sat in the White House and proved as determined a friend as this one had an enemy. But that did not happen for several years, and of course there was no way Colorado could know it was going to happen at all. President Johnson had said Colorado was "too small," and, unfortunately, the statistics gathered under his administration did look that way, the whole population numbering only 39,841 ; lacking 159 of even reaching 40,000. Edward McCook became governor of the Territory in 1869, and in his administration, backed by an indignant people, he took up the fight. By giving tables of taxable values, agriculutral statistics, railroad growth and other unassailable figures he proved that the President's figures were wrong. Congress watched the struggle with much interest and again reported favorably on statehood. By the time Congress made its last stand for state­ hood national conditions had changed and Ulyssus S. Grant, elected in 1873, sat in the president's chair. He did not at once show his hand in open friendship, but took time for a thorough Investigation. He liked the spirit of the young western aspirant for statehood and decided that the Family c,f States needed just such a member. And the sooner the better. He could count on the co-operation of Congress~ but he found a quicker way. He delved deeply among the Acts passed by Congress through the years and found one passed by the 43 rd Congress allowing the president to change the status of a Territory to that of a State by the simple Act of presidential declaration. So, on August 1: 23 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

1876, Ulyssus S. Grant, President of the United States, Declared Colorado a State. Although throughout the long struggle congress had, by majority vote, always stood by Colorado, yet there were those-­ a small minority, who stood with President Johnson, and even yet held an unfriendly attitude toward the new state. So when James W. Belford, the first representative sent to \Vashington, knocked at the door of Congress for admission, the door was not opened promptly nor the new member greeted with the hearty handshake and cordial, "Come right in, Mr. Belford, and take a seat; glad to see you." Instead of this some members were in­ hospitable enough to say there wasn't any seat for Mr. Belford and he couldn't come in. But several of the big members rose right up then and there and declared there was a seat for Mr. Belford and, backed by the po,verful judiciary committee, they brought him in and gave him the best seat they could find. After that all opposition seemed to fade away into thin air, and ever since then Colorado's representatives have been as good as anybody's, and better than some; and the proud Family of States has never again snubbed its ambitious western member.

1876. Again reverting to the mythical character who pitched his tent on the site of the present Weld County Court House in 149 2 : Now Colorado is a state, and all your changes of national­ ities and states are over. The Chapter on Colonization will show your absorption into the new civilization, since which time you have been simply one of us.

24 CHAPTER II THE TURNING POINT IN THE ·FORTUNES OF WELD COLTNTY; THE LINK THAT JOINS THE PRIMITIVE FIRST WITH THE HIGHLY DEVELOPED SECOND GREAT HISTORICAL PERIOD. This historical development, beginning as it did in the very earliest days of 1870, and, for its inception even back of that, rightly belongs for its beginning in the First Period of this His­ tory; and because of this it seems imperative to carry forward the rather fantastic conceit of a single individual living on the site of the Weld County Court House from the beginning up to the point where he merges into the civilization that envelops and absorbs him. The first few pages of this Chapter will tell of his emergence, and absorption. * * * * In the 1850's and 60's you really began to have neighbors, people who settled along the banks of the Platte and the Poudre and raised things to eat. That was far enough away so that you didn't mind it, but in 18 70 came a lot that crowded up close around you and did the most unaccountable things to your grounds clear up to the door of your tent. They plowed fur­ rows, not like your neighbors down in the bottoms to make places for planting things, but just single furrows, long and straight; and when they got one done they left it and plowed another somewhere else, generally at right angles with the first And then they drove down stakes:- lots of them, till you con­ cluded, just as some one else did about that same time, that they were all crazy. But this was not the first thing that had threatened your future security as monarch of all you surveyed. Some months before you had noticed a foolish kind of a trail being made~ passing within a stone's throw of your tent. It was made of two long shiny pieces of something that looked like the same kind of thing as that used by your neighbors down on the bottoms for turning the ground upside down; only longer; in fact long enough to mark the trail as far as you could see north and south; 25 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO and between them were pieces of wood that did not seem to have any use whatever. And then one day you heard a noise, louder than any thing you had ever heard before; it was a screach and a roar and a grind all at once; and when you looked up, there came tearing down that queer kind of a trail the queerest and most terrifying thing you had ever dreamed of; and it roared along the trail, eating up distance and throwing into the sky a great roll of thick black smoke filled with cinders and sparks of fire; and when it got near you it gave an awful snort and stopped, and one of your neighbors from the bottoms said to another, "So that's the iron horse, is it?" "Iron horse?" you snorted, "there ain't no sich animal." And your neighbor from the bottoms looked at you and sort of smiled as you went on to state that the thing had neither legs nor feet nor. mane nor tail, and no sort of a place for either saddle or bridle; and then your neighbor said: "But she runs, don't she?" Well, you either had to admit that she did or go home; so you went home. And there you thought it over. Yes, she did run; that was a fact. Ran faster than anything you ever saw; ran faster than that cloud of dust a good while before with a Pony Express rider in the middle of it. But how could she? You decided to watch her a good many times before admitting any­ thing definite . .And then one day while you watched, a lot of people got off -or out-of her. They were queer looking, too. They carried baskets· and bundles and babies; and after a while they began to mill around and chop down the cactus and sage brush and prickly pear, and level down the sand piles and put up tents. 1\nd day after day, they kept coming, and staying, and they were the ones that drove down the stakes and plowed the single fur­ rows. And later when you became civilized you knew that you had seen the building of the Union Pacific Railroad that reached from Cheyenne"" on the north to Evans on the south. You had seen the first train pass over it; and you had seen the coming of the first colonists, and the staking out of the town of 26 THE TURNING POINT IN THE FORTUNES OF WELD COUNTY

Greeley that was eventually to be the County Seat of your o,vn County of Weld, and which was to build its Court House on the site where your tent had stood for so many hundreds of years. But you soon became a part. of that new settlement and learned to like it better than you ever had your own solitude. You became a part of the new order of things; an active partic­ ipant instead of an astonished on-looked as the progress of your county unfolded. And here you drop your character as the First Inhabitant the first boni-fide, hundred per cent American. And here your story as such, is finished.

THE BEGINNING OF COLONIZATION It was probably a very simple thing that gave colonization its first strong pull toward Colorado-the fine effective work of the land-agent. This individual is not always an unmixed blessing; but it must be admitted that in the early '70s he did good work in counteracting the influences that for years had operated against this region. First there had been the Report of Explorer Long that the region was "unfit for human habita­ tion"; then there had been the fake Gold Rush of '59 and the chaotic state of society that followed it; and, through it all the constant reports of Indian warfare that were bad enough in fact and lost nothing in the telling to eastern audiences. Then came, in the late '60s and early '70s, the railroad companies, with greater vision than the average men of their time, and penetrated with steel rail and iron horse the "unin­ habitable desert"; and after them came the Railroad Land Agent, because the time was ripe for him; because the railroads must sell their lands that the government had so generously donated them, and to do this people must be induced to come into the country. Hence the Land Agent. Railroad history is a most intensely-and astonishing­ story; but only enough of it can be given here to show its con­ nection with the development of Weld county. As population had grown and pushed westward the need for more rapid and 27 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

efficient transportation than that furnished by wagon train, stage coach or pony express was felt, and the government was urged, not to itself establish railroads, but to induce private cit­ izens to do so. To this end, the government that had owned all the western land since the Indian had been induced to put thumb mark on paper and thus transfer the title, made attractive of­ fers of vast tracts of land and sums of money to companies that would build the railroads. The Union Pacific was one of the companies that accepted. According to the Congressional Globe of July, 1862, a law was passed becoming effective at that time, providing that a Right of Way should be granted 400 feet in width along the full length of its surveyed pathway, and that each alternate or odd numbered section of land extending ten miles on each side should be granted the company. The enterprise was also "bond­ arded" at the rate of $16,000 per mile of ordinary roadway, and for 300 miles of the mountainous parts; this aid raised to three times the or<;Iinary $16,000, or, $42,000 per mile. This provided for the line that should span the d_istance from the Missouri River to the 'Pacific coast.* The turn of the year 1870 found a branch of the Union Pacific connecting its north line passing through Cheyenne with its ~outh line that was to pass through Denver completed as far as Evans, and it was by way of this branch that most of the col­ c,nists reached Greeley. Weld county had three colonies that year, four if Platte­ ville is 'to be counted, as it should be; for, though different from the others, it was a colony. In the order of their coming these colonies were: Union Colony that organized in New York late in 1869 and located in Greeley in the spring of 1870; the St. Louis-Western that organized -in Oakdale, Illinois, in November 1870 and located in Evans early in 1871; the South-Western, ,vhich named its loc~tion Green City, and Platteville both locat­ ing early in 1871.

* (The above facts are taken from a History of the Union Pacific written and copyrighted by the company in 1909.) 28 THE TURNING POIN'I IN 'IHE FORTUNES OF WELD COUNTY

First in point of time as well as staying qualities. comes Union Colony, not only because of the leading part it played in the development of the county, but also because of the promin­ ent place it won in the history of the state.

UNION COLONY From The Ti1ne of Its First Inception to The Time When, In A Sense, It Lost Itself In The Town It Founded. The history of Union Colony reads like a romance. It was romance in that, in its first inception and early development were bound up all the essential qualities of romance, the spirit of adventure, the beauty and compelling power of idealism, the dreams of achievement and unswerving devotion to high ideals and noble purposes. It is a history of hardships bravely en­ dured, of problems met and solved and of obstacles overcome. It is a history that only strong men and women could have n1ade. It was romance, but it was more. It went beyond the dreaming of dreams to their realization; beyond idealism tc, realism; beyond the inspiration of noble purposes to their incorporation into the life of the colony. To reach this achievement the colon­ ists passed through hardships unforeseen, over roads thickly strewn with difficulties, through mistakes and disappointments to a calm place, not of full realization-for that would have taken a life time, but to a vantage ground from which the goal was in sight. So far as heroism in the face of hardships and difficulties on the part of the colonists is concerned, much the same can be said of all the colonies whose pioneer work laid the foundation for this great commonwealth.

ITS FIRST INCEPTION Union Colony had its origin in the dreams of Nathan l\,Ieek­ er. He had long been conscious of the ills of society and had dreamed of a better day. Through such writers as Fourier he had caught a vision of a better order and believed that through

29 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO some sort of co-operation it might be brought about. In the 1860's he was what would now be called a columnist on the New York Tribune. He worked out a plan of colonization which he submitted to John Russell Young, managing editor. Mr. Young liked the plan and in turn submitted it to Horace Greeley, editor in chief and owner; Mr.. Greeley liked it too, and promptly sent for the writer. In the interview that followed Meeker elaborated his plan and Greeley, endorsing it all, said in deep sincerity, "I wish you would take hold of this plan for I believe it will be a great success. If I could I would go with you." And he promised Meeker unlimited use of the columns of the Tribune and whatever further co-operation he could give. With such encouragement Meeker wrote the famous "Call" that brought together from far and near the people who founded Union Colony. This Call set forth the objects to be attained and the principles ,on which the organization should be founded, and requested all those in accord with such objects and principles to respond by letter. Mr. Greeley had predicted a possible thousand answers, but there were over three thousand. The Cd.II appeared on December 14, 1869. Nine days later a meeting was called for Cooper Institute for the purpose of taking steps toward organization. The meeting, on December 23, was well attended, the New York Tribune reporting the hall "filled to overflowing." Horace Greeley was Chairman. Plans were formulated for the building of a practical enterprise "on high moral principles." A perma­ nent organization was effected by the election of Nathan Meek­ er as President, General R. A. Cameron as Vice-President and Horace Greeley as Treasurer. On suggestion of John Leavy the name of "Union Colony" was adopted. The plan of co-operation outlined by Meeker and adopted by the organization did not involve communal ownership of things of personal use, such as homes and farms aq.d their furnishings, but only the things of social use, such as public buildings, grounds, streets and roads and the waterways that would be essential to the success of the commonweal th. 30 THE TURNING POINT IN THE FORTUNES OF WELD COUNTY

An Executive Committee was elected, whose first duty was the selection of a Locating Committee. In the .course of the pro­ ceed.in~ it had been decided tbat the scene of the new enterprise should be somewhere in the West. Both Nathan Meeker and Hor­ ace Greeley had traveled through the western country and both favored the Territory of Colorado. Meeker described the region that is Weld county as in his mind the best that could be found, and Greeley supported the choice. However it was not thought best that the exact location should be decided upon at that meeting but that it should be left to the Locating Committee. Moreover it was thought best that a pub­ lic statement of the exact location should not be made, lest by the time the Colony could be ready for locating the land might be bought up by speculators and held at exhorbitant prices. The executive committee named Nathan Meeker, R. A. Cameron and Richmond Fisk as Locating Committee. However, it later developed that Fisk could not serve and that Henry T. West of Omaha took his place. West met the other two at Omaha on the westward way. The membership roll signed that day in Cooper Institute numbered 438; later 297 others joined, making a total of 735. Not all were active colonists, some only honorary, which meant that they paid their assessments and dues and thus helped the enterprise but remained in their eastern homes. Each member paid $5 for current expenses and $150 for a fund for the pur­ chase of land and equipment. The Locating Committee set out for the West early in February, 1870. They traveled over the Union Pacific to Chey­ enne, thence southward to Evans, the terminus of the road. From Evans they traveled by stage to Denver where they were met by Ex-Territorial Governor Hunt. The Governor gave them muc3 valuable assistance. How near Union Colony and the town c,f Greeley came to being located in the Pike's Peak neighborhood, or above Pueblo, or in the San Luis basin is fully described by David Boyd in his 31 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

History of Union Colony; but it need only be mentioned in passing that it might have been at another place had not Nathan Meeker first seen Weld county. Evans was considered, but the reason it was not selected was, according tc, Boyd, that it already had a town with char­ actistics of its own; a railroad population that did not meet the committee half way on the subject of temperance. The Call issued by Nathan Meeker had stated that: "I propose to unite with the proper persons in the establishment of a colony, etc" and Horace Greeley had interpreted the word "proper" to mean "temperate, moral, industrious and intelligent." Evans might be all the rest, but was not "temperate" according to the definition of the committee. Temperance was to be the basis of the new society, and upon no other rock did they believe they could build. And upon that they did build, and the structure has out­ lived the life-span of most of its builders, serving to the present day as a check-rein to the influences of intemperance that' have constantly beaten upon it from the uncomprehending outside. So, because of the fact that liquor was being sold in the rail­ road tow11 of Evans, with no probabiiity of its being discontin­ ued, the cc,mmittee moved on a few miles northward before driving their stake. But just as the hammer was lifted over the stake B. F. Eaton stepped into the picture. He advised them to see the Box Elder valley before driving the stake; he thought the land north of Evans was poor and would likely give out after a year or two of cropping. But even this failed to win the Con1mittee from their first love, and the stake went down. Then came the colonists. The first to pitch a tent (see footnote) was John F. Sanborn on April 18, 1870, the second Mrs. Agnes Benson, April 19. The wc.rking body of the colonists came during the spring and sum­ mer of that year.

One who read the n1anuscript of this History before publication asked the question: "Were there really tents, or is this simply figurative language?~· There ,-.·ere, really tents; not many, but several. They gener­ ally served only until more substantial structures could be built. 32 THE TURNING POINT IN THE FORTUNES OF WELD COUNTY

April 5 has gone down in history as the anniversary of the Colony, but that means the date on which the final legal location was effected. A box car, housing the telegraph and ticket offices, with a rough platform made from cast-off railroad ties formed the station. After the location had been definitely decided upon, both Meeker and Cameron returned to New York, but West stayed to receive the arriving colonists and, as far as possible, to make arrangements for their comfort pending the time they could es­ tablish their own homes. He bought and moved from Cheyenne a large wooden building, placed it on the location and converted it into a hotel. It was necessarily a primitive structure, but was dest!ned to become a famous land mark under the high-sounding name of "The Hotel de Comfort." It was reinforced after its uneasy journey over fifty uneven miles, and placed at the corner of what is now Seventh avenue and Eighth street, but what was first named Jefferson and l\1ain streets. After it was properly propped and braced, a lean-to kitchen was added. A board wall divided it through the middle, the east side being for bachelors and ''temporary" widowers, and the west side for families. This was made "home-like" by a double row of bunks running along each side with a narrow passage way between leading southward to the added kitchen which was also dining room. A long pine table running through the center with benches fastened to the floor completed the furnishing of the dining room, and a cook stove performed the same office for the kitchen. An unapprecia­ tive, perhaps dispeptic, early colonist dubbed this hostlery the "Hotel DIS-Comfort". But another~ with gentler spirit and more poetic soul, named it: "An Elim of delight, with pine trees and wells of pure water for the weary traveler from off the Arabian desert; a safe refuge and abiding place ... with always room for one more." Such was the difference in colonists. As fast as houses could be built or tents put up families moved out of the Hotel de Comfort, leaving room for the next arrivals. Even the "temporary" widowers often built their houses 33 A msTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

and surprised their families by being all ready for housekeeping on their arrival. The houses erected were small and primitive, and the women of the colony had to be as strongly imbued with the spirit of. the pioneer as were the men to make homes of them at all. But they were so imbued and they did make homes. Max Clark in his "Colonial Days" says the burdens fell heaviest upon the women; their world was home, and this was such a travesty. But they met its hardships as bravely as did the men. To illustrate the general type of house the following story is given: Mrs. L. L. Wyatt, who passed away in 1933, was a mem­ ber of the Beetham family. She and the other children had their bed on the floor of their little tent house, and one windy night she was awakened by a slap on her face followed by a terrific gust of wind and cutting sand. The tent had been lifted and carried away and ·the slap she had felt was the canvas in pass­ ing. The father and mother did their best to hold the bed clothes down over the children for the balance of the night. At break of day they gathered up their little broud and flew to the friend- ., - - - - ly shelter of the Hotel de Comfort.

WATER, THE FIRST AND BIGGEST QUESTION Until the first wells were dug water had to be carried from the river in buckets and hauled in barrels. Water in the first ,-.·eHs was not good and typhoid fever took a number of colonists. Then some of the wells were sunk to artesian depth and good water secured. But not all wells reached that depth. One that did occupied a place in the center of Lincoln Park, served the town for many years and is now marked by a rock fountain. But something more than wells was needed to supply the fields if grain was to be raised, there£ ore three canals were laid out and numbered 1, 2 and 3. This numbering was according to the point at w:hich they were taken from the river; No. 1, the "high line," was to tap the river at the farthest point; No. 2 at a point less distant and No. 3 but a few miles from the settle­ ment; all from the Poudre river. 34 THE TURNING POINT IN THE FOR.TUNES OF WELD COUNTY

No. 3 was first constructed; No. 2 next and No. 1 not at all until much later when it was merged· into another enterprise. However, there was a ditch already operating when the colonists came, known as the Boyd ditch be~use built by Robert Boyd; but it was built to supply only the lands lying under it and was, of course, not equal to the new demand the colony created. Canals No. 1 and 2 were communal property, financed and built by the colonists and enlarged as time went on to meet the growing needs of the colony.

35 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

THE TOWN OF GREELEY, WHEN SURVEYED, BY WHOM, AND HOW THE STREETS WERE NAMED. The survey was made by E. S. Nettleton and Frank C. Avery. One square mile was laid out according to a map drawn by John F. Sanborn, patterned after the town of Plainsville, Ohio. (This information from the Memorial Edition of the Gree­ ley Tribune, June 10, 1910.) A re-drawing of the map was made by J. L. Wh:te in l\:Iarch 1871, on fine parchment paper and is now in the lvleeker Memorial Museum. Streets running east and west were given the names of forest trees and those running north and south the names c,f distin­ guished persons, mostly Presidents. It was the plan to carry out the street forest tree names in a scheme of street decoration; as, for instance, on Spruce street only spruce trees to be planted; on Elm, Pine, Walnut and others same as the name. And one cannot but ,vonder if the beauty of the town might not have been enhanced, uniqueness emphasized and convenience improved had this never been changed; and if the study of fores try might not have ha~ a stronger appeal to the citizens if so attractive an object lesson had always been before them. But this was not to be. Before the growth of trees could establish this scheme of decoration a mayor was elected whom the people so respected that they gave up their dream of a novel and artistic street decoration because, in his judgment, number­ ing both ways would be better, the course of streets east and west., north and south to be designated only by the appellation of "streets" and "avenues". This was Mayor Hunter, in the year 1884. As will be seen, the street farthest north was named Mag­ nolia. Following southward in their order were: Vine, Olive, Oak, Spruce, Maple, then Main which was supposed to be the center of town and is the present Eighth street; then on south­ ward, Walnut, Pine, Chestnut, Linden, Cherry, Plum, Locust and Mulberry. Then, running north and south as the avenues today, be­ ginning at the east end of town were: Franklin, Beecher, Taylor, 36 THE TURNING POINT IN THE FORTUNES OF WELD COUNTY

Harrison, Lincoln, Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Adams, Jackson, Grant, Sherman, Scott. The Park lay between l\'.Ionroe and Adams, and Maple and Walnut, with Main street running the two blocks constituting the Park. Each division of the park had a lake and the whole was known as "The Plaza."* The Cache la Poudre has changed its course somewhat since the laying out of the town of Greeley, but the map shows its original course. In 1884 the street names were changed as follows: be­ ginning at the north end of town and taking the streets running

*The early maps show but one Park, not divided by Eighth street; show Eighth coming up to it from both east and west but not crossing it. No record can be found showing when Eighth street was opened through the Park, yet it is not within the memory of the oldest inhabitant, so far as this History has been able to find, when tha.t street did not cross the Park just as it does now. So the conclusion is that traffic always crossed the park, and that when the time came to grade and curb the streets that driveway was curbed and graded same as all others. 37 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

east and west; now bearing the appellation of "street"; Mag­ nolia, 2nd; Vine, 3rd; Olive, 4th; Oak, 5th; Spruce, 6th; Maple, 7th; Main, 8th; Walnut, 9th; Pine, 10th; Chestnut, 11th; Lin­ den, 12th; Cherry, 13th; Plum, 14th; Locust, 15th; Mulberry, 16th. Running north and south, now avenues: Frank1in, 1st; Beecher, 2nd; Taylor, 3rd; Harrison, 4th; Lincoln, 5th; Wash­ ington, 6th; Jefferson, 7th; Madison, 8th; Monroe, 9th; Adams, 10th; Jackson, 11th; Grant, 12th; Sherman, 13th; Scott, 14th. All avenues.

TREE CULTURE UNDER GREAT DIFFICULTIES Almost without exception the colonists had come from wooded countries, and a country without trees was to them a barren waste. They had known before they came that this was a prairie country, but a full realization of what a prairie country would be like came only with their arrival. It brought a shock and a great disappointment to many, and naturally their first thought was to convert the barren land into a wooded country, which did not seem to them a difficult thing to do; but that was before they tried it. Some, knowing "in a general way that they· were coming to a prairie country, brought with them shrubs and saplings, and these they immediately planted around their new homes. Jesse Edward Billings was one of these, and his daugh­ ter, Mrs. Gene Williams, says that after the roots were planted he carried water in buckets to keep them alive until a well could · be dug. David Boyd, in his History of Union Colony states that N. C. Meeker bought a car load of trees, both fruit and shade, for which he paid $1,400; that the shipment arrived before the water was available and that he "heeled them in" down by the river to await the water. It came in June of that first year and all trees were set out, but few of them survived that first winter and none the second, which was the record-breaking hard winter of 1871-2. That was the worst winter ever yet known in this region, claiming not only the lives of trees and shrubs, but also of man and beast. THE TURNING POINT IN THE FORTUNES OF WELD COUNTY

But trees the colonists felt they must have, if not the larch, the spruce and the evergreen, then at least the humble cotton­ wood. This tree covered the river banks, thriving without spec­ ial care, thus proving not only its nativity, but its sturdy health and consequent power of resistence to unfavorable conditions. The following ·spring many shoots and saplings were pulled up from their native sands along the river banks and transplanted by the hundreds throughout the town and over the country; and when the next winter came these sturdy children of the plains stood up undaunted and snapped their fingers in the face of Old · Man Winter. But-and it looked somewhat like ingratitude---years later when the people of Greeley had learned the art of cultivating trees of a finer breed, they began their ruthless war of extinction of the cottonwood. Of course, the cottonwoods did shed their cot­ ton and spoil the looks of lawns and gardens, and so had to go; but deep down in many a pioneer heart there must have been a tender sentiment and a lingering regret for the good old ,cotton­ wood that had proven itself so truly a "friend in need."

THE COLONY FEN CE The parting injunction of Horace Greeley to the colonists about to start westward had been, "No fences and no rum." From this it would seem that in the estimation of the great editor fences and rum belonged in the same category, as things to be shunned and never admitted into the colony. But at that time neither the great editor nor his people knew the West as it was. Rum might be kept out, but the fence was an imperative need, sometimes. This region was not supposed to have been intended by the All-wise Creator for agriculture. Explorer Long had said so, General Pope, Military commander for the Wes tern Division, had said so and the cattlemen believed it, so came in and took possession. Then along came a lot of what seemed to the cattle men "impractical" easterners and founded an agricultural colony right in the very heart of the cattle range. Naturally the 39 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO cattleman looked on in disgust. Those easterners needed a lesson, and they were going to get it. The cattle were going to range at their own free will as they had always done, and if somebody planted a garden patch on their wide domain, the cattle would undoubtedly enjoy the change of diet. So they watched the foolish easterners plant gardens, plow fields and sow seed; watched them working day and night to dig ditches to carry the water to the thirsty patches; and, to their astonishment, saw green things begin to grow; not very well, but better than could have been expected. The long-horned Texans saw it too, and it looked good to them. The country had not yet emerged far enough from its orig­ inal chaos to have laws covering all contingencies. Protection of agriculture from stock was too new a need to have, as yet, laws on the statute books regarding it; so the owners of the long-horns were not held responsible for the gratification of the animals' taste for the tempting green vegetables and grains of the colonists. So, if the colonists wanted the vegetables and grain for themselves, clearly there was but one thing to do, and that was to fence in their ac:rJs. And the friction between the rangers and the ranch­ ers, the cattlemen and the farmers, grew more marked with each passing day. It was just at this critical time that Horace Greeley visited the colony, and of course the colonists turned to him for advice. And Greeley was equal to the emergency. Promptly he set aside his motto of "No fences and no rum" so far as the fences were l concerned, and advised his people to build a fence all around their whole domain. It was a collossal undertaking and one not counted in on their expense fund; but it had to be done; without it their whole plan must be wrecked. So they built it. It cost about $400 per mile, a total of about $20,000, and it made a serious inroad into their dwindling treasury. But after it was completed and the $20,000 spent, they still were without full protection. They were not permitted to put gates across the public roads, so all the cat­ tle had to do was to follow the fence to where a gap would be 40 THE TURNING POINT IN THE FORTUNES OF WELD COUNTY found and pass around it into green pastures and the fine free lunches awaiting them. The colonists wondered what they could do next. But they put their heads together and a plan evolved; it was the estab­ lishment of a cattle pound.

THE CATTLE POUND AND WHAT CAME OF IT The plan was to build an inclosure within the town of Gree­ ley, and whenever cattle were found tresspassing on fields or gardens to drive them in, fasten and guard the gate and release them only on payment of damages by their owners. Lc,oked like a good plan, but difficulties developed; they had to feed the cat­ tle while in the pound, which rapidly depleted the supplies on hand for their own stock. If they were not fed the inclosure would hardly be strong enough to hold them, which was a con­ sideration in addition to the cruelty involved. And guards wuuld have to be kept at the gate day and night. At least the colonists at first supposed so, but as time went on and no spectacular at­ tempt was made to release the captive cattle, their vigilance re­ laxed to the point of keeping only one man on duty at the gate. And that was how it happened that upon a Sabbath day \vhen all the men were at church-of course--but the guard at the gate, and he as sound asleep as if he had been, a raid was made by the cattlemen, the gate thrown open and the cattle rushed over the hills toward Evans. Not that Evans had a thing to do with it; it was only a co-incidence; but the relations be­ tween the two towns were not so brotherly even at that early date but what the collective colonist wagged the collective head and said: "Uh-huh, I told you so." Finally permission was obtained from the legislature to put gates across the public roads and keep them closed during the gro\"\ring season of seven months. This was by the legislature of 18 72-3, and at the next session a bill passed allowing com­ munities to form "fence districts." But this was so buund up and tied down with red tape that it was of little use to the farm­ ers. The bill provided that the county commissioners should 41 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

pass along the fence and decide whether or not it was a "legal" one. If two of the commissioners happened to be stock men, it seldom was a legal one. The colonists would then have to recon­ struct the fence at their own expense or accept the consequence of a legally non-existent enclosure. And when they did recon­ struct the fence they were dubbed "Greeley Saints," and accused of trying to fence themselves in "from the heathen hereabouts." And so, "between the devil and the deep sea," they generally chose the deep sea, enduring the name of "Saints" with what equanimity they could command. But as agriculture spread, gradually encroaching upon the cattle range, the cattlemen drove their dwindling herds farther to the west and north, leaving the field to the farmers without further protest. And so a time of leveling down both fences and prejudices arrived, and now both are comparatively but a mem­ ory. This time did not come, however, until the late '70s or early '80s.

OTHER COLONIES. FIRST, THE ST. LOUIS-WESTERN The first meeting calling for the organization of the St. Louis-Western Colony tuok place at Oakdale, Illinois, N ovem­ ber 29, 1870. It was held in the Reformed Presbyterian Church and Rev. A. C. Todd was its chairman. The deliberations were opened with prayer by the Rev. Todd, after which he told of his recent visit to the Territory of Colorado, his favorable impres­ sions of the country, of what was being done by another Colony at Greeley and what he believed could be done by a colony at Evans. James W. Pinkerton, who had been in at the founding of the Greeley colony, gave valuable information regarding the western country and the advantages of colonization. As the first step toward organization a committee consisting of James W. Pinkerton, John M. McCutcheon and James Beall was elected to draft a constitution and select a name. The con­ stitution was drafted and the name, "The St. Louis-Wes tern Colony" adopted. Rev. Todd was made President of the organ- 42 THE TURNING POINT IN THE :FORTUNES OP WELD COUNTY ization, J. W. Pinkerton, Vice-President, C. F. Hartman, Secre­ tary and J. M. McCutcheon, Treasurer. These with N. C. Cole, brother of the mayor of St. Louis, and Cotton C. Bradbury of Boston constituted the b&ard of trustees. J. M. McCutcheon was formerly a member of the lliinois legislature and a wealthy and enterprising citizen. The meeting was harmonious, and later meetings are de­ scribed (in Experiments in Colonization, by Willard and Goody­ kountz, p. 364) as attracting much attention, the church being crowded each time and great interest manifested. The selection of Evans as the site for the new Colony met with universal approval. There were 400 members when the colony arrived and 75 others who were already citizens of Evans, joined the organization. Colorado papers gave the new colony a cordial welcome, the Rocky Mountain News leading off with the statement that "Colorado Territory was very fortunate in securing the location of the colony." The Daily Tribune of Denver said: "The men at the head of this movement are all prominent and influential in the localities from which they came, and they bring with them material for a population that Colorado may well be proud to get." The colony was to have complete control of the town site, and a tract of 40,000 acres of what was known as the Evans & Carr lands. Surely never did a colony start out under more favorable circumstances nor with brighter prospects than did the St. Louis­ Western at Evans. The Daily Tribune of Denver in its issue of lVf arch 2 7. 18 71, said: "There is no point in Colorado with more natural advantages nor surer to come up by reason of them than Evans." The Greeley Tribune, then about four months old, published a welcoming article from which it might be deduced that the glories of Evans had dimmed a little before the coming of the colonists, but would now be fully restored, because, "last Mon­ day the last fountain of supply of Old Man Adam, the grog-shop, 43 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO was reported as dried up. We understand the colony is composed of nice folks, part of them being from Boston and a large porfon from St. Louis, the leading element being of the Covenanter persuasion, to which we extend the right hand of fellowship." Relative to the "glories" that might have belonged to Evans and dimmed somewhat before the arrival of the colon~sts, the Denver Daily Tribune of October 20, 1869, spoke of Evans as the "County seat of Weld county." But this was a technical mis­ take, as the County Seat at that time was Latham. But Latham, being only a stage station and fort, and no territorial limits being fixed for Evans, that young and aspiring town might easily have extended its sheltering arm over the little fort and t h e r e b y claimed the County Seat. The town of Evans, named for Hon. John Evans, Governor of the Territory and official of the U. P. Railroad, was enthusi­ astically spoken of as "the hub of the universe." It was even a rival of Denver for future state honors. As one Drake, a writer for the Cheyenne Argus, expressed it: "Evans is about fifty-five miles from Cheyenne, and maybe a little farther from Denver; but as ~~at place amounts to so little it makes no difference how far it is from there." This was in the halcyon days of Evans, the days that gave promise of growing brighter as time should go on. Temperance had no foothold in those days. The Denver Tribune, speaking of improvements rapidly going forward, stated that the Denver Ale Company had purchased a number of lots and would "im­ prove" right away by building business places upon them; and that Murray & Drake had also bought lots and would erect thereon a wholesale liquor store. So improvements went on, for a time, but, according to the Greeley Tribune Evans must have shown symptoms of an early decline. Then came the new colony with a new blood transfusion and it revived and gave promise of a bright future. The colony was made up mostly of Covenanters; its organization had been opened with prayer which was more than could be said for Union colony, and was therefore expected to take and hold the 44 THE TURNING POINT IN THE FORTUNES OF WELD COUNTY lead in all matters of morality and religion and to banish strong drink for all time. Union colony therefore extended the right hand of fellowship, acknowledging leadership. But alas for the uncertainty of human expectations. The saloon remained in Evans, which led Editor Meeker to say, April 26, 1871, "As they are only just beginning not much can be said of their movements; but we wc,uld remark that we do not under­ stand how a religious people, as we have believed them to be, can be willing to locate where a liquor store is running full blast and a brewery brewing ruin." However~ in justice to the Covenanters it should be explained that the continuance of the saloon was not of their doing; it was strictly against their principles, but it was also against their principles to vote; hence when it came to a decision the salovn element had its way. This explanation was probably not known to Editor Meeker, and might not have been considered valid if it had been, for it was his conviction that whatever people wanted they should vote for. After eight months the Greeley Tribune pointed out that the difference between the two colonies was now quite distinct, and that the different attitudes on temperance marked that dis­ tinction, and he said, almost mournfully: "Evans has saloons; Greeley has none; when the circus comes along it makes its ring at Evans, and if the Greeleyites want to see its wonders they must patronize their worldly neighbor with whom the Greeley Puritanism is a jest and a by-word." Evans was the barometer by which the progress of the region was read; crops found any where were accorded to the country "round about Evans"; all shipping was through Evans. One dealer reported having received 300 tons of hay valued at $7,000 through Evans. Also such reports as 22,000 bushels of. wheat; 75,000 of potatoes, etc., including $1,000 f rum the sale of asparagus, all credited to Evans. One writer said: "This large and rich county of Weld represents opportunities for growth and advancement not found in any other county in the state. And Evans is its capitol." 45 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY. COLORADO

But in face of it all the Greeley Tribune said, "We do not yet see how they can succeed with three liquor shops and a gambling saloon running. True these were there when the colony came, so no violence should be done; but they should be dis­ posed of in some quiet way and then when another tries to push in, give it Hail Columbia." These were great days in Evans. They celebrated the com­ pletion of the big bridge across the Platte with supper and song; their printing press had arrived and they were telling the world what they were doing. A first class hotel had started while Gree­ ley was still living in the Hotel de ( or dis) Comfort; they had horses and buggies, a good livery barn, a brick yard, and a mer­ chant from Cheyenne opened a general store and they all went on a picnic on the Fourth of July; while Greeley had to be con­ tent to stay at home and raise a flag pole in the Park. But by and by, irrigation making headway in the Greeley neighborhood and extending northward, Weld county began to be allied more with her northern neighbors, and Greeley there­ fore b~me nearer the center of activity than Evans. And also there is no doubt but the long drawn-out contest between Gree­ ley and' Evans over the County Seat (as explained elsewhere in this History) with its final loss to Evans had its ef feet. At the sixty year milepost the U. S. census- gives Evans a population of 540, Greeley 12,203. Without a doubt economic causes as well as the liquor question effected this result; but the observa­ tion may be made that the "larger liberty" of Evans did not save the day nor the "Puritanism" of Greeley defeat it.

THE SOUTHWESTERN COLONY THAT FOUNDED GREEN CITY Dilligent search among histories and documents has failed to afford the slightest clue to the actual beginning of the South­ western Colony. It has been easy to trace the Union and St. Louis-Wes tern back to their first inception, but not so the South­ western; so if this History gives more space to the others than to this it must not be attributed to unfairness, but only to the 46 THE TURNING POINT IN THE FORTUNES OF WELD COUNTY fact above stated. In the absence of definite knowledge of its origin, we may have to conclude that, like the famous "Topsy'' in "Uncle Tom's Cabin," it "just growed." The first tangible evidence of the existence of the South­ western colony was given by the Rocky Mountain News on Feb­ ruary 15, 1871, when it was stated that it had been organized by David S. Green, of Memphis, Tennessee, and would soon reach Denver with twenty-seven of the members to locate in this ter­ ritory. Then, a month later, the Denver Tribune stated that it was here and would locate on the Platte about 75 miles below Denver (eastward). Then the Greeley Tribune stated that a colony had located about 28 miles below Greeley. So, what­ ever its origin it can reasonably be stated that it arrived. The Denver Tribune said the colony had taken up about 5,000 acres of government land and had about twenty-five members on the ground with at least a hundred more expected. And that its lo­ cation had been named Green City in honor of its founder. It seemed not to have been based on any definite co-operative plan as was Union and St. Louis-Western, nor yet to have been strictly "on its own" as was Platteville. And its founders seem not to have had much of an object other than to emigrate and to take up land and build a ditch to irrigate it. The Denver Tribune, however, declared the idea was to form a mining company. This guess was based upon the state­ ment made to the Denver Tribune that a good proportion of the money subscribed had been set aside for the purchase of mining machinery, "to work 300 feet of the Rolls County lode, and 500 feet of the Egyptian lode on Quartz Hill." That paper further stated that this idea had been somewhat rnodified, which gave evidence of good judgment on the part of the management, since, so far as is known, there has never been a "Rolls County," nor an "Egyptian lode," nor a "Quartz Hill" in this region. But out of this Southwestern colony seems to have devel­ oped a "Colony Farm Joint Stock Company," with a capital stock of $20,000, whose corporate life was to extend only to the 47 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

end of 18 71 unless vtherwise ordered by the stock holders. And at the end of that time the stock, implements, produce, etc., were to be sold and the proceeds divided among the stock holders. An irrigating ditch was to be constructed with sufficient water to supply each farm of 160 acres. This was to have a life of twenty years, but there was no mention of the Joint Stock farm after that first year. There was a time, according to the Hand Book of Colorado published in Denver in 1872, when the Southwestern sought a division of Weld county, the cut-off to be called Platte, with Green City as its County Seat. But there is nv record of this ever having been done. Many interesting stories have been told of this unique col­ ony. It has not been possible to penetrate to their sources to determine their truth or falsity, but some of them are too inter­ esting to pass by. Here is one of them: It has to de, with the advertisements sent abroad through Tennessee and elsewhere, one of which states that passengers buying tickets to the colony location. would be "transported by rail to the junction of the Platte and from thence by steamboat the balance of the way." Tc/Weld county citizens in this year of 1938 who know the Platte river to be narrower in places than many of the irrigating ditches this sounds like a good joke, but to the colonists of 18 71 it may not have been such a joke after all, for a deeper research into the records furnished by the newspapers of a still earlier date disclose evidence that tend to rob the joke of its point altogther. Back in 1859 the Rocky l\,lountain News carried a depart­ ment under the heading of "Boat Departures"; The History of Agriculture Jn, Colorado on page 188 gives five quotations from that department. The issue of April 29, 1859, states that three boats had left within the last three days "with emigrants bound for the states." September 10 of that year notes the departure of "three scows, the Ute, the Cheyenne and the Arapahoe," the last named bein~ "bound for New Orleans with passengers and freight." Another issue in the same September quotes the Clipper Pittsburgh with eight passengers bound for Pittsburgh, to trans- 48 THE TURNING POINT IN THE FORTUNES OP WELD COUNTY fer to a St. Louis steamer October 6, 1859, and lists the "Empire State" as sailing for St. Joseph, Missouri. The last departure noted was on June 14, 1862, when "three gentlemen had built a boat and furnished it with sleeping and cu0king accommodations so that they need not land nor lay over until the end of the voyage at Plattsmouth in Nebraska.

49 CHAPTER III THE EXPEDITION OF ZEBULON MONTGOMERY PIKE, 1806-07 Though Pike may not actually have set foot on the territory that fifty-five years later becan1e Weld county, he certainly did traverse the great untamed wilds that embraced it; and his ad­ venture formed the initial part of the great trek westward. After the United States government had consummated the Louisiana Purchase and come into possession of that vast indef­ inite domain west of the Mississippi River, knowledge of the territory became of importance. As yet, the need of expansion was not being felt, but it was to meet a future need that this great don1ain had been purchased. And, in anticipation of the time when it would be needed, a number of expeditions were sent out from Washington at different times for the purpose of exploring the territory. One of the earliest of these was the expedition of Zebulon M. Pike, in 1806-7. Pike, a young officer of the regular army which was then under the command of James Wilkinson as Commander General of the •Military Forces of the United States, was commissioned to cross the plains to the Rocky Mountains and bring back in­ formation upon which future plans might be based. His first duty, however, though incidental to the main ob­ jective, was to convoy under United States protection a band of Osage Indians that had been held captive by the Pottawattamies, back to their own lands and people. And also to escort to their native homes a number of Osage and Pawnee Chieftains who had been visiting the Great White Father in Washington. The land of the Pottawattamies was within the territory that is now Illinois. At this time there was friction between the United States government and Spain over boundary lines. These lines had never been definitely stated in any transaction involving the territory, neither when it passed from France to Spain, nor when back again to France; nor, for the matter of that, when it was first claimed for France by the explorer, Sieur de La Salle. Always so THE EXPEDITION OF ZEBULON MONTGOMERY PIKE it had been described in such vague terms as "From the Rocky 01 mountains to the Pacific"·' "Lands unknown" ' and "Re0 ..ons unexplored"; and for three hundred years nothing more def- inite was attempted. But now, with the establishment of an in­ dependent American government, such boundaries were no longer satisfactory. Spain contended that the United States govern­ ment was reaching beyond the limits of any thing that should have been included, even in the claims of La Salle. So every move of the United States toward exploration was being jealously watched by Spain. Pike was under constant, though secret, sur­ veilliance while making preparations for his expedition, and re­ ports of his activities went before him to all the Spanish agents of the South and Southwest; and it was this that led to the dis­ aster that finally ended his expedition. Pike's original command consisted of: Lieut. James E. Wilkinson, son of the General; Dr. John Robinson, sergeants Joseph Ballinger and William E. Meek, Corporal Jeremiah Jack-· son, Interpreter Baronet ( familiarly called by Pike "Baroney") Vasquez, and sixteen private soldiers from the regular army; 22 in all. This expedition left St. Louis July 11, 1806, went to Belle Fountain on right bank of the Missouri River, and left the can­ tonment there July 16, 1806. Within the next six weeks they made the necessary detour to the land of the Pottawattamies, received the captive Osages and delivered them safely to their people in the Great Osage village, about fifteen miles northeast of the present city of Fort Scott, Kansas. Here Pike procured horses for his farther journey westward. He left the Grand Osage village on September 1. 1806, with fifteen loaded horses. His command, being here augmented by recruits from both the ?awnee and the Osage Indians, now numbered thirty. The expedition bore northwestward through what is now I~ansas, reaching the Pawnee Republic on September 2 5. Here discomforting rumors of Spanish surveilliance reached him, the information being that a group of 300 had preceeded him and would be likely to lay in wait at some strategic point. A.lso he was told that it was here that the Spanish had met and 51 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

vanquished an Expedition under Sparks, some months before. From this the Indians reasonably concluded that the Spaniards had great power and were a formidable enemy, and out of friend­ ship for Pike they did their best to persuade him to turn back. But Pike replied that the young ,varriors with him had been sent by the Great American Father to find out about his country to the west and could not turn back. So, with many misgivings, the friendly Indians saw the white "warriors" move on. At what is now the site of Great Bend, Kansas, the expedi­ tion divided, Lieut. Wilkinson with five soldiers and two guides to descend the Arkansas river, and Pike with the rest of the com­ pany to push on westward. As near as can be guessed from later happenings, the latter division reached Colorado by the end of October or early in November; for it was on November 15, 1806, that Pike caught his first view of the Rocky mountains and the lofty peak that still bears his name. This from the mouth of the Purgatory river. In his journal Pike wrote: "About two in the afternoon I thought I could distinguish a mountain off to our right. It appeared like a small blue cloud, but half an hour later came into clear enough view to convince the whole company, who simultaneously broke out into three lusty cheers for the Mexican Mountain." Two days later he describes the first experience of the white man with that peculiar phenomenon, the hallucination of dis­ tance; the same that was experienced by members of Long's ex­ pedition fourteen years later, and that has been experienced by every traveler in the mountains since that day. He wrote: "We marched with our usual speed, expecting at once to come upon the mountain, but after six days found no visible dif­ f ere.nee in distance." It is not clearly stated by any historian just when or where the following incident took place, though. all agree that it did t~ke place; but it must have been somewhere on the way between the Pawnee Republic and what has since become Colorado ter­ ritory, and likely before the sighting of the great peak. The story is that Pike and Robinson left their temporary 52 THE EXPEDITION OF ZEBULON MONTGOMERY PIKE camp and started out on a hunt for buffalo to reinforce their supply of food, which circumstance shows that their expedition could not have been very well supplied with provisions; indeed, quite the contrary, as we shall see later. Pike and Rob~nson were not experienced hunters, nor could they have been in the slightest degree familiar with the country; so they lost their way over the trackless desert and wandered for two days without food or shelter from the keen November winds. Finally, after many anxious hours of wandering, by a path they never could find again, when the daylight dawned on the third day they found the camp just before them. But joy and thankfulness for their safe return was tempered with disappoint­ ment and dark forebodings for the future when they learned that in their absence a band of maruading Pawnees, returning from a raid on the Comanche's country, had raided the camp and car­ ried off everything that suited their fancy. They had so far out­ numbered the men in camp that resistance was clearly worse than useless, and so in despair the men had watched their meager sup­ plies disappear. 'J.'his put the expedition almost wholly on its own, with de­ pendence upon the hunt as their only hope for fighting off starv­ ation. And this with bleak winter almost upon them. The won­ der is that they were able to carry on at all. The average person can hardly get a slight conception of the spirit of determination and daring that must have carried them onward. On November 23, eight days after they had first sighted the ~reat Peak, they stopped; and Pike directed his men to throw up an embankment five feet high on three sides, the other open­ ing to the river, to furnish something of protection from the weather, and from which explorations might go forward. The historian Smilie says there is no record of Pike's having run up the American flag over this encampment, but that it would have been only true to his daring nature to have done so; and that, if he did, it was the first American flag to float over future Colorado soil. But whether he did plant the flag there or not we know that he did later, which act led to the down­ fall of his expedition. 53 A IDSTORY OF WELD COUNl'Y, COLORADO

They were now nine days nearer the beckoning peak than they were when they had caught the first glimpse of its splendor; they could not be far away; so Pike and Robinson started again about noon on November 24, this time accompanied by two sol­ diers; they were going to walk to the base of the peak that lured them and return to camp at night. In spite of past experiences they believed it could be done; but after they had traveled twelve miles the base seemed no nearer. However, the daylight was gone and they could not return to camp, so there was nothing else to do but to spend the night where they were. It is not hard to be­ lieve Pike's record which states that this night was spent in great discomfort. But early on the morning of the twenty-fifth (November, 1806) they were again on the march and again nightfall caught them, not at the base of the great peak, but at an elevation to the southeast of it. This was, most likely, Cheyenne Mountain, some ten or twelve miles from the peak we call Pike's. On the morning of the 26th, thinking it best to travel as light as possible, since that would be the day when they would reach the great peak, they left what blankets and provisions they had and started the ascent. They found the way extremely dif­ ficult, sometimes being obliged to climb up rocks that were al­ most perpendicular. They marched all day and camped in a cave that night without, as Pike's record says, "either biankets, vict­ uals or water.'' The following day they reached the peak, only to find that it was not that "highest peak" of their search, but one very much lo.wer, above and beyond which towered others still higher. For the sake of other ambitious climbers, who may see in such an experience only the glamour of adventure, it may be well to quote verbatim from Pike's o"rn d;ary the events of that historic day that, after all, had its compensations: "We were hungry, thirsty and extremely sore from the uneveness of the rocks that had been our bed all night, but were amply repaid for it all by the sublimity of the prospect belo\v us-the unbounded pra:rie overhung with clouds that appeared like an ocean in a storm, wave piled on wave and foaming, whilst S4 THE EXPEDITION OF ZEBULON MONTGOMERY PIKE the sky overhead was perfectly clear." Here we might break off this story long enough to give the corroboration of a group of trappers who struck Pike's trail three years later and who gave their impressions of the height of the sky-piercing peak in the following language: "It was so high that we cou.ld not see how even a cloud could have passed between its top and the sky." And now back to the story from Pike's record: ·'\Ve commenced our climb up the mountain and in about an hour arrived at the summ,it of this chain. Here we found the snow middle deep and discovered no signs of bird or beast inhab­ iting the region. The thermometer stood at 9 above zero at the foot of the mountain but here it fell to 4 below. The summit of Grand Peak which was entirely bare of vegetation and covered with snow, now appeared at a distance of 15 or 16 miles from us and as high again as the one we had ascended. It would have taken a whole day's march to have arrived at its base, when I believe no human being could have ascended to its summit. "This, with the condition of my soldiers who wore only light overalls with no stockings and were in every way ill provided to endure the inclemency of the region, the poor prospect of killing anything to subsist upon, with the further detention of two or three days which it must occasion, determined us to return. The clouds f roru below had now ascended the mountains and entireiy enveloped its summit, on which rests eternal snows. "\Ve descended by a· long, deep ravine with less difficulty than we had contemplated; found our baggage safe but our pro­ visions destroyed. It began to snow and we took shelter under a projecting rock where we all made a rneal of one partridge and two pairs of deer ribs which the ravens had left us; the first food we had eaten for 48 hours," two whole days. To this Jerome C. Smilie in his History of Colorado adds: "So ended the first attempt of Americans to scale Colorado's famous landmark, to the summit of which the locomotive now carries us''-in ease and comfort and in about 90 minutes. By two days more of labored travel, November 28 and 29, 1806, the weary travelers reached their camp at Fountain. Quot- 55 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

ing again from the tragic records of Pike's diary: "The weather was cold and stormy and it continued so with "iolence, so we remained in camp. The snow was a foot deep and the horses had to scrape it away to find their meager food beneath. And nc,w the poor animals were attacked by magpies; driven by hunger and attracted by the smell of fresh blood from the raw sores on the horses' backs, they ravenously attacked the living animals and even alighted on the arms of the men who tried to drive them off. The thermometer registered 17 below zero." They estimated the height of the mountain they had endeav­ ored to climb at 18,581 feet, but knew that their instruments were not reliable, because of the numerous mishaps by the stumbling and falling of the horses on the way. So it was not surprising to find later that they had made a miscalculation of about 4,400 feet. However, even at that, they had climbed about 12,000 feet straight up, and that, too, in the last week of November and in midwinter weather. During December of 1806 and into January of 1807 the wanderings of the party seem to have been under great bewilder­ ment. The weather was extremely severe, the snow lying waist­ deep iB tplaces, completly burying the scant food upon which the horses must depend. Their own provisions were low, too, the men often finding it necessary to go 48 hours without food. The historian Smilie says that it is impossible to get at these wander­ ings with any certainty, even Pike's own record and charts being confused; but certain it is that it was a beaten and discouraged remnant of an ambitious Expedition that came through the win­ ter, of 1806-7. In fact, many of the records and observations were seized by Spanish authorities and never returned, as will be told in the story of final capture and imprisonment by the Spaniards.

CHRISTMAS, 1806 Every man in the Expedition had been trained in the tradi­ tion of Christmas. It commemorated the day when the Chdst Child was born, when Good Will came to the world; it should be 56 THE EXPEDITION OF ZEBULON MONTGOMERY PIKE

. observed with joy and gladness and with bountiful feasts. Pike and his men, in a camp that had been established about seven miles above where Salida now stands, came to the day before Christmas. There was now no food for the men except as they went out and hunted it; sometimes the hunt was successful but oftener not; this was one of the times when it was not. Hunger and Christmas were coming in together. They did not belong together. The hunters went forth, and on Christmas eve returned with more than they had gathered in many weeks-four buffa­ los. So when came the day came also the feast; buffalo meat in rich abundance and holding the festal board exclusively, not even salt claiming an humble place. But the thanks they returned lacked nothing of sincerity. Pike and his men were 800 miles from the frontier of civilization in the most inclement season of the year, with clothing that would have been insufficient in a New York steam-heated apartment of our own day; they were obliged to lie down at night without blankets, having been com­ pelled to cut them up for socks and other needed things, using for coverings raw buffalo hides fresh from the kill; but they were thankful this night, for they did not lie down hungry. Passing on from Christmas day, the record tells of the ar­ rival January 4, 1807, after a "hard journey," at the Royal Gorge. On the way, the horses had floundered, stumbled, and fallen, one being so badly hurt going over a precipice that it was merciful to shoot him. The exhausted horses had to be relieved of their packs, the men thereafter carrying or hauling them on improvised sleds. Only Pike himself essayed to make the passage of the Gorge. When about half way across he gave up and, turning into a small canon to the north, came out upon the summit, and then recog­ nized that the river flowing through was not the Red river, but the Arkansas. On January ninth the last of the stragglers who had been out exploring came back into camp, glad to get together but "mortified at being so egregiously deceived as to the Red river."

On January 14, 1807, Pike1 with a small party of his men, set out aga!n on what Smilie calls his "terrible and foolhardy 57 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO errand" to find the Red River. They left the horses and most of the coinpany to wait until they should return for them. Fron1 then on, the hardships of the little, perhaps foolhardy, group were almost beyond description. Into the valley of the Wet Mountains they journeyed, in four days covering, according to the records, 78 miles. At the end of that time, January 18, they camped at the base of the Sangre de Cristo range and there dis­ covered the feet of nine of the men frozen. It had been 18 below zero most of the time. Having no provisions, Pike and Dr. Robinson set forth the next morning to hunt for food. But the day brought only failure. Then rather than go back to their companions empty-handed they sheltered themselves in the crevices of the rocks as best they could to spend the night. There was no place where they could lie down without still greater discomfort; so, hungry and without covering, they passed the night leaning against the cold rocks, determined to die by themselves if need be rather than to return to camp and witness the suffering of their companions. But late in the day of the 19th they killed a buffalo, dressed it, and r~tched e3:mp with as much of the meat as they could carry; their strength was spent and they fell exhausted at the entrance to the camp.

THE LAST STAND. On January 30, 1807, Pike and his men began the construc­ tion of a stockade of wonderful description on the Rio Del Norte. It seems incredible that a company of men so few in num­ ber, weakened as they must have been by the continued lack of food and exposure to the bitter weather, could have done what it is recorded they did; but histories all agree that they did ac­ complish the unbelievable thing; so it is only for this history to tell the story as taken from the records which later events sus­ tained. The stockade was built of heavy cottonwood logs, two feet in diameter, laid six feet high and carried on six feet higher with lighter ones, with a lap of two feet at each corner. A small ditch 58 THE EXPEDITION OF ZEBULON MONTGOMERY PIKE was dug on the inside, and stakes six inches in diameter and tall enough to reach above the top driven down, slanting over the top with about two or three feet projection, making the scal­ ing of the wall from the outside an impossibility. Then a ditch four feet wide was dug around the outside and an entrance made by placing a log across the ditch and hewing out a. hole in the wall big enough to allow a man to crawl through. This gave them a strong fortification against Indians and Spaniards and they felt safe from attack. Then they ran up the American flag, the very first on record to float over what is now (but was not then) Colo­ rado soil. And it was the floating of the flag perhaps more than the building of the stockade that led to their undoing, because this was construed by the Spaniards as a symbol of possession of territory that they, the Spaniards, still claimed. On February 7, 1807, the new stockade being finished, the next thing to be done was to bring the men left behind to its shelt­ er. Accordingly Pike dispatched Corporal Jackson with four men. Ten days later the Corporal returned, bringing all but two of the men. Quoting again from ·Pike's journal, slightly abridged: "They ( the Corporal and his men) said the two helpless men had hailed with tears of joy the rescuers, but were in despair when they found that they must be left behind." (These two men were unable to walk, and the four from the stockade, with the help they must give to those who could walk, were unable to carry the two helpless ones; so with promises to return as soon as possible they went on, leaving the two behind.) Continues Pike's record: "They sent me some of the bones of their feet and beseeched me by all that was sacred not to leave them to perish alone, so far from the civilized world. Oh, how little did they know my heart if they could suspect me of conduct so un­ generous. No; before they should be left to perish I would have carried the end of a litter myself for months to secure for them the happiness of once more seeing their native home and of being received into the bosom of a grateful country. The poor fellows must be invalids for life at the very commencement of manhood, doomed, unless remembered by a grateful country, to a life of 59 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

n,i"ery and want." Here Pike presupposes a pension but fore­ sees its insufficiency and its inability to compensate for the sac­ rifices the men had made; for he ends with: "For what is a pen­ sion? What man would lose even the smallest of his joints for such a pittance?" But a careful and pains-taking study of history reveals no record of the two crippled men, whose names were Dougherty and Sparks, ever having received pension or other recognition from a "grateful country." On Febuary 18, the day following the return of Corporal Jackson, Pike commissioned Sergeant Meek and private Miller to proceed to the place where· Baroney Vasquez had been left with horses and then return to the crippled men and bring them in. And in due time they returned to the stockade with Interpreter Vasquez, the two "frozen" lads, the horses and baggage. But the joy of the reunion was destroyed by a fateful thing that hap­ pened at the stockade during their absence. On the departure of Sergeant Meek and Private Miller on their e_rrand of mercy, Pike and one of the soldiers went-out to hunt. They had not gone far when they saw two horsemen rising the hill half a mile away. Pike's orders from headquarters in Washington had been to avoid offense to the Spanish govern­ ment; so, feeling sure the horsemen were Spaniards, he endeav­ ored to shun them; but when he and the soldier with him re­ treated the horsemen followed at full charge, brand:shing lances. Then Pike and the soldier concealed themselves in a small ravine out of sight of the horsemen; but the horsemen came on, hunt­ ing for them. Then Pike told the soldier to leave his gun and walk towards them, Pike in the meantime standing guard with his rifle to fire any 1noment a hand should be lifted in hostile manner. While the soldier was on his way Pike called to the horse­ men, using the only two words he knew in the Spanish language; he shouted "Americans," and "friends." Then the two horse­ men came up in friendly manner. They were a Spanish dragoon and a civilized Indian. They dismounted and sat on the ground and talked in most friendly manner and were extremely polite. 60 THE EXPEDITION OF ZEBULON MONTGOMERY PIKE

They had much difficulty in understanding each other, but the manner of speech meant more than the speech. Yet through it all Pike could not rid himself of the feeling that they were spies. At last Pike and the soldier arose and started to leave, and the visitors showed their unmistakable intention of going with them. After much effort Pike succeeded in making them under­ stand that if the Spanish Governor, Allencaster, would send an officer with an interpreter who could speak English or French, he, Pike, would give every satisfaction of his intention in com­ ing to the frontier. To this the men agreed. They spent the night on the most friendly terms at the stockade and departed the next morning, carrying with them presents, which necessarily had to be meager, to the Governor. The inen had given no hint of their real purpose and Pike had no tangible grounds for his uneasiness; but, as was. after­ wards proved, there was a very definite basis for his uneasiness, for the purpose of the horsemen had been to make sure Pike was tresspassing on Spanish territory and that the American flag floated there, designating his intention of taking possession in the name of his country. Pike had made the mistake of believ­ ing he had built on the Red river when in reality it was the Rio Del Norte, a Spanish possession. After the horsemen had gone. not knowing what to expect, Pike established a lookout on the top of a high hill where a watch was kept constantly. He had not long to wait. On the morning of February 26, a week after the departure of the horsemen, the report of a gun from the lookout informed him of the approach of strangers; and almost at once two riders appeared. They were French interpreters. They, too, were ex­ tremely polite and more friendly, if possible, than the others. Pike felt then, and knew later, that they were but hiding their real mission behind this apparent friendly concern for the wel­ fare of the Americans. They informed Pike that His Excellency, Governor Allen­ caster, in order to protect Pike and his men from an attack of the Indians whom he had been informed were planning a raid, had dispatched an officer with fifty dragoons who would reach the 61 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

stockade in about two days. But the Frenchmen were not so far in advance of the dragoons as they represented, for almost while they were speak­ ing the company came in sight. Extreme politeness and seeming friendliness still marked the manner of the Frenchmen, but Pike felt still deeper the con­ viction that this was but the friendliness that the cat may dis­ play toward the mouse just before her anticipated meal of it. In the advancing company were fifty dragoons and fifty mount­ ed soldiers of the militia of the Spanish province, all armed with lances, Spanish carbines and pistols. The two Frenchmen acted as messengers between Pike and the Spanish commander and arranged for a meeting of the two. The commander was Lieut. Don Ignacio Saltelo; and with him was Lieut. Bartholemew Fernandez. When the Spanish officers first saw that to enter the stock­ ade they must sacrifice their dignity by walking. the log across the ditch and erawling on their stomachs through the hole in the wall, they demurred; but there was no other way of entrance, so down they went and crawled through like any common men. ltfter a breakfast of deer meat, grouse and some biscuits brought by a civilized Indian, the commanding officer addressed Pike, giving him in polite language the astounding information that he had built his stockade on Spanish territory. "What?" asked Pike, "how can I be on Spanish territory? Is not this the Red River?" "No, sir,'' replied the officer, "it is the Rio Del Norte." Pike at once offered to take down his flag, since he had so unintentionally transgressed; but that was not enough to satisfy the Spanish commander. Pike was then informed that this com­ mand was here to conduct him and all his men into the presence of the Governor at Santa Fe. Pike said he could not possibly: leave at once, and told of the mission of Sergeant 1\feek and his men to bring in the two crippled memb~rs of the expedition, but said he would be ready to start as soon as they arrived. Asked how soon the party might be expected, he replied, '~In a day or two at most." But the of- 62 THE F.XPEDITION OF ZEBULON MONTGOMERY PIKE

ficer, who was very firm, notwithstanding his politeness, stated that he would leave an escort of dragoons and an interpreter to conduct Sergeant Meek and his party into Santa Fe as soon as they should arrive. Realizing that opposition .was useless, Pike consented to this arrangement. Some of his men would have preferred raising a "little dust," useless as such resistance would have been; but like good soldiers they yielded to their commander. Pike wrote a note for Sergeant l\feek telling him what had happened and instructing him to leave the stockade under orders of the Spanish convoy. Then he and his men rode forth, on Spanish horses, to whatever fate awaited them. They first stop­ ped at a place about twelve miles up the river where a camp had been prepared for them. In spite of the studied politeness of their captors, they· now knew themselves to be prisoners. This was on February 27, 1807. It may· be of interest to follow the fortunes of the captives on farther to where they entered the city of Santa Fe and the presence of the Spanish Governor, Don Joachim Real Allencaster; and then still farther on to their final liberation on July 1, 1807, after five months of captivity. From Pike's own descript~on it must have been a sorry, not to say ludicrous, spectacle that this tattered company presented as they were ushered into the august presence of the Governor. As they had carried their baggage on their backs, they had been obliged to leave behind all but the most essential articles.J so there was no use in trying to make themselves "smart" before appearing before the Great Presence. Pike himself wore blue trousers, moccasins, blanket-coat and a red cap lined with fox skin. The men wore leggins, breech cloths and leather coats; not a hat in the party. The governor at first received them in austere manner, pos­ sibly in part to hide the smile of amusement their appearance must have inspired; but after a time he relaxed and became quite friendly, even hospitable and cordial. He examined Pike's papers and then ordered the company to be conveyed to Chihua­ hua where the Commander General would further examine the 63 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO papers and question the leader. They started on this journey on March 5, 1807 and arrived on April 2. They were taken at once to the quarters of General Nimesio Salcedo, Commander General of the Interior Province of New Spain. This officer greeted them graciously, but his face also wore a smile that might have meant any thing. Then direct­ ing his remarks to Pike, he said: "You have given us a great deal of trouble." All papers in Pike's possession were, during this interview taken from him, and so the world can now never know what may have been its losses through the disaster that ended that first far-western expedition. The loss was not complete, however, owing to the foresight of Dr. Robinson, who had made copies of a number of papers, and who was not searched. Had Dr. Robin­ son been able to foresee what was to happen he undoubtedly would have made more copies, but as it was Pike was obliged to report to Col. Wilkinson that many valuable notes of astronom­ ical and meteorological observations were among the lost. Some critics have claimed that very little came out of the Pike Expedition of actual geographical or scientific value; that even the Great Peak itself bearing the name of the leader was never ascended by him but only observed from Cheyenne moun­ tain, some 15 or 16 miles away; also that according to Pike's own latitudinal and longitudinal calculations the peak itself would have been about 130 miles west of the western boundary of Colorado. But in view of the tremendous disadvantages un­ der which Pike and his men labored, such critjcisms seem un­ uharitable, even to the point of unfairness. To begin with, it must be remembered that the government did not outfit the expedition as liberally as it should have done, considering the hazards and importance of the enterprise. True the United States was a young government then and not wealthy; but while this argument could well obtain against the sending out of an expedition, it certainly cannot be urged as a reason for sending orfe out without sufficient guarantee against starva­ tion and the agonies of actual freezing. Two men, as develops in the story, were maimed for life in the loss of their feet by 64 THE EXPEDITION OF ZEBULON MONTGOMERY PIKE freezing, due almost wholly to the insufficiency of their clothing and shelter. Moreover, it would be but fair to make allowances for mis­ calculations, geographical and altitudinal, because of the fact that instruments had to be carried on pack horses that often stumbled and fell~ thus, no doubt, jarring the delicate instru­ ments out of balance. Considering all these difficulties, it is a far greater wonder that any thing could have been carried through than that still more. was not. In view of the heroism, the dauntless courage, and the fortitude with which Pike and his men met these overwhelming difficulties, the .J\.merican who ut­ ters such criticisms should forever hang his head in shame. The last long march of Pike and his men was started, ac­ cording to history, on April 28, 1807, the final destination being the .American Post at Natchitoches; Sergeant Meek and his men with the two crippled lads had not yet caught up with the main body, but Pike was assured that they would safely and surely follow. The march was by a round-about course, one can hardly understand why, through what is now New Mexico, along the lower reaches of the Rio Grande River and across Texas by way of San Antonio, and must have occupied almost two months of time, for it was on July 1st that they were finally liberated at the American Post of Natchitoches. It is said that when his eyes first beheld the edge of his own country Pike shouted: "All hail the sacred name of Country, in which is bound up all of kindred, friends and every tie dear to the heart of man.'' IT IS ONLY FAIR TO STATE: In justice to the Spanish government it should be stated that the Governor did not allow Pike and his men to make the long hard journey to their own frontier in the scanty and ludi­ crous garb in which they first appeared before him, but that he fitted them out with comfortable clothing, fed them well, fur­ nished them suitable lodgings during the whole of their five months of captivity and when liberating them on July 1, 1807, gave them ample money for reaching their homes in the East. Not all conquerors have been so just. 65 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

There is no record available, and reliable historians say none exists, of the fortunes of the little party under Sergeant Meek. It is only by inference that the conclusion is reached that they finally came through safely, reaching United States terri­ tory and freedom. It is recorded that Interpretor Vasquez was later a Lieutenant in the American army in the war of 1812, and a trader among the Indians on the Upper Missouri in 19 20 and, probably, one of the traders penetrating into what is now Weld county. But whether the two boys crippled for life were ever recognized and suitably pensioned by a "grateful country" does not appear in any subsequent documents, whose pages have been examined. But every justice-loving American must hope that, though unrecorded, a provision was made in part, at least, commensurate with the sacrifice. ***** Pike never claimed to have climbed the lofty peak that bears his name, nor even to have been the first American to be­ hold it; this honor he gives ungrudgingly to James Purcell~ whom Pike· declares in his papers to have been the first real pioneer whQ ,passed under that great peak eighteen years before Pike entered the Colorado country.

BIOGRAPHICAL Zebulon Montgomery Pike was born in Lamberton, New Jersey, January 5, 1779, and was, therefore, but 27 years of age when he led his ambitious but ill-fated expedition into the Far ·West. His father, whose full name he. inherited, together with his unusual qualities, was an officer in the Revolutionary War and in the United States Army afterwards. The son entered the father's regiment as a cadet, at the age of 15, in 1794; and six years later, November 1, 1800, received a Lieutenant's commis­ sion. Six years later, 1806, he was made Captain; then followed his western expedition. Returning safely, he again en­ tered the army, in 1808 becoming a l\iajor, in 1809, a Lieutenant­ colonel and in 1812 a colonel. He was nom!na ted Brigadier­ General on March 12, 1813 and assigned to duty as Adjutant 66 THE EXPEDITION OF ZEBULON MONTGOMERY PIKE and Inspector General; but was killed in battle before the senate had time to confirm his nomination. On April 27, 1813, he led a storming party against the British fortifications and routed the enemy, who, as they fled, fired a train which exploded a_ magazine, from which a flying fragment struck the young commander, inflicting an injury from which he died a few hours later. His body was buried in Ft. Tompkins' l\filitary cemetery at Sackett Harbor, New York, but in 1819 removed to the Mili­ tary cemetery at Madison Barracks, New York, his final resting place. His sword, worn at York where he served in the expedition under General Henry Dearborn, is among the collections of the State Historical Society in the State Capitol in Denver.

67 CH.A.PTER IV LONG'S EXPEDITION (This story is culled from Vols. XIV, XV, XVI of "Early \Vestern Travels." a collection of documents and stories taken fron1 authentic sources, covering the century of American happenings in the way of Western explorations between 1746 and 1846, gathered, verified and published by Reuben Gold Thwaite, an English historian. The ponion relating to the expedition of Stephen H. Long in 1818-20 is quoted by the historian almost entirely from records kept by Dr. Edwin James, a scientist and member of the expedition.) The expedition headed by Stephen Harriman Long, ( 1818- 20) was sent out from vVashington to explore the western ter­ ritory that under the Louisiana Purchase had become the prop­ erty of the United States government, but was about as well known to its owner as the proverbial "pig in a poke." This fol­ lowed, after fourteen years, the expedition of Zebulon M. Pike which, though fraught with untold hardships, as shown in the story, was not fruitful of much valuable information. This result, however, should not be attributed to inef fici­ ency nor lack of daring on the part of the men making up that expedition, but to their lack of equipment and necessary pro­ visiops, which lack put life itself in jeopardy. From that very experiment the ·united States government iearned a useful .les­ son: that to do effective work men must not be compelled to gamble with death. A certain amount of hazard was, of course, unavoidable; but sufficient food and clothing and camp pro­ visions against inclement weather could at least have been pro­ vided. It should also be remembered that in the fourteen years between the two expeditions the United States itself had been developing; and not only was its knowledge greater but also its resources; so when Long and his men headed westward it was under much more favorable conditions than those under which the Pike expedition began-and finished. 1818. l\iiajor Long was commissioned by Secretary of War Cal­ houn to explore the territory west of the Mississippi River that 68 LONG'S EXPEDITION now had definitely passed into possession of the United States. Little was known of this vast territory in 1818 except that it was inhabited by Indians. Whether or not the soil would ever be adaptable to cultivation, the streams sufficient to water the land, or the climate suitable for civilized life was not known; yet knowledge of these facts would soon be of vital importance to ~he new commonwealth. The thirteen states along the Eastern seaboard would not long accomn1odate an ambitious and growing population. The time was fast approaching when a means of ex­ pansion would be essent~al. Long's Expedition was made up, besides its military branch, of scientists along different lines. Dr. William Baldwin wa~ Ested as physician and -botanist; Dr. Thomas Say, zoologist; Augustus Edward Jessup, geologist; T. R. Peale, naturalist; Samuel Seymore, painter; Lieutenants James D. Graham and William H. Swift, topographers; and Major John Biddle, jour­ alist, entrusted with transcribing and keeping all records. By reason of death and other causes, this personnel was changed as time went on, so that the group that finally made the historical ascent of Long's Peak included not one of the original expedi­ tion, save Commander Long himself. How this transpired can best be told as the story proceeds. The enterprise was set in motion in the autumn of 1818, when a military branch was organized under command of Col. Henry Atkinson and spent the winter of 1818-19 in camp near the present site of Leavenworth, Kansas. But it took nearly a year to develop plans, map out the work and provision the ex­ pedition; so it was the autumn of 1819 when the troops moved on to Council Bluffs. In the mean time Major Long and the scientists of the expedition, who had spent the winter in Pittsburgh, came down by way of the Ohio and Missouri rivers and the Missis­ sippi and reached Council Bluffs in September, 1819. There the whole company, troops and scientists, made winter quarters, calling it "Engineers' Encampment." Then, when every thing was settled for the winter, Long and Jessup, the geologist, went 69 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

back east for the winter of 1819-20 and returned to the encamp­ ment in May, 1820. But the instructions that Long brought back from Wash­ ington changed the plans of the expedition materially. Congress had become dissatisfied with the progress thus far made by the company, considering its cost out of all proportion to results, and therefore decreed that Long should take only a company of scientists and proceed westward, leaving the troops behind; and that his business should be "to ascend the Platte to its source and then return to the Mississippi by way of the Arkansas and the Red Rivers." THE RE-ORGANIZED EXPEDITION The expedition as now reorganized consisted of: scientists Captain Bell, Dr. James, Dr. Say, T. R. Peale, Samuel Sey­ more; lieutenants Graham and Swift, Interpreter Dougherty, four men to act as assistant interpreters, baggage handlers, etc., and seven soldiers, a company of 20 including Commander Long. (Early Western Travels, Vol. XIV, p. 14.) This party started on June 6, 1820, and at a Pawnee village on tJ;t, Loup river two Frenchmen were taken on as guides and assistant interpreters, and the party resumed the journey west­ ward June 13. On June 30, 1820, the Rocky Mountains were first sighted. The loftiest peak observed was at first supposed to be Pike's but proved instead to be the peak that was later ascended and named for the commander of the expedit_ion, Major Long. . The mountains with their snow-capped peaks were an in- spiring sight to the explorers, who at once enthusiastically de­ clared their intention of celebrating the national birthday, July 4, on their loftiest summit. The party was now on the south bank of the South Platte River and the distance looked so short through the clear atmosphere that the travelers reckoned the three intervening days would be quite ample for the journey. But the distance sketched out as mountain distances do. and it was not until the evening of July 5, that the party reached the site that is now Denver. Here they camped two days while James and 70 LONG'S EXPEDITION

Peale with two other men sought to cross the front range, hop­ ing to reach the valley of the Platte beyond. (Western Travels, Vol. XIV, p. 14.) They started the upward climb, but here experienced that baffling hallucination that has been the common lot of all climb­ ers between that day and this-the deceptive distances of il­ lustive peaks. Scaling the first range they saw what seemed to be the summit and climbed to its top, only to find that a still higher peak lay beyond and above; and so on and on they went, this experience repeating itself over and over until the discour­ aged climbers gave it up and returned to their base. On July 12, 1820, the camp of the explorers now being but a few miles south of the present site of Colorado Springs, Dr. James with two men set out again to reach the summit. They are said by this History, "Early Western Travels," to have actu­ ally scaled Pike's Peak, being the first ever to have accomplished this feat. But when historians disagree it is hard to tell what ordin­ ary mortals should do. Some say that the peak scaled by Dr. James and his men was not the high peak known as Pike's, but a much lower one in ~e same range. However, be that as it may. in acknowledgement of the daring feat of reaching its sum­ mit, l\1ajor Long christened it "James Peak." But that name never got a foothold, so, whatever peak it was, the world-famous one is still known as "Pike's Peak." On July 16, 1820, the party again broke camp and moved southwest to a point on the Arkansas about twelve miles above the present city of Pueblo. On the following day, July 17, 1820, Dr. James, Captain Bell, and two of their men ascended the river to the site of Canon City, paused at the entrance to the Royal Gorge and turned back, again baffled by what seemed to be impassable barriers; then began the descent of the Arkansas. Two days later they rejoined the other members of the expedition and struck camp a few miles above what is now La Junta. Here a division of the party was made for the purpose of carrying out the instructions from Washington to explore to their sources both the Arkansas and the Red Rivers. 71 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLO~

The division assigned to the Red River was headed by Major Long and consisted of Dr. J arnes, Dr. Peale and seven men; that to the Arkansas to Captain Bell and the rest of the expedition. The exploration of the Red River was considered the more im­ portant because an entirely new work, the Arkansas having al­ ready been to some extent explored by Lieut. Pike. It was a detachment of the Long division without Long himself that fin­ ally ascended (according to Chapter 1, Vol. XVI,} the summit of the lofty peak that today bears the name of Long. The Preface to Vol. XIV of "Early Western Travels," which ought to be authentic, since Dr. James himself wrote most of it, states that on July ·24, 1820, Long's party crossed the Purgatory creek and the upper waters of the Cimarron River and after sL"\ days, (July 30,) reached a small tributary of the Can­ adian river, following which, after five days ( August 4) they reached the Canadian River itself near the present Texas-New Mexico boundary line. They then believed they were on the Red River until they reached its confluence with the Arkansas~ when thev were convinced · of their mistake. ' . Here the story of this branch of the exploration is dropped by the Preface, but is taken up again in Chapter 1 of Vol. XVI, p. 11, · and the graphic story is told of the explorations of Dr. James and four men who "left the camp before sunrise on the morning of the 13th; (neither_ month nor year given but from the logic of events it must have been the 13th of August, 1820,) leaving two men at the base of the mountain to take care of the horses while Dr. James and the other two ascended to the sum­ mit of the peak. The account is evidently written by Dr. James himself, for he uses the personal: pronoun, "we," in the telling. Somewhat condensed from the original, this is the story: When they reached the base of the mountain, the first thing that attracted the attention of the explorers was a great natural wonder which Dr. James called the "boiling spring." This was a large and beautiful fountain of water, cool, transparent, and aerated with carbonic acid. It arose from the brink of a stream which ran down from the mountain dividing the ridge of sandstone resting against the base of the first 72 LONG'S EXPEDITION granite range, and carrying rich deposits of cabonate of lime. "fhis deposit had accumulated on every side and formed a large basin "overhanging" the stream several feet above. "overhang­ ing'' is the word used in Dr. James' description.) The basin, of snowy whiteness, containing probably 300 or 400 gallons of water, was constantly overflowJig; the spring arose from the bottom with a rumbling noise, discharging equal volumns of air and water, perhaps 50 gallons of water per min­ ute, and was in constant agitation. The water was clear, spark­ ling, of good taste and exhilerating ef feet. ( Preface to Vol. XIV, p. 12.) A few rods distant was another spring of the same constitu­ ents but not overflowing; its basin was constantly full but air only escaped from it. Its water had no· odor, and a most re­ markable fact concerning it was that it had no power of ex­ tinguishing flame. This was tested by plunging into it burning splinters of dry cedar. The statement of Dr. James, impossible though it seems, is found on page 13 of Vol. XVI, and is given as the test performed by Dr. James himself. A foot note states that this "boiling spring" is the site of the present Manitou Springs, and that millions of bottles of this water is annually being shipped over the country. Carbonate of lime comprises 9110 of the mineral matter held in solution. It is from this point that the cogwheel railroad now ascends to the summit of Pike's Peak. The travelers state that their guide who had safely led them to the base of this mountain here absolutely refused to attempt the ascent. He told the explorers that it could not be done; that many attempts had been made by Indians and hunters, sturdy climbers all, but none had ever succeeded because of the loose sand and gravel that covered the surface of the mountain sides, making a firm foothold impossible; and even though this condition might not obtain on the bare looking stones that formed the cone, it would be impossible to get over the inter­ vening distance to that point; and, even though that could be done, they must still stand defeated at the base of the cone, whose perpendicular sides could not possibly be scaled. 73 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

But this argument, however logical, could hardly have been expected to deter a body of fearless-or as the guide would have said "foolhardy"--explorers who had traveled hundreds oi miles over trackless plains to reach this place. Could they turn back now and report to their government that they had pene­ trated so far and because of· apparent difficulties had not at­ tempted to go farther? What would any explor:ng expedition be worth if its explorers were deterred by apparent, or .even real, difficulties? All this they told the guide, but without effect; he was ad­ amant; he would not lead them; if they attempted this death­ inviting feat they would have to do it on their own responsibility, not his; and, finding_ the explorers still determined, he turned, with no doubt a sad fare,vell in his heart, and left them. After the guide had proved the sincerity of his own con­ victions by leaving, the explorers were still determined to make the attempt. It did not look like a difficult undertaking; they could almost see the summit from where they stood; there was timber almost to the top and that could not help but furnish foothold and handhold. They wished they had employed a guid.e, less timid; but, if he had never been up there himself, he could not have been worth much as a guide. any way. And, if what he said were true, that nobody had even been to the sum­ mit, no other guide wouid have been any better. So if they were ever to make the ascent it was clear they would have to go it alone. And there was no "if" in it; they meant to do it. They thought it might take most of the day to make the journey there and back, especially if they took time to make a thorough exploration as they went along, which was, of course, a part of their purpose in going. But they would start prepared to make a day of it and it would not matter if they did get back late. So they outfitted themselves for the trip, making provision, they thought, for all possible contingencies. Each man carried a blanket, a good supply of bison meat, three gills of parched corn meal and a small kettle. And so they started. Here was a 74 LONG'S EXPEDITION little stream; it must have its source somewhere near the top, so they would follow it and let it be their natural guide. Yes, the sands were shifting and foothold was not easy; the guide had been right about that; he had probably gone far enough to find that out. But explorers are not looking for easy things. They went on, the farther 'they went the more uncertain their foothold becoming. It might be that the sands were looser near the base and would be firmer farther up. But they did not become firmer or less shifting, and slowly the unwelcome con­ viction forced itself upon their minds that they had undertaken a hazardous, if not impossible, journey. If a foot should lose its hold nothing could save a man from being either thrown into the fast-flowing stream that was thickly studded with jagged rocks or from having a precipitate tumble to the base of the mountain. But even realizing this they did not turn back. They labored on. And so the first day passed. At sunset they stopped in great fatigue in a small cluster of stunted fir trees, estimat­ ing that they had climbed, perhaps, a distance of two miles. But here they found no ground level enough to furnish a resting place. Even if they were able to brace themselves so that they could sit on the still-shifting sands, they must surely be lost if they should relax for an instant in the sleep of ex­ haustion. They dared not risk it. Yet they could not descend to the base in the gathering darkness, nor could they go farther in the hope of finding level ground; so they did the only thing left to be done; they anchored themselves by means of ropes, which all mountain climbers carry, to the bodies of trees; they broke off what limbs were breakable and managed to make a sort of fence across from one tree to another. (p. 14 does not especially mention ropes, but logically they could not have done what the story says they did without them, so the conclusion seems justifiable, even inescapable that they used ropes.) Here they unpacked their provisions and ate ravenously; no banquet back in the states had ever tasted so good. Then they spread their blankets and prepared for the night. Their bodies lashed to the trees by ropes, their blankets on the sharply slop­ ing ground also anchored, they slept, if at all in almost upright 75 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

positions. The night was cold and altogether the situation not a happy one, yet not once· did _they express a regret that they had not taken the advice of their cautious guide. At break of day on August 14, 1820, they prepared to re­ sume the journey, hoping that the worst of it was over. It could not be much farther to the summit. They would travel light this time. So they arranged all their provisions except a few pounds of bison meat, their blankets, and what clothing they could spare, in a sort of cache in their hill-side camp, to which place they would return for the following night; then they divided their few pounds of meat so that no one would have much to carry, and started on the last leg of their journey. When they had traveled somewhat over a mile over the treacherous mountainside, mostly straight up, they came upon a comparatively level tract of ground several acres in area, cov­ ered with aspen, poplar, birch and pine. Another small stream ran along what they now saw to be the cone-shaped base of the summit; even the peak itself was now visible, its lower part covered with pines, junipers and evergreens and its upper a naked . cone of yellowish rock with here and there patches of snow. ~listening in the sunlight. They paused at a deep chasm filled with snow opening to­ ward the bed of the stream along which they had been traveling. They could not cross it, so made a long and perilous detour around it. By this time the day was half spent, and the summit seemed no nearer. They now knew they could not hope to reach it before nightfall and return to the place where they had left their blankets and provisions, so determined to push onward and stop for the night wherever darkness overtook them. A Mr. Wilson, who was not of their original party but who voluntarily joined them on the way, had stopped to rest some time back ,so now the party halted on the level ground to rest and wait for him. They could not see him and began to be anx­ ious; they hallooed, but though their voices seemed to echo to the farthermost~ parts of the earth they heard no reply; they fired several shots without result, so decided to eat their lunch and go on to the summit, since they were so near, and then search 76 LONG'S EXPEDITION until they found him on their return. They reached the yellowish rock that formed the cone of the peak; and this they found to offer advantages over the road farther down in that it was not covered with shifting sands. Still it did not afford easy foothold, as the rock was sheer and jagged and in some places crumbling. It grew colder and t~e wind arose, but they could see the summit so pushed on over the deceptive distance. At last they stepped out upon the very summit itself and found a firm footing upon almost level ground some ten or fif­ teen acres in area. Devoutly thankful for this rest for their weary feet, and with a feeling of immense relief and satisfaction, they dropped down upon the ground to rest; and scarce had they done so when their missing co-explorer came into sight. He had found the summit by another and easier route and was not nearly so tired as they. \VHAT THE EXLORERS SAW ALONG THE WAY AND ON THE SUMMIT In the midst of the dangers and fatigue of their long and perilous journey, the explorers- had discovered many ,vonderful and almost unbelievable things. At the base of the cone and leading toward the summit was found a forest of small but hardy timber; it must have been of the hardiest possible type to have withstood, even as well as it had, the storm and stress of the long years of battle for its life ,:vith the unfriendly elements of nature. The explorers decided that there must have been a time when conditions were more friendly to the forest; when climate was 1n :Ider and sustenance to be found farther up the cone-shaped mountain, and that somehow by son1e mysterious law-or freak of law-conditions had changed and all elements of nature had conspired against the for est. Stones and splintery fragments of rocks had been loosened from far up the cone and hurled with terrific force against the trees, finally beating them down until only the bare, stark roots were left to tell the tragic story. The 77 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO half-destroyed trees, still stubbornly holding out against the on­ slaught, stood like brave but hopeless sentinels with their sides toward the summit entirely stripped of limbs and bark. It was evident that the red cedar and flexible pine had offer­ ed the most determined resistance, since they were the only ones left standing at all. The explorers could not have believed it possible for trees to have lived under such desperate condi­ tions had they not seen them with their own eyes. A few small trees were found still farther up, but these had been sheltered by the crevices and fissures of the rocks. Patches of soil were found along the way as the explorers neared the top, carpeted with brilliantly-flowering plants cling­ ing close to the ground and not more than an inch in height. Deep blue was the prevailing color, the columbine and others being intensely vivid. This peculiar brilliancy was attributed by the scientists to the intensity of light passing through the unob­ scured atmosphere and reflectng upon the immense masses of snow, thus giving forth the deep blue of the sky. A peculiar little animal was found in the region of, and be­ low timberline. He resembled the gray squirrel but was shorter and !~s agile, more like a prairie dog, yet not to be classed with him. He watched the intruders with sharp little black eyes, and uttered a shrill cry that might have been a warning to his fellows of the threatened danger of tresspassing strangers. "THE GRASSHOPPERS" On the summit itself was neither animal nor vegetable life, but far above its crust, partly obscuring the sun, floated a dense c1oud of constantly-moving objects which proved to be grass­ hoppers. This cloud bad been observed for some time on the way up, and its character had been surmised from the vast num­ bers of grasshoppers that bad fallen on the snow and perished. This unusual spectacle engaged the deepest interest of the scientists, who hoped that at the summit they might be able to make closer ob$ervations; but when the top was reached they found the cloud still farther above them and reaching to the outermost limits of vision. They found no definite data on which 78 LONG'S EXPEDITION to base conclusions as to the how or why of the grasshoppers, but their best guess was that in the sheltered crevices of the rocks they had found unmolested breeding places and that, true to their nature, as soon as wings developed they began to fly, and soared up to where, guided-the dwellers in the plains would say-by some malign influence., they organized for the descent and their first square meal; and according to these same plains dwellers, that square meal absorbed a whole year's product. Half a century later they descended in that devastating his­ torical raid upon the farms of Kansas, stripping the earth bare of every green thing found within their blighting pathway; and in Colorado, both before and after that date, bringing ruin to many a struggling colonist. (Verification and amplification o-f this story will be found in "Early Western Travels," Vol. XVI, p. 21.) The surface of the ground was covered to a great depth with large, splintery fragments of rock, under which was a bed of ice impossible to measure with the instruments at hand. and apparently as permanent and solid as _the rock itself. The view to the northwest and southwest was of innumer­ able peaks, lower, and all white with snow. Below lay the val­ ley of the Arkansas, running northwest probably sixty miles. On the north of the peak was an immense body of snow and ice, the ravine in which it lay running down and ending in a fertile valley west of the ridge. To the east, a far-reaching plain melted into the horizon, disclosing dim outlines of streams believed to be tributaries of the Arkansas and the Platte. On the south the range continued, culminating in another great peak supposed to be Pike's. About 5 o'clock in the afternoon, August 14, 1820, the party began the descent, arriving at sunset at the beginning of timber. Here they found they had missed their way and were not approaching the little camp they had made the night before, where they had left their belongings. The night came on; the shadows lengthened and were swallowed up in darkness; the wind blew cold; the way was hazardous; so they stopped, made a fire, and prepared to spend another night as best they could 79 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

r on the bleak and inhospitable mountain side. This time, how- ever, they had level ground for their bed-but ground was· all they had, their blankets being-where? At break of day, August 15, 1820, the thermometer stand­ ing at 38, they began the final descent. At the end of about three hours travel, they saw a dense cloud of smoke arising from a ravine not far away. This, they feared, might have en­ gulfed the little encampment where they had spent their first night and left their belongings. They hurried forward toward the source of the smoke as fast as they could travel, only to find their worst fears realized, their blankets, clothing and provisions totally destroyed. And not only that, but the conflagration had spread over an immense area, leaving only blackened trunks of trees that had so valiantly withstood the onslaught of the rocks and winds from the mountain top, and that had given them anchorage on the first night out. ·A long and difficult detour was found necessary to reach the base of the mountain; and, as devastation met the eye at every step, the conclusion was forced upon the minds of the explorers that the fire must have started from their own camp of thQ night before, and that to them, therefore, belonged the responsibility. It was late in the afternoon ~f the third day when they reached their starting point, the boiling spring. Taking stock of the adventure as a whole they decided that while they had lost much in material things they had gained immeasurably in knowl­ edge and accomplished a feat hitherto believed impossible. They ~shed their cautious guide might know of it. THE FINAL REPORTS Had the story ended here the people of Weld would have had only the highest admiration and esteem for Major Long and Dr. James. But it did not end here. There was a final Re­ port to the government in which both Major Long and Dr. James gave thi!t future great county a very definite "black eye." Boiled down to as few words as possible, that Report stated 80 LONG'S EXPEDITION that this territory, which now produces some of the finest crops in the world, would never be worth anything to the government except as a "barrier to prevent our people from going too far west." And Dr. James corroborated the story in every detail. It is not too much to say that this Report held back development in this region for more than thirty years, and that, in all prob­ ability, had it not been for the bursting of the two gold bubbles in 1849 and '59 that stranded so many people here, it might have been delayed much longer. However, in justice to Major Long and Dr. James it should be remembered that in i820, except for hidden potentialities, this region was a desert with nothing more appearing on the sur­ face to indicate those potentialities than now appears to indicate what may be here a hundred and eighteen years hence--the year 2,056. Following is the portion of the Report touching this region, written by Stephen H. Long himself and corroborated by Dr. James, taken verbatim from the records: JJ;J ajor Long's Report: "In regard to this extensive section of country I do not hesitate in giving the opinion that it is almost wholly unfit for cultivation, and, of course, not inhabitable by a people depend­ ing upon agriculture for their subsistence. Although tracts of land, considerably extensive, are occasionally to be met with, yet the scarcity of wood and water almost universally present, prove an insuperable obstacle in the way of settling the coun­ try. This objection rests, not only against the section immedi­ ately under consideration, but applies with equal propriety to a much larger portion of the country. "This region, however, viewed as a frontier, may prove of infinite importance to: the United States, inasmuch as it is cal­ culated to serve as: a barrier to prevent too great an extension of our popul,ation, westward; and may secure us against the ma­ chinations or incursions of an enemy that might otherwise be disposed to annoy us in that part of our frontier." Dr. James' C orrorboration: "We have little apprehension of giving too unfavorable an 81 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO account of this part of the country." (in other words, it hardly could be exagerated.) "Though the soil is in some places fertile, the want of timber, of navigable streams and of water for the necessaries of life, render it unfit for any but a nomad popula­ tion. The traveler who shall at any time traverse its desolate sands will, we think, join us in the wish that this region may for ever remain the unmolested haunt of the native hunter, the bison and the jackal." If only they coD.ld see \Veld County now.

BIOGRAPHICAL Stephen Harriman Long was born at Hopkinton, Ne\v Hampshire, in 1764. He graduated from Dartmount College in 1809; taught for several years, serving as Professor of Mathe­ n1atics at West Point. Entered the Army as Lieutenant in En­ gineer's corps in 1814. and was transferred to Topographical Engineers in 1816 with brevit of Major. In this capacity he traveled through the southwest between the Arkansas and Red Rivers. His unpublished Reports ranked among the most use­ ful sources of information up to that time available. Dr. Edwin James was born at Weybridge~ Vermont, 1797. He gr&duated from Middlebury College in 1816; studied medi­ cine under his brother, Dr. Daniel James, of Albany, New York; studied botany and geology under Dr. John Torrey and Profes­ sor ...i\mos Eaton, and joined the Expedition of Stephen H. Long in 1820, fresh from his studies and full of enthusiasm.

82 CHAPTER V \VELD COUNTY THROUGH A PERIOD OF 79 YEARS, 1859 TO 1938. First this circumstance, i~elf of a later period, need be given to show the source of information for the earlier periods: In 1934 space in the court house for the keeping of county records and the transaction of county business was at a premium; every available foot was being utilized and the very last undis­ turbed spot had to yield to the pressure. This spot was on the top floor where old records of all the past years were stored, and George Horne was employed by the county commissioners to make a thorough overhauling, examine every scrap of paper found in the vaults, discard all of no value and condense the rest in as small a space as possible. During that summer the writer oi this History had a desk in the office of the county commis­ sioners and so came into contact with the work being done by lvir. Horne; and to that circumstance almost all the data for this Chapter is due. George Horne was himself deeply interested in all matters pertaining to the early history of the county, so laiq aside all documents, records and even old newspapers that had a tearing upon such historical matters. Many, in fact most, of these documents were fragmentary, but George Horne helped to assemble the fragments in such a way that a f airiy continuous story resulted. Since then he has passed from earth, but this Y\" e!d County History hereby acknowledges deep obligations. THE CLAIJ\tI CLUB, First County Organization, 1859. The first effort to form an organization in the area now occupied in part by Weld County was in 1859 when the settlers in and around St. Vrain met and organized a Claim Club. The chaot:c condition of the country at that time made some sort of government necessary if settlers were to be protected from the marauding tactics of an unscrupulous element that was here . .i\s a first step toward making homes for themselves and build­ ing a commonwealth, settlers had taken up government land, but their claims were being "jumped" daily and the only pro­ tection seemed to be the organization of a Club that should par- 83 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

take somewhat of the nature of a vigilance committee; and so a meeting was called. The following account of that meeting was found among the papers at the court house; in fact in the Minute Book of the Claim Club: "At a meeting of the citizens of St. Vrain held October 6, 1859, S. P. Neall was chosen chairman and H. J. Graham secretary. The object of the meeting was stated by the chairman to be for the purpose of organ­ ization." Then follows the transaction of business relative to the land to be claimed by settlers and the manner of its recording,, and then the record goes on- . "The jurisdiction of this Club shall be co-existent with the county of St. Vrain and embrace not less than 24 square miles with the town of St. Vrain near its center." The organizers were: C. P. Neal, S. H. Moir, H. J. Graham, \Villiam N. Byers, C. E. Miller, Dr. Cook, P. C. Lowe, R. B. Bradford, George Trowbridge, James Stock and L. Y. Jones. For recorder H. J. Graham was elected and allowed $1 for each claim .recorded. The claim of Louis Vasquez was one of the first entered.· 1'hat this organization partook rather more than "some­ '.vhat" of the nature of a vigilence committee is based on the further fact that at a later meeting a report was given of the f cllo,ving notice having been served on two men who evidently bad been guilty of tresspassing: "We, the undersigned, acting as a committee for the citizens of St. Vrain county, do hereby notify you, Hiram Hopkins and Jeremiah Heenan, that you are occupying the premises of H. J. Graham much. to his detrin1ent, and that you are commanded hereby to quit possession of the same within the next twenty-four hours." '\"\7"hat followed this drastic action is lost to history, no scrap of paper being found to give the information; but it is safe to cc_,nciude that the Messrs. Hawkins and Heenan moved within 84 WELD COUNTY THROUGH A PERIOD OF 79 YEARS the specified time, since no record was found of informal ,vest­ ern justice being meted out to them. The date of the meeting at which this report was made was October 12, 1859, six days after organization of the Club, proving that events moved rapidly in those early days. When Jefferson Territory was organized in November of 1859 St. Vrain was one of the eleven counties created. It was~ approximately 75 by 150 miles in area; it occupied the entire northeast corner of the Territory with Wyoming and Nebraska its northern boundary, Nebraska its eastern, Arapahoe county its southern and Boulder and Larimer counties its western; and none of these boundaries were changed when, two years later, 1861, Jefferson Territory became Colorado Territory and St. Vrain county Weld county. The east and north lines have seven times felt the keen blade of the legislative knife as seven coun­ ties have been chiseled out of the original Weld, but the south­ ern and western lines have remained almost idenfical with those of St. Vrain. FIRST COUNTY SE_i\T-ST. VRAIN The frst County Seat of St. Vrain county was the town of St. Vrain. The County Seat remained there nine years, then, in October, 1868, moved to Latham, about three miles east of where Greeley now is. The center of population had shifted northward and eastward and naturally the County Seat followed. The town of Latham was near the junction of the Platte and the Poudre rivers, a stage station for the stages on the Over­ land Trail with a good settlement around it and a splendid prom:se for the future. D. R. Bailey who had several hundred acres in and about the town offered the county suitable quarters for county business and the off er was promptly accepted. The county of fices were moved there immediately but the legal ac­ ceptance of the new location had to wait for the regular electio!·! in the following September, which election gave legal status to tho n1ove already made. There seems never to have been any kind of friction between the town of St. Vrain and Latham be­ C3 P.se of the change of County Seat, a very great contrast to 85 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO what occurred later when the County Seat moved back and forth between Greeley and Evans. But, peaceful as were the two neighborhoods themselves, the second year of Latham's posses­ sion of the County Seat had not ended when the proverbial cloud, "no bigger than a man's hand" appeared on the western sky. No one guessed it then, but it was the cloud that was destined to develop into a cyclone and involve two towns, Evans and Greeley, in a bitter strife that should last through a number of years. _ The speck in the sky was the first move made toward changing the County Seat from Latham to Evans, and Greeley was not in existence at the time. Under date of November 15, 1869, records were found among old papers at the court house showing that "the county com.missioners adjourned to examine lands for a County Seat and to receive proposals of donations within the surveyed limits of the town of Evans." This was found in the Minute Book which served as a record book for the county commissioners. No suit­ able lands were offered at that time and the matter went over to January 4, 1870. On that date a site was accepted from the Land Association and the commissioners ordered that the County Seat be located on Block 38 in the town of Evans. This is un­ doubtedly the date when the County Seat first located in Evans The Minute Book does not make clear the legal procedure used in moving the County Seat from Latham to Evans. .After the move was made a vote similar to the one that legalized the m6ve from St. Vrain to Latham was taken, and, though the re­ sult was not found among the old papers it is taken for granted that the vote was favorable. In the spring of that same year, 1870, came the Union Colonists to the neighborhood and established Greeley, and four years later laid claim to the County Seat. It was ,vithin the fol­ lowing three years that it made its historical journeys between the two towns, creating strife and bitterness that have taken years to eradicate. 86 WELD COUNTY THROUGH A PERIOD OF 79 YEARS

THREE YEARS OF STRUGGLE BETWEEN EV ANS AND GREELEY FOR THE COUNTY SEAT-1874-1877. How the county offices were housed in Evans before 1873 does not appear in the Minute Book; but on January 6 of that year it is recorded that a committee offered plans and a dona­ tion of between $6,000 and $7,000 for the building of a court house and jail. It does not appear in the records that a building was erected, but it does appear that on July 30, 1873, the Weld' County Building & Loan Association offered the use of a two story building already erected and that the offer was accepted. The agreem!fnt seems to have carried with it a stipulation that the commissioners were to remove all county property from the bu:lding whenever they ceased to use it for county purposes. It was in the year following, 1874, that Greeley, then four years old, stepped into the picture on July 2 2 with a petition asking that a vote be taken at the next general election to be held on September 8, for the removal of the County Seat from Evans to Greeley. This petition was granted by the commissioners and the vote taken. It favored the move from Evans to Greeley. On October 6, 1874, the county commissioners, therefore, gave an order for the removal of all books and records, and adjourned to meet the following day, October 7, ·in the Nichols Building in Greeley. It was at this point that the conflict seriously began. Evans ref used to permit the moving of the county property and the Building Association forbade the removal of vault doors and other furniture from the building that had been occupied by the county. '\Vhat is here given as _happening next was not found in the Minute Book, but gathered from the thrifling stories of the pi­ oneers who more than fifty years later still remembered well the conflict. An effort has been made to divest those stories of the local coloring which it cannot be denied tinged the picture, de­ pending upon which town happened to be the home of the nar­ rator. 87 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

The "vault doors" which evidently had been put on some kind of closet for the safe keeping of county papers, were the hone of contention. The legal question probably arose that the doors, being attached, were a part of the building, therefore not removable. The Evans people took that position, the Greeley people did not; and what followed is a story of daring and ad­ venture; of doors being removed in the middle of the night; of a '\\·ild drive from Evans to Greeley of a wagori containing the doors and other furniture followed by other vehicles driven by irate citizens of Evans; of a conflict that barely escaped the status of a tragedy and that later had is repercussions in the courts of the district. But not all the county property was transported from Evans to Greeley that October night, for, the record states, the county attorney was instructed by the commissioners to commence pro­ ceedings at once to recover the balance; this was by means of a replevin suit against the Weld County Building & Improvement Association. The result was in favor of Greeley, and it is re­ corded that on October 9, 1874, the County Seat was established in Greeley. . , GREELEY THE COUNTY SEAT IN 1874.

' . The next move was made by Evans. It was the serving of a writ of mandamus on the county commissioners to compel them to move the County Seat back to Evans, or, failing in this, to appear before the district court and show cause for such failure. The commissioners asked for a change of venue. to Arapahoe county, but no records were found showing the outcome. As al­ rea'dy stated, the records were fragmentary, and consequently gaps in the story cannot be avoided. After this for almost a year the fires of conflict smouldered but never went out In July, 18 75, a petition designed to settle the question definitely: was accepted by the commissioners and circulated by the people for another vote to be taken at the gen­ eral election to b~ held September 14. When this vote was counted by county clerk, W. C. Sanders it was declared to be in favor of Greeley. But the people of Ft. 88 WELD COUNTY THROUGH A PERIOD OF 79 YEARS

Lupton took exception to the manner of counting the vote, Clerk Sanders having excluded the vote of Ft. Lupton on the ground of "irregularities." And this, in the language of the I\linute Book, "started the fireworks all over again." On October 4 the people of Ft. Lupton registered a protest against the action of the county clerk and demanded a re-count of the vote with their own precinct included. After a heated discussi9n before the board of commissioners a re-count was ordered, and, on the following day, October 5, was made. It was in favor of Evans. Quoting from the Records, omitting only the preamble:

EV.ANS THE COUNTY SEAT IN 1875. "And it further appearin~ upon canvassing the votes of the legal voters of Weld county at the election held on the 14 day of September, 1875, that the town of Evans has received a majority of all votes polled at said election, it is hereby ordered by the board of county commissioners of said county of Weld, that. pursuant to, and by virtue of said votes, the County Seat be, and hereby is, removed from the town of Gree­ ley to the town of Evans; and that said town of Evans is hereby declared to be the County Seat of Weld County in the Territory of Colorado." That settled it-for the time being. On the following dav the commissioners are recorded as having "met in the County Seat of Weld County in the town of Evans." And there they continued to meet for two years.

GREELEY THE COUNTY SEAT IN 1877 -AND EVER AFTER Fires smouldered again for two years. Then, on July 24, 1877, a petition was filed with the board of county commission­ ers asking that the matter of the County Seat be again submitted to the voters at the next general election, October 7, 18 7 7. This was done and the vote was found to favor Greeley by a majority of 64. 89 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

Here, again, is a gap in the records, not satisfactorily filled in by the memory of the pioneers; but the conclusion seems justified that following this election the County Seat was moved back to Greeley immediately. For a considerable time the rec­ ords bearing on these happenings are confused, or, perhaps bet­ ter to say, fragments found could not be pieceotogether so as to make a straightforward story. But there was some real con­ fusion, too; the date of a meeting called in reference. to the re­ sult of the election being given on a date before instead of after the election. It was an important meeting, too, and a graphic account of it was recorded. It evidently was held in the town of Greeley and was for the purpose of "hearing charges and claims," and it recorded that "the board requests that if any persons have any thing to say, pro or con, on the question, to so express themselves at this time." It must have been recognized as a decisive meeting; a time ~,hen both sides marshalled forces for the decisive clash; a "war to end war," which in this case it proved to be. At .. that meeting E. C. Page appeared on behalf of Evans and E.T. Dunning on behalf of Greeley. The arguments led by the twd .men were lengthy and exhaustive, evidently touching every phase of the controversy. Exhausting, perhaps, too, for the commissioners took the matter under advisement until Oc­ tober 25. On that day the board held another meeting and a Resolu­ tion was offered by J. L. Brush naming Greeley as the County Seat. Objections were raised by the Hon. Hugh Butler of Den­ ver on points of law governing county seat elections. The Hon. S. B. A. Hayes spoke on behalf of Greeley, and his arguments must have carried weight since the board decided that the ob­ jections of the Hon. Hugh Butler should not be sustained. But here again is found some confusion; for, though the objections of the Hon. Hugh Butler were not sustained yet a "recanvass of the vote" was otdered. The records do not state whether "the vote" was that of the general election or some other, but at any rate the board adjourned to meet again on the following day, and at that time a new angle presented itself. This was by the 90 WELD COUNTY THROUGH A PERIOD OF 79 YEARS

Hon. Hugh Butler and was in the form of a writ of injunction from Judge Victor E. Elliott of the district court restraining the com•missioners from moving the County Seat from Evans to Greeley. More confusion. The County Seat was already in Greeley, so the order from the district court must have been intended to render that move illegal and to require the return of the County Seat to Evans. The board postponed action on the writ for. that day and to no other definite date, so the question hung in air until Novem­ ber 14, 1877, when another meeting was called. But before this meeting convened word had been received from Judge Elliott to the effect that the order issued by him restraining the board from moving the County Seat from Evans to Greeley had been dissolved. Whereupon, this communication being read at the meeting of November 14, J. L. Brush again moved the adoption of his resolution establishing Greeley as the County Seat of Weld County. No objections were raised, yet final action was postponed until. the foil owing day and another meeting called for that time; and that brings the matter down to the last Act of the drama: November 15, 1877. (This from the Records, verbatim.) The board of county commissioners met and the following Resolution was offered: "Whereas-at a meeting of the board of county commiss!oners held on the 25th day of October, 1877, an order and Resolution was offered by Mr. Brush de­ claring the County Seat of Weld county to be at the town of Greeley, and, "\Vhereas-Before action was taken on the pass­ age of said Resolution an order and injunction out of the district court were issued restraining said board of county commissioners from ordering a removal of said County Seat from Evans to Greeley, also restraining all county officers from taking any action whatsoever in said removal, and, "''Vhereas-Said injunction has been dissolved by order of the court, now, therefore, Be it 91 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

"Resolved-That the board of county commis­ sioners do now adopt the aforesaid Resolution and order, with the foil owing Amend1nents: to-wit- " And be it further ordered and Resolved, That -The following rooms be, and they are hereby, desig­ nated to be the county offices in the town of Greeley: The offices of the county judge and sheriff at the office of James C. Scott, Esq. The of fices of the county clerk and recorder, clerk of the county court, and for the meetings of the county commissioners in the banking house of Emerson & West. The offices of the county treasurer, county surveyor, and clerk of the district court in the Union Banking House. The place of hold­ ing the district court in the room known as Barnum Hall and rooms adjacent thereto; and the place for holding the county court in the offices of James C. Scott." On motion of F. H. Hammitt the above order and Resolu­ tion were adopted. And so ended the long, long controversy over the location of the County Seat. It has never been revived. Nor after. sixty-one years is it even clearly remembered. FIRST 0-FFICERS. The first county commissioners wete appointed by Terri­ tor!al Governor William Gilpin, in 1861. They were: Robert Boyd, John A. Titus and G. B. Scidmore. County clerk and recorded, Manville D. Alvord, appointed 1~62. Probate Judge, G. D. Scidmore, 1861. Superintendent of Schools, Peter Winne, 1863. Surveyor, A. Tiedman, 1863. Coroner, A. Lumry, 1863. Representative in Territorial legislature, District No. 1, embracing Boulder, Larimer and Weld, J. H. · Graham, 1861 to 1864. Territorial Judges, Charles Lee Armour and Allan A. Brad­ ford. 92 "\VELD COUNTY THROUGH A PERIOD OF 79 YEARS

Clerk of the district court: the Minute Book states that during Territorial government this officer was located in Den­ ver and that the clerk for Weld county was a deputy under him. The name of Manville D. Alvord is given. THE JAIL AND WHAT BEC.AME OF IT. lTnder date of October 9, 1874, the Minute Book states that f u:1ds had been subscribed for the building of a jail, and on that date accepted by the commissioners. Lots were given by Union Cciony, where the present jail stands.. This first jail was finished and accepted by the commissioners April 7, 18 75. It was all !""eady for occupancy but no tenant appeared. Time went on, the County Seat went to Evans, and after eighteen months had pcJ.ssed by the building was rented on October 2, 18 76, to the Rev. J. S. Folroy at $200 for s!x months, for what purpose the Minute Book does not state, possibly for religious services. But be that as it may, the conclusion is obvious. that it was not used for the housing of law breakers. But that, rem•~mber, was before the days of speed and Repeal. SO:ME FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR 1862-63 As reading matter, figures are generally tiresome, but be­ fore leaving the history of this early day it might be well to note that in 1862 and 1863 Weld county had but 195 names on the tax rolls; that its whole property valuation was but little over $154,000; that the Territorial levy was 2 mills in 1862 and 3 in 1863; the county levy 10 mills, the school levy 2 mills and the poll tax $2. The largest partnership taxed was that of the Brush Brothers, listed at a valuation of $5,000 and taxed $95. The largest corporation was the Overland Stage line which ran into big money, being valued at $27,000, and taxed at $450. COURT HOUSES. Weld county had many court houses during the first years of its existence without owning one. The Greeley Tribune-Re­ publican in its big historical edition of October 10, 1930, is authority for the statement that prior to 1865 cabins belong- 93 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO ing to different settlers were used for court houses, among which are listed those on the ranches of D. J. Hopkins, Andrew Lumry, John Paul, and F. H. Hammitt on the Platte between the junc­ tion of that river and the St. Vrain in the neighborhood of Platte­ ville. One of these cabins, known generally as Weld County's First Court House stood for years on the farm of John Birkle, a half mile south of Platteville. But in the summer of 193 7 it was moved to the site of the reconstructed old Fort Vasquez on Highway 85, a half mile farther south. It now stands near the entrance of the Fort at the south side ana is intended to shelter many relics of the past. The same authority, (The Historical Edition of the Trib­ une) states that the ranch of David Hodgson, father of George Hodgson, a county commissioner at the time of the building of the last court house, was the scene of many political meetings throughout the 1860s. In 193 7 the right angle turn in Highway 85 south of Platte­ ville, always considered dangerous, was straightened, carrying it through the farm of Mrs. Pardue, joining the main road agarii south' of the Fort, and leaving the Fort, consequently, on the east instead of the west side of the Highway. THE FIRST COUNTY-O\VNED COURT HOUSE. The first court house actually owned by the county was built in 1883, twenty-four years after St. Vrain, later Weld, be­ gan to function as a county. After the final location of the County Seat in Greeley in 18 77 the need for a county building that should house all county offices and activities became imperative. and, finally, on October 7, 1882, the county commissioners ordered a vote for the next general election on the erection of a county building, to cost not over $30,000 and to be paid for by a special levy of 2 mills on all taxable property for the years 1882 and 1883. The vote was in favor of the levy, and, early in the follow­ ing year, January 1883, a site was secured, plans drawn and a 94 WELD COUNTY THROUGH A PERIOD OF 79 YEARS

real county owned court house ordered by the county commis­ sioners. The site was the northeast quarter of the block then bounded by Munroe street on the east, A~ams on the west, Walnut on the north and Pine on the south. (Now Ninth and Tenth streets and Ninth and Tenth avenues.) The site now occupied by the newer and bigger building erected in 1915-191 7. It was a good looking, commodious and well arranged building and served its purpose well until the county needs outgrew its capacity when, after more than thirty years of service, it gave way to the new one whose description follows.

THE PRESENT COUNTY COURT HOUSE, 1915-1917. The First County Court House, extravagantly commodious when built, in thirty years was crowded to capacity-and be­ yond, and then the inevitable happened-an agitation started for a new court house that should be big enough; and this agita­ tion, like a snow ball rolling down a hill side, gained impetus and size the farther and faster it went until at last, in 1914, when George Hodgson, W. C. Levis and T. B. Howe were county com­ missioners, it culminated in the decision to build a new one and build it big enough. Remembering how entirely too large the first one had been considered when built, and how as needs developed it had shrunken to such small proportions, the commissioners decided to provide against such eventualities in the new building for at least some years to come. So with an eye to the future they planned far ahead, prepared to accept whatever of criticism might be theirs in consequence. And criticisms came. They planned a building to cost something like $400,000. The peo­ ple gasped with astonishment and apprehension. That is, most of them did; not all. True, they said, a bigger court house was needed, but this collossal figure was beyond all reason. The com­ missioners stood this storm of criticism as best they could, and when their voices could be heard above the clamor these were the words distinguished: "Before many years this splendid 95 A IDSTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO building that seems so big today will be found none too large for the proper care of the county business that must develop." These words were prophetic; even before the time that the commissioners themselves had foreseen, the prophecy was ful­ filled ...... \nd as this story is being written, early in 1938. twenty­ three years after that prophecy was made, the court house is so densely crowded that long ago, had such been possible, its waJls n1ust have bulged with the pressure for space. The court house has not been sufficient to accommodate the county business for several years past and outside space has been rented. The judgment of the commissioners has been sustained. For several years before the building of the new court house the commissioners, ant:cipating the need that was sure to come, created a building fund wherein certain incomes of the county ,vere impounded, and when the time arrived for the actual build­ ing no bond issue was necessary; all bills were paid as the work progressed and at the end when all was done the building was turned over to the county entirely in the clear. George Hodgson had been chairman of the board through most of this time, but before the finish in 191 7 his term had expired and he ,vas ably succe~ded by John W. Birk.le of Platteville. Seerie & Varnum of Denver were the contractors and W. N. Bo'"'man the architect. The confractors were paid $280,230. J. D. Potter for plumbing, heating and lighting, $37,077. Other costs, such as furniture, fixtures and the laying of the sidewalks took $67,364 more; so the grand total, including incidentals not here listed, footed up to about $414,000. The building was dedi­ cated on July 4, 1917. The following is a brief description of 1he building: No wood was used in its construction except the hardwood handrails on the main marble stairway; that which looks Eke w·ood is polished steel and bronze. Marble, cement and steel were the principle materials used. The building is classed as absolutely fireproof. It is of tlie classic style of arch~tecture. Its outside walls are of Indiana limestone and terra cotta. Its first floor holds the offices of sheriff, coroner, justice of the peace, the depart- 96 WELD COUNTY THROUGH A PERIOD OF 79 YEARS ment of agriculture, vaults for the storage of documents and books and large rest rooms for both men and women. The second floor provided offices for the county clerk, treas­ urer: assessor, county commissioners and an adjoining room for clerk of the board with storage -rooms for documents. The third floor furnishes district and county court rooms, judges' chambers, clerks offices and quarters for witnesses; also of fices for the county superintendent of schools and surveyor. The fourth, top, floor was intended for the exclusive use of courts and juries with an emergency court room at one end of the corridor for use when two branches of the district court ,vould' happen to be in session at the same time; and with ad­ joining quarters for judges' chambers, district attorney, clerk of court, court reporter and grand jury. Two comfortable sleep­ ing rooms were provided for jurors who were held on duty over night. But recent overcrowding has seriously interfered with many of these well planned arrangements. This "collossal" building with its "collossal" expense has long been too small for the county's business. . The corridors are ornamented with plaster and bronze and carved marble. Floor covering is of a cork composition, giving sanitation, cleanliness and resilence. The vaults have metal fil­ ing devices with metal drawers for books and papers. The arcaded corridor on the third floor is of a caen stone of a by­ gone age. The floors are of reinforced concrete between riveted steel plate girders guaranteed to hold up any weight that can be put • upon them. Not all floors are the same as to composition, some be:ng of marble blocks and ceremic tile; all differ in decorative style but are alike in the qualities of being sound proof, vermin proof and wear proof. Partitions are of gypsum tile· blocks four inches deep with a finish of plaster. Interior doors are of hollow steel in solid frames with mahogany tone finish. The roof on steel trusses, is overlaid by a surface of tile blocks and fin­ ished with high grade fire and water proof roofing. The f ounda­ tions forming the basement are of solid concrete with hard­ burned brick fn cement forming the partition walls. The whole 97 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO structure has stood the test of fire and- water for many hours without showing mark or damage. All materials used except the Indiana limestone are Colo­ rado products. The marble is from the quarry near the town of Marble in Gunnison county. Real caen stone is found only in France, but the splendid imitation used in the building was manufactured on the job under the direction of Architect Bow­ man. The heating plant is in the basement of the jail just west of the court house building, and heat is carried in by means of ducts through tunnels connecting the two buildings. Fresh air is driven by electrically operated fans into each room through registers, and foul air is removed by suction fans. The building of the court house was just ahead of war time prices, much to the advantage of vVeld. county tax payers. It is estimated that the total cost was, approximately. $5.25 on each thousand dollars worth of property. The cost of removing the old court house and preparing the ground for the new added several thousand dollars to the cost, rais;ng grand total to about $414,000 or a little above. But it is also estimated that the building could not be duplicated in 1938 for less than $1,000,000.

OTHER WELD COUNTY FACTS, STATISTICAL AND OTHERWISE (Taken almost exclusively from the Year Book, 1935-6) LAND, AND HOW DIVIDED. Weld has an area of 2,574,080 acres, divided, principally, as follows: Irr~ gated ______.______34& J 7 70 Non irrigated, ( dry farming) ------758,027 Grazing ______,. ____ l, 15 8. 691 In natural hay ------·----- ______------6,226 Productive coal lands ------·------1,544 Non praductive coal lands ------6~178 Railway Rights of \Vay ------9,830 Town and city lots ------8,850 98 WELD COUNTY THROUGH A PERIOD OF 79 YEARS

Ownership unclassified ----·-·------··------·········· 88,868 State lands ...... 178,490 Government lands ····-············-············-············- 3,520 The rest are listed as Miscellaneous. A somewhat surprising fact found in this table is that al­ though agriculture has made such tremendous strides in develop­ ment, placing the county at the head of all counties of the state, it has not yet claimed, for both irrigated and dry farming, one half of the country's area. This fact forms a good firm basis for great future expectations when the Grand Lake-Big Thompson diversion shall have become a reality. Another fact that may be equally surprising is that although the cattlemen seemed to make a dramatic exit from the farming lands of the county after the coming of the early colonists, yet almost half the area of the county is still listed as grazing." And another apparently unpromising fact is that the "non­ productive" coal lands are almost four times greater than the "productive." This, however, does not mean that the "non-pro­ ductive" are not capable of producing, but only-as explained in the Chapter on Coal-that approximately only a fourth has yet been tapped, leaving the balance in reserve as a promise for the future.

THE RATING OF WELD IN THE STATE \VELD STANDS FIRST ON FIVE COUNTS-.-'\.gricul-­ ture, Coal Mining and Dairy Farming, industrially, and in miles of Highways and Railways. ,,iELD STANDS SECOND in the number of automobil~, Denver county only standing above. IT IS THIRD in manufacturing values, in area and in population. IT IS FOURTH in bank deposits, the three counties above hold~ ng the three largest cities, Denver, Pueblo and Colorado Springs. IT IS FIFTH in range cattle, the counties above being

Los .:\nimas 1 l\1esa, Rio Blanco and Gunnison. Q9 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

POPULATION, AND HOW CLASSIFIED. According to the last census, 1930, Weld had a population of 65,097. Of nationalities Mexicans predominate, with 8,792. Foreign born whites number 6,204. Japanese are quoted at 712; Negroes at 111; Indians 19 and Chinese only 1. The average of population per square mile is a fraction over 16. The number of square miles is 4,022 There are 15,396 families of the average size of between three and four. These are divided almost evenly between home owners and tenants, the latter being a few hundreds the greater. Almost evenly divided also between town and country dwellers, the latter being again the greater. The average value of homes owned is given at $2,735; the average rent paid, (1935) a frac­ tion under $20. But rentals are not easily calculated because those paid on farms are almost always by shares of crops and can only be estimated.

RAILROADS, TELEGRAPHS AND TELEPHONES vVeld is listed in Year Book for 1935-6 as having a fraction ovei 401 miles of railroad. These are divided between the Un­ ion Pacific and the Burlington. Their average value is $12,- 011,980. Telephones have 17,703 miles and a value of $540,- 640. Telegraph lines, 3,192 miles with a value of $167,130. (page 155) Weld has a general total valuation of $64,947,770. Only Denver county has a higher valuation.

MAPS OF WELD COUNTY FROJ.\r1 1859 to 1903. The accompanying Maps were made by the professional draftsman, T. C. Cameron, in the Coronado Building, Greeley, who, with the write.r went carefully over each legislative act, putting every little jog exactly according to the survey of the legislature at the time of making the various changes, hence is here given in full confidence. A map showing the main rivers and irrigation canals of the county, taken from The Reservoir System 100 \VELD COUNTY THROUGH A PERIOD OF 79 YEARS of the Cache la Poudre, by E. S. Nettleton in 1901, and also a map of Greeley as first laid out by the colonists in 18 70. This map was loaned by George Hodgson, curator of the Meeker Museum, and can be seen there at any time. M ...\P NO. 1. 1859, ST. VRAIN. 1861, WELD

wvor,,uNG ! NESRASKA

ST. VRAI N COUNTY 1859

< X VJ WELD COUNTY 1861 < ~ Ill YI - z i ~.:# 51 ~~•------=------_.;.;."""-;;;;:.;C=.c"'~"'"•;;;;_• _ __, ARAPAHOE' COUNTY This map shows the first emergence of this area from the ent:rely indefinite boundaries that prevailed up to 1859 when the early settlers along the river bottoms organized the Claim Club and St. Vrain county, when this was Jefferson Territory. Then when, in 1861, the United States government recognized the Territory, changed its name to Colorado, appointed a gov­ ernor and other colonial officers and gave it a legal existence, the newly constituted local government also changed the name of the county, giving it the name of the colonial secretary, Lewis Ledyard Weld. All boundaries remained the same, the county still occupying the entire northeast corner of the state. And so it remained for 26 years. lVIAP NO. 2. FEBRUARY, 1887, WASHINGTON COUNTY. In 188 7 the first change was made. On February 9 of that year the state legislature cut off the southeast corner of Weld county by running a line from about midway of its southern boundary, which was Arapahoe county to a little less than half the distance across the county northward toward Nebraska, 101 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

! N&&RASKA

WELD COUNTY tS6I

- WASHINGTON COUNT'{ FE'B. 9, \ S'S7

thence turning a right angle eastward to its eastern boundary, which was also Nebraska; giving to this area the name of Wash­ ington County.

MAP NO. 3. FEBRUARY 25, 1887, LOGAN COUNTY

WYOMING f NEBRASKA

I-► • t z LOGAN COUNTY & u fEf>. 25, \&87 C... c~ WELD COUNTY < -' -

- WASHlNGTON COUNTY ► a~ FEB. 9, \&S7 ~ _,CV ::, ~,,c-...... ~ ARAPAHOE COUNTY This first cut left Weld county much the same shape ~t bears today, a rectangle with one corner cut out leaving it with six instead of four right-angle corners. As a matter of fact, how­ ever, owing to a little jog of about five or six miles on its west­ ern Boulder: county line it already had two extra corners, and now it had eight. But Weld held this shape only sixteen days, and then, on February 25, 1887, the legislature, after making another little jog just north of the Washington county line, ran 102 WELD COUNTY THROUGH A PERIOD OF 79 YEARS the line straight on northward to the Nebraska line; and this area the legislature named Logan County.

MAP NO. 4. FEBRUARY 19, 1889, MORGAN COUNTY.

I

l.. "

I..l LOGAN COUNTY ~ WELD COUNTY "'r ~ < ~ ~ (: - MOR6AN COUNTY -'O WASHINGTON COUNTY ... 1=\-"S. \9. I 6S9 C 0 "'J ~ ?ti.vr.r,_,.,.

The next time the legislative knife was applied to Weld was on February 19, 1889, when again its southeast corner was cut off; this time the area cut off was called Morgan County. This was the last cut effecting Weld county, as such, but other changes were made. that materially effected the territory that had originally been Weld county.

MAP NO. 5, MARCH 15, 1889, YUMA COUNTY . .

i... Sf VRAIN COUNTY LOGAN COUNTY ~ l~.S.9 ~ fE6. 2.~ I SS7

~ ~ WELD COUN1Y !(: t.... "I i 1~61 ~ ..I. ~" - MOR.6AN COUNTY WA5\flH6TON (OU~TY 'YUMA COU"fl -~ ~ F1:'3 9, ,ss1 MI\R. f5 1i~.9 C) .J ~ ~ . . .,..-... r.u--~

103 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORAOO

This map shows the cut that was made across Washington county running north and south near its middle on March 15, less than a month after the cut that made Morgan county. This cut divided Washington in two almost equal parts, and gave to the area east of the line the name of Yuma County. Closely fol­ lowing this, in fact only twelve days_ later, March 27, 1889, an­ other change was made, this time effecting Logan.

MAP NO. 6. MARCH 27, 1889, PHILLIPS COUNTY

~ING !I Nf8RASKA . (.l)lJJrN ),. SEDGWICK )- APfl. . .9,18&8 ::,z 0 CJ LOGAN COUNTY a= w ff& tS, lSSS PHIWPS COUNTY % i.., WELD COUNT'Y l"\Aft. 2.'T, ISS9 1861 I - MORGNi COUNTY WASHING1UN YUMA COUNTY -...► § fE6. 19, 1SS9 COUNTY MAR, IS, I 889 I FE&• .9, f e e, 7 i '-'IC:.- ARAPAHOE COUNTY For this cut Logan county was called upon to give up its southeast corner, just as Weld had done twice before. This was on March 27, 1889, and the corner cut off was called Phillips County. Up to this time Logan still held the northeast corner of the state, but was destined very soon to give it up.

MAP NO. 7. APRIL 9, 1889, SEDGWICK COUNTY. Thirteen days only did Logan hold the proud distinction of the northeast corner of the state after the cut that made Phil­ lips, then, on April 9, 188·9, the legislature run the line from the northwest corner of Phillips straight on northward across Logan county, cutting off the coveted northeast corner of the state and giving the honor to the newly created county of Sedgwick. 104 WELD COUNTY THROUGH A PERIOD OF 79 YEARS

WVOMJ"C)

),, ~ ) 8 LOGAN COUN1'Y J PHILLIPS :; WELD COUNTY r COUNTY i MORGAN - WASHINGTON YUMA COUNl'Y ~'Z COUNTY COUNTY ~ 3 f '3,.______..... ______.______...... ______--+

o1 < a, z ( ~

That was the last of the changes that made seven counties out of the area that had originally been Weld County. But it was not the last of the changes effecting part of that area.

MAP NO. 8, APRIL 10, 1903.

WYOMING NESRASKA. SE'OGW\CK

COUNT'< LOGAN COUNTY APR. 9, ISS9

' PHIL LIPS WELD COUNTY COUNTY MAR. 2.7, 1~89 1S61 - MOR.GAN j COUNT'( fEB. 19, 1ssg WASHINGTON '1'UMA COUNTY COUNTY --· FEB, 9, l?>Sl NAR1S,t'S'o9 SOUTH£Rt-( £.OIJNC,'l.~Y .S0u'1"R'FRI< '50UNDARY' ~ CHA~G~i) A PR. 10, !.903 OIA1'46~D APR. 10, 1909 ~ '( ~

105 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

Extending Washington and Yuma. Fourteen years these seven counties retained the area and shape as given on Map No. 7. Then, on April 10, 1903, the legis­ lature eliminated the southern boundaries of both counties and allowed them to run southward the full length of what is Adams and Arapahoe counties, down to the northern boundaries of Lincoln and Kit Carson counties, this being shown on Map No. 8.

106 CHAPTER VI THE FORTS OF WELD COUNTY Toward the middle of the 19th century, in 1836, came a white man seeking trade with the Indians. He built a Fort on the bank of the South Platte about · twenty-five miles south of the present site of the Weld County Court House. He was of a mild and friendly disposition and sought friendly relationships with the Indians. He brought merchandise to trade with them for the hides of buffalos which were plentiful in the Indian country. ,vith all their past experiences the Indians still believed that not all white men were their. enemies, and so met the new-comer half way, and a peaceful and profitable trade resulted. How Lancaster Lupton built his Fort is not a matter of record. It was a large structure, perhaps 75 by 100 or 125 feet, and must have required both skill and labor in erection. The skill he had, but the labor must have been more than anv.. one man could have performed alone. There is no account of any other white men coming with him, and there were surely none here before him; so the conclusion seems obvious that whatever of help he had must have come from the Indians. The material used was adobe made of mud and grass roots and worked to­ gether and shaped into squares and dried in the sun. There is no detailed description of the Fort in any History, but it is said to have been patterned after those of the Bent Brothers on the Arkansas River. If this be so it must have had walls about fourteen feet in height, with loop holes at regular intervals about shoulder dis­ tance from the ground, and with bastions and towers at the cor­ ners reaching up above the walls with loopholes and a look-out near their top; and an interior court around which were arranged living and storage rooms. Whether or not this Fort, (Lupton) had a roof became a part of the general discussion regarding all the forts along the Platte at the time of the reconstruction of Fort Vasquez. George 107 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

East who superintended the work of reconstruction maintained that there had been no roof, while others contended that without a roof no Fort could have furnished shelter for supplies in trade, the home of the trader nor the settlers who later found refuge therein from storms and threatened raids of hostile Indians. There is no positive proof on either side; Mr. East relied on the lack of evidence of there ever having been a roof, and the others upon the conclusion reasoned out that no Fort could have fur­ nished shelter without it. But one thing known is that the Fort was built; and that it served a useful purpose for a good many years, just how many is not known. There is a large square stone marker built of boulders and cement at the side of the road on Highway 85 pointing the traveler to a spot, a quarter of a mile west, where a marble monument marks the site of the Fort; and where, but a few feet distant, stands a portion of the old wall built more than a hundred years ago. This is on the farm owned by E.W. Ewing who is always glad to show the historic ruins to visitors. Years later when white settlement was well under way, a group of white people built a town near the old Fort and named it in honor of the First Settler. They called it Fort I:upton, and in 1890 incorporated under that name. It has ever been one of the most progressive towns of the county. But when Lancaster Lupton built his Fort on the Platte in 1836 there was no white man's town a mile to the south of him; there was no white man's habitation of any kind nearer than Kansas City. Later came other traders and built forts and trading posts along the Platte, but at first Lupton's nearest white neighbor was about 600 miles away. So the statement stands unchallenged that Lancaster Lup­ ton was the first white settler in Weld county, the first trader, the first farmer, and that he preceded the county itself by about 23 years. And because of all this he has earned a place in the history of the county that should entitle him to more than a passing notice. Hence the following story of his life. 108 THE FORTS OF WELD COUNTY

THE LIFE STORY OF LANCASTER LUPTON WELD COUNTY'S FIRST CITIZEN Lancaster Lupton had a chekered career with the dark squares predominating. Courageously he bore the hardships of this wild new country, but built no fortune therefrom, and fin­ ally yielded to the accumulation of disappointments and mis­ fortunes and lived out his life with few of his ambitions realized. Yet through it all he seems to have developed no bitterness of spirit, but to have maintained a poise and gentleness of charac­ ter to the end. A picture taken shortly before his death at the age of seventy-eight, shows a calm and benign countenance. He was born in New York state in 1807, the same year that Zebulon M. Pike ended his disastrous expedition through this Rocky Mountain country. At the age of eighteen, in 1825, he entered the United States Military Academy at West Point; graduated four years later and entered the Army with the brevet of Second Lieuten­ ant of the Third Infantry stationed at Jefferson barracks, St. Louis. In 1833 he was made Lieutenant of the First Dragoons and saw service at Fort Gibson, now Oklahoma, on the Santa Fe Trail. In 1935 he was made a First Lieutenant and placed in command of Company A under Colonel Dodge who led a de­ tachn1ent of the Dragoons to the Rocky Mountain region. And it ,vas when passing through this part of the country that Lupton saw such unmistakable possibilities and became so interested that within the year he resigned from the army and returned to seek his fortune in the new country. He was now twenty-nine years of age and full of hopes and plans. This in 1836. His stock of merchandise for trade with the Indians con­ sisted mostly .of bright colored blankets, looking glasses, bells and bracelets, sparkling glass beads and tobacco. In his later stores of merchandise it is said that whiskey was included~ but not until Eerce competition that came with later traders forced him to it. What he received from the Indians vvas at first almost ex- 109 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO elusively beaver skins. Beaver hats were the fashion among the royalty of England, and consequently among the aristocracy of America, and the raw material for their making was to be found on the backs of the industrious little animals that build such wonderful dams across the streams. But Dame Fashion was fickle then as now, and when the Prince of Wales "changed his hat" ( quoting from Judge Brad­ field) it was the undoing of Trader Lupton. American aristoc­ racy could not wear beaver when Royalty wore silk; and so, when across the ocean flew Dame Fashion with that edict, the American demand for beaver skins declined to the vanishing point. and Trader Lupton had no longer a market. In which extremity all he could do was to fall back on buffalo robes. Of course it was well to have a thing so soft as a buffalo robe to fall back upon, but it did not save Lancaster Lupton a hard jolt; for by this time other traders had come in and Lup­ ton had to share his robe with them. He held on, however, from start to finish, about ten years~ toward the end supplementing his failing trade with agriculture. And this is the fact that fixes his claim for all time to the dis­ tinction' of being Weld county's first farm.er.. J obn C. Fremont gave proof of this when, after pass_ing through this country in 1843, he told of Lupton's fine garden and fields of vegetables that has just been destroyed by high water. It is said that misfortune never come singly. In this case they came in droves, attacking him on every side. First, fashion and competition took his trade, then nature's forces took his crop. That seemed the last straw, but it wasn't. He turned over his cattle and poultry to pay for his provisions, and, utterly discouraged, returned to the home of his parents in Wisconsin. There is no record of his having sold the Fort; it must have been simply deserted. Then he tried for re-instatement in the army, but failed. He had resigned, and for this could not be forgiven; there was no military post for him any where. He was not happy in the old home, so returned to the West, taking shelter at Bent's Fort 110 THE FORTS OF WELD COUNTY on the Arkansas. From there he wrote to President Harrison asking for an Indian Agency, but the president turned a deaf ear to his request. In the spring of 184 7 he went to Hardscrabble, between Canon City and Pueblo, a place well worthy of the name, and there started farming. After a while, however, it seemed that Fate relented some­ what, and called off her flock of misfortunes; for the scattered bits of history pieced together show something of tranquility from that time on. He married the daughter of a Cheyenne Chieftain and settled down to farming. Eight sons and daugh­ ters came to them. During the ·Gold Rush of '49 he and his wife moved to Arcata, California and there reared their family of eight; and it was there that the Final Summons came to him, on August 2, 1885. A grand-daughter was found at that place re­ cently by the State Historical Society, and it was she who gave the facts of his latter years. THE OLD FORT IN LATER YEARS Up to the year 1859 the old Fort was practically abandoned, then it took on life again as a camping place for travelers west­ ward bound, and for wandering tribes of dispossessed but peace­ ful Indians. Later when dispossession became more fully real­ ized the tribes became less peaceful and the Fort a refuge for the harrassed whites. It was a camp and corral for the emigrant trains on their way to the Pike's Peak Country where gold was to be shoveled up like sand-according to reports. And later it became a stage station for mail and express on the Overland Route. During the expected Indian up-r;sings of 1864 it served as a refuge for many settlers along the-South Platte. It is the one spoken of in the let­ ter of Henry A. Smith, ( in the Pioneer Stor-ies) as the place to w·hich his f an1ily hastened in the night when warned by the fa­ mous Gerry of the reported up-rising. And this is the History commemorated by the Monument just west of the Marker that stands by the side of the road at 111 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, ·COLORADO the edge of Ft. Lupton; that stands like a sentinel, silently guarding the Memories of the Past.

OTHER FORTS; FORT ST. VRAIN AND FORT VASQUEZ. John Charles Fremont, in the Memoirs of his travels in 1843, speaks of passing two abandoned Forts before reaching that of Lancaster Lupton. One of these was most likely the trading post of Vasquez and Sublet and the other that of the more obscure traders, Locke and Randolph. Of the latter not much is definitely known, but of the former, owing to recent activities and developments, something quite worth while may be told: the Old Fort Vasquez has been re-constructed.

FORT VASQUEZ, THE RECONSTRUCTlON. On the southern edge of Platteville, east of Highway 85, stands the re-constructed Fort of Louis Vasquez, built originally in 1838. Th~. question has been asked why this Fort, of less import­ ance historically than either Fort Lupton or Fort St. Vrain, was selected for reconstruction? The question is easily answered: the people of Platteville were at the bottom of it. Not that the people of Ft. Lupton or St. Vrain were indifferent to their Forts, but that Ft. Lupton had its monument and marker and the town cornmemorating the name; and Fort St. Vrain was not on the main traveled highway. Hence no friction has ever been caused by the selection. In 193 5 the people of Platteville, realizing the importance of restoring the old ruins as a link between the past and present, went before the county com.missioners and asked that applica­ tion be made to the Federal Emergency Relief Administration for funds for the re-construction of the old Fort. The co~mis­ sioners readily complied with the request; the matters was car­ ried to the FE~\ where it quickly f o u n d favor and funds 112 THE FORTS OF WELD COUNTY amounting to $2,500 were allotted to the work. The grounds upon which the old fort had stood had long since become private property and were now a part of the farm owned by the sisters, Mrs. Pearl Pardue and Miss Ethel Hoff­ man. These owners willingly donated the site. The grounds and the money now being provided the enthusiastic promoters faced the baffling question as to just what was to be built; how to know just what the old Fort had been. There was not enough of it left to give a clue, and there were no written records. To meet this perplexing situation the promoters called on Dr. W. G. Beneweiss of Greeley who had done research work for the State Historical Society, and he undertook the task. He knew it was not an easy one, but gave it his best endeavors, and, finally succeeded in contacting a son of one of the early owners of the land who remembered the stories his father had told him in his boyhood dayst. of the time when the old Fort was in its prime, or, at least, before the time of its decay. From this man a fairly good outline was obtained, and later amplified by infor­ mation gathered from a group of Pueblo Indians. So, putting this and that together a quite workable plan evolved. This plan ,vas placed in the hands of George East who had long made a study of the subject, and the work began. And so it is that after the passing of a hundred years Old Fort Vasquez has reappeared. As the work progressed difficulties presented themselves, the first of which was that the material from which the Old Fort had been made was no longer available; the adobe bricks had been made of clay and grass roots; but the plows of civilization had long ago turned up the roots and turned under the clay; so mud that had been a subsoil and straw that had grown above the surface had to pe substituted. As the work progressed so did criticism; there was no shelt­ er, no roof; no "lid" as one expressed it; and the walls were too low to give protection from the fire brands that the Indians might have tossed over. The answer to this was that Ft. Vasquez was not built as was Ft. Lupton, for a real fort, but only as a 113 A HISTORY OF \VELD COUNTY, COLORADO

stockade and trading post, and that there£ ore a "lid" was not in order. Two rooms have been built in the southwest comer which the critics say were not in the original; and Mr. East replies, "of course not; they are there now for the use of a care-taker, a personage not needed in the original, but essential now to prevent defacement or other injury to the great historical landmark." Which leads to the supposition that vandals were not so plenti-· ful a hundred years ago as now. Leads also to the story of how a portion of the original wall still standing up to a few years ago, vanished. This story is that one day a boy playing about the ruins saw by the glint of a sunbeam a dime down in a crevase of the wall. A dime was worth going after, and he went after it. The tearing down of old real adobe walls that had stood there since before his grandfather was born meant labor, but what of that? wasn't there a dime down there? and might there not be more? a hun­ dred dollars, maybe. Older boys have been lured by similar prospects. So he labored with a will and finally the dime was his. After that he returned again and again to the scene of his "find,'-' •but after a while other boys were attracted to the scene and the ·search for hidden wealth became frantic and thorough. The story stops quite unsatisfactorily right here, and it was never known whether other wealth was found or not, but it is known that the fragment of wall that might have served as a pattern, vanished completely, leaving hardly a track upon the ground. Before leaving the controversy over the "lid", a brief de­ scription of the Forts of the Bent Brothers down on the Arkansas which furnished model for those of the Platte may be in order. Histories generally agree on these main points: that the walls of the Bent Forts were six feet thick at the base and rose seventeen feet in height; had on opening, a wide gateway in the east wall; that the parapeted bastions had an inner diameter of ten feet; that the living and storage rooms were backed against Q the outer walls, with an opening upon an inner central court; that the walled corral for stock was at the rear wall outside; that heavy timbered rafters supported an• adobe roof, the strong point 114 THE FORTS OF WELD COUNTY

of which was its resistence to fire. So the later ones at least had a pattern for a roof. The ground dimensions were 100x150 feet. Lupton and St. Vrain were supposed to follow this pattern faithfully, though on a smaller scale. Vasquez was the smaller and Fremont said it was a "more temporary" building; so per­ haps Mr. East wins out after all.

FORT ST. VRAIN. This Fort, 75 by 12 5 feet dimensions, was probably the most complete of all the Forts along the Platte and the best copy of the Bent Forts down on the Arkansas. In fact it was built by Bent Brothers themselves with their business partner, Ceran St. Vrain. This was in 1838. Its favorable location a mile north of St. Vrain Creek put it in direct line between two of the most famous Forts of the day and gave it the advantage of being a half-way station between the two, Ft. Laramie on the north and Fort Bent on the south; and on the trail that ran through what is now Fifteenth street in Denver; all .of which gave Fort St. Vrain an importance second only to its north and south termin­ als. And now it is not even on the main road. It is said to have been a successful competitor of Fort Lupton, and may have helped to hasten the day of Lupton's failure. However, the commercial triumph of Fort St. Vrain was short-lived, and it, too, was soon abandoned. The Historian Parkman who visited it in 1845 states in his book "The Oregon Trail," that it was then "abandoned and fast falling into decay," and that even the horses of his party "recoiled in horror" from it. And much later tbe Pony Express passed over the trail that in an earlier day had made Fort St. Vrain famous.

115 CHAPTER VII THE FIRST GOLD RUSH THE STAGE COACH .AND THE PONY EXPRESS Once more addressing the mythical character who arrived with Columbus in 1492 and pitched his tent where the \Veld county court house now stands: In 183 6 your first white neighbor arrived. Others had pass­ ed through and on, but this one came to stay. His name was Lancaster Lupton and he settled on the banks of the Platte riv­ er about twenty-five miles south of you. He did not pitch a tent, but put up a strong building made of grass roots and adobe mud and big enough to shelter a lot of trinkets he had brought with him to trade with the natives hereabouts. Why he came, what he did and when and why he left is told in Chapter 5. In the decade between 1849 and 1859 what is now Weld county was but a grain of sand in the big sand pile that was called "The Great American Desert," and in the parcel labelled "The Pike's Peak Country." Major Long had said it was a desert more than twenty-five years before and no one had yet seriousfy questioned that statement. You, of course, knew bet­ ter all the time, and in 1849 things began to happen that made you wonder if other folks were not beginning to find it out too. Early in that year the prairie breezes began to bring to you strange noises, different from the song of the wild birds, the "yip" of the coyotes or the croak of the frogs. As it was wafted to you from the east sweeping on toward the west it sounded like the rush of many feet. and that was what it was. It was the tramp, tramp, tramp of hundreds, even thousands, of human feet, and of the feet of oxen and horses, and of the creaking of many wheels; and as it drew nearer the sound grew louder; louder than the tread of the buffalo herd, as the owners of the feet and the wheels. beat a pathway across the continent to the outermost edge of the world, where the earth ends and the waters 0 begin. That was the famous Gold Rush to California, in 1849. The great noise kept up for weeks and months, even years, 116 THE FIRST GOLD RUSH, THE STAGE COACH AND PONY EXPRESS and after while another sound crept in; it was the rumble of still more wheels, big ones and little ones, and the creaking of axles and gears; and when it canie close enough for you to see the queer object that was causing it all as it pulled into the sta­ tion at Latham, three miles east of you, you looked at it in amazement and wondered what this country was coming to. THE ST.AGE COACH. After while you found out that the queer object that swung along so awkwardly behind a bunch of horses fastened to it was a Stage Coach, that it had come into being because the owners of the human feet that had so long been rushing. past, had found gold at the far western rim of the world and had established. a big settlement out there, and their kin folks back east wanted to go there too but could not walk so far; and because this was so, a man by the name of \Villiam H. Russell had decided to give them a lift by means of a stage coach. And later you learned the whole story that follows: That this l\,Ir. Russell was a very ambitious and aggressive sort of a man; had been in partnership with two others, Mr. Majors and Mr. Waddell, and they had been crossing the desert for a long time with great wagon trains loaded heavily with m;l­ itary. and other supplies, and this was what had made so much noise. And now Mr. Russell had a new idea; why not carry peo­ ple as well as freight? So he suggested to his partners that they start a Stage Coach line and do that very thing. He told them it

" 1ould be a sure money maker; but his partners did not see it that way, and they said to him-in effect if not in exact words­ ~'Nixie; there's nothing to it; we would lose all we have ever made with the wagons." So Mr. Russell broke with his long-time partners and found a new one, a Mr. Jones,-John S.-who was as much of a plung­ er as he, and together they launched the new enterprise. They ·went heavily into debt, sparing no expense in equipment; their coaches, built by the famous Concord Carriage Makers, were the last ,vord in elegance and style. 117 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

They first named their enterprise "The Jones and Russell Pike's Peak Express Company," but when it was incorporated gave it a still more imposing name: "The Central Overland Cal­ ifornia & Pike's Peak Express Company." But for brevity they ran away ahead of the alphabetical designations of the Roosevelt regime and called it the "C.O.C. & the P.P.E." Co. You could sing it; it jingled along so smoothly. But it didn't work; it was a hundred years too early; the public had not had the alphabet­ ical training for it; so they had to let it go at the un-musical name of the Overland. Sometimes they called it the "Concord Stage Line" to distinguish it from ordinary Concord carriages. An innovation that was entirely original with Jones & R us­ sell, the swinging of the coaches on strong leather straps instead of metal springs, gave the coaches such a peculiar swinging mo­ tion that the nickname of "Pitching Betsy" soon attached to them. Each coach had a seating capacity of nine passengers and there were places for mail bags under the seats and on top of the coaches. Four to six especially selected horses or sturdy Ken­ tucky mules were attached to each coach and changed every twelve.er twenty miles according to road conditions. Fifty-two coaches were put on the line. The cost of each was $800 and the horses were worth from $150 to $200 each. The distance from Leavenworth to Denver was 640 miles and the time al­ lotted for the journey was six days; but it took action to make it in that time, with no allowance for interruptions by the way; being an average of more than 100 miles a day. The passenger far.e was at first $150, then $100 and finally came down to $7 5. So altogether when all those fifty-two coaches and nine pas­ sengers each with plenty of mail bags came rolling into Latham, one after another, with a rumble that shook the earth it made you, the First Citizen, wonder what was going to happen next. Mr. Russell's first partners were right about the business end of the enterprise; it was a failure. The plunger, Mr. Russell, and his partner Mr. Jones, lost heavily, but they had the satis­ faction of knowing that they had planted a milepost of Progress on the pathway of the Great West and marked an epoch in its 118 THE FIRST GOLD RUSH, THE STAGE COACH AND PONY EXPRESS development. l\lr. Russell was later one of the incorporators of the town of Denver and some of his descendants are in business there now. So much for the business end of this great enterprise; now for something of its human side. In the l 850s and '60s the First Americans, the Indians, were not yet fully accustomed-nor reconciled-to the ways of the fast-encroaching white man. Thomas Walker in his interest­ ing book, "How They Carried The Mail," tells many graphic stories of the meeting of the two races on the plains while it still was in doubt as to which was to gain final ascendency. The fol­ lowing story is typical of many others. It was the custom at that time for a special mail carrier appointed by the government to accompany each coach carry­ ing mail and to be responsible for its safe passage across the plains. In this story Bob Alder was the responsible one. The driver of the coach was Bill Jennings. On this particular coac!-1 was a passenger, a young chap by the name of Sam Clemens. He had an unbreakable habit of writing down almost everything that happened and signing the name of "Mark Twain." That was not really his name, and that was why he signed it. Thomas Walker does not state what time in the year this particular trip was taken nor where the Indian attack took place, but from the clue that the nights were chilly a good guess is that it was either spring or fall; and from his mention of the Sioux and Cheyennes the place must have been this side of Julesburg which was later Weld county. Anyhow, it was in the middle of an afternoon when Bill Jennings, ever on the alert, discerned in the far distance '~vhat looked like a bunch of prairie dogs and excitedly exclaimed to Bob Alder: "Lookee yonder;" "Injuns," announced Bob~ who, far away as they were, did not believe them to be prairie dogs: and by the time he had reached for his gun the bunch ,vas near enough to leave no doubt as to their identity . .At the distance of about 200 yards the arrows began to fly and the mail sacks, just behind Bill and Bob ,vere riddled; then Bob said to Bill, "you 'tend to the horses and I'll 'tend to the In- 119 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO juns; lean down so's I kin shoot over you." And the battle was on. Bob's hat was carried away by an arrow that burnt a track along the top of his head; the harness of the lead horse was hit and the horses began to plunge; and it was about this time that the young chap inside the coach and some other passengers joined in the chorus and arrows and bullets whizzed past each other like hail-stones coming from two directions at once. The only gun among the Indians was in the hands of the leader and when he leveled it at Bill, Bob beat him to it and in a split sec­ ond shattered his hand causing the gun to drop to the ground, discharging as it fell. That took marksmanship and, either the fact that such marksmanship was on board or because the Indians had had all the entertainment they wanted, they turned and sped away as fast as their ponies could carry them, but not until after a part­ ing arrow had brought down the finest horse in the team, the h?gh-spirited, dependable leader. The young passenger, Sam Clemens, wrote the story in a book he called "Roughing It," and as usual signed that name, ''Mark ·Twain.'' At, another time there was another passenger who should have ~pecial mention because he figures so essentially in the next period of this History, 1870 to 1885. He was a mild man­ nered, kindly, distinguished looking gentleman who signed the passenger roll as "Horace Greeley." 1\.t least that was what the signature looked like. He was not a good penman; in fact was entitled to the prize as the poorest one in America at that time. He may not have lost the laurel even yet. If you have any doubt as to his rightful claim to it just take a look at the title of the Greeley Tribune. He wrote it. That is, it was made up from the way he signed his name and wrote the name of his paper in New York. When Nathan Meeker first started the pa­ per in Greeley he did not have it that way because he did not think anybody could read it, but later, because everybody thought so much of that Stage Coach passenger, he concluded to take a chance on it. The reason everybody thought so much of that passenger was not because of his penmanship but be- 120 THE FIRST GOLD RUSH, THE STAGE COACH AND PONY EXPRESS cause of the many fine qualities he possessed. Among other things he had the rare ability of seeing far into the future; the day he passed through this territory he had the vision to see \Veld county coming. He got .off the Stage and walked around a bit, and, though ther_e was not much in sight except the Latham station yet he saw a fine and prosperous country coming out of the future. HOW THEY DID NOT CARRY THE MAIL. Before leaving the subject of the Stage Coach the follow­ ing incident should be given, illustrative of the difficulties of carrying the mail as new conditions developed. In 1859 war clouds were gathering and by 1860 there was no doubt of the coming storm. Written by lightning streaks across dark skies was the one ominous word, "Slavery." Con­ gressmen were making speeches that Westerners ought to hear .. But there was no radio and the only way to get the speeches to the \Vesterners was for the Congressmen to make them in Con­ gress, have them printed and sent by mail, which, from Leaven­ worth westward meant by Stage Coach. For such voluminous mail postage was an item-a big one -and so the Congressmen passed a law called the "Franking Privilege," by which their speeches could be sent through the rnail without postage. About that time, too, newspapers took on a new importance; they, too, could be used for speeches and political news, and the political pot was boiling. So newspapers were admitted to the mails in exchange with each other free of postage. Altogether it added a tremendous volumn to the mail carried by the already well loaded coaches. New places had to be found for the mail bags, and the only way possible to make more space was to suspend the bags from the ceilings of the coaches. The result was inevitable; the coaches were loaded be­ yond their capacity and the horses taxed beyond their strength. But coaches could not be enlarged nor more horses added; passengers, at $100 apiece, were not willing to get out and walk; so there was but one thing to do and that was to unload mail­ bags ""herever convenient hiding places could be found along 121 A msTORY OF \VELD COUNTY, COLORADO

the way. And this fact makes understandable an item that ap­ peared in a Salt Lake paper, The Deseret News, under date of May 2, 1860. It said: "The Way Mail, that is to say an oxwagon load of mail sacks that had been left by the wayside, some of them nearly or quite six months old, arrived Wednesday night, covering dates from November 1, 1859 to April 4, 1860." And again on June 13, 1860, the same paper said: "The mail from St. Joe arrived at Hank's station Friday but could not be brought in until Monday, most of it being as wet as water could make it; we had to hang it up to dry before we could open it. The coach had upset this side of Weber's." But the best story of all is that of two army officers who were on board the Pitching Betsy on a day when the mail was unusually heavy and when bags were suspended from the ceil­ ing of the coach between the seats. At first the two officers sat behind the sacks, but going up hill the sacks lost their moorings and buried the officers be­ neath their bulk and weight. The lusty cries of the officers soon ~~ched the ear of the driver on his high perch outside and he stopped the coach and rescued the officers; then with many apologies he changed the position of the mail sacks, placing them back of the officers. All went well under this arrangement until the top of the next hill was reached and the coach started down­ ward~ when the sacks again lost their moorings and buried the officers in front of them. Again the officers were rescued by the obliging and apologetic driver, but their dignity could stand no' more. "Dump the whole blankety-blank lot," exploded the one who happened to be rather a high officer, a General in fact. His brother officer, not quite so high, for getting for the moment his own subordinate position, was duly horrified and on the spur of the moment exclaimed: "Why this is government mail and there is a heavy penalty for losing even one of them there Patent Office Reports." To be spoken to like this by a subordinate was even worse than being buried by a mail sack~ and the General exploded 122 THE FIRST GOLD RUSH, THE STAGE COACH AND PONY EXPRESS even worse than before, and in language more forceful than re­ fined. "ROT," he shouted, "driver, get rid of them there sacks somehow." Then, remembering the dignity of the United States Government and his own responsibility in upholding it, he said, in a voice less explosive, yet stern, "But don't you dare let me see you do such a thing." Th!s in a voice of command; then, modifying his tone to that of a citizen who had been buffeted by mail sacks beyond the point of endurance, he added: "1\tly partner and I will walk up the trail a bit and when you catch up with us will get in. But I don't want them there mail. sacks where I will ever see them again." That settled it, and for the balance of the journey the pas­ sengers rode in comparative comfort. But whether or not these particular mail sacks were among the six months old oxload, the story does not go on to tell. THE PONY EXPRESS. ( Still Addressing the Typical First Citizen.) Then when you had become so accustomed to the Stage Coach that you could tolerate its no?se and dust, something else happened. One day from your tent on the site of the Weld County Court House you saw in the distance an unusual cloud of dust, and, as you looked, something shot past you like an arro,v; you could not focus your eye upon it quick enough to make out that it was a horse and rider outstripping the wind, but tha: \Vas ""hat it was . ./\ rider had started from St. Joe, Missouri, very early in the morning of April 3, 1860, to carry a 'letter from James Bucannon, President of the United States to George Do\\rney, Governor of California, as quickly as possible. There was nothing in the letter to make all this dust necessary, but the big thing was to see how quickly it could get there. Mail carried by Stage Coach generally took weeks to cross the continent; and so the same plunger that had started the Stage Coach, Mr. Rus­ sell, had concluded it could get there faster if carried by a small rider on a fast horse; and you know how that man was; if he 123 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

thought a thing could be done he plunged into it without stop­ ping to count the cost. And that was what was happening when you saw that cloud of dust. Many folks have supposed that the desire for speed was just another hectic symptom of the too rapid development of this Twentieth Century civilization, but it isn't. Or, well, may­ be the later development is, but the desire is as old as the human race; in our day it has been the urge that has brought us f rorr.. the horse and buggy to the ninety-mile-an-hour streamliner. Of course it can be overdone, sometimes is; but that is because of the lack of reason; properly balanced, the desire for speed makes for progress. · Proofs of the antiquity of this desire are in the pictographs found by the earliest traders and trappers carved on trees and stones by the Indians themselves. Arthur Chapman in his book, "The Pony Express," says that the desire for speed can be traced back to the days when the Indian and his pony split the wind across the plains now covered by the white man's alfalfa. He says the pictographs were of a horse, crudely drawn,. its four legs outstretched to the limit, the artists's best idea of speed­ he was going somewhere, and going F ...\ST. That was the white man's reading of the symbol and was probably correct. The white man may have misunderstood the Indian in all else, but this common human trait makes all the world akin. But long before the day when Johnny Frey started with the letter from the President to the Governor, another fear less rider nad accomplished a feat that proved to Mr. Russell that it could be done. This rider was a French-Canadian by the name of X. F. Aubrey. A GREAT RECORD OF SPEED AND ENDURANCE This was even back of the decade of the 1850s. Aubrey had been freighting over the Santa Fe Trail for a long time be­ tween Independence, Missouri and Santa Fe, New Mexico. It was a distance of 780 miles and it took his ox-drawn caravans from two to three months to make the journey. Horsemen al­ lowed themselves from two to three weeks. Aubrey was a horse- 124 THE FIRST GOLD RUSH, THE STAGE COACH AND PONY EXPRESS man; he never accompanied h:s own caravans but was at each end of the road to see their start and finish. He knew every inch of the trail and could check off the miles by starlight. He could make the trip in two weeks. That was the best any. rider had ever achieved. Could it be done in eight days? To the unbound­ ed surprise of all speed worshippers he did it. Then while the ·world still gasped with astonishment Aubrey audaciously wag­ ered for a purse of $1,000 to reduce the time to six days. This would establish a new speed record for the world, and, with bated breath, the world awaited the outcome. Did Aubrey win? He did. He covered 780 miles of Na­ ture's own Highway within six days. i\nd that record for speed and endurance~ for both man and beast, stands unchallenged to the present day. The relay of horses along the way proved to be insufficient and more than one emigrant train outbound from Independence swapped horses with him, glad to have that much of. a part of the Great .Adventure. Did his iron nerve sustain him, and did he make it in six days? He made it in five and a half, reaching his goal twelve hours before the wagered time. But at Inde­ pendence he was dragged from his horse more dead than alive, unable to respond to the clamor of an enthusiastic and worship­ ful crowd. Aubrey passed out of life soon after this, but he left some­ thing for men to talk ab.out; left something upon which William H. Russell, a dozen years later, based a theory that mail could be carried across the country quicker by a small man on a fast horse than it could by any other way. JOHNNY FREY AND THE PONY EXPRESS It ,vas a tremendous occasion when Johnny Frey left St. Joe, l\iissouri, for San Francisco, California. The letter from the President to the Governor had traveled from Washington to St. Joe by rail, and the theory of Plunger Russell was to be tested out on the balance of the journey. The distance had been carefully calculated; it measured 1 ~966~ almost 2,000 miles. Relays of horses and riders had been 125 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO provided. Each horse should cover an average of fifteen miles at a good speed, and each rider from 75 to 125 according to the condition of the country over which he must ride. On the morning of that epoch marking day the horse for the first lap of the journey, stood saddled and bridled and pawing the ground, impatient for the start. Johnny Frey sat proudly in the saddle with keen eyes watching the approaching train. The whistle blew, the train slowed down, but long before it came to a stop, quick hands had grasped a mail pouch, thrust it into the waiting saddle bag and clamped down the fastenings. The rider touched his steed and off they darted down the street to the river's edge where a waiting ferry stood ready; and while still the whistles blew and the crowd cheered the ferry pushed rapidly out into midstream and soon touched the other shore. There another crowd shouted and cheered as steed and rider dashed away toward the setting sun. And soon past the whistling engines and cheering crowds they settled down to a test of en­ durance. On and on sped the second great adventure, marking a mile­ post· m history; changing horses and changing men but never slacking speed. It was speed in the changing as well as in the riding that must make the winning. Into the foothills, over the summit of the Rockies, into the great arid basin, over the Wa­ satch Range, into the valley of the Great Salt Lake, through the alkili desert, past the parched ''sink" of the Carson River, over the Sierras and down into the valley of the Sacremento where a steamer stood ready to receive horse and rider for the last lap of the journey into San Francisco-where the Governor received the President's letter just eight days after it was written. It was a tren1endous achievement in 1860, but as measured by the standards of 1938 how slow. But it must not be measured by the standards of 1938. It belongs to another day. It would even be unjust to measure the achievement of Maughan who, seventy-five years later covered the same distance from the ris­ ing to the setting of the sun, with what may be seventy-five years hence when the speed of a cannon ball may carry a mes­ sage across the continent as a lightning's flash. 126 CHAPTER VIII THE CATTLE INDUSTRY. ( Again addressing the mythical character supposed to have· lived on the site of the Weld County Court House since 1492) Many times along in the 1850s and '60s, from your tent on the site of the Weld County Court House, you noticed that the animals that roamed the prairies were changing shape; the heavy­ fronted forms that had always been here were giving way to animals of another shape, more symetrical in form though still far from graceful, indicating that wide-spreading, sharp-pointed horns were coming into fashion. However, this was not simply a change in fashion, nor yet the work of evolution; but it was because a change of condi­ tions was taking place and the animals suited to the new condi­ tions were coming on while those of the old were passing away. To the Indian who was passing belonged the buffalo, to the white man who was coming, the cattle. The buffalo furnished the Indian food, clothing and shelter; but the white man slew the buffalo as one means of getting rid of the Indian. Then the Indian, still believing he had a right to live and some kind of a claim to the land of his birth, resented this and the conflict was on. Year by year the Indian and his buffalo lost ground and the white man and his long-horned ranger gained, until by the end of the 1860s you hardly ever saw a buffalo, but the Texas ranger swarmed all over the prairie. The cattle industry had not the distinction, as had agricul­ ture later, of making two blades of grass to grow where but one had grown before, but it did produce vast fortunes as measured in money; much more, it is claimed, than has ever been pro­ duced since. A well known Greeley cattle-man who was in the game in the late '60s is authority for the astounding statement that during the heyday of the industry more money passed through the money-changing channels in Cheyenne, the financial center of this region, than through any town in the world except the great gambling capitol, ~1onte Carlo. However, not all that great wealth belonged to the people 127 A msTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

of this region, nor was it all spent here; on the contrary most of it left this country altogether and found its way into the cof­ fers of big foreign stockholders. It is true that a number of our own citizens built up great fortunes from the cattle business, but it is also true that the stock-holders of some of the biggest com­ panies operating here lived in England, France, Germany, Ire­ land and Scotland and had never set foot on American soil. It is impossible at this late date to give definite figures as to the actual vastness of even the American fortunes produced, but there are still some sign-boards to be found that point back to big things. For instance: From the fortune of John W. Iliff, who did not live to carry on the business many years, the great Iliff Theological School in Denver was built and endowed: the Ernst & Cranmer Build­ ing on Seventeenth street, whose massive granite walls defy the hand of time, and many others owe their origin to the cattle industry. And it is probably not too much to say that in its first up-building Denver owed more to the cattle business than to mining or any other industry. It can also be said that many of the finest residences that have ever graced the town of Greeley were built by the cattlemen. So it is a pretty safe statement to make, that, considering the length of time it held sway, the. amount of capital invested and the labor involved, the cattle industry holds the record as a money maker. The area over which the cattle of the early day ranged embraced not only ,veld county, though Weld was then the en­ tire northeast corner of the state, but swept on north and south and. east, crossing the Arkansas River south and the Platte north and reaching eastward into Nebraska as far as Sidney. From Eugene Williams, W. H. Delbridge and S. N. Moses the following information was obtained pertaining to the cat­ tlemen and the brands used to designate their herds: John W. Iliff, generally conceded the leader, with a herd never below 50,000 and often reaching above 60,000, had for his brand a combination of the letters "L" and "F", almost forming the name of Iliff. J. L. Brush used a combination of "J" and "B". 128 THE CATTLE INDUSTRY

Bruce F. Johnson had the. number "2 2". Wyatt Brothers that of "33". Asa Sterling called his brand "The Half Circle Six"; it was formed by the figure "6" with a half circle above it. W. H. Delbridge had a combination of "P V P", the three letters being joined together in one with "V" -in the center and the "P" on one side turned left instead of right. Williams & Macrum had the figure "70". The Igo Brothers had a different arrangement of the same figures, a "7" with a circle "0" beneath. The East Hampton Stock Co. had "131". The Ernst ·& Cranmer was the picture of a mill iron. The Gale Brothers, J. 0., Ed, Dave and Jesse, had "P.O." These brands were copied from the Official Register of the Cattlemen's Association in the possession of W .· lI. Delbridge. WHAT THE CATTLE WERE AS TO BREED, AND WHERE THEY CAME FROM Almost all cattle forming these vast herds were the Texas longhorns and came from Texas. They were generally delivered by their original owners to their Colorado owners at Ogalalla, a small town on the Union Pacific railroad in western Nebraska just over the Colorado line. The average price paid was $6 a head. The most profitable system was to buy yearlings at that price, hold them on the open range at almost no cost for one or two years, then ship to Chicago where the average selling price would be about $30. It was not unusual for a shipper to return from Chicago with a roll of $30,000. True there were some losses. "Cattle-rustling" was an illegitimate branch of the industry that owners were never fully able to control. Brands sometimes grew dim and could be changed, and the rustling fraternity had no consciencious scruples against so doing, boldly claiming the cattle. Also cattle some­ times wandered so far away that they were never found, or, if found, not identified. Sev~re storms and short food of hard win­ ters also took a toll. But all in all, losses were small in compar­ ison with profits. 129 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

One big loss which had. a tremendous effect upon the busi­ ness and is still vividly remembered by descendants of the cat­ tlemen, occurred during the _closing years of the business and doubtless had much to do with its closing. It is spoken of now as the "trimming" the cattlemen received at the hands of what would today be called a band of gangsters, but then went under the respectable and safe sounding name of "The American Beef & Cattle Company." This shrewd gang played a game worthy of the ~hrewdest gangsters of today, and stripped the Colorado cattlemen so skill­ fully that no recourse to law was left to them. Th!s was t~e trouble that, added to the many other troubles by that time 3ccumulated. led to a general migration of the herds into Wyo­ ming, northwestern Nebraska, the Dakotas and Montana. Agri­ culture which began in the late '60s and early '70s as a small annoyance, assumed such proportions by the end of the '70s that it would have driven out the cattle business even without the "trimming"; and so, as a great wealth producer, the cattle in­ dustry, at this point passes from the history of Weld county. But in the interesting story of Gene Williams, under the title of "The •

A PROPHECY OF THE FUTURE: In view of the development of national measures now on the way as this History goes to press, early in 1938, it is not hard to envision the opening of the prairies of Weld again to the cattle­ men. Already is under way the purchasing by the government of many acres of dry farming lands in the eastern and ·north­ eastern parts of the county, classified as unprofitable for agricul­ ture, and it seems a good safe prophecy that the picturesque Ionghorned Texan or his descendants may soon be invited to re­ turn. It is a little too early to make sure of that point, but all indications point that way. However, with the Grand Lake-Big Thompson Diversion waters also looming for a certainty, there will still be enough rich farming lands to continue to hold \Veld county at the bead of the state agriculturally.

131 CHAPTER IX

AGRICULTURE IN WELD COUNTY. 1843-1938. 95 Years. Agriculture in the region that is now Weld county un­ doubtedly began with the efforts of Lancaster Lupton to hold his own after the coming of other traders so divided the Indian trade that it was no longer dependable as a source of income. Agriculture in Colorado, published by the State Board of Agri­ culture, page 24, gives Lupton the credit of being Colorado's First Farmer. It states that his operations were on no small scale for that early day, and quotes the following extract from the Report of John C. Fremont who visited the Fort-farm in June of 1843. (p. 18) "His post was beginning to assume the appearance of a comfortable farm; stock, hogs and cattle were ranging about on the prairie; there were different kinds of poultry, and there was the wreck of a promising gar­ den in which a considerable variety of vegetables had 'f?qen in a flourishing condition but had been almost ruined by recent high waters." This was on land that is now the farm of E. W. Ewing, adjoining the town of Fort Lupton on the north. \Vhat the native American, the Indian, did in the way of agriculture is not definitely recorded for the reason that he, the Indian, kept no records, and the white man who brought his ideas of agriculture from advanced countries did not consider the Indian's primitive efforts worth recording. The tribes in this part of the country depended more upon the hunt for their sub­ sistence than did tribes farther east, hence had fewer records to leave behind. So the distinction of Weld county's First Farmer clearly falls to Lancaster Lupton. And it antedates the political organization of either Weld county or Colorado by more than twenty years. In 1858-9, as recorded in an earlier Chapter, a number of farmers found themselves in this locality with the desire and 132 AGRICULTURE IN WELD COUNTY

necessity of establishing farms as a means of getting a living; but the big question that confronted them was how to. get title to the land. As a race the white man had the land, but how the individual was to acquire it was the question. Agriculture in Colo­ rado, (p. 39) tells how they did it. The situation was met by staking out land claims and giv­ ing notice to the public as the following will illustrate: (Verbatim quotation) "I, H. Cochran, claims 160 a. of land Bounded and Described as follows: Commencing at a stake on the west Bank of the Platte river about 5 miles above Plum creek, running thence West 160 rods to a stake thence north 160 rods to a stake thence East to the Platte river thence up the river to the place of begin­ ning. Said claim made this 5th of July, 1859 in the presence of Wm. Bambrick.'' Such claims were recorded in the Book of Claims, and this, with the required fee for recording constituted the "Code" for acquiring the land. This done, the Indian's ancient title could wait until the white man's Congress could get around to "ex­ tinguish" it. This was the period of agriculture that followed Lancaster Lupton. But since the book quoted above, Agricu/,ture in Colo­ rado, and others give so complete a history of that industry, this History need not give space to more than the beginning and the ·end; that is, to the earliest experiments and the accomplishments of the present time. For that purpose quotations from reliable sources will be given as near to 1938 as are available. In that first period agriculture kept to the bottom lands where natural subirrigation from many streams furnished mois­ ture for growing crops, but when colonization got well under way this was not enough; the streams, though numerous and abundant, were not equal to the demands that laterals made upon them, so rivers had to be tapped farther up and bigger ditches built. The Chapter on Irrigation takes up the story at this point, so here this Chapter will leave it. 133 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

One of the three industrial lines in which Weld county scores heavily as compared with other counties of the state is Agriculture. The figures here quoted are from the Year Book, issued yearly by the State Planning Commission. That is, it cov­ ers an the years, though its issues are oftener than otherwise for two or more years together; the last issue is for f935-6; that for '3 7-8 is, of course, not yet compiled. At the time of the last pub­ lication agriculture had reached so high a development in the state as to merit a \Tolume all to itself. It is that Volume, bear­ ing the title of No. II, (2) from which the following data is taken. Weld has an acreage of 2,574,080, out of which is a farm­ ing area of 1,974,826 acres; this is divided into 5,546 farms, an average somewhat above 356 acres to the farm. (p. 11) The years covered by this issue of the Year Book were not bumper years, hence the figures are by no means an exaggeration of averages. CORN. (p. 13) Weld had 36,601 irrigated acres in corn; the average yield was 27 bushels to the acre and the full product 988,227 bushels. Non-ill"igated land 85,404 acres, with a yield of 6 bushels to the acre and a total product of 512,424 bushels. Total acreage 122,005; total product 1,500,651 and total value $1,080,469. DRY BEANS (p. 19) From 32,977 irrigated acres Weld harvested 247,328 bags of 100 pounds each; the average yield per acre was 750 pounds. From 61,243 non-irrigated acres, 116,362 bags; an average of 190 pounds to the acre, a little short of one-fourth of the ir­ rigated· yield. The total cash value of the crop, both classes, was $1,018,332. POTATOES (p. 18) Of irrigated land, 22,040 acres; average yield, 190 bushels to the acre; total product, 4,187,600 bushels. Of non-irrigated land 1,160 acres, an average yield of 40 bushels to the acre; product 46,400 bushels. Total 32,200 acres; total product 4,234,- 000 bushels and total value of $2,286,360. 134 AGRICULTURE IN WELD COUNTY

WHEAT, Winter. (p. 14) Irrigated acres were 23,720; average yield 20 bushels to the acre; product 474,400 bushels. Non-irrigated 35,580; average yield 4 bushels to the acre; product 142,320 bushels. Over 11,000 acres more were listed in non-irrigated acres, yet the yield of the irrigated crop was more than 332,000 bushels greater; one of the comparisons that helped to swell the majority for the Grand Lake-Big Thompson Water Diversion project. Totals on spring wheat, both ~lasses were: acres harvested 59,300; All totals, winter and spring, irrigated and non-irrigated, harvested 82,950 acres; product 935,995 bushels; value $920,610, a fac­ tion over 99 cents per bushel. OATS; (p. 16) Irrigated acres 15,714; average yield, 36 bushels to the acre; product 565,704. Non-irrigated, 1,746; yield 8 bushels to the acre; product 13,968. Total acreage 17,460; product 579,672; value, $191,292. BARLEY; (p. 17) Irrigated acres 48,200; yield 31 bushels to the acre; pro­ duct 1,494,200 bushels. Non-irrigated 12,050 acres; average yield 8 bushels to the acre; product 96,400 bushels. Totals; acreage, 60,250; product 1,590,600; value $668,052. RYE; (p. 22) A total of 2,840 acres in both irrigated and non-irrigated land was harvested with an average yield of 7 bushels to the acre; a product of 19,880 bushels and a value of $9,145; a frac­ tion over 46 cents per bushel. WILD HAY; (p. 22) Without reference to irrigation ,veld cut 13,170 acres of wild hay; the yield was less than one ton to the acre, the total production being 11,326 tons; value $7.00 per ton; total value $79,282. TAME, OR CULTIVATED HAY; (p. 13) Both irrigated and non-irrigated 119,180 acres; average 135 A HISTORY OP WELD COUNTY, COLORADO yield 1.7, almost 2 tons to the acre; production 202,606 tons; value $1,316,939, a fraction less than $6.50 per ton. ALFALFA; (p. 23) Irrigated and non-irrigated alfalfa, 74,530 acres; yield 2.1- two and a tenth-tons to the acre,. practically half a ton more than other hay. Production 156,513 tons; Totals, all hay, acres cut 206,880; production 370,445 tons; value $2,523,121. SUGAR BEETS; {p. 20) Highest of High Lights in Production. Weld had 5 7,212 acres in sugar beets, with an average yield of 13 and a half.tons to the acre, a product of 771,101 tons and a value of $4,768,395. No table is given of non-irrigated beets. A review of totals of other crops will show that sugar beets are far in the lead as a money making crop in Weld. Corn has a value of $1,080,469, oats $191,292, barley $668,052, wheat, $920,610; beans, $1,018,332; potatoes $2,286,360 and Beets, $4,768,385. In all crops here listed Weld county leads the counties of the state by large margins. FROM THE FEDERAL CENSUS, JANUARY, 1935. (p. 11) The farmers of Weld responded satisfactorily to the request of the State Planning Commi~sion for statistical data, 5,546 farms reporting. Of these 1,684 reported being farmed by own­ ers, 740 by part owners, 21 by managers and 3,101 by tenant farmers. Number of acres in farms operated by owners, part owners and managers, 1,226,553; by tenant farmers 748,273. Value of farm lands, (p. 12) $47,938,431; average value per farm $8,644; per acre, $24.27. LIVE STOCK; (p. 82) Where Weld Again Tops The List. Farms reporting on live stock, 4,729. Of cattle and calves these farms gave a total of 102,471. Dairy cows, (p. 83) 4,588 farms reported ,.25,590, with a production of milk of 13,206,806 gallons; an average per cow, counted in pounds of butterfat, 4,438 pounds. Of butter produced 2,822 farmers reported a i36 AGRICULTUBE IN WELD COUNTY product of 354,852 pounds. Weld's nearest competitor in the state was Mesa county with 192,834 pounds; next nearest was Logan with 144,795 pounds. CHICKENS, TURKEYS AND EGGS. (p. 86) In chickens, turkeys and ·eggs Weld also leads. 4,898 farms reported; next nearest was Mesa with 2,148 farms reporting and next nearest was Larimer with 1,725. Weld's chickens num­ bered 324,781. Eggs, 2,002,081. The Year Book does not state whether the number quoted is eggs or dozens of eggs; but more likely the former. Farms raising chickens were reported as 4,409 and the number of chickens raised in the year 580,037. Turkeys were reported on 1,541 farms, with a brood of 15,288. HORSES. (p. 87) Here again Weld takes the lead, with 17,781 horses. Next nearest is Logan with 7,800, almost 10,000 less. But neither Weld nor Logan have as many horses as they had in 1929; then Logan had 10,231 and Weld 23,006. Thirteen counties reported an increase in the number of horses over 1929, but the state as a whole gave a decrease from 233,855 in 1929 to 187,972 in 193 5. This falling off can be accounted for quite easily by the growing popularity of the tractor and the automobile. FRUIT. (pp. 51, 52, 53) Here Weld sildes far down the scale of production; as far below some other counties as above in the lines just quoted. But that is no more than fair; no county can lead in everything. In apples Delta is the top-notcher, having harvested in the year being considered, 1935, 661,045 bushels, while Wel!l gathered only 2,283 bushels. Fremont came next to Delta with 327,352 bushels. Of cherries Larimer had 86,702 bushels while Weld had but 2,282. In strawberries Jefferson lead the procession­ and far in the lead at that-with 665,7'94 quarts, while Weld had but 2,520. But "taking one consideration with another," Weld county holds her own with all the rest. And this is the mark in agriculture at the first century mile­ stone. 137 CHAPTER X IRRIGATION. 1860 to 1938 The beginning of irrigation is lost in antiquity, and, since there is no use trying to find it, this History will pick it up at the point where it concerns Weld county most, where The His­ tory of Agriculture, published by the State Board of Agriculture in 1926 gives \Veld county first place among the counties of the state in its development, and the colonists of the Greeley district credit for the initial push toward leadership. From The Reservoir System of the Cache la Poudre by E. S. Nettleton, former state engineer and agent in irrigation in­ vestigation for the U. S. Department of Agriculture, published in 1901, the following facts relating to the county are taken. The drainage basin of the Cache Ia Poudre begins in north­ central Colorado east of the Rocky mountains. The summits of Laramie and Medicine Bow ranges form the western basin and are a part of the mountainous area running on into Wyoming. The elevation where the Cache Ia Poudre leaves the mountains and enters the plains is 5,200 feet. The head of the river at the outlet of Chambers Lake is 9,000 feet. Area· of the lake is 54 acres.' J On its way down the mountains the Cache Ia Poudre is re­ inforced by its own North and South Forks and by several small­ er tributaries. With these exceptions the waters of the river come direct from the melting snows in the mountainous parts of the basin. The vclume of water coining down the river varies with die melting of the snows in the mountains and affects the flow from month to month, even at times, from day to day and from hour to hour. The high tide usually reaches the mouth of · the canon early in the morning after a day of unusually high tem­ perature, often being at that time double its volume later in the day. The genera) course of the river after it leaves the mountains is southeast until it joins the Platte three miles below Greeley; and thirty-five miles from the mouth of the canon. 138 IRRIGATION 1860 TO 1938

The above authority gives Weld county first place in agri­ cultural development. It says: page 10, "The real and rapid development of the Cache la Poudre Valley began with the building of the Union Pacific railroad and the coming of the Greeley Colony to the lower end of the valley. Prior to this were a few settlers scattered along the entire length of the valley, and two settlements, one at Laporte and the other at Ft. Collins." It also states that the first attempts at irrigation made at Laporte were so successful that when the fa­ mous Gold Rush of 1859 brought its thousands into the valley, the settlers, who had learned irrigation, were able to sell hay to the mining camps at prices ranging from $50 to $100 a ton. It seems incredible, but considering that hay was an essential and that the next nearest cultivated lands were hundreds of miles away with transportation slow and costly, it does not seem im­ probable. Vegetables also brought fabulous prices. The building of ditches was at first confined to the river bottoms because easier to build and because the land was richer and gave better returns for the labor and money expended. The Greeley colonists laid out three main ditches, numbered not in the order of their building, but according to the height of the land each was to water. No. 3, the first one constructed, was to water the lowest, or bottom lands; No. 2 the next above or "second bench" lands and No. 1 the highest lands. This last named was never built by the colonists but was later taken over by Ben Eaton, becoming a part of the Eaton system. The Poudre was tapped but a few miles up stream, (west) from the colony grounds for No. 3, farther up for No. 2, and for No. 1 stil1 far­ ther. No. 2 was at first called the "high line" because it reached lands hitherto considered inaccessable.

RESERVOIR SITES. Nature, Mr. Nettleton says, p. 15, has provided suitable sites for the storage of water at comparatively small expense. These sites are depressions in the surface of the land with depths of from five to fifty feet, and most of them with level bottoms. 139 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY. COLORADO

The soil at the bottom is usually an impervious heavy clay, void of vegetation; they are usually found at the termini of the ravines where the gathering grounds are- capable of collecting more water than is lost by evaporation. An evidence that these depressions had once supplied water for the antelope and buffalo is found in the deep-worn trails leading down to them, and their practically water-tight bottoms, made so by the constant tramp­ ing of unnumbered hoofs. Before the days of planned reservoirs the farmer looked upon these depressions as -a misfortune, but after their great value as reservoir sites was discovered a farm holding such a basin was many times more valuable than one that did not. Two other forms of reservoirs are in use, but not so ex­ tensively nor profitably as the basin form. They are: the build­ ing of dams across ravines at suitable points for gathering water, and the damming of streams. But these have not the natural advantages of the basin and are more expensive in up-keep. In the two counties of Weld and Larimer 113 filings for natural basin reservoirs had been made up to 1901. The Cache la Poudre Reservoir Company was organized in 1892, ~tr incorporators being farmers owning lands under Gree- ley ditch.No. 2. . Among the principal reservoirs of this district may be men­ tioned: the one near Timnath, six miles from Ft. Collins, which, when filled to a depth of 30 feet covers an area of 520 acres and has an estimated capacity of 8,218 acre feet. It has an outlet running directly to ditch No. 2. The Windsor Reservoir, owned originally by B. F. Eaton, is situated three and a half miles north of Windsor and connects with the Poudre. Its area 28 feet above its outlet is 700 acres; it has a holding capacity of 14,004 acre feet. This is one of the natural basins described. A peculiar feature is that the bottom of the basin is several feet below the outlet, and therefore, at all times holds about 150 surface feet of "dead water" that is never drained off. The Larimer & Weld Reservoir is located two miles north of Ft. Collins, just above the Larimer & Weld canal through 140 IRRIGATION 1860 TO 1938 which its water is distributed. This reservoir, also a natural basin, was once Terry Lake. The area covered at high water is 4 70 acres, and its holding capacity is 8,035 acre feet. Its supply comes from several sources other than the river; from seepage, storm water from Dry Creek and the drainage and seepage that originally formed Terry Lake: The Water Supply & Storage Reservoir Company owns more storage reservoirs than any other in the valley, including at it does Chambers Lake at the head of the Cache la Poudre. Its supply of water, outside. of drainage, comes mostly through the "sky line" ditch which conducts the water of the Laramie River over the divide into Chambers Lake, and which is for the most part, cut through the rocky slopes of the mountain. This sys·tem has a group of reservoirs, in some places connected by under-ground tunnels. The combined capacity of Chambers Lake and six of its reservoirs is 12,645 acre feet. The North Poudre Reservoir System supplies all arable lands in the northwest corner of the plains section of the district east of the front range of the Rockies. Water comes from the north fork of the Cache la Poudre. Six of its basins have a capacity of 26,106 acre feet. Besides these there are a large number of smaller reservoirs in the district among which may be mentioned: The Milton, nine miles east of Platteville. The Latham, three miles east of La Salle. Horse Creek, two and a half miles east and four south of Hudson. Jim Creek, between Keenesburg and Hudson. Prospect, six miles south of Keenesburg. Coal Creek, seven miles east of Galeton. March, four miles north and four east of Galeton. Riverside, twenty miles east and six south of Greeley. McGree Lake, four miles north and three west of Purcell. Empire, twenty-five miles east and ten south of Greeley. Union, four south and two west of Mead. Black Hollow, two miles north of a bend in the Larimer ditch at west line of county. 141 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

Riverside has a capacity of 57,615 and Empire 37,720 acre feet. An "acre foot" means the amount of water ne~ed to cover an acre of ground one foot deep. A "second foot" means the amount of water that can fill a space or box one foot square in one second of time. It is just double the amount of an acre foot. The best information concerning the whole Poudre Valley system is found in the book here quoted, The Reservoir System of the Cache la Poudre, by Nettleton. But this book only runs to 1901 and many changes have developed since them. How­ ever, as a foundation it is invaluable. WELLS AND PUMPS. Until quite recent years irrigation ended with ditches and reservoirs, but progress moved on. When it began to be seen that surface water might not always be sufficient to meet the de­ mands upon it, the need for something else arose upon the argri­ cultural horizon. True, on general principles, it is ridiculous to suppose that on a planet made up of three parts water to one of land, that the land CQijld ever suffer for the want of water. But the time when science will be able to tackle successfully the big question of how to divest the waters of the oceans of their agriculturally destruc­ tive minerals and carry them across the continent to assuage the thirst of parching lands is as yet too remote, too big, too incom­ prehensible to hold a place in the practical affairs of today. So the thought to which the experts turn to meet the insufficiency of t}le reservoirs and ditches is the drawing of water from be­ neath the surface of the ground. The thought is not new. Ever since man came out of the cave and stirred the earth with a crooked stick he has known that he could get water by digging a hole in the ground; and that when there was not enough on the surface to fill the hole he could get more by digging deeper. And this is the principle he is now applying. When this inquiry was made there were 3 2 2 irrigating wells in Weld county, and more have been dug in the last two years. 142 IRRIGATION 1860 TO 1938

They are operated by various power devices. Under the ditch system many a farmer has paid his water assessment-which is never a small item-knowing full well that he could not expect to get the water paid for, and many a one has seen his crops wither in the heat of summer while absolutely powerless to pre­ vent it. Of course even now with wells penetrating· to the un­ failing waters beneath the ground, there are still farmers who must stand by and see their crops die for the want of water, for the digging of wells is expensive and not all can afford it. But for those who can avail themselves of it, the wells system is a boon. There is a fair assumption of a subterranean body of water underlying most of this agricultural region. It is tapped at vari­ ous depths from 15 to 100 feet. The principle pumping areas are: Ault and Pierce north, Lone Tree east of Eaton, Crow Creek from Hereford south through Gill and Barnesville, then the Greeley area, La Salle, Peckham and Gilcrest, the Windsor area westward, Platteville and Ft. Lupton southward and Pros­ pect Valley southeastward. But even the well is not a recent discovery; one was dug in Weld county fifty years ago. Andrew Wilson dug it, and put in the first steam pumping plant on the Lone Tree Creek east of Eaton in 1888. The m•otive power has been changed to electric­ ity, but that first well is still doing business, delivering about 200 gallons of water per minute. It was at first only fifteen feet deep. Two miles north of this a second well was dug in 1892. It has also been electrified and at last accounts was delivering 1 ~ 117 gallons of water per minute and supplying about 300 acres in two farms. The first pumps used coal for motive power, but all later wells use gasoline, oil or electricity~ with electricity gaining over the others. The old time "water witch" who located water veins with his crooked stick is no more. The method now used is to guess where a branch of the subterranean river is and sink a test hole; if you get water your guess was good; if not, well, try again. ~.\ 143 A IDSTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

test hole costs about a dollar a foot. The crooked stick was cheaper. Wells vary in size from one to four feet in diameter; the one foot size costing about $3.75 per foot for digging; the four foot size about $16; approximately the same in proportion.

THE SPRINKLING SYSTEM. A few years ago a considerable sum of money was invested by a company known as the Findyson Co., in the neighborhood of Hereford in experiments along the line of a sprinkling system. But this system was found to be impractical for field operations for the reason that the pipes necessary to carry the water were in the way of plowing or other cultivation. Other arguments were in its favor, but it broke on point of practicability. In its favor were the arguments that it conserved water by carrying it directly to the crops that needed it, wasting none on the way; that it washed the foliage free of dust, giving it a chance to breathe; that the spray passing through the air produced an atmospheric condition that was conducive to growth, the mois­ ture in the air protecting foliage from the withering effects of a burning san which is almost as necessary as moisture at the roots.

HOW THE WATERS ARE ADMINISTERED. The public administration of the water supply is in the hands of the state engineer who is appointed by the Governor. The state is divided into six divisions, each in charge of a division engineer; and these again are divided into districts of which there' are seventy in the state. Each of these is in charge of a water commissioner who is appointed by the Governor on recom­ mendation of the county commissiners. There are 765 reservoirs in the state of which 80 are in Weld. In addition to<9the two main rivers and their forks, the six big reservoirs and twelve or more smaller ones, the county is taversed by at least forty creeks and smaller watercourses. 144 CHAPTER XI.

1879. (Note, by the Author.-Before moving onward in time as far into the Twentieth Century as the Beet Sugar Industry must carry us, had we not better stop at the point in 1878 .where the most thrilling and dram­ atic story in connection with Weld county began? This was the incident leading up, to the Meeker Massacre and all that followed; and, though the tragedy itself occurred more than ZOO miles to the west of Weld county, yet all the people involved in it were Weld county people. And it connects with Weld in still another vital incident-the thrilling rescue of the young Indian girl from the burning stake in 1863, which occurred in Weld county, and which had its reprecussion in the rescue of · the cap­ tive women held in the camp of the Indians more than sixteen years later. The whole story follows:)

1878-NATHAN MEEKER TAKES INDIAN AGENCY AT WHITE RIVER.

1879-FRICTION DEVELOPS. MEEKER CALLS FOR HELP. GOVERNMENT R.EsPONDS WITH TROOPS. Follows- THE THORNBURG DISASTER - THE MEEKER MAS­ SACRE, THE CAPTIVITY OF THREE WOMEN AND Two CHILDREN, And- THEIR RESCUE BY A GoVERNMENT COMMISSION, AIDED BY THE POWERFUL INDIAN WOMAN, SHAW­ SHEEN. Then, Back to Weld,

1863-FoR THE REscuE OF THE INDIAN GIRL FROM THE BURNING STAKE, BY WHITE SOLDIERS.

The sources from which the foil owing facts were taken were: For the story of the Meeker Massacre, the captivity and rescue of the three women and two children of the White River Agency where Nathan Meeker was Agent in 1878-9, the History of Greeley and the Union Colony by David Boyd has been our main dependence. Other Histories have contributed but Boyd has taken first place by reason of the superior opportunities that 14S A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

,vere his for getting information first hand. He was a fell ow colonist with Nathan l\feeker; he knew in a neighborly way all the circumstances leading up to Meeker's acceptance of the Agency; had talked with him intimately on the occasion of his return visits to the colony, and, after the return of Mrs. Meeker and her companions from captivity, had talked with them and learned the story as only they could tell it. Psyche Boyd, daugh­ ter of the historian now living in Greeley, states tliat her father wrote the stories while they were still fresh in ·his memory and gathered them all into his history later. The book was published in 1890. For the incidents requiring documentary proof the Indian Bureau at \Vashington has yielded data of unquestionable re­ liability. One Congressional document of especial value was found in the Records as Miscellaneous Document o. 38, Second Session of the 46th Congress. In it is a transcript of the testi­ mony taken by the Committee on Indian Affairs of the House of Representatives, begun on January 15, 1880 and ordered printed on l\1ay 1, 1880. It fills 204 pages in Volume 4, and gives the. testimony of Governor Pitkin, Josephine Meeker, Chief Ouray, the lesser Chief Jack and other Indians, Captain Payne of 'tpe 5th U. S. Cavalry and several others with more or less intimate knowledge of affairs at the Agency and of what has been called the "massacre" of the Thornburg troops on their way to the Agency. And for the story of Shawsheen, who, as a young Indian girl was rescued from death at the stake by a detachment of white soldiers from LaPorte reliance is placed on the official statement of Major Whitely who that year was Indian Agent for the Utes, and on the published stories of J. N. Hollowell of LaPorte and others; and for the part of Shaw­ sheen in the rescue of the captive women, first, the statements of the women themselves on their return to Greeley, and, later, that of the only then living member of the government com­ mission that effected the rescue. Today all the actors in the sad drama have pc1ssed from the stage of life, but reliable docu­ n1ents and the recorded evidence of witnesses remain to tell the story. 146 THE THRILLING EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1879

TWO HISTORIC TRAGEDIES After Union Colony had been established and was a going concern, Nathan Meeker applied to the government for an In­ dian Agency and was appointed to White River. This was in the spring of 1878. Two motives have been assigned ior his desire ior an Agency: First, that he had put all his worldly possessions into the enterprise of colony building and now found himself with­ out means to carry on farther; and, second, that he had long cherished the dream of winning the Indians over to civiliza­ tion and wanted an opportunity to try out his theories. Both motives seem to have had influence. Nathan Meeker may have been overconfident of what he could do, but he had the courage of his convictions and was eager to put it to the test. Time, with tlie tragic ending of his experiment, proved that in the application of his heories he had been mistaken, but when this was demonstrated the time when other theories could be substituted had gone by. The foundation stone of his theory was work. He believed that the Indians could be taught to work as the white man worked and that they would become happy and contented in so doing. He believed they could be trained to dig ditches, plow fields and cultivate growing things until they would see in their efforts the development of the country and come to accept the new ways as better than the old; But in this idealism he failed to take into account the tre­ mendous hold on Indian character of the traditions and habits of the race running far back through the ages and shaping men­ tal attitudes as the mold shapes the molten metal poured into it. He failed to see that character so formed could not yield in a day, a year, or a generation to the new mold, and he was not prepared for the slower process; ·so resistance seemed to him obstinancy. He also failed to give due consideration to the deepseated resentment that rankled in the Indian heart against the race that had dispossessed him of what he felt to be his rightful heritage. These misunderstandings were the pivotal points upon which 147 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

all Nathan Meeker's efforts turned to tragedy; upon which his experiment failed. The following story told by David Boyd as told to him by Nathan Meeker will serve to illustrate the conflict. The story was published in the Greeley Tribune at the time and was headed simply "Jane". It seems that Jane had spent most ef her childhood life in the home of a white family and had received a fair education. By a strange crook in the Indian character, though they so strenuously objected to the establishment of a school at the Agency, yet they accorded Jane a place in their councils not usually enjoyed by women. Although her early life in the white family had been pleas­ ant, yet when she reached womanhood's years blood seemed to assert itself and she returned to her own people and married the dandy of the tribe, a young warrior named Parfiet. When Nathan Meeker arrived at the Agency in the spring of 1878 a garden had been planted for Jane; whether by her own hand or some other was not stated; but before it was ready for cultivation, the time came for the Indians to go off on their an­ nual hunt, which would probably last all summer, Jane and her husband l;~ing among the hunters. When the garden began to show need of care, Nathan Meeker looked upon it, and, loving all useful growing things as he did, could not see it die; so he hoed, and pulled weeds, and carried water, and the result was that when the hunters returned Jane had a wonderful garden. Naturally she was pleased and proud, but her sense of obligation was fully expressed when she gave to Nathan Meeker three beets at a time, three different times out of her harvest of ten bushels. Her potato crop was fine, too, and this she sold to Meeker at the market price of three cents a pound. The spring of 1879 found Jane again with a· garden planted, but again Boyd's story fails to state who planted it. As usual, the Indians prepared for their annual hunt, Jane and Parfiet among them. But pow Nathan Meeker thought the time had come for an understanding about the garden, so he told Jane that before she left she must make some arrangements for its 148 THE THRILLING EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1879 care or stay and take care of it herself, the arrangements of last year being, as he stated, "played out". "Played out?" asked Jane, "how so?" Then he explained that if she went off and left her garden, either no one would touch it, or, if any one did it would belong to that one instead of to her;that she and her husband must stay all three moons and take care of the garden if they wanted it, and he ended with the words: "If you want anything you must work for it same as white people do. Do you understand?" "But what is the reason?" asked Jane, "that white men can• not do the work as before? They are used to it; they understand it. and we don't." "But I tell you," replied Meeker, "it won't do. I worked your garden last year, carried hundreds of pails of water and you had a nice garden and got lots of money for it; it will be easier this year because we now have a ditch, but you must do the work yourself .. You and all the other Indians must work. I want you to tell them what I say so they will understand and not go off and leave the work for us to do." "But, Mr. lVIeeker," asked Jane, "aren't you paid for work- ing?" "Yes, but not for you." "Then what are you paid for?" "I am paid to show you how to work and to help you to help yourselves." "But Utes have heaps of money; what is it for if not to have work done for us?" "I'll tell you, Jane. This money is to hire me, and others, to teach you how to work, so that you can be like white people; we get rich by working. You are not to be waited on like child­ ren and supported in idleness all your lives; you have got to take hold and support yourselves or you will be sure to have trouble. And I want you to tell this to all the Indians." "But aren't all these cattle ours? and all this land? Isn't it all Ute country to do with as we like and to have always?" "The cattle may be, but the country is not." "Then whose land is it? and whose is the money?" 149 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

"The land belongs to the government and is yours iJ you ·use it; but if you won't work and use it and if white men come and raise potatoes and onions and beets, the crop will be theirs and you will have nothing. This thing can't go on forever. It is time for you to turn in and take care of yourselves and have houses and other things like white people. Now do you under­ stand?" «yes, I understand; but I cannot tell you, Mr. Meeker, how bad you make me feel by talking that way. Nobody ever did so before." "I can't help it, Jane, it is the truth, and the sooner you all come to know it and act upon it the better. I will help you all I can. You can have plows and hoes and seed and everything you need; but you must take hold and help yourselves as white people do." After this interview, Meeker stated, "Jane went away sor­ rowful." No doubt she carried the word as instructed to her people, and no doubt they talked it over. Nor is there any kind of a doubt that the feeling thus engendered played an important part in bringing on the final crisis. Boyd states that most of the Indiaas gave up the hunt that summer and stayed at the .-\gency and worked, being driven to it by a force, as he puts it, "like a galvanic shock." They worked wholly under compul­ sion and without the slightest conviction that it was right they should do so. So throughout the summer of 187-9, though obedience was rendered, rebellion smouldered, and the day of reckoning came on apace. But not only was the resentment of the Indians slowly tak­ ing shape, but it is more than simply possible that certain white men helped it along. Being human Nathan Meeker had his faults, but dishonesty was not one of them. He was strictly on the square in all his financial dealings with the Indians and he despised ~e graft and trickery of others. His son Ralph shared this sentiment and ~tirred up great hostility among the grafters by his ruthless expose of their dealings. He was a correspondent of the New York Times and hesitated not to use its columns for 150 THE THRILLING EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1879 thf s purpose. All this was laid up against the father and there is not a doubt but the grafters worked upon the Indians to incite their worst passions against him. Nothing that Meeker or any of his family did was right; all was wrong; the school that Jose­ phine tried to establish was made to appear as a menace to the future of the race. Perhaps the Indians were not hard to convince on that point. but at any rate the idea became firmly established that if they allowed their children to be educated in the white man's schools they would forsake the sacred traditions of their own race, and thus the Indian character would die out in the land of its nativity. They did not put it quite that way; rather they said that if they allowed their children to go to the white man's school their boys would soon cease to hunt and shoot and become as worthless as the white man's boys. So the school became a thorn in the Indian flesh while the young white t~acher strove on, hoping against hope that the prejudice against it might die out. But it never d£d. It was too strong; and, possibly, too assiduously cultivated. When the summer had passed away the smouldering fires of resentment began to sputter; mutterings were heard, gro,ving louder and more distinct with each passing day. Nathan Meeker sensed the crisis now imminent and knew the situation was out of hand. ReaEzing this he did the only thing that seemed to hiin possible--he appealed to the government for help. Then he wait­ ed as on the edge of a volcano, while the perilous days passed on. No word came counselling relaxation of discipline or the pouring of oil on the troubled waters; perhaps the time had passed for the effectiveness of such measure; when the government did re­ spond it was with military aid; the Agent was notified that troop~ were on their way and would soon reach the Agency. And now comes the tragic story of THE THORNBURG DISASTER. Perhaps the culminating controversy between the Agent and the Indians should be given first, partly because it shows the Agent's belated yielding of a point and the making of an effort 151 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO toward comRromise. Six months earlier it might have saved the day and left this· Chapter forever unwritten; but it could not that day. The controversy was over the plowing of a certain tract of land of about two hundred acres. Jane and her husband and a subchief named Antelope representing the Indians of the Agency, vigorously objected to the plowing, claiming the land as pastur­ age for their horses. So far had they gone in their determination to keep the tract unplowed that, during the absence of the Agent on his last visit to Greeley they had built a corral on it, and this they most emphatically ref used to move. They declared-]ane as spokesman-that this was "Ute country," had always been and still should be; that it was the spot the Utes wanted for their horses and that they meant to keep it for that purpose. Besides, the Utes did not want any more of their land plowed up-there was too much plowed already; and that all they wanted was to be left unmolested by the white man. This was the irreconcilable conflict: the Indians resisting what they considered further en­ croachments and the Agent trying to carry out the instructions of his government. Th~ i>low was ordered out, but before a single furrow had marked a path across the tract, came two Indians with guns and forbade the plowing. The man at the plow-who happened to be Shad Price-turned to his employer for instructions; he was told to go ahead. With much apprehension he returned to his work, but soon a bullet whizzed past, so close that he could feel the breath of its passing. Then it was that Agent Meeker gave the first .sign of yielding; he ordered the plow stopped and sent for Chief Douglas. Other Chiefs were called in and a council was held, at the end of which a compromise was reached by which the Agent agreed to a limitation of the ground to be plowed. This was a real compromise, both sides yielding, but too late to be effective. The clouds still gathered and the storm was soon upon them. Here the scene shifts to a military setting. Governor Pitkin and General Pope, Commander of the Western Division, had backed Nathan Meeker in his appeal for 152 THE THRILLING EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1879 help and now were informed that a force from Ft. Steele under command of Major Thornburg was on its way. The command consisted of about 160 men divided into three companies of cav­ alry with a wagon train carrying supplies. Before Thornburg reached the Reservation he was met by a group of five Indians and asked to halt his troops outside and with five of his men accompany the Indians back to the Agency. Jack, an influential young Indian who spoke the English language well, headed this group. In his testimony given several months later before the Committee of Indian Affairs in Washington he gave as his reason for asking this of Major Thornburg that he wanted the Indians' side of the controversy to get to the gov­ ernment. He said the Indians were dissatisfied with Agent Meek­ er because he was a "bad man"; that he wanted them to work and they did not want to work; that it was not in the Treaty that they should work; that the rations and annuities were to be paid them for. their land, not for their work, and that Agent Meeker had no right to withhold rations when they did not work. (In strict construction of the law a point well taken.) More­ over, he stated, Agent Meeker's daughter was there to teach a school and the Indians did not want a school. If they educated their children and plowed their lands, that was the white man's civilization and they did not want the white man's civilization. What they wanted was their own country and their own civiliza­ tion. These were the points he said he had meant to lay before the military commander as representing the government. The place where Jack and his men met Major Thornburg was at Bear River, about sixty miles from the Agency and forty­ five from the north line of the Reservation. Jack asked Major Thornburg to not take his soldiers inside the Reservation. He asked the Major why they had come and was told that they had been sent by the government because the Indians were burning the timber. Jack replied that it was not the Ind:ans but white men prospecting for gold who had burned the timber. He asked if Agent Meeker had sent for the soldiers and if it was their in­ tention to go on to the Agency. Thornburg replied that it was; that trouble had been reported and he was sent to find out what 153 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORAOO

it was. Jack told Thornburg that he could find out bes! by tak­ ing five of his men and going with him to the Agency for a council with l\feek er and the Chiefs. At first Thornburg refused, possibly through lack of con­ fidence; but while they were still talking came a messenger from the Agency, E. W. Eskridge, with a letter from Agent Meeker, strangely enough containing the same request; and now it was accepted, the plan to be carried out the following day. Thornburg moved his soldiers on to Williams Fork, sixteen miles nearer the Reserv3tion, and there they were met by another group of Indians and again by the messenger Eskridge with an­ other message from Agent Meeker repeating the same request. ~Ieeker stated that the approach of the troops had caused great excitement at the Agency and he feared immediate trouble if the \.Vhole force should arrive. Thornburg aga!n agreed to take an es­ cort of five and come to the Agency, but later in consultation with his officers decided upon another plan. He would appear to con­ cede to the desire of the Indians by taking an escort of five and riding toward the Agency, but-and this was his undoing-would leave the ,order with his officers that at an appointed time, in­ stead of. ,emaining behind, they should break camp and follow. It but proved his unfamiliarity with Indian character to suppose this could be done. True, he and his selected escort could ride to-\vard the Agency in company with the five who had brought the request, but that did not mean that the movements of the com­ mand would not be known; and the sequel proved that the hills were full of Indians whose watchful eyes were trained upon the soldiers every moment, and that when the start was made· that act was construed as a breach of faith. The soldiers moved on to Milk Creek, arriving on the morn­ ing of September 29, the day that bas gone down in history as marking the double tragedy of the Thornburg distaster and the ~feeker Massacre. But the soldiers moved no nearer the Agency, for it was here that the deadly encounter took place. Who fired the first shot will hever be known, but the story as gathered from testimony later given is substantially as follows: The Indians swept in between Thornburg and his wagon 154 THE THRILLING EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1879 train, cutting off supplies; Thornburg and thirteen of his men fell in the first few minutes; every officer except Lieutenant Cherry was killed or wounded; Cherry's horse was shot from under him; all mules belonging to the wagon train were killed. The casualties among the Indians was never known, Jack in his evidence being nocommittal, but · claiming a small loss. The fight lasted about 45 minutes. When it was over the remnant of the Thornburg command was in dire distress, their condition desperate; they had no way of knowing the strength of the Indians or their further plans. They gathered about the wagon train and threw up breastworks of the bodies of dead animals-and men, covering them as best they could with dirt and taking shelter within the circle formed. The first fight was over but stray bullets were still coming from the hills and another attack might develop at any minute. As darkness fell on tha.t terrible day and the hours dragged their slow length along the suffering within that grewsome in­ closure grew steadily worse; the wounded and dying begged for water, but water could only be had when some one risked his life in a dash to the creek to get it; more than one was picked off as he ran the gauntlet with his precious burden. The situation fell to Lieutenant Cherry, the only living unwounded officer. If only word could reach military headquar­ ters at Rawlins, Wyoming, help wouid come, otherwise uitimate annihilation must certainly be their portion. Could any mes­ senger possibly go through with his life? A hundred and sixty unmarked miles lay between Milk Creek and Rawlins, every foot of the way beset with danger. Was there a soldier still liv­ ing brave enough, or daring or reckless enough to try it? This was a situation to call forth heroism, and, at the crucial moment it appeared. A young soldier, only a boy, light of weight and slight of build, wiry of muscle and courageous of spirit stepped forward. He would go. And now comes the matchless story of- JOE RANKIN, THE HEROIC MESSENGER The Picture--Night. Black darkness. The moans of the wounded and dying. The agonized and never ceasing cry for 155 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLOlt.ADO

water. The bodies of the dead _lying thick upon the ground, and a soldier boy, witlt hand on bridle leading the horse he could not see and both threading their way carefully among the bodies. This was Joe Rankin and his faithful steed. When their feet no longer touched the bodies and the moanings grew fainter Joe Rankin judged that they were in the clear; then, leaping lightly to the horse's back, he touched the rein and off they sped on one of the most perilous and heroic rides in history. On and on they flew over rough and uncertain roads, guid­ ed only by a lone star that Joe knew led northward. Hour after hour they sped onward. Daylight came, and passed, and night closed down again, yet not for one moment did they stop for rest or water until a hundred and sixty miles had slipped ~e­ neath their feet, and, at the midnight hour of September's last day they stumbled into military headquarters at Rawlins, more dead than alive. Mustering his last reserves of strength Joe slipped from the back of his horse and stumbled into the mil­ itary office with the tragic news, while his faithful horse stood quivering and spent outside. (Do we ever give those faithful animals their just award of appreciation for the courage, the sacrifice, •the unmeasured services rendered? For their wordless and unstinted devotion to the creature man? It is doubtful.) Later on that same night two other messengers-heroes too -started on the road to Rawljns, expecting at any moment to come upon the slain body of Joe Rankin. The name of one was Gordon, the other Ed Mansfield, a Greeley boy. On the way they were intercepted by Captain Dodge who, with a company of forty-one colored cavalry had been sent into Middle Park to protect the settlers there. How Captain Dodge and his troops happened to be on the way where they could be intercepted by the two messengers is explained by this incident: Sandy Millan was a mail carrier whose route ended at Hot Sulphur Springs. It was probably on the afternoon of September 28 that his duties cearried him through the Milk Creek country, where he saw on the one hand the troops of Major Thornburg moving toward the Agency and on the other the hills filled with 156 THE THRILLING EVENTS OJ! THE YEAR 1879

Indians. He rightly concluded that trouble was brewing, so hurried on the end of his route, delivered his mail pouches and drove rapidly toward the place where Dodge and his men were scouting. He met them at the ranch of Barney Day between Kremmling and Hot Sulphur Springs and told them what he bad seen. Captain Dodge asked Millan to act as guide back to the scene of threatened conflict, which he was doing when the two messengers from the Thornburg camp were intercepted. And then it was that the whole company hastened forward with all possible speed. They covered the eighty miles of uncertain road by double quick movement and reached the beseiged remnant of the Thornburg comm.and at break of day. This ride has gone down in military annals as one of the most daring military movements ever accomplished, not only because of the incredibly short time in covering the distance, but also of the danger. Two days later, October 2, 1879, General Merritt at Chey­ enne, having received the message carried by Joe Rankin, acted as swiftly as possible in the massing of troops from Cheyenne, Salt Lake, Ogden and Fort Steele. He had a force of 300 cav­ alry and 250 infantry in wagons, and covered the distance of 160 miles in less than two days time, reaching Milk Creek on the morning of October 5. There the whole Command headed for the Agency, and it is said that. General l\ferritt on reaching that place and seeing the ghastly evidences of the bloody orgy, turned aside and wept like a child. And well he might. Strewn upon the ground were eleven bodies, all more or less mutilated but that of Nathan Meeker worst of all; a log chain had been fastened about his neck, his body dragged over the Agency grounds, and finally pinned down by a wooden stake driven through the mouth. No words could be too strong ~n condem­ nation of this savagery if only such words could come from a race whose own hands were clean; but this the white race can­ not claim so all that can be done will be to charge the crime to the insanity of bloodlust that always comes from blood spilling, and from which no race can claim exemption. 1S7 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

AT THE AGENCY. THE MASSACRE The Story as Told by Flora El~n Price, One of the Captives, to Sarah E. Dresser, Sister to Frank and Ba"y Dresser, Tu,o of the Victims. Here the scene shifts back again to the Agency and to the afternoon of September 29, 1879. There is no better way to give the story than from the lips of an eye witness who lived through it all. Flora EIJen Price was one of the women of the Agency, the story of whose captivity and rescue will follow. She was the young wife of Shad Price whose hand had guided the plow and whose face had felt the swish of the bullet as it sped by on the morning of the day when the final controversy had arisen over .the plowing of the two hundred acre tract of the Indians' pasture land. The body of Shad Price was found among the slain at the Agency. The young wife, Flora, told the story to Sarah E. Dresser, sister to Frank and Harry, two of the victims of the massacre, after the return of the captives to Greeley. The conversation is from Boyd's History. Asked by Miss Dresser for the story Flora Price said: "After breakfast Monday morning, September 29, my hus­ band loaded his Winchester and laid it across the table saying:· 'we may have trouble today, so don't be alarmed if I should run in after this gun!' 'Early in the afternoon Mr. Meeker started one of his em­ ployes with a message for Major Thornburg who, with his troops, was on his way to the Agency. ( See footnote.) · "After dinner the men went to work as usual. Shad and Frank Dresser were on a wagon in front of the storehouse and .Arthur Thompson was on the roof. I heard a shot and saw Arthur fall;· he plunged headlong from the roof. In an instant Frank ran into the house and Josie handed him Shad's gun. Frank said, 'they have shot Harry; I saw him fall' An Indian

F ootnote-•This ...,,1as~ the third message sent by Meeker, the other two being received as already stated. This one was found on the body of Eskridge, the messenger, about two miles from camp. 1S8 THE THRILLING EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1879

came to the door; Frank shot; the Indian fell but was not killed. Then we all ran into the milk house, locked the door and hid under the shelves. The windows of the room we had just left were riddled with bullets. We stayed in the milk house until about five o'clock. Once while we :were there we heard footsteps near the door but thinking it was an Indian we did not open the door. We had reason to believe later that it was my poor husband, for his body lay near the door. "It must have been about five o'clock when we heard the crackling of flames and smelled smoke. The house was burning. Frank said, 'maybe we can all make it to the sage brush.' He still held the rifle and we all started. In a IllOment Mrs. l\Ieeker fell, shot in the hip. i\.n Indian named Cojos caught me and another caught Josephine. My two children were with us and they were caught, too." Here Flora Price broke. They said it was never possible for any one of the captives to tell the story straight through without a break. So here the story is taken up from other sources, mostly from Boyd's History. Another entirely reliable source was the testimony before the Congressional Investigating Com­ mittee, already noted at the beginning oi this Chapter. .11"irst~ from Boyd as told to him by the captives in fragments after the rescue: The big Indian who shot Mrs. Meeker was not of the \Vhite River Utes. If it could be believed that he felt regret a:t soon as the bullet struck, it would account for his next act; he stooped over the prostrate form of the fragile woman and raised her to her feet as gently as a white man could have done, speaking compassionately in good Indian English. "Do not be afraid," he said; "me no more shoot; me mighty sorry you hurt: but me MAD when white soldier kill many Indian." He gave her his arm and half led half carried· her to the Agency office, just outside the door of which she saw the body of her husband, face upturned to the sky, calm and serene. She bent over and kissed him. She always believed the big Indian brought her there so that she might have this last farewell, and she never forgot the act. 'Whether meant for a kindness or not 159 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO it gave her comfort when later she heard of the finding of the body by General Merritt, and knew that the mutilation came after life had gone. It seems an inconsistency in the Indian char­ acter that the big Indian could first shoot the defenseless captive, then overwhelm her with kindness. Remorse alone can account for it. After Mrs. Meeker had said farewell to her life partner she entered the office and picked up a big book that lay open on the desk. It was a copy of the Pilgrim's Progress and she kept it with her throughout captivity. She hugged it up close in her arms as the big Indian led her away and placed her on a horse among the captives and captors now leaving the ravished Agency. The captives were never near enough to speak to each other and soon the darkness fell (leaving only dim outlines discernable to the sight. But Mrs. Meeker came to know that the captive group consisted of herself, Josephine, Flora Price and the two small Price children, May three years old, and Johnny, eighteen months. May was with Josephine and Johnny was with his mo­ ther. Each of the captives had an escort. But the one who had put l\,Irs'. Meeker on her horse was not hers; he had disappeared and C}J~f Douglas had taken his place. An Indian named Per­ sune had, Josephine and Cajos Flora. Thus they traveled for many hours. Dusk grew into dark and the darkness deepened, but on they went. After a time Douglas left Mrs. Meeker and went to Josephine. He called her a "white squaw", and worked himself into a frenzy as he re­ cited incidents leading up to the massacre; his anger mounted higher and higher as he talked and three times he placed his gun at the breast of the captive in threatening manner. The girl never flinched but told him in steady tones that she was not afraid of him nor of death. Toward the middle of the night they pitched their tent, and soon thereafter a runner arrived bringing news of the Thornburg battle. Now all ~en except those needed to guard the captives left for the scene of battle. They did not return for several days, not until after the captives and their captors had stopped, at 160 THE THRILLING EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1879 least temporarily, and then it was with orders from Ouray that all hostilities were to cease. Camp was moved frequently during the first days, but fin­ ally had settled in a beautiful valley on Plateau Creek in Mesa county, at the spot destined to be the scene of the thrilling rescue.

WHAT THE GOVERNMENT DID To get the right background for the rescue it will be nec­ essary to leave the captives and go to the seat of government and see what is being done there. When news of the massacre and captivity reached Wash­ ington the government took time to investigate. That was, of course, necessary, but it brought an eternity of anxious waiting to the captives. In due time, however, ( three weeks) the govern­ ment was convinced that a massacre had occurred and that three women and two children were being held in captivity. Then Secretary Carl Schurz sent an order to General Adams in Denver to pursue the Indians and rescue the captives. General Adams acted promptly. He selected four men as aids, one a newspaper man, one a man with long association among Indians and two as Indian guides and interpreters. Late in October they reached the camp where the captives were being held. General Adams carried with him not only a demand from the U. S. government for their release, but also an order from Chief Ouray, head of the whole Ute tribe. In the absence of Head Chief Ouray the lesser Chiefs of the tribe· had taken over the situation at the camp where the captives were being held. They hurriedly called a war council of all chiefs below Ouray and on the arrival of General Adams and his aids, gathered in the big council tent with set, determined faces. There was a war party and a peace party and they were perilously near evenly divided. The peace party stood steadfast­ ly for obedience to Ouray and the United States government, and the war party was as determinedly against that position; They stood unitedly together on killing the men but divided on 161 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

whether the women should be killed also or held as perpetual captives. To the surprise of General Adams and his aids a woman sat among the councilors.

WHO WAS THE WOMAN AND WHY WAS SHE THERE? 1863 HOLDS THE ANSWER To get the proper setting for this hairtrigger situation and to know the woman who sat among the chiefs and why she was there, it will be necessary to go back sixteen years in time and more than two hundred miles in distance to the region that is now Weld and Larimer counties and the year that was 1863, and describe an earlier dramatic incident that had narrowlv.. es- caped tragedy and now working out its sequel. This story is gathered from reliable sources, a part of which was the statement of an eye witness which has been verified by historical documents and by records on file in state and military quarters. The History of Larimer County, written by Ansel Watrous, founder and editor of the Ft. Collins Courier, and pub­ lished, in 1911, records on page 107 the first act in the drama so far as ·the white race is concerned. It is found in the pioneer experience of an early settler, J. N. Hollowell, and is, briefly, as follows: Hollowell, then a young man, arrived in the valley of the Big Thompson in October of 1860. He built himself a cabin a mile and a half southeast of present Loveland. One day, sud­ denly out of an afternoon nap, he awoke to find his cabin filled with Indians. This was in the fall of 1863. Startled he arose from his couch when the feathered and painted leader of the Indian band pointed to a small looking glass that hung on the wall and then to Hollowell's hat and spoke what seemed to be the only English word he knew; he said "swap?" in the form of a question, and Hollowell rightly took it for granted that ~ he had something he wished to trade for the hat and looking glass, so when the Indian pointed up the Big Thompson~ Hol­ lowell got up, took the hat and looking glass and followed.

162 THE THRILLING EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1879

About half a mile distant was the camp of the Indians. The leader opened one of the tepees and came out leading a young Indian girl, pushed _her against Hollowell and reached for the hat and looking glass. Hollo·w.ell was naturally embarrassed. Tightening his grip on his· own property he said decisively: "No; no swap;" and turned to leave. Then the Indians, he thought at least two hundred in number, set up a howl that, if not ac­ tually curdling the blood in his views, at least lent speed to his feet and enabled him to do a record breaking sprint back to his cabin. He locked the door and sat down with palpitating heart. not knowing what to expect next. But nothing happened. That night he could hear the constant "thump, thump, thump" of the war dance all night long. The next morning the Indians broke camp and left. But there was an aftermath. Company B of the First Colorado Volunteers in camp at La Porte at the time had been notified of Indian disturbances and ordered to. investigate. Here arises some confusion in the different accounts of what happened next, confusion as to lo­ cation, not as to n1ain facts. The Watrous History states that the so~diers forded the river near the present town of Evans and climbed up on a bluff from which they saw a large group of Indians on the opposite bank in great commotion and excite­ ment. This would place the position of both soldiers and Indians on the Platte, while later investigations have placed the scene on the Poudre just north of the present site of Greeley. But all agree that as the soldiers, who rode at breakneck speed, came nearer the Indian group they were horrified to see a young girl tied to a tree with fagots piled high around her and an Indian on his way with a torch while the rest of the group danced wildly around the tree and the terrified victim. The soldiers descended upon the group just in the nick of time; in another instant the flames ,vould have enveloped the helpless girl and life would have gone out in terror. They rushed into the circle, scattered the fagots in every direction and cut loose the trembling girl; the Indians, who were completely surprised, fled in wild con­ fusion. The soldiers took the girl back to their camp at La Porte, and when Hollowell saw her he recognized her as the one the 163 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

Indians had tried to trade to him for his hat and looking glass. The girl, it was later learned, had been captured from the Utes three years before by a raiding band of.Arapahoes who had later passed her on to the Cheyennes. From La Porte the rescued girl was sent to Denver in care of Governor Evans who in turn sent her to Middle Park com­ mitted to the care of Major Whitely then Agent to the Utes, and by him eventually returned to her own people alive and well amid great rejoicing on the part of the tribe. This much the records tell, but none can tell the feelings of the girl who had been rescued fr~m death at tne stake. White men had rescued her and from that moment a consuming pas­ sion filled her heart for an opportunity to do something to show her gratitude to the white race. For sixteen years she waited and then her opportunity came. It was on that October day in 18 79 in the council tent of the Indians on Plateau Creek, when the lives of three women and two children, and five white men who had come to their rescue, hung in the balance. ·The Indian name of the girl was Shawsheen; it had later been changed by white people to Susan, losing both rythm and beauty by the change. He brother, Ouray, became Chief of the Utes; she married Chief Johnson, a local chief of the tribe. Now we will return to the council tent and draw another picture.

THE FINAL SCENE OF THE RESCUE.

SHAWSHEEN PAYS A LONG DEBT. A THRILLING PICTURE. General Adams has just made an impassioned speech and an uncompromising demand for the release of the captives, but the issue hangs as by a hair. A pipe is lighted and starts around the circle. Each Chief that stands for peace, smokes; those for c:l' war, pass it on. It reaches Chief Johnson. He is the last. Half have smoked and half have not. For an instant Chief Johnson holds the pipe suspended in his' hand as though he would hold 164 THE THRILLING EVENTS OF THE .YEAR 1879 the moment. And now the lone woman arises. With a determined look she tosses one corner of her shawl up over he~ shoulder, stands for a moment, then steps into the circle. With slow and stately tread she sweeps the circle, giving each Chief a keen and searching look. Finally she stops in front of Chief Douglas and the pent up feelings of sixteen years burst forth in a speech that electrifies her hearers. Douglas and Jack, who have stood for the killing of the men and keeping the women captives, go down under the torrent; they drop their heads and slip from the tent, followed by all who have stood with them, until finally only the peace party remains, Shawsheen standing like a statue until the last man disappears. And General Adams hesitates not to give the Indian woman a handshake that holds all of deep grati­ tude, honor, and the acknowledgment of a great deed accomp­ lished. It was not until later that he knew of the motive whose force had carried her through. * * * * The whereabouts of Shawsheen during the troubles at the Agency has never been known, but it is certain she was not there; the released captives declared they had never seen her until they met her at the last camp, but in all the stories they told of captivity she was mentioned, and always with gratitude. They told of her taking Mrs. Meeker into her own tent and caring for her throughout captivity; of her saving Josephine from the abuse of Douglas and Jack; of her commanding young Indians to carry water for Flora Price and of her biting and scornful rebuke of Douglas when she saw him kick over a bucket of water and order Flora to carry another up the steep bank of the creek. Flora Price had been given the task of carrying water and Josephine that of cooking the food. Shawsheen had taken an interest in the children, too, and had watched with eagle eye the treatment accorded all the captives. THE RETURN OF THE CAPTIVES Mrs. Meeker, Josephine, Flora Price and the two children returned to Greeley, meeting ovations at every stop of the train from Alamosa on, the greatest of all being on their arrival in 165 A msTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

Greeley. Many doors opened to Mrs. Price and her children, for they had no home as had Mrs. Meeker and Josephine. Soon after their return the town granted a pension of $500 per year to each of the women. After a time Mrs. Price and her children left Greeley and diligent search on the part of this History has failed to trace their wanderings or discover present whereabouts-if still living. Senator Teller secured for Jose­ phine a position in the Interior Department in Washington which she held, making many friends along the way, until her untimely death on December 30, 1882. The last twenty-six years of Mrs. Meeker's life were spent partly in the family home in Greeley, now the Meeker Memorial Museum- and partly with relatives in New York State. Her death occurred on October 4, 1905. There is a spot in the Greeley cemetery where in mortality, the Meeker family are reunited; Nathan the father, Arvilla the mother, Josephine, Ralph the oldest son, another son George who died in Evans while Greeley was being organized, Mary A. ,vhose _married name was Fullerton, and, last of all, Rozene, who died at the Greeley hospital in 1935. A brown marble shaft near ale center of the grounds marks the final resting place of this noted family.

THE MEMORIAL AT THE AGENCY ...i\t first the bodies of Nathan Meeker and all his employes were buried where they were found, but in the fall of 1880 those of Nathan Meeker and W. H. Post were shipped to their old homes and the others removed to a higher mesa; a few months later they were again moved, this time to the spot where they now rest, in Highland Cemetery just south of the town of l\'1eeker which has, since the massacre, been built on White River on the edge of the mesa overlooking the valley. A large granite boulder, erected by the people of Meeker, marks the center of the spot with the graves clustering around it... -\ square has been hewn out of one of the sides, its surface polished and the names of the men engraved thereon. This is the inscription: 166 This Native Granite Stone, Erected By The Citizens Of Rio Blanco County, Colorado, In 1927 And Dedicated To The Memory Of NATHAN C. MEEKER United States Indian Agent Who With His Government Employes Was Massacred By The Ute Indians At The White River Indian Agency, One And A Half Miles West of This Spot September 29, 1879

EMPLOYES: W. H. Post Frank Dresser Henry Dresser E. W. Eskridge Mr. Price Arthur L. Thompson George Eaton Fred Shepard Carl Goldstein Unknown Teamster

And so ends the n1ost thrilling Chapter connecting Weld county with the time and history of one of the most tragic events of the transition period from the old order to the new; and so ends the life story of Nathan Meeker without whom the town of Greeley might not yet be.

167 CH_..\PTER XII

TIIE PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF \VELD COUNTY. THE FIRST; THE LAST~ AND IN BETWEEN. It is certain that schools existed among the early settlers long before the machinery of county government was so organ­ ized that official records could be kept, but just how long before, what those schools were or where is not certain. In the office of the county clerk and recorder is a file of all county superintend­ ents ,vho have served from Peter Winne in 1863' to William S. Hunt in 1938, but that file marks 1861 and '62 with a question mark, from which it is logically inferred that schools did exist in those years although no county superintendent had supervision over them. In fact, from other good evidence it is safe to as­ sume that some manner of instruction for children antedated even that time, for the one fact that stands out most clearly with regard to the early settlers is that they were above the aver­ age in _education. This evidence is found in the story as given in Chapter I which tells of the persistent efforts of the settlers of this region to bring governmental order out of the chaos left by the Gold Rush of 1859. From all that is known of the early pioneers it can safely be assumed that many parents were them­ selves teachers, and that they not only taught their own children but gathered up the children of other settlers within reach and established informal classes in their own homes . .As to when or where the first school house was built an ahs,ver seems unobtainable at this late date; or, paradoxical as it may seem, too many answers are found. A number of the Pioneer Stories in this History give accounts of "First" school houses. None of these stories can be successfully disputed, for, as none give definite dates, one cannot be compared with another and the actual "first" established. All were simply "in the early '60's." For instance: Henry Smith tells of one on the Platte River 1,vhere he attended his first school, and he describes the primitive furniture and how it all impressed his small bov mind. The Fort 168 PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF WELD COUNTY

Lupton Press of October 31, 1926, giving early reminiscences, tells of a school on the Tracy farm about a mile south of the Old Fort which may have been the one described by Henry Smith. Charles A. Duncan tells of a "first" school house near \Vindsor. Robert Hauck of a "first" near the Boulder county line. And out on the Wiley farin east of Greeley stands an old adobe building that Miss Wiley, to whom the tradition has been handed down from pioneer ancestors, declares to be the first in the county. Any one of these, or, even one not on this list, may have been the actual first, but a best guess might seem to be based on one somewhere along the St. Vrain within the region first organized into a school district; and District No. 1, as will be seen farther on in this Chapter, is described as "running along the western line of Weld county on St. Vrain Creek." It is not hard to account for so many claimants to the honor of being the "first". Weld county at that time was the size of seven counties today; it occupied the entire northeast corner of the state; travel and communication were slow and d~fficult, and each group of builders could easily have been un­ a ,vare of the activities of others. Undoubtedly the whole school system was in the formative period up to 1863 when the differ­ ent groups must have come together and established a county organization. How the first boundaries of school districts were described is found in an old Record book in the office of the County Superintendent, covering the period between 1863 and 1874. Following is the first description: "District No. 1 embraces the following limits, to­ wit: Commencing at the western line of Weld county on St. Vrain Creek, thence running east four miles, thence south six miles, thence west four miles, thence north six miles, following county line." "District No. 2 embraces the following limits, to­ wit: Commencing at the eastern boundary of School District No. 1 and including all of the settlements for two miles in width on both sides of the stream down to the eastern boundary of Sam Foreman's claim." 169 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY. COLORADO

Neither of these descriptions have dates; but the following is under date of March 3, 1864, at Latham, with Peter Winne as County Superintendent: "District No. 6. Commencing at the western boundary of Peter Winne's claim and including all the settlements on both sides of the Cache la Poudre down to its mouth; also including all the settlements on the north side of the South Platte River to the southern boundary of Leonard Bashaw's claim." From this informal beginning the schools moved forward through the decade of the 1860's and at the beginning of the 18 70's received a great impetus from the coming of the colonists. In 18 71 the larger schools divided into three departments; primary, intermediate and high school; and the school year into three terms, the first from September running fourteen weeks, the second from January twelve weeks and the third from April twelve weeks, making a school year of thirty-eight weeks. Before the end of the decade of th '70s, so high had stand­ ards climbed that it began to be difficult to secure teachers with qualifications equal to requirements. In the decade of the 1880s, so acute became this difficulty that it developed into a positive demand for higher grade professional teachers; and this demand took shape in a definite movement to secure a State Normal School for the purpose of training teachers in the art of teach­ ing. Chapter 13 on The Birth of the State Normal will give this movement in detail and show the collossal effort made by the people of Weld county to secure that institution, and its conse­ quent result in placing the public schools of Weld on the high educational footing they occupy in 19.38. But before giving the present status it may be interesting to glance back over the pathway between the first pioneer schools and these last and note some of the landmarks along the way. Carl Carlson who was assistant superintendent under J erre Moreland and~who became superintendent in his own right on resignation of his principal in 1936, through appointment by the county commissioners, made a careful survey of the history 170 PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF WELD COUNTY and development of the school system and permits the use of his findings in this History. In 1880 there were 32 districts, with 44 teachers, and an average attendance of 744. The Superintendent's salary was $569. In 1885 there were 54 districts, 74 teachers and an enroll­ ment of 1,418. Superintendent's salary was $1,265. In 1890 there were 65 districts and 98 teachers. About the middle of that decade Superintendent Snook made the following encouraging report: "Nearly all the districts of the county are in satis­ factory financial condition and able to support good schools for eight or nine months in the year. * * * * A large majority of the teachers hold Normal diplomas or first grade county certificates, only 4 per cent falling below that grade.'' The Report also spoke of the growing need of libraries accessible to the schools, and pointed out the improvement made in teaching staffs since the coming of the State Normal. In 1909 County Superintendent Harrison said in his annual Report: "The year has gone on with many signs of im­ provement. Perhaps the most marked upward tendency has been the very general movement in many districts to house their schools more comfortably. A larger num­ ber of better class buildings have been erected than in any previous year. The salary standard is rising and a disposition on the part of the school boards to require still better equipment in their teachers is manifest. On the whole I should characterize the year as one of sub­ stantial progress. In 1911 Superintendent Thomas reported: "General conditions in the county were quite satis­ factory during last year. The need of rapid extension of school facilities, especially in the dry land districts, is pressing. The people of those sections are displaying a fine spirit in doing much of the building work them- 171 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

selves. Better housing of schools and more attention to the needs of the playground are noted with growing satisfaction." And, as a last word he added: "The county superintendent could do better work if his of­ fice were provided with more ample help." In 1913 Superintendent Copeland took up the same note, emphasizing that better work could be done with more ample help. He regretted in particular the inadequate provision for transportation in connection with school supervision, pointing out the impossibility of one person doing the work as it should be done while trying to cover an area of 4,000 miles. He laid the blame on state school laws that ·did not authorize expendi­ tures for travel. And so the survey goes on, showing steady improvement year by year, but at that only keeping abreast of growing needs.

THE PRESENT STATUS. From the office of County Superintendent W. S. Hunt and his able assistant, C. L. Cree, comes the general statement of "a progressive educational system in action; of a spirit of co-opera­ tion between instructors, pupils, school boards and parents, working smoothly and achieving results." Figures for the year ending in June, 1938, are only partly available as this History goes to press, hence those of 1937 are used where necessary. For the last named year there were 566 pupils enrolled in, one-room schools, 1,248 in two-room schools and 11,216 in schools of three or more rooms; a total of 13,040. The teaching staff for all schools including principals, super­ visors and superintendents was given for that year as 190 men and 495 women. In 1936 there were 136 districts with schools in operation; at the close of the school year of 193 7-8 there were fewer, the exact number not obtainable because some operated irregularly, that is, with indefinate periods between sessions. Several closed altogether. This was due principally to two causes: consolida­ tion and soil conservation. It is easy to understand how the 172 PUBLIC SCHOOLS OP WELD COUNTY

first cause could be a factor, several sparsely settled districts consolidating into one; but the second at first glance seems for­ eign to school matters, yet its conn~tion is entirely logical. Under the broad title of "soil conservation" the government has, for the past two years, been doing things in Northern Weld never done before. Where farmers in the dry lands had reached their limit .and were ready to quit the struggle against drouth, high winds and insects, they were transported to more favorable lands and their own dry acres bought by the government and turned back to grazing lands. Naturally this reduced the num­ ber of school children in the localities affected; those remaining were provided with other school facili~es and the districts closed. What will be the situation after the Grand· Lake Diver­ sion system gets into action cannot be foretold at this time. Dry lands ma.y become productive irrigated fields and schools be re-established, but later Histories must tell the story. Consolidated schools are located as follows: In Ault, Erie, Ft. Lupton, Gilcrest, Kersey, Pierce, Johnstown, Platteville and Windsor. Children are taken by bus from their homes to the schools. Total enrollment in all schools for the year ending in 1938 was 14,244; boys 7,181, girls 7,063. Of this number, 2,990 were graduated from rural High and Ninth grade schools, Greeley not included. The schools and the number graduated by each follows. Ninth grade graduation is marked *.

RURAL HIGH SCHOOLS AND THEIR GRADUATES, 1938. *Auburn, 7. Ault, 135. *Big Bend, 13. *Block, 1. *Beebe Draw, 10. Buckingham, 15. Briggsdale, 45. Carr, 29. Dearfield, 1. Eaton, 169. Erie, 154. *Evans, 9. Fort Lupton, 218. Fred­ erick, 96. Gill, 82. Grover, 65. Gilcrest, 69. Galeton, 62. *Ger­ ry Valley, 1. *Highland, 1. Hudson, 31. Johnstown, 14 7. Keenes­ burg, 57. Kiowa, 14. Kesta, 14. Kersey, 90. *LaSalle, 26. Morning Star, 1. Milliken, 56. *Midway, 1. Mead, 40. Nunn, 25. New Raymer, 34. *Owl Creek, 1. *Pawnee Center, 2. Pierce, 76. Prospect Valley, 43. Purcell, 13. Platteville, 107. 173 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

Roggen, 11. *Sunnyside, 1. Stoneham, 30. Wyatt, 5. Windsor, 179. Total 2,186. To which Greeley adds an enrollment of 804, from which graduated a class of 215 in1938; a grand total for the county of 2,990. Greeley is not listed above because it has a different classi­ fication. The words "rural" and "urban" in school parlance do not have their usual meaning. "Rural" means all schools that fall below a certain enrollment. Greeley is the only one classed as "urban". The cost of education per pupil is effected in a marked de­ gree by local conditions; the higher the number of pupils in a district the lower the proportionate cost. Greeley with the larg­ est enrollment has a cost of $70.23 per. pupil per year, while som•e of the sparsely settled districts run as high as $150. The average for the county is $105.96. This is charged in the bul­ letin to current expenses.

DISTRICT NO. 6-GREELEY. ·This being the largest district of the county of course has the. ;nost complete equipment, but all others have like equip­ ment,. in degree suited to requirements. Overcrowding and ~eed of better facilities and equipment in the Greeley schools has been relieved this year, 1938, by the construction of one new building and the alteration and extension of two others. Before the close of the school year the new Greeley Junior High, fronting on Fifteenth street was completed and taken over . by the school much to the relief of the Meeker Junior High, fronting on Ninth avenue in the same block. The Meeker build­ ing underwent alterations and extensions, as did also the Cam­ eron grade building on Thirteenth avenue. On the whole these additions, including furnishings and equipment, raised the amount expended in the district since its beginning to near the million and a half mark. The repch:t is made by Secretary of the Board of Education~ Howell Culbertson, that, since 1871 District No. 6 has actually expended the sum of $1,413,176 for grounds, buildings, furnish- 174 PUBLIC SCHOOLS OP WELD COUNTY

ings and equipment. But he also states that owing to recent de­ preciation in real estate the valuation stands now, 1938, at about $950,000. The new construction, alterations and additions completed this year represent an expenditure of $194,030. Of this sum, $86,400 was a grant from the Puplic Works Administration; the balance, $107,630, was borne by the district. In anticipation of this need a bond issue of $105,000 was voted by the people of che district in February. This proved to be insufficient to meet the actual expenditure, but the deficit, $2,630 was paid from the current funds of the district. . The new Greeley Junior High cost, in construction, $123,- 351; in furnishings and equipment, $9,292; Tota.I, 132,643. Alterations in the Meeker High figured within four cents of $6,486; furnishings and equipment $899. Total, $7,385. Con­ :;truction at Cameron was $43,067, and furnishings and equip­ ment came within ten cents of $899, making a total of $43,966. Other expenses connected with the three projects, such as archi­ tects fees, legal and administrative costs, brought the grand total to $194,030. In the judgment of Superintendent Eldridge this cost is balanced by values, not only meeting present needs but anticipat­ ing those of the future for a good many years ahead. The schools of Greeley with their locations and enrollment are as follows: Greeley High School, 14th ave., between 15th and 16th streets ------804 1'.leeker Junior High, 9th ave., between 14th and 15th streets ------··--·------500 Greeley Junior High, 15th street and 9th avenue ______300 Eighth Avenue Gymnasium, 8th avenue, 14th and 15th streets, Cameron, 13th avenue, 14th and 15$ streets ______380 Horace Mann, 12th street, 11th avenue ------213 Central Platoon, 11th avenue, 7th and 8th streets ______463 \Vashington, 6th street, 13th avenue ------190 Lincoln Platoon, 11th street, 5th avenue ( three buildings) 500 175 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLOltADO

Franklin, one mile west on Loveland road ...... 45 Gipson, 3 miles west, ( across from Spanish Colony) ...... 12 7

Tcial enrollment ············------····----··---·-·-·····3 ,5 22 Total number of instructors in Greeley schools, including superintendents and principals, 121. Superintendents who have served Greeley schools: A. B. Copeland, 1884 to 1904, a period of 20 years. Charles E. Carter, 1904 to 1916, a period of 12 years; G. E. lrrown, 1916 to 1929, a period of 13 years; I. E. Stutsman, 1929 to 1934, a period of 5 years; W. D. Eldridge came next and will probably continue a number of years to come.

ACTIVITIES AND INTERESTS OUTSIDE OF TEXT BOOKS. Fortunate indeed is the child of today as compared with the child of yesterday-and the day before. Well do the parents and grandparents of today remember their "first day at school," and the terror that sometimes went with it; and it is with per­ sonal tgratification that they draw the contrast with today, feel­ ing that they have had a part in the transformation. May this writer be indulged in one small reminiscence? At the age of four, (yes, that was too early, but rules were elastic, and father was a director,) perched upon the shoulders of a sturdy fifteen year old brother, the triumphal march began. To the small girl that was the day for which all other days were made. The journey lay over deep muddy roads against which the brother's high-topped boots were ample protection, and ended at the little red school house half a mile distant. There the new pupil descended and walked proudly beside the big brother to his seat. It was a place where pupils of all ages, ("scholars" they were called) assembled together. The teacher, from his platform, calle

The new pupil was somewhat awed by the bigness of the occasion, but felt safely anchored so long as she could hold on to the assuring hand of the big brother. But finally there came a moment when she was called up to the platform where sat the l\Iaster, to "say" a lesson. Sternly he pointed to a big "A" on the book and demanded the name of it. The new pupil knew it very well at home; had learned it and the whole alphabet "by heart" and been assured of her smartness by her parents; but now, alas, every name of every letter flew away, leaving the small mind a total blank. Then the Master said, in a voice that to the bewildered child sounded like the approach of doom. "\VeIL ,vhat is it? Don't you know?" In that moment there were no words to speak; only a flood of tears to keep the heart from breaking. The next moment the trembling child, with her world all in fragments about her, was gently folded in the sheltering ~rms of the big brother who was commanded by the Master to "Take her _home." There the mother gave comfort, but the father looked stern and returned to school with the big brother. Look­ ing backward now to that day this writer knows that should she live to see her hundredth birthday there will never be another such heart-breaking and humiliating day as that "first day" in school. Better stop here, for the subject is endless. But if one more comparison may be granted it will be this: In the days of the little red school house children went to school to study, and that by the hardest methods. Play was a thing apart from the busi­ ness of school. But happily at noon and recess "prisoner's base," "tag," and "antne over" might be indulged. This last named game passed with the passing of the little school house, but was great while it lasted. It meant tossing the ball up over the top of the school house; and if one on the other side caught it and could run around and hit the thrower with it before the thrower could escape, the thrower lost the game. When teachers began to mingle with children at play it was an innovation, and it was a long time before such could be con­ sidered good teachers. But today the happy Kindergarten young­ sters and their teachers play together and the best teacher is the 177 A HISTORY OF WELD COUN'IY, COLORADO

one who can enter into the game most heartily. From the office of Superintendent Eldridge has recently issued a beautifully illustrated book.let under the title of "Your Children At School." It pictures the many play-games through which children learn pleasantly and effectively the lessons that carry them through the grades from "the first day" to the cap and gown of the High School graduate. In the upper grades the actual work that awaits them in the world outside is taught. Boys have their perfectly equipped workshops and girls their kitchens, and what would otherwise through life be puzzling drudgery is turned into easily understood sciences. The boys learn to build every thing from furniture to airplanes, and girls to prepare banquets fit for. the gods--if gods ever banquet. Boys are not denied access to kitchens nor girls to workshops. Both learn the art of nursing and first aid, and the discipline that later gives them command in time of accident or emergency. So, without regret for the passing of "the good old days," the boys and girls of yesterday-and the day before, greet the youngsters of today-and tomorrow, and look forward to still greater· achievements by those of next week. ·coUNTY SUPERINTENDENTS OF SCHOOLS. ? ...... Dec. 2, 1861 ? ...... Oct. 7, 1862 Winne, Peter ...... -...... Sept. 12, 1863 Winne, Peter ...... Sept. 12, 1865 Johnson, Bruce F ...... April 2, 186 7 Johnson, Bruce F ...... _ ...... Oct. 7, 186 7 Fulton, Daniel J...... Sept. 8, 186 8 Moyer, Frank E...... April 6, 18 70

Bassett, 0. P...... u ...... Sept.. 12, 18 71 Wilbur, Alvin ...... Sept. 9, 18 73 Howard, Oliver ...... Sept. 14, 18 7 5 Howard, Oliver ...... _ ...... Oct. 2, 18 77 Boyd, David ....

Packard, Abel K. ················-··········--···--······················Nov. 7, 1882 Packard, Abel K. ··-·······················-·············-·-··-·····--···Nov. 6, 1883 Cooke, John B ...... Nov. 3, 1885 Packard, Abel K ...... Nov. 8, 1887 Thomas, Wm. C ...... Nov. 5, 1889 Thomas, Wm. C...... Nov. 3, 1891 Howard, Oliver ...... Nov. 7, 1893 Howard, Oliver ...... Nov. 5, 189 5 Snook, J. E...... •...... •...... Nov. 7, 189 7 Snook, J. E. -·---·-······-···-···--···-·········--····-··---····----·····-·-Nov. 7, 1899 Snook, J. E. ······--············---········--··················--··-·-···-·-Nov. 5, 1901 llarrison, Lucian H. ····--·······---·--·--·······-··-···········--·-----Nov. 8, 1904 Harrison, Lucian H ...... ·--·Nov. 6, 1906 Harrison, Lucian H. ·····-···-····-······-·-··-··-··--·····--····--···Nov. 3, 1908 Thomas, W. C. ······-··-·-········-········-····················--··-····.Nov. 8, 1910 Copeland, A. B. ···-····-··············-···-·-···-·····--·-·-·-·-·········Nov. 5, 1912 Copeland; A. B. ····-····--·········-·-···-··-·····-···•·H••--····-··-···N ov. 3, 1914 Copeland, A. B. ··············--··················-··-···--···············Nov. 7, 1916 Martin, Chas. W. ····················-·····················-·---·······-·Nov. 5, 1918 Martin, Chas. W. ·-·---···-·--·-··----···-···········-·········--········Nov. 2, 1920 Fleming, Archie I ...... ·-·-··········----····-·-·Nov. 7, 1922 Ogle, F. A. ··-··-··········-······-····-·-·-·······················-·······--·.Nov. 4, 1924 Ogle, F. A. ··--·-·-·······-··············-····-·-········-·······-····-········Nov. 2, 19 26 Ogle, F. A. ···-···········-········-·············--·······--········-·-·······-Nov. 6, 19 28 Ogle, F. A. ·-·--·······--····-·········-··················--····----······-····Nov. 4, 1930 iV[ oreland, J erre T. ·-··---···-·-----·-··--······----··-·····-·-····-···Nov. 8, 193 2 Moreland, J erre T. --··-··········--·-·-·····--·-·······-·-···-·····-.Nov. 6, 1934 Carlson, Carl A ...... Aug. 1, 1936 Hunt, William S. ···-·--·········--·······--··-········--· ... ··----···-··Nov. 3, 1936

179 CHAPTER XIII THE BIRTH OF THE STATE NORMAL SCHOOL; ITS UNWELCOME f\DVENT, THE/ VICISSITUDES OF ITS EARLY INFANCY, and LATER ITS CORDIAL WELCOME. (First by Allegory.) The State Normal School was an unwanted child. The Mother, Colorado, already had three higher educational daugh­ ters besides a various progeny of smaller children, altogether ai many as she felt able to support. True this new one might be different from the others; might even be helpful in bringing up the smaller ones, by teaching teachers how to teach; but even so, a new one should not be considered at all; Colorado was young herself, as a full-fledged state barely thirteen years old in 1889. She had not been well received into the great family of states because of her smallness and her poverty, (see latter part of Chapter I) and she felt she must make good her own standing before bringing in any more of a family. So, when the State Normal School came into existence against lne best judgment of the mother there was but one thing to do under the circumstances and tliis she did without compunction-she left tlie unwanted child, without even swaddling clothes, on the door-step of her foster parents, Greeley and Weld County. But the foster parents accepted the little waif willingly, though not without a full realization of the responsibility; and, seeing in her great promise for the future, they nourished and sustained her through her abandoned infancy, loved and en­ couraged her until, as they had foreseen, she began to blossom out in beauty of form and loveliness of character that bid fair to equal, if not surpass, her most brilliant sisters. Now these same brilliant sister, be it confessed, at first made hei- no more welcome than did the mother; in fact it was largel~ because of their loud acclaim that there was not enough money in the family pocketbook to divide with another without sacrifice to themselves that had influenced the mother to reject the new comer. But after the foster parents had adopted her and carried her safely through her early infancy, then they, as well as the 180 BIRTH OF THE STATE NORMAL SCHOOL mother, became interested; in fact they "beat the mother to it" in making friendly overtures; they were present with sisterly enthusiasm when the foster parents laid the comer stone for the first school room, extending now the right hand of fellow­ ship and a cordial welcome into. the family. Then Mother Colorado herself began to take notice; she sent presents for which both child and foster parents were grate­ ful, and, as time went on grew more and more fond of the prom­ ising child, and proud of her, and began supporting her in a manner befitting her splendid abilities; and now, in this year of Our Lord, 1938, never loses an opportunity to show her off to visitors and tell of her wonderful talents and achievements. Here the allegory ends, and the story as told in terms of legislation begins: * * * * AUTHENTICITY OF THE STORY. First, however, it must be stated that this Chapter is a condensation of the complete history as given in the book, "Forty Years of Teachers' College" by Albert F. Carter, for years the College librarian, in collaboration with Elizabeth Kendel, Asso­ ciate Professor of Secondary Mathematics. No more able and ~ell-informed team could have been selected for this important work, their early association with the College and their personal familiarity with every step of its progress constituting an ample guarantee of accuracy. It is not to be denied that the whole History of the College loses by condensation, every one of its four hundred pages being replete with historical happenings that do not lend themselves well to that process; but no other is possible to the space that may here be allotted, and the seeker for more exhaustive in­ formation is most respectfully referred to the book itself. This statement obviates the necessity for footnotes giving authorities. **** THE STORY IN TERMS OF LEGISLATION. How AND WHEN THE NAME CHANGED This Institution, now one of the foremost in the state, was 181 A HISTORY OF \VELD COUNTY, COLORADO not always known by its present name, the State College of Edu­ cation. On its birth in 1890 it was christened the State Normal School, and this name it bore until it was twenty-one years old, when, in 1911, a bill was introduced in the legislature by Hon. Alma V. Laferty changing the name to the Colorado State Teach- ers' College. This name it bore until 1935 when, because of its continued growth and enlarged powers for the granting of high­ er degrees, the name was again changed to fit its changing char­ acter, this time becoming the Colorado State College of Education. ,vHY THE CHANGE OF NAl\:IE. This point was more clearly elaborated by John Henry Shaw, Director of Journalism in the College in a Radio broad­ cast over KFKA when he stated that every change in name marked an evolutionary progress in the College. First The State Normal School was the right name because the need of the times was for teachers prepared to teach the comparatively rudiment­ ary principles of higher education. Twentyone years later when the character and scope of the inst~tp.tion had enlarged and amplified to the point where it was reaching out into other lines and equipping its students for teach­ ers far beyond the first requirments, and where it had changed the original two year course to a four year course and began con- ferring the Bachelor of Arts degree, the name changed to that of The State Teachers' College. Later when a fifth year was added with the conference of the Master of Arts degree and also that of the Doctor of Phil- osophy,• the College, while still specializing in the preparation of teachers, had gone beyond first requirements and was now en­ titled to the general name of College of Education. What it may be next will depend upon the advancement of education. The last word in names cannot be spoken until the last word in pro­ gress has been pronounced. EARLY HISTORY. The early history of this College is inextricably inter,voven ,vith that of early Weld county, Greeley and Union Colony. It 182 BIRTH OF THE STATE NORMAL SCHOOL is a story of the heroism, determination and far vision of the pioneers of that day; and it could have fitted into no other per­ iod so well. It is not too much to say that from the founding of Greeley in 1870 it was a college town, in_ embrio, it is true, but none the less surely. The colonists who founded Greeley were an educated people, who came with a purpose and builded for the future. Had it been otherwise, starting from a desert plain of prairie­ dog holes, sage brush, drifting sands and high hot winds they could not, twenty years later, have founded a college with only the co-operation of the county, itself new, almost wholly un­ assisted by the state. It was toward the end of that twenty year period that county and town did their most effective work, be­ cause it was then that their own developing school system de­ manded it. In 1882 came Professor and Mrs. A. B. Copeland, a couple whose lives had been shaped to an educational career and who ~ad already served for several years as instructors in colleges of their own home state of New York. After six years as super­ intendent of the Greeley Schools Professor Copeland, in whose mind a plan for an institution of higher learning for the county had long been forming, suggested the possibility to some of the most progressive and influential citizens of Greeley, among whom was Albert E. Gipson, president of the school board. Mr. Gipson proved to be a sympathetic listener and from that time on an ardent supporter of the plan. This was in 1888. The first step toward the State College of Education that now is was taken when those two men called an informal meet­ ing of the people of Greeley to hear the suggestion. This meeting was held in the old City Hall and the plan that was outlined immediately enlisted the enthusiastic support of all present. A second meeting was called soon thereafter to meet at the county court house. This meeting took on all the formalities of a real organization. Benjamin H. Eaton presided; every phase of the plan was discussed and a committee consisting of A. E. Gipson, A. B. Copeland and David Boyd was appointed to confer with Senator James W. McCreary in reference to the 183 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLOR.ADO drafting of a bill to be submitted to the legislature providing for such a school, to be known as The. State Normal and situated in Weld county, in or near the town of Greeley. Senator McCreary was found to be whole heartedly in sym­ pathy with the plan and the bill was drafted. In 1938, in view of the many magnificent buildings that grace the college campus and whose composite whole constitute the State College of Edu- cation, it may be of interest, not only to the people of Weld and Greeley but also to the hundreds of men and women who form the great student body, to turn backward the wheels of time for a moment and watch the fortunes of that bill as it picks its pre­ carious way among the jagged rocks that beset its pathway through legislative halls. It was known as Senate Bill No. 104, and Senator McCreary was its "father". He was in good earnest and determined to see it through. Senator McCreary was not only tactful and diplo­ matic but he also knew well the arts and pitfails of legislation, and his determination to put that bill through was not without a full realization of the criticism and misunderstanding that ·would 'probably be his portion. And criticism came, bitter and unrelenting. and misunderstanding; but through it all he held firmly to his purpose, knowing that the final outcome must bring exoneration. The bill was called up again and again for action, but each time its sponsor noticed that it was too evenly divided to insure success; so, by one means and another known only to the re­ sourceful legislator, Senator McCreary maneuvered delay until at last all means at his command had been exhausted and the bill was up for action. He was at the end of his string; the final vote was coming, it could be held off no longer; if it could have been delayed even one more day an absentee whom he knew to be friendly to the bill would have returned and the situation might have been saved; but he could not have that one day; the roll call began; the vote was on. N eek and 'heck ran the friends and foes of the bill; it was a tense moment; now the foes were in the lead; down tlie alpha­ bet droned the voice of the calling clerk and the name of "Mc- 184 BIRTH OF THE STATE NORMAL SCHOOL

Creary" was called. And then it happened. Friends and foes alike turned and fixed their eyes · upon the voter and blank amazement marked every face as the senator called out in loud and sonorous tones, a lusty and unmistakable "NO." \Vhat could it mean? The faces of his friends took on cha­ grin and disappointment; of his foes exultation; but none un­ derstood. Senator McCreary had voted against his own bill; the bill he had introduced and sponsored with such deep appar­ ent sincerity. Was it treachery? his friends asked; had he been bought off by the opposition? Had he, a Greeley man, lost all sense of loyalty to his own town and county? Had he betrayed his friends, and the great Cause, for a bribe? What else could it mean? For twenty-four hours these questions rankled in the hearts of his friends and even puzzled his foes; and then-all understood. As soon as Senator McCreary's vote was registered he sud­ denly left the chamber and hid himself away from both friends ~nd foes, a circumstance that added confirmation to suspected betrayal. But on the following day he was in his place and then came the revelation that set him right with friends and brought confusion and defeat to his foes. He arose and said: "Having voted with the majority on senate bill No. 104 yesterday I am now entitled by parliamentry usage to move a reconsideration." The motion was promptly seconded by the friendly absentee who had returned, and before the opposition could marshall forces to meet this unexpected move the motion carried and the vote was on. And this time when the voice of the clerk called the name of "McCreary" it was a sonorous and a echoing "\'..ES" that rang through the hall, drowning out the "NO" of yesterday. The vote of the absentee had already assured the victory and the next moment the clerk declared- the bill carried. That tactical victory on the part of Senator ~IcCreary marked the first great overcoming of obstacles and led to the fine College on the campus today. Should not the name of Mc­ Creary find a niche of honor somewhere in that splendid edifice? 185 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT. Senate bill 104 had carried, but was not yet out of the woods; it had cleared the Senate but a thorny pathway still lay ahead of it in the House. First, out of the special committee of five in whose hands the bill was placed, three brought in an un­ favorable report, the gist of which follows: First a State Normal School was unnecessary, the State lTniversity Normal Department already covering the ground. Second, the three higher educational institutions already in ex­ istence should be strengthened rather than others created. Third, in view of the very straitened financial condition of the state treasury it would be most unwise to burden it with another insti­ tution unless absolutely necessary. Fourth, for the present more of the state money should be expended for common schools than for colleges and Normal schools. And fifth, tlie three higher institutions of the state ·were quite ample for the needs of the present. This report was signed by E. W. Hurlbut of Central City, R. L. Wooton of Trinidad and J. C. Harris of Denver.

HOW THE MINORITY MET THE ARGUMENTS. Then the minority brought in a report. These two dissent­ ing voters asked that the bill be placed on third reading and final passage for the following reasons: First: that the teachers of the State University were asking that the Normal Department be removed from that institution. Second, that from the statements of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction the state was in need of a Normal school for the preparation of teachers. Third, that the appropriation asked for was small in comparison with the benefits that would result. Fourth, that while the state had liberally provided buildings and facilities for the education of its children, yet, owing to the rapid increase in population, teachers of ability and merit could not be secured to :rpeet the demands of the times so far as a pro­ gressive educational system was concerned. This was signed by H. H. Grafton, Manitou, and George C. Reed, Yuma. And so Senate Bill 104 was considered and re-considered in 186 BIRTH OF THE STATE NORMAL SCHOOL the house until every parliamentary chunk that could check, and every legislative lubricant that could oil the wheels of pro­ gress must have been exhausted and then one day the clerk an­ nounced that the column of votes / or the bill footed up 26 and the column against only 20. And the friends of the bill shook the rafters with applause. It was a small margin, but it was enough; it made the bill a law, and Governor Job A. Cooper lost no time in signing it. This was April 1, 1889. It was probably the greatest April Fool's surprise its foes had ever experienced. The following is the famous and historical Senate Bill 104 that was the first foundation stone of the present State College of Education: Section 1 :-"A State Normal School is hereby established at or near the city of Greeley in the county of \Veld, state of Colorado~ the purpose of which shall be instruction in the science and art of teaching, with the aid of a suitable practice depart­ ment, and in such branches of knowledge as shall qualify teach­ ers for their profession; PROVIDED, that a donation shall be made of a site for said Normal School, consisting of forty acres of land, with a building erected thereon according to plans and specifications furnished by the State Board of Education, and to cost not less than twenty-five thousand dollars, ($25,000) ten thousand of which shall be paid by the state as hereinafter pro­ vided." And thus the State Normal School was secured. Or was it? It was not easy in that early day for Greeley and Weld County to shoulder their allotted share of the burden, $15,000 and forty acres of land. Greeley was less than twenty years old, and she had struggled against fearful odds. Weld county was young, too, only nine years older than Greeley. But both were determined upon ultimate success, which goal, though in sight, was not yet within grasp. Would it be possible for county and town, by united effort, to raise $15,000? It seemed appalling. But the proverbfal friend in need arose; this was, first, in the form of a loan from an English Company of the money need­ ed along with a donation of eight acres of land, and, second, by the gift of thirty-two more acres adjoining by J. P. Cranford 187 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

of New York City, whose name has since been perpetuated by the dedication of the main administration hall under the name of Cranford Hall. And thus Greeley and Weld suc.cessfully cleared the first financial hurdle in the big race. But this was only the beginning. The original plans called for a structure costing $125,000. The east wing only could be completed wit~ the means available. However, that would be a starter, and so c·onstrtiction began. But immediately arose a difficulty that for a time threatened the whole enterprise: the money reluctantly appropriated by the state ''to be taken from funds not otherwise appropriated" was not to be found; there were no funds not otherwise appropriated. And the conviction forced itself upon the people of Greeley and \Veld that such condition was being brought about for the pur­ pose of defeating the enterprise; and that therefore it might be expected to continue indefinitely. Whether or not this had a foundation in fact was never known; but it mattered not nearly so much to the determined builders as the finding of a way to meet · the condition. They had staggered under the load of $15,000; now they must find $10,000 more or lose all. They did just what could have been expected of them; they buckled on the armor and went in to win. The way they set about it was to form a "Normal School Building Association," with Jared L. Brush, Brainard T. Har­ per and George H. West as trustees, then to start in to raise the extra $10,000 by private subscription. The trustees appointed a special committee consisting of ex-Governor Ben H. Eaton, J. M. Wallace, D. F. Camp, H. C. Watson and Robert Hale to can­ vass the whole county if necessary to secure funds. The county commissioners were asked for $1,000; they agreed to give it ,vith the approval of the county, and a petition was circulated that soon gave them this approval. The First National Bank and the Union.,. Bank and Peter W. Breen of Leadville each gave $500. The balance was made up in smaller amounts by the peo- ple of the town and county; in fact more than made up, the final count showing the sum of $11,175 subscribed. 188 BIRTH OF THE STATE NORMAL SCHOOL

This Herculean task so well accomplished did not pass un­ noticed by the neighbors of Greeley and Weld, who turned out in great numbers for the laying of the cornerstone of the new Col­ lege. This occurred on June 18, 1890. About two hundred came from Boulder, three hundred and fifty from Denver and lesser numbers from other neighboring counties, all offering congratu­ lations. It was a great day. The speakers on that memorable occasion were: First,­ naturally-Senator McCreary; then W. F. Sloan, President of Colorado College at Colorado Springs; H. M. Hale, President of the State University at Boulder; Govern(!r Job A. Cooper, and Fred Dick, superintendent of public instruction. Invocation was by Rev. B. T. Vincent and benediction by Rev. H. F. Wal­ lace. Professor Copeland read the list of articles to be placed in the cornerstone. The stone was a large block of gray granite, the gift of J. M. Wallace, president of the board of trustees. It was placed at the northeast corner of the east wing of the Administration building, Cranford Hall, the only section of the building finished at that time. On the front of the granite block was engraved the state coat of arms with the word "State" above and the words "Normal" and "School" at either side; and below the date, "A. D. 1890." At the close of the ceremonies the trustees announced the following faculty: President, Thomas J. Gray, then president of the State Nor­ mal School at St. Cloud, Minnesota, and a teaching staff of four: Pedagogy, Paul H. Hanus; English and History, Margaret Mor­ ris; Mathematics and Geography, Mary D. Reid; Music, John R. Whiteman. The time decided upon for the opening of the first term was October 6, 1890; but certainly between June 18 and October 6 the new $25,000 building could not be made ready for occupancy. However, this difficulty, which was small as compared with the many greater ones that had been met and overcome, was easily met; the doors of Greeley opened freely. The office of the school was assigned to Room 10, Opera House Building; general as- 189 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO sembly, the Unitarian Church, northeast corner of 9th street and 9th avenue; this was moved later to the court room of the old court house which stood on the site of the present court building, southwest comer of 9th and 9th. The class of Professor Hanus was conducted in a room over a paint shop, south side of Ninth street east of Ninth avenue, access to which was by an outside stairway with a landing on a tin roof, furnishing a musical (?) play ground for students arriving ahead of the Professor. An­ other class was held in a room of the Baptist Church which stood on the site of the present county jail. The places of the other two classes are not given by Mr. Carter. So, although the new building of the State Normal was still in the future, the State Normal School opened on schedule time. The first enrollment was fifty students, but this number soon rose. to seventy-six and by the end of the year had reached ninety- SIX. At the close of this first year, Dr. Gray resigned as presi­ dent to take up medical practice in Chicago, and Professor James H. Hays, superintendent of city schools in Winfield, Kansas, was appointed vice-president and asked to fill the position of presi­ dent tlrt~l that office could be permanently filled. Professor Hays served in that capacity until August 12, 1891, when Dr. Zachariah Xenophon Snyder was duly installed. The fallowing is a brief outline of Dr. Snyder's biography as an educator and his connection with the State Normal.

DR. SNYDER, PRESIDENT, 1891-1915. Born August 31, 1850, at Reagantown, Westmorland county, Pennsylvania; German on . one side, Scotch-Irish on the other; early education in the rural schools of that place, later at Mt. Pleasant Classical Academy; entered Waynesburg College, 1872; graduated, with special honors, 1876; in mean time teaching rural schools five months in each year. Within those years be­ came acquainte~ with James W. McCreary, later a Colorado senator. Served as principal of grammer school in Winconnisco, Pennsylvania; occupied chair of higher mathematics and nat- 190 BIRTH OF THE STATE NORMAL SCHOOL ural science at Waynesburg College, 1881, then quit teaching and entered business in Scottsdale, Pennsylvania. In 1883, though successful in business, returned to his life work as teacher, taking a position as superintendent of city schools in Greensburg, Penn­ sylvania. In 1888 was elected to the office of superintendent of schools in Reading, Pennsylvania, and to the presidency of the State Normal at Indiana, Pennsylvania, in 1889. In the mean­ time had been working for higher degrees and received his Ph.D. from ,vaynesburg College. In 1891 Governor Pattison of Pennsylvania appointed Dr. Snyder state superintendent of public instruction, which office, however, Dr. Snyder never filled, for the reason that a ruling of the state Supreme Court required that nine months should elapse before he could be legally installed, and before that time, came the invitation from Colorado to the presidency of the State Normal at Greeley, which invitation was promptly accepted. And so it was that in the summer of 1891, Dr. Snyder, with capable Mrs. Snyder, son Tyndal and daughter Laura, came to Greeley and took up whole-heartedly the work of developing the new college, which work he carried on with marked success until the summons came to another life. He died on November 11, 1915, having served twenty-four eventful, history-making years. Within those twenty-four years Dr. Snyder saw many of his cherished ideas worked out in practical methods. The school prospered under his hand, taking an honored place an1ong the educational institutions of the state. He had the rare gift of management without friction, possessing as he did a personality that endeared him to every student who came under the influ­ ence of the quiet, unobtrusive charm of his presence. Somehow he had a way of bringing out the best in his students; of giving them an unflagging enthusiasm in their work and an ambition to succeed. Every student of those years, now in the midst of life's activities, will corroberate this statement. Mrs. Snyder was no less popular in her sphere of action than her illustrious husband in his, and she relinquished not her place in the life of the College when her husband's passing away made the advent of another president necessary. She will long 191 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLOllADO

be remembered in Greeley. Professor Hays, vice-president was again called to the chair of president., which position he filled throughout the school year of 1915-16, until Dr. John Grant Crabbe of Richmond, Kentucky, who had been appointed to that office could assume its duties. It is recoraed that this im­ portant office was ably filled by Professor Hays during that year.

DR. JOHN GRANT CRABBE, 1916-1924. John Grant Crabbe was born in Mt. Sterling, Madison county, Ohio, November 19, 1865; received his early and high school education in the schools of that place; graduated from the Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware, Ohio, in 1889, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, three years later with that of Master of i\rts. In 1897 received the degree of Master of Pedagogy from the University at Athens, Ohio. In 1909 the Berea College of Kentucky granted the degree of Doctor of Arts, and in that same year the U Diversity of Miami added the degree of Doctor of Pedagogy. This was followed in 1911 by an added degree of ·Doc­ tor of law from the State University of Kentucky. ·•Dr. Crabbe's career as an instructor began back in the 1880's as teacher in the rural schools of Ohio, then passed on to head of the department of Greek and Latin in Ffint Normal School of Michigan. Next as superintendent of the city schools of Ashland, Kentucky, 1890. In 1907 he was elected state super­ intendent of public instruction for Kentucky. In 1910 resigned that office to accept that of president of the Eastern Kentucky State Normal School at Richmond, Kentucky, which position he filled until called to the presidency of Colorado's State Normal -which by this time had become the State Teachers' College- August 31, 1916. · The College prospered under Dr.. Cr_abbe's administration . .Among the new ideas developed into functioning actualities was the Faculty Council, a group selected from the student body to act in an advisory way with tjie president, giving students an im­ portant part in the governmental affairs of the College. This innovation became popular, soon growing into a definite feature 192 BIRTH OF THE STATE NORMAL SCHOOL of school government. New standards for the curriculum were established, satisfactory to both faculty and students. Home Coming Day, by which the alumni of all past years were to re­ turn to the scene of their own student days to greet each other and the classes then passing through, was initiated. The summer school that had gained such firm foothold during Dr. Snyder's reign was further developed by being lengthened into ten weeks, then into twelve and made equivalent to a regular quarter.

DR. GEORGE WILLARD FRASIER 1924-1937 AND ON Toward the end of 1923 Dr. Crabbe's health began to fail and there were times when he was unable to· attend to the du­ ties of his office. Fortunately, however, a young man had come to the college in the beginning of that year, in January, 1923, as dean of the graduate school and head of the department of education. Upon this able young man, as health failed, Dr. Crabbe came to lean more and more for support, and when he was no longer able to perform the duties of his position, even with this invaluable assistance, the young man was asked by the trustees to take charge as vice president. This he did. On January 30, 1924, Dr. Crabbe passed away, having finished seven years of splendid service and passing this far into the eighth. Then, on April 10, 1924, the young man who had been the able assistant to Dr. Crabbe, was formally made president. This young man was Dr. George Willard Frasier, the pop­ ular President who has now rounded out fourteen years of service, making the College of his adoption a veritable power in the land. It may have been only incidental, or may have had a deep­ er significance, that the same year that saw the birth of the College saw also the birth of this renowned President. Both came into the world in 1890, and twenty-four years later Fate brought them together as a link-might it not be-in the chain of destiny. 193 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

In 1924 he was preeminently the man of the hour. He came to the College at a point in its development when just such qualities as he possessed were the qualities needed; and through all its later development those qualities have been needed. He is tactful, diplomatic, keen-witted, far-sighted, genial and gen­ erous. He sees beneath the surface of thin~ and the working out of conditions brings no surprises. His management of the College calls not for subserviency but cooperation on the part of both faculty and students. George Willard Frasier was born in Marlette, Michigan, 1890. Graduated with A. B. degree from the State Normal School at Ypsilanti, Michigan, 1916; received his Master's degree from Leland Stanford Junior University in 1918 and his Doctor's degree from Teachers' College, Columb!a University, and for eighteen months just prior to his coming to Greeley was director of the department of classifications and statistics in the public schools of Denver. The inauguration of Dr. Frasier took place on Home Com­ ing Day, November 21, 1924, Lieutenant Governor Robert F. Rockwell_ presiding. The address of the day was given by Dr. Charles McKenney, President of the State Normal School of Michigan from which institution Dr. Frasier had received his A. B. degree. The keys of the College were presented by Dr. Harry V. Kepner, president of the board of trustees and prin­ cipal of West Denver High School. The address of the faculty was given by Dean E. A. Cross, pledging co-operation and sup­ port of the faculty to the new president: then followed the ad­ dress of the new president, which was not only timely, but in the light of later events, prophetic. He advocated: Revision of the curriculum; the forming of a ground work in the Freshman yea~. for professional teaching; the lengthen­ ing of the time of training; expert management of the teaching program; permanent tenure of position of faculty members; student self-government; College to subordinate all other ac­ tivities to that of teacher training; dropping from student rolls all those found unfit for the profession of teaching; the placing 194 BIRTH OF THE S'l'A'l'E NORMAL SCHOOL of graduates wherever possible; through extension work to as­ sist teachers already teaching, and. the maintaining of summer schools for advanced and specialized courses. Within the four­ teen years of Dr. Frasier's administration he has seen 100 per­ cent of his plans brought into successful operation. A top rec­ ord for any President.

BRIEFLY FINANCIAL A complete statement of the financial support given the College by the state legislature is not necessary here since "Forty Years of Teachers' College" has given it fully up to the date of that book, and other financial records available at both College and State House bring it up to the present date, 1938; but it would be unfair to leave the story as given ·in this History without the following general statement: True, Greeley and Weld county did take upon themselves the initial expense of founding the College, but the state has since .redeemed its first promise and, as the years have gone on, has added many generous appropriations, including those for the new construction now under way, running; in totality, well into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. In 191 7 the system of school support· by the state was changed. Instead of special appropriations for each institu­ tion year by year a levy of 3110 mill was made. The proportion coming to the College by this means runs to about 75,000 per year.

BUILDINGS, AND TIME OF ERECTION Administration, known as Cranford Hall, built as East Wing, 1890. Central section, 1892. West Wing, 1903. Conser­ vatory of Music, 1904. Library, 1907. Simon Gugenheim Build­ ing, 1912. Laboratory school, named Kepner Hall; central section, 1910; Students' Club House, 1'915; Home Economics, named Crabbe Hall, 1915; Model Cottage, 1915; Decker Hall, Gordon Hall, Belford Hall, 1921. Gunter Hall of Health, 1926. President's Residence, 1928. Faculty Club, 1930. Men's Resi- 195 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

dence Halls, named Hays and Hadden Halls, 1931. Heating plant, 1932. Three residence Halls for women, named Snyder, Sabin and Tobey-Kendel Halls, 1936. For Margaret Snyder, wife of President Snyder, Florence Sabin, famous in the medical world, and Frances Tobey and Elizabeth Kendel, both long mem­ bers of the faculty. Present construction includes three buildings: a further extension of the Library Building; a Science Build~ng and an Auditorium with arrangements for a Music Division. This has been provided for by a ten year building levy made by the last legislature, which is expected to yield about a million dollars within the ten year limit. In addition to the new building al­ ready under construction the college is making plans for en­ larging the Student Union Building, adding a third unit to the Faculty group of buildings, and erecting two new Boys' Dorm­ itories with separate dining halls.

THE FACULTY Starting with four instructors in 1890 the faculty has grown to• ninety-eight in 1938. The entire staff is worthy of mention, many of its members being ou~standing educators in their own particular lines; those who have heard Dr. Armentrout, Vice President, and others in book reviews at the Little Theater will regret with this writer that the entire list cannot here be given. Book reviews, a special feature of the summer term, are not confined to the student body but are open to the public. The hour is 4 P. M. Not only faculty members but reviewers and lecturers of national note occupy the hour.

A TECHNICAL SCHOOL The College of Education is as much a technical school as is the School of Mines, the Academy of Music, the Medical College or ~any other institution giving training in special lines, the training of teachers in the art of teaching being its special­ ization. On the theory that the scope of teaching should be as wide as the world a great diversity of subjects, ranging all the 196 BIRTH OF THE STATE NORMAL SCHOOL way from first requirements to the finished Ph. D. are taught. On the Forty-eighth Annual Commencement held on the College campus June 10, 1938, a class consisting of students completing courses at the end of the summer term of 193 7, the Fall, Winter and Spring Quarters of 1938-a year's full course-­ received Degrees as follows: First, the Honorary Degree of Master of Laws was con­ ferrer upon the Commencement speaker, Oscar Littleton Chap­ man, LLB. Westminister Law School. Then the Doctor of Phil­ osophy Degree upon Jesse Hennan Craft, Columbia University, and Andrew Fletcher Ogle, Indiana University. Master of Arts, class of 173. Bachelor of Arts, Division of Arts, 18. Division of Education, 146. Division of Health and Physical Education, 9. Division of Literature and Language, 2 5. Division of Music, 2 7. Division of the Sciences, 33. Division of Social Studies, 68. Life and Limited Three Year Certificates, 38. And Rural, Two Year Certfficates, 78. Total, full year, all Divisions, including Honor­ ary Master of Laws and Doctor of Philosophy, 618.

THE CROWNING COMING EVENT The Great Event that will enlist the best planning ability of the College management and the happiest anticipations of all living students since 1890 will be the GOLDEN ANNIVER­ SARY JUBILEE in l940. A committee has already been ap­ pointed consisting of: Ralph Jenkins, Faye Read, Karl Adams~ Emma Lou Anderson, Dr. E. A. Cross, George Irvin, Mrs. E. B. Knowles, Charles Clark, Dr. Harry V. Kepner and Clay Apple, with Dr. G. W. Fraiser, President, as chairman. With such a committee a celebration worthy a fiftieth anniversary may confidently be expected.

197 CHAPTER XIV THE MEEKER MEMORIAL MUSEUM. ITS ORIGIN, ITS SPONSORS, AND ITS USEFUL MISSION IN THE PRESERVATION OF EARLY WELD HISTORY. As the century that had witnessed the founding of Union Colony and the tragic death of its founder drew to a close, cit­ izens of Greeley felt that a memorial to Nathan Meeker should find expression in some enduring manner. Early in the new cen­ tury this thought took form when a group of women came to­ gether at the home of Mrs. A. W. Jones, May 8, 1900, and when, out of that meeting grew an organization that incorporated un­ der the name of The Meeker Memorial Library Association. The incorporators were: Susan G. Adams, Emily H. Jones, Alice M. Johnson, Elizabeth Haynes, Josephine A. Cheeseman, Eliza­ beth Clark and Sarah Carr Hogarty It was decided that the Memorial should take the form of a library and to this end the co-operation of all Women's Clubs was invited. The response was gratifying. The W. T. K. club !tarted the fund with $50 and set aside $25 more to be used in furnishings. Rummage sales, fairs, teas and socials and even a minstrel show contributed and the fund grew rapidly. However, it so happened that during this time J. Max Clark had also been both active and successful in raising a fund for a public library, $2 2,000 being in sight for the project. It did not take long for the two promotors to see that their interests could easily merge, nor long to reach an understanding whereby the Association was to furnish a room in the new library building according to its own ideas. This was done, but after a time the thought of the Associa­ tion began to grow away from the library idea and toward the wider idea of a Museum. There were so many pioneer relics that ought to be preserved and space in the new library building could not possibly house them. Besides, tliere was the original Meeker home from which the Meeker family had gone, never to return; should such a landmark be left to f ~II into decay, or pass into the hands of unsympathetic strangers? 198 THE MEEKER MUSEUM

The thought persisted and gained force and ended in the purchase of the Meeker property by the city of Greeley and the Association together, the city to hold title and the Association, for its. $1,000 contribution to have the use of the building for the housing of its rapidly increasing stock of pioneer relics. And thus the Museum emerged. But by the time all this was accomplished the new century was in its 29th year. Fifty-nine years had passed since the founding of the colony and fifty since the tragic end of its founder. On October 1, 1929 the Meeker Memorial Museum was opened with impressive ceremonies. Professor A. B. Copeland, an educator in this community since 1882, was installed as cura­ tor, which position, with the aid of Mrs. Copeland, he held until his death, March 16, 1936. He was succeeded by George Hodg­ son who, with Mrs. Hodgson took control ab.out four months later. Miss Cornelia Hanna is President of the Association. **** WHAT IS TO BE SEEN IN THE MUSEUM. More than two hundred years of change and development may be traced through the historical articles to be found in the Museum. The oldest article is a clock made in the year 1700. It surely is unlike anything ever seen by any one now living. It can lay claim to real magnificence being built of ebony inlaid with gold and with ornaments of bronze. But the feature that sets it apart from all clocks known to living man is the dial and its mechanism. This lies flat on the top of the clock, and is about the size of a large silver watch. There is but one hand; it is stationary, the dial moving under it to indicate the hour. This wonderful and valuable article came to the Museum through the will of the late W. A. Insinger. The next oldest article is also a clock; but it is compara­ tively modern, being, perhaps, not more than a hundred and twenty-five years old. And next to this in point of age is a melo­ deon, a musical instrument with an interesting history. Next an old \Vheeler & Wilson sewing machine, a very popular household 199 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

help in the middle of the Nineteenth century. But back of that should be placed the spinning wheel and reel, and the scythe and cradle for cutting grain. Dating anywhere along in the century and back of it is a collection of Confederate and U. S. coins and· paper money, including the "shinplaster" that did service as fractional currency when gold and silver hid them.selves away during the Civil War. A collection of guns of the type used by Civil War soldiers and early settlers bedeck one section of the wall, and beside them three swords, one belonging to Marshall Cook, another to a soldier and the other taken from a dead In­ dian. Also a strong chain called a wild horse clog and hobble, used in the taming of wild horses. Of the more domestic and personal articles may be men­ tioned the side saddle used by the Meeker sisters for horseback riding; the churn for making the family butter; the blue dish­ es for the table; the desk said to have been used by Nathan Meeker; the blanket suit made by Josephine while in captivity, under the direction of the Indian women; some exquisite pieces of fancy work done by Rozene; and the small, square trunk be­ longing' to Ralph. After the death of Rozene, the last of the family to go, the greater part of her collection of antique and near antique furniture was transferred to the Museum. Among these is a sideboard probably dating back to the Seventeenth cen­ tury; and an eight foot mirror of a much more recent date. There are many portraits of early colonists, and other framed pictures. Outside on the porch that shades the western and southern exposures of the building may be seen: two ox-yokes worn on the bowed necks of oxen that brought the wagon trains of the earliest settlers to Greeley; the ox-drawn plow that turned the first furrow on the colony grounds; it was the property of James Orr, a first colonist; a velocipede, the ancestor of the modern bicycle but wholly different, having one very large and one very small wheel with. a seat at least six feet from the ground. And a section of log from the first court house and Post Office of Weld County. These are but a few of the many interesting things to be seen at the Museum. 200 THE MEEKER MUSEUM

Mrs. Maude Meeker Gilliland, a niece of Nathan Meeker~ has frequently made contributions and has stated her intention of leaving her entire collection of rare historical relics to the Museum; she has gathered them over a period of years and will keep them in her own home while she lives. Others who have valuable historical articles have inade like statements, so it is safe to predict that in the coming years the present building will not be large enough to shelter the treasures of the past. The Museum with its grounds occupies the quarter block on Ninth avenue running from Fourteenth street on the south toward Thirteenth street on the north. It is open to the public every day from 2 to 5 P. M., with either Mr. or Mrs. Hodgson, or both in attendance. Classes from the schools are frequent visitors; and all visitors are welcome.

201 CHAPTER XV GRAND LAKE-BIG THOMPSON WATER DIVERSION PROJECT, ONE OF THE BIG DEVELOPMENTS OF THE WEST, NOW A CERTAINTY.

On June 28, 1938, the people of Northeastern Colorado, at a special election called for that purpose, registered a vote of mere than 18 to 1 in favor of the Grand Lake-Big Thompson Water Diversion Project, which act was the last step in the long series of steps, legal and legislative, necessary to securing for this section of the state an adequate and unfailing supply of water for irrigation. As this History goes to press the Project has advanced to the stage of final surveys and the awarding of contracts for the various features of the enterprise. It is not expected that so gigantic a system can be complet­ ed and put into operation in much less than five years time; yet it holds a sure hope for the future that must put heart into dis­ couraged farmers and shorten the time of waiting. No more will parching fields and withering crops fill farmers with dis­ may,_ jor they will know that already the days of drouth are numbered; that only a while longer mus~ they hold on while the work goes forward that is to bring abundant water for ·an needs. INCEPTION AND EVOLUTION OF THE BIG IDEA The thought culminating in this great project is not of re­ cent date. More than sixty years ago, indeed near to seventy~ it germinated in the minds of the settlers of this region. Back in the 1870s, or possibly earlier, when the second settlers coming in found the first settlers already in possession of the rich bot­ tom lands and themselves obliged to locate on the higher benches, the question of water for irrigation became an all important one; and, stretching over the years since that time, no more vital nor baffling problem has ever confronted the people of W el8 and other northeastern counties. It was not only the second settlers, but the first also, that faced the problem; the first held no monoply of the streams 202 GRAND LAKE-BIG THOMPSON WATER DIVERSION PROJECT a od could not, even had they wished, prevent second comers from tapping the streams. As time went on all saw the streams losing volume with no other source of supply in sight; and the problem grew in importance and perplexity as year by year the volume steadily decreased. In the year 1881 E. S. Nettleton, Colorado's first state engineer, expressed the conviction that sooner or later water would have to be brought through the Rocky Mountains from the western slope to the eastern. This may or may not have been the origin of the thought, but it surely was the first official ex­ pression of it and many minds were ready for its reception. With­ in the years immediately following many other engineers and sur­ veyors explored the region in search of a practical plan for the accomplishment of that end. Through the 1880s and '90s ex­ plorations went forward and the turn of the century found ex­ plorers recording results and convictions. In 1903 Andrew McMillan, George Hodgson, John Zylor, a Mr. Coburn and two miners whose names are not now avail­ able surveyed a track for a tunnel to start from a point in Township No. 2, Range 74 west, pass through Mt. Audubon a distance of four miles and strike the South Fork of the St. Vrain in Boulder county. These surveyors, as others, bore their Gwn expense, but felt repaid because their experiments ended in the firm conviction that a plan was feasible. And time has verified their conviction. In 1904-5 the National Reclamation Bureau took a hand, their experiments evolving a plan to divert the waters of the North Fork of the Colorado River into Grand Lake, thence into a reservoir and from that through a twelve mile tunnel into the Big Thompson or the St. Vrain. In 1905-6 a survey was made by students in the engineer­ ing department of the Agricultural College outlining a tunnel plan from Grand Lake to Moraine Park. And as experimental surveys went on it became more and more a settled conviction in the minds of surveyors that a diversion plan could be worked out; and then, in 1915, the first essential legal step was taken making it a possibility. 203 A HISTORY OP WELD COUNTY, COLORAOO

This was when the Act ceding Estes Park to the govern­ ment for a National Park was before congress, and when a brilliant young lawyer of Weld county, Delph Carpenter, ap­ peared before that body and urged as a part of that Act a pro­ vision for a Right of Way for a bore or other means by which at some future time water might be brought through the moun­ tains beneath the surface from the western slope to the eastern. No definite time nor plan was stated; it was only that this young lawyer, in harmony with the surveyors and engineers, saw the vision, and knew that a legal step must open the way. The depth of the debt of gratitude Northeastern Colorado owes to Delph Carpenter can only be measured as the future years demonstrate the wisdom and foresight of his timely act, without which the great thing consumated in 1938 would not have been possible. WHY IT WAITE'D SO LONG Notwithstanding all the demonstrated needs and feasi­ bility of bringing the waters of the western slope to the arid acres of the eastern, yet it was as though that development awaited other seemingly unrelated developments to open the way f 6t' .a practical working out of a definite project. Between 1915 and the decade of the 1930s this apparently unrelated con­ dition took shape, emerging in the early years of that decade as a connecting link. By 1933 the natural development of the economic system had resulted in an army of the unemployed, in numbers run­ ning into the millions. The development of machinery and other causes had brought this about and unemployment had become a National problem; relief measures had come into being but they were not enough; besides, were conducive to the growth of an un-American principle; American workers wanted work, not charity, and work with pay should be found. And here the National Administration stepped in, asking the American peo­ ple to suggest projects that would at once preserve the self-

the condition that had already developed in Northern Colorado: the need for water that was available but could not be had be­ cause of the tremendous cost in labor· and money; the thing that was too big for any private enterprise, or, even for the combined co-operative effort of all the pfe!ple of Northeastern Colorado with the limited resources at their command; the thing that had to wait for something bigger. And now comes the Government; great Uncle Sam himself, with pockets bulging, and asks for projects to employ the unemployed. Weld county was one of the first to get its breath and step forward with a project; it was the long cherished dream of a trans-mountain water supply. On a day in the early summer of 1933 the county com­ missioners received a letter from Governer Edwin C. Johnson asking for practical suggestions that could be used by the gov­ ernment for the employment of labor and the benefit of the country. The board at that time consisted of William A. Carlson, chairman, James S. Ogilvie and S. K. Clark. Deeply they pon­ dered the problem and then into the mind of the chairman came the thought of Grand Lake. At once he sought the county sur­ veyor, breaking into his office unceremoniously with the words: "Lew, what do you know about Grand Lake?" and "Lew", who had already done a great deal of exploratory surveying as well as thinking, promptly replied: "I think I know a lot about it." Then, bringing forth a wealth of maps that had been evolv­ ing through the years, he showed elevations, distances and esti­ mates and assured his visitor it could be done, but added mourn­ fully, "it would cost a mint of money." Then both stopped, stared at each other and tried to re-adjust their thoughts to the new condition of a "mint of money" waiting to be spent. Yes, there was "something new under the sun." The next step was to consult with the Chamber of Com­ merce. Its president, Charles Hansen, of the Greeley Tribune~ entered enthusiastically into the project, called a meeting of the executive committee and set the machinery in motion that after five years culminated in the record breaking vote that made the Grand Lake Water Diversion Project a reality. Through five 205 A IDSTORY OF WELD COUNTY, .COLORADO

years of able and unremitting effort, through threatening fail­ ure or promising success his interest never wavered nor did his vigilance relax. And now when success has led on to the next step, his associates have made him President of the Northern Colo­ rado Water Conservancy District. A fitting tribute to his abil­ ity and faithfulness. At that first meeting of the executive committee and the county commissioners, the first matter to be considered was fi­ nancing the initial steps before the Bureau of Reclamation should be called in. Pledges were made by the two bodies. The minutes of the commissioners' meeting of September 11, 1933, record the appropriation of $2,000. The Chamber of Commerce appro­ priated between $700 and $800 and added to that sum as time went on. The Larimer county commissioners appropriated $700, and now they were ready for the next step. Here the Reclamation Bureau was invited in and from this point forward the story will unfold through the pen of Ralph E. Johnston, of the Greeley Tribune Staff.

THE HISTORIC STEPS AS THEY WERE TAKEN Weld and Larimer counties agreed to pay the expense of a preliminary project survey to be made by L. L. Stimson of Greeley, engineer. In December, 1933, R. J. Tipton, engineer in charge of such investigations, issued a report unreservedly recommending the plan. The next step was the formation of the Northern Colorado Waters Users Association, a mutual non-profit corporation form­ ed to promote interest in the project, accumulate data regard­ ing the necessity for its construction and in general do every­ thing possible to assure completion of the project. The Association was incorporated June 25, 1935, and Charles Hansen, Publisher of The Greeley Daily Tribune, was elected President. Moses E. Smith of Ault was named Vice­ President and Fred Norcross of Greeley was named Secretary- e Treasurer. Directors were named from six of the seven counties that stood to benefit by the diversion project. 206 GRAND LAKE-BIG THOMPSON WATER DIVERSION PROJECT

The Directors were: Weld County, Charles Hansen, Moses E. Smith and William A. Carlson; Larimer County, Dr. Charles A. Lory, President of the Colorado State College of Agriculture, Burgis G. Coy and R. C. Benson; Boulder County, W. E. Let­ ford and T. M. Callahan; Morgan County, J. M. Dille; Logan County, Robert J. Wright; Sedgwick County, Charles M. Rolf­ son. Because only about twenty-two square miles of land in Washington County was affected, its representation was com­ bined with that of Morgan County. Association ·offices were established in Greeley with J. M. Dille of Fort Morgan as resi­ dent manager. The Association went to work. Meetings were held through­ out the District. Ditch companies, civic and community organ­ izations, business firms, county and city governments, railways, Chambers of Commerce and the Sugar Company contributed funds to support the Association's work. Eventually a plan was worked out by which the project could be built by the United States Bureau of Reclamation, an agency of the Department of the Interior that has constructed major irrigation and reclamation projects including Boulder Dam. With a Federal appropriation of $150,000 to finance the work, a survey of the project was made by the Bureau of Recla­ mation, including detailed engineering studies and cost estimates. The report, made February 3, 193 7, by Porter J. Preston, Senior Engineer of the Reclamation Bureau, Denver, was highly favor­ able. Estimated cost of the irrigation features of the project was set at $24,800,000. The report also considered possible future hydro-electric plant developments to cost $l9,000,000. The Bureau of Reclamation report stated, in brief, that there was 615,000 acres of irrigated land in Northern and North­ eastern Colorado, much of which had inadequate water; that there were no economically useable new supplies on the Eastern Slope and that there was 310,000 acre-feet of water that could be diverted annually from the Western Slope, the diversion of which would not encroach upon present or future irrigation needs of the western side of the Divide. 207 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

The Bureau estimated cost of construction at $2.00 per acre-foot per year, over a repayment period of forty years and that increased crop production would enable Eastern Slope users to pay for the project out of income created by it. The report also outlined the possibilities for power production in six suggest­ ed power plants, using the water as it courses down the eastern face of the range in the Big Thompson river. The principal engineering features of the project are:

-ON COLORADO R.lvER- 1. Storage reservoirs (Green Mountain Reservoir) on Blue river sixteen miles southeast of Kremmling, to replace water di­ verted to Eastern Slope. 2. A hydro-electric plant at the Green Mountain dam. 3. The Granby storage reservoir located on the Coloado river six miles northeast of Granby. This reservoir will collect the flow of the Colorado river at this point as well as the flow of some smaller streams. 4. Shadow Mountain Lake, created by a dam three miles south of the village of Grand Lake. Level of Shadow Mountain Lake .'Yill be the same as Grand Lake with which it is connected. 5. ,Electrically driven pumping plant on shore of Granby reservoir to lift water into canal feeding Shadow Mountain Lake and Grand Lake. The canal is four and one-half miles long. 6. Outlet canal from east end of Grand Lake to west portal of tunnel. 7. A transmountain diversion tunnel under the Continental Divide 13.1 miles long, extending from Grand Lake to a point in· \Vind River about five miles southwest of Estes Park village.

-ON EASTERN SLOPE- S. A conduit 5.3 miles long from east outlet of tunnel to power plant on Big Thompson river just below Estes Park. 9. Waste rock from tunnel to be terraced and landscaped to conform wit4, natural surroundings. 10. Power Plant No. 1 on Big Thompson river just below Estes Park to utilize diverted Western Slope water. 208 GRAND LAKE-BIG THOMPSON WATER DIVERSION PROJECT

1. Four additional power plants down the Big Thompson canon to utilize fall of water as it is diverted. 12. Three storage reservoirs, with intake and outlet canals, along the foothills. Reservoirs known as Carter Lake Reservoir, eight miles northwest of Berth9ud; the Horsetooth Reservoir, five miles west of Fort Collins and the Arkins Reservoir, near the mouth of the Buckhorn Creek. 13. A canal from the Horsetooth reservoir to the Cache La Poudre river and extending north to a pumping plant which lifts water high enough to serve the North Poudre Canal. 14. Electric transmission lines to connect the Valmont steam plant of Public Service Company of Colorado with all the hydro-electric plants suggested, with the tunnel portals, the Gran­ by pumping plant and the North Poudre pumping plant. In the spring of 193 7, the Colorado Legislature through the efforts of 1\1:oses E. Smith passed unanimously a law providing for the setting up of water conservancy districts. The law pro­ vided that the Board of, Directors should have the power to levy and collect taxes on all property in such districts when es­ tablished, provided the levy did not exceed one-half mill until water is delivered, and not to exceed one mill after water is de­ livered, except that an additional one-half mill levy may be made to pay deficiencies in income if needed. The Board also was given power to levy and collect assessments for water sold, such payments to be collected through regular tax channels. Under the general terms of this law, the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District was set up to finance repayment of the costs of the irrigation features of the Colorado-Big Thomp­ son Project. Of this total, three-fourths to be raised through sale of water at $1.50 an acre-foot per year while the rem-ainder would be raised through general district tax levy. This schedule of payment is for forty years, the period during which the Dis­ trict's share of the cost of the project is to be repaid. After the law had been passed providing for the formation of water conservancy districts, the Northern Colorado Water Users Association in Greeley began a campaign to obtain signa­ tures to petitions asking the Weld County District Court to es- 209 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

tablish the District. The petitions were presented to District Judge Claude C. Coffin in Weld County District Court Septem­ ber 20, 1937. The District as originally outlined in the petitions contained 2,315 square miles or 1,481:000 acres in Boulder, Larimer, Weld Morgan, Washington, Logan and Sedgwick Counties. The Dis­ trict included irrigated lands and improvements on irrigated lands valued at $37,129,665. On September 28, 1937, Judge C. C. Coffin announced the membership of the first Board of Directors of the Water Con­ servancy District. Six were appointed to serve for terms of two years and five for terms of one year. The appointments were: ·Boulder County: W. E. Letford (2 years) and Ray Lanyon ( 1 year). Larimer County: Robert C. Benson (2 years), Ralph W. McMurry (1 year) and Ed. F. Munroe (1 year). Weld County: Chas. Hansen (2 years), Moses E. Smith ( 1 year) and William A. Carlson ( 2 years). Morgan and Washington Counties: John M. Dille ( 2 years). Logan County: Robert J. Wright (1 year). S(t(igwick County: Charles M. Rolfson ( 2 years). The Board of Directors met in Greeley the next day, Sep­ tember 29, and elected Chas. Hansen of Greeley Chairman of the Board and President of the Northern Colorado Water Con­ servancy District. John M. Dille of Fort Morgan was elected Secretary-Manager of the District. The Board, at its organization meeting, voted a tax levy of tqree-tenths of one mill upon all property, both real and personal, in the District. This tax was for the year 193 7 and was payable in 1938 through regular tax channels~ the tax being collected in each county by the County Treasurer. The levy, equivalent to thirty cents on each $1,000 of tax valuation, was estimated to raise $42,000 on the $140,000,000 of tax valuation in the District. The first session of the seventy-fifth Congress passed an amendment to the Interior Department's appropriation bill mak­ ing an initial appropriation of $900,0Q0 for construction of the 210 GRA~D LAKE-BIG THOMPSON WATER DIVERSION PROJECT

Colorado-Big Thompson Project as a U. S. Bureau of Reclama­ tion project. Colorado's Congressional delegation, led by Senator Alva B. Adams and Congressman Fred Cummings, stood shoulder to shoulder in waging the successful fight to obtain final passage of the appropriation. . The original plan was for the people of Northern and North­ eastern Colorado within the area to be benefited to pay for the Irrigation features of the project while the Federal Government, through the Reclamation Bureau, would pay for power features. Early in May, 1938, a conference between representatives of the Conservancy District and the U. S. Bureau of Reclama­ tion officials in Washington resulted in a change being made in the set-up for financing the project. The original plan for the District to repay the costs of the irrigation features of the project, called for a capital commitment on the part of the District amounting to $25,000,000 The con­ ference in May resulted in a fifty-fifty division of the costs of the $44,000,000 project between the Bureau of Reclamation and the Conservancy District The new plan, there£ ore,. reduced by $3,000,000 the initial capital commitment on the part of the taxpayers of th~ Conservancy District. Should total costs of the project exceed estimates, the Dis­ trict would be committed to pay only half of the excess. Con-. sidering the $3,000,000 reduction in the District's share that has been made, the project would have to cost $6,000,000 more than estimates to make the District's share as large as it would have been under the former set-up. The top limit of the cost to the district, has been set at $25,000,000. The new plan provides that the District pay half of the maintenance and operating costs of the irrigation features of the project and those features which are joint power and irrigation units. But because of the reduction in the District's share to

$2 2 ,0001000, this fifty per cent. of the operating and mainten­ ance costs will not increase the charge that is made for water which will be $1.50 per acre-foot per year plus one mill tax on all property in the District until the District's share of the cost is paid. which shall be within forty years, without interest. After 211 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

the repayment of $22,000,000 is made, only half of the operating and maintenance cost will remain to be paid by the District. By May, 1938, the sum of $2,150,000 was appropriated for the project. This included the initial appropriation of $900,000 and an appropriation passed by Congress and signed by Presi­ dent Roosevelt setting aside $1,250,000 more for construction. In May, engineers of the Reclamation Bureau obtained permis­ sion to expend $50,000 of this sum for preliminary engineering work and surveys, part of which was devoted to surveying courses for distribution canals. The Colorado State Supreme Court on Monday, May 2, 1938, by unanimous decision, upheld the constitutionality of the Conservancy District Act and the right of the District Directors to hold office and discharge their duties. This court test of the act had been provided for in the act itself. Directors of the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District met at the district offices in Greeley, Monday, May 23, and approved the terms of the contract as it had been negotiated in Washington and in Denver. Date for the election at which residents of the district who had paid taxes the year before, were to vote on the proposal whether -or not to accept the contract, was set for Tuesday, June 28, 1938. By this time officers of the conservancy district reported that more than 200,000 acre-feet of the 310,000 acre-feet to be diverted had been sold. Hundreds of people have given unstintingly of their time and energy in overcoming what at times appeared to be insur­ mountable obstacles in the pa.th of making this dream come true -the dream of more water to be turned into the rivers of the Eastern Slope to bring added prosperity to the fertile empire that stretches eastward from the foothills of the Rockies in Northern and Northeastern Colorado. RALPH JOHNSTON.

Ct AN HONOR ROLL-NOT COMPLETE. In addition to the men mentioned in the above story who 212 GRAND LAKE-BIG THOMPSON WATER DIVERSION PROJECT gave of their time and ability to the launching of the Grand Lake enterprise there were many others whose names are not avail­ able to this History; it is therefore hoped that all ommissions may be charged to lack of infor1nation, not to intent. Of those known the following should have espe~ial mention for effective work done. Dr. Charles A. Lory was active from the very beginning. It was he who assisted Special Investigator Burlew who was sent to Colorado by Secretary Ickes of the Interior Department, to investigate all angles of the Project and report on its practical, engineering and legal aspects. It was he who first suggested a one mill levy and a reasonable charge for the use of water by which means the district's share in the enterprise might be fin­ anced, estimating that the mill levy would raise $150,000 and the charge for water $465,000 at the rate of $1.50 per acre of ground watered; and all these suggestions became a part of the definite plan worked out by Attorney Nixon and passed by the legislature. Porter J. Preston, himself a product of Northern Colorado. was made senior engineer of the Project by the Bureau of Rec­ lamation. He may not have been the traditional "barefoot boy with cheek o'tan" of song and story, but he certainly was typical of that character. He ,vas raised on a farm near Longmont and had every opportunity for bare feet and cheek o'tan in boyhood days that could have been the envy of the ultra fashionables of today. Through actual contact with farm!ng conditions he came to know the needs of farmers in Northern Colorado, and when the time came to use that knowledge in his capacity of engineer it was easy to design and work out the irrigation and electrical features that would meet those needs. The highest official of the state, Governor Ammons, has thro-wn his influence on the side of the enterprise and given val­ uable assistance. In \Vashington the Project has had the skillful management and constant support of Senators Johnson and Adams, Congress­ n1en Cummings, Lewis and Martin and, after adjustments of 213 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO interests between the eastern and western slopes, of Congressman Taylor also. The first preliminary report, prepared by R. J. Tipton, was published by Mr. C. Hinderlider, head of the engineering de­ partment in 1933. · Postmaster General Farley examined the Project in 193 7 and pronounced it worthy of approval.

A CURIOUS FACT ABOUT IRRIGATING WATER Thomas Nixon is authority for the statement that after ap­ plication to the land 80 per cent of all irrigating water for the North Platte basin returns to its starting place and again goes out to the land. To the average layman this process is not apparent, since, as it would seem, much of it would have to run up hill to get back to its source; but to the scientist there are no difficul­ ties; it does not have to run up hill; through a system of seepage water passes through different strata of earth and finds its way into veins that eventually lead back to original sources. It is upon this theory, which Mr. Nixon says passes to the status of proveri fact, that it is estimated the 310,000 acre feet of the Grandt Lake Project will return to the streams about 200,000 acre feet, thus raising the amount actually available to over 500,000 acre feet. The new storage plan _will enable farmers to make crop cal­ culations at least a year ahead; and, as a result of agricultural stability based on the certainty of the water supply other indus­ tries are expected to develop as time goes on. The assessed value of all property in the District at the present time is approximately $140,000,000, which valuation will undoubtedly rise steadily af­ ter the Project is in full operation. Dr. Lory predicts that cities the size of Greeley and Ft. Collins will reach a population status of 30,000 within a few years time.

214 Pioneer Stories The Cowboy . . . 1870 into 1880s Story of "Gene" Williams The Cowboy, that romantic creature of the West, is pass­ ing; has already passed from the scene of his early activities in Weld county, but before he gets entirely out of sight it may be well to get a snapshot of him in his real character without the glamour of romance or the erroneous Eastern impression of him as a Western "roughneck". Fortunately Greeley. has him in the flesh in the person of one of her most dignified and respected citize~s, Mr. Eugene Williams, who for years served the county as deputy marshal. Mr.. Williams has had the forethought to draw his own pen­ pictures, for which the boys of this and coming generations will rise up and· call him blessed. He has preserved the story of his Cowboy days in neatly typed script, written while all the in­ cidents were still fresh in his mind; though, for the matter of that, Mrs. Williams says that should· he live to the age of a hundred years that story will st!ll be as fresh as when the scenes were enacted, though he may forget much that happened last week. He may publish a book of his own some day, but pend­ ing that time here is enough of it to make all who read it want more. As it deals with the early life of Greeley's deputy mar­ shal perhaps he will not mind if this story speaks of him as "Gene"; Anyway, to tell the truth, that is what everybody calls him, even to this day.

THE YOUNGEST COWBOY. Between the years of 1860 and 1876 the stock business was practically the only one car.ried on along the South Platte River in Weld county. The latter part of ihat period and passing on into the 1880s saw its decline as a dominant industry, but in the earlier period it held full sway, and it was within that time that Gene became a cowboy. 215 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

In the spring of 1871 Gene's father and J. W. Macrum went into the business, locating about thirty miles east of Greeley and using "70" as the brand for their cattle. It was then that Mr. Williams put nine year old Gene on a pony and initiated him into the "romantic" life of the cowboy. For fifteen years Gene rode the range and in that time came to know that the life was not all romance and adventure, but that plus the dash and adventure of the cowboy's life, and the lure of the great outdoors there was also work, hard work, discomfort, some­ times danger and always responsibility. All the region that is now Weld county and beyond in all directions was open range in the 1860s. With the generally ac­ cepted belief that this country would never be fit for agricul­ ture the cattlemen had come in and taken possession. Each had from a few hundred to many thousand cattle feeding upon the prairies. Each ranger had his own headquarters known as the "home range", but the cattle mingled together on the common feeding ground, often wandering many miles away from the home range. And since all cattle looked more or less alike, it was necessary to have a system whereby each owner could iden­ tify b-, own. Branding was the system adopted. Each owner selected a figure or other character which he had cast in iron and registered with the proper authorities, and which served to protect his property rights as a copyright or patent does others. This iron was heated hot enough to burn the flesh and pressed against some selected spot on the body of the animal until it burned deep enough to prevent the hair from growing over the spot. Usually a brand lasted a lifetime, but sometimes not; so another mark was used that nothing could obliterate--the ear-mark. This was the cutting off or notching of an ear, the reg istration stating whether left or right, or how notched. ThP. brand adopted by Gene's father and his partner was the figure "70" on the left hip. So that each ranger might know how many cattle he owned it was necessary to make about three round-ups in a year, the main one being known as the "Spring round-up"; the next came later in the year and was for the calves while still young enough 216 PIONEER STORIES to be identified by the mothers, and another still later in the year for the singling out of beef cattle. There was a perfect system for the working out of the round-up, all owners co-operating together. At an appointed time each owner sent his outfit consisting of men, horses and supply wagons to a central meeting place. There were generally from fifteen to twenty wagons and from a hundred to a hundred and fifty men. Julesburg was the central meeting place. There a round-up boss was selected who gave each man his orders for the day, directing them all to ride in groups of three or four or more in all directions, spreading out fan shape to a radius of from five to fifteen miles. Keeping to the north side of the river all groups brought in all cattle found, the collected herd sometimes aggregating 10,000 or more; but to expedite the handling of the big herd they generally divided it into herds of about 2 ,000 each. Around each herd of cattle some of the cowboys on horse­ back circled constantly to hold them together, while others rode into the herd cutting out all bearing certain brands; these small­ er groups being held by still other cowboys circling around them. These smaller groups bearing a certain brand were called "cavvies". The reading of the brands was a branch of the business requiring the services of experts who were generally the older men of the outfit who had gained proficiency through much experience. The next move was to drive the "cavvies" to the general assembling place where all the young were branded. All animals old enough to have a brand yet showing none were called "Mav­ ericks", divided up among the rangers and branded accordingly. If night came on before the branding could be done the night was divided into watches of from two to four hours each and a sufficient number of cowboys left in charge. Usually the first guard stayed on until ten, then were relieved and went into camp for the night; the second guard was relieved at midnight and the third at two o'clock, the last staying out until early breakfast time when the daymen came on. 217 A msTOllY OF WELD COUNTY, COLOltADO

Camp was moved every day from ten to twelve miles up the river, each ranger's lot leaving the general herd when near­ est the home range. Finally after all branding and counting was done the cattle were released to wander back again to the hills and plains, and the cowboys went home to clean up and rest. Moving camp was sometimes an event of great hardship and discomfort. Often there would be many wagons, hundreds of horses and men and thousands of cattle moving through clouds of dust so thick that it was with much aifficulty that either men or animals could breathe. Sometimes a team hauling a mess wagon and crazed with thirst would get a scent of water at a distance, break all bounds and run at top speed, strewing over the prairie rolls of bedding, pots and pans and whatever of provisions could be jarred loose, in utter disregard of the des­ perate tugging at the lines of a mere man on the driver's seat of the wagon. -Of ten the wagon would be overturned and it was a lucky driver who was thrown so clear of the wreckage that he could see the maddened animals and the upturned wagon disappearing in the dense cloud of dust that swallowed them up. When .t:Jtis happened other mess wagons still right side up would divide the "grub" with the unfortunates whose provisions lay scattered over the prairie. · Even at the best there was nothing of the glamour of song or story in the moving of a large herd of cattle along a trail. In spite of the best efforts of the best skilled cowboys they would string out, the stronger far in the lead leaving the cows and young calves back in the "drag end" and moving slowly. Unless there were riders enough to keep within a few hundred feet of each other the cattle would scatter which made more wheeling and fast riding necessary and raised still greater clouds oi dust which, when alkili, as it generally was, filled eyes, nos­ trils and mouths, inflaming and blinding th~ eyes of both men and animals and creating a thirst that was indescribable; and when the herd was moving toward water and the wind veered around so as to bring the odor to them the cowboys had just as "·ell ride to safety and watch the stampede go by. After 218 PIONEER STORIES that they could follow the herd to the watering place where other troubles were sure to await them. There the advance guards of other herds bad also gathered and the work of separation was all to de over again. Gene remembers well one incident connected with a big herd movement that may sound funny to others now, since to the peculiar nature of the man-animal there is nothing so hu­ morous as injury or suffering, but to Gene at· the time it lacked all the essential elements of mirth or humor. He was riding near the lead and as the herd was moving on quietly he dropped back to speak to the boy behind him, when the leader of the herd, with characteristic perversity, took that moment to stray from the narrow path seeking refreshments. Gene had to ride fast and hard to get the leader and his followers back onto the trail, and when making a sudden dash his horse plunged into an unseen hole in the ground and pitched Gene over his head into the very middle of a rich, ripe cactus bed. Gene thinks he must have rolled over several times, for he is sure there was not a spot the size of a pinhead on his whole anatomy without its cactus needle. The other boys picked until they got him into condi­ tion to ride back to camp; but it was more than a week before he could again take the saddle or eat his meals in the ordinary posture.

THE COWBOY'S BEDROOM AND DINING ROOM In the earliest days both bedroom and dining room had for their ceiling the blue dome of heaven; but later tlie big cattle­ men provided each cowboy with a dog tent for a bedroom, and still later larger tents that would slielter a dozen or more to­ gether. The dining room got under shelter in a big way long before the bedroom did. The boys could sleep under snow, Gene declares, without discomfort if only they had a ~arm and sheltered place to eat their meals. The first round-up coming so early in the spring snow storms were not infrequent and the boys were of ten snowed under in their beds, but b.reakf ast was served in a warm and sheltered dining room. There was always 219 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

a cook who served the meals, but every boy bad to make his own bed; and this is how he did it: First he spread on the ground a heavy canvas something like a tarpaulin, so treated as to resist moisture and more than twice the size of the beds; on this he spread his blankets and pillow then pulled up the canvas and tucked it securely under both sides of the bed. He retired by creeping in from the head of the bed and, in stormy weather, usually pulling the canvas up over his head; and Gene says that through rain or snow his slumbers were peaceful and undisturbed. But he tells of a time when one of the boys was lost on a stormy night. All others reported at breakfast, but none had seen the missing boy. A heavy snow had fallen during the night but there were no tracks to show that he had left camp, nor any traces of a struggle with any kind of a night prowler. But the snow could have covered up all traces of a struggle, or tracks to show whither he had been carried. A posse was hur­ riedly organized and was just on the point of starting in search of the . mysteriously missing boy when a mound of snow near the camp began to move and as the astonished posse stopped to wat\:h, it broke apart and through the opening came a head and with it a voice making a surprised but quite obvious ob­ servation about the weather. Gene says the exact words must be used else the point is lost. The cowboy said-"Oh, . hell; it's been snowin' ." S01\1E BRIGHT SPOTS · But there were bright spots also in the cowboy's life. Let Gene tell this one in his own words: "The last four years I spent in the saddle I was one of three sent down to follow the round-up on the Arkansas River. Bob Kendal, Jule Weatherby and I represented the whole of the Platte River country. Bob worked for Bruce Johnson whose brand was "22", Jule for Judd Brush of the ''J.B." brand and I for the "131 "• outfit which was owned by the East Hampton Live Stock Co. and managed by J. 0. Gale of Greeley. "Jule would come up from the "J.B." ranch which was 220 PIONEER STORIES about ten miles east of where Sterling now is, to the "131" ranch about three miles west of Sterling, and we would go to­ gether up to the "2 2" ranch which was about fifteen miles far­ ther up the river, and there we would stop for the night. The next morning the three of us would start south, each with six or eight horses, one carrying bed and "warbag", containing extra clothing, tobacco, etc. We would then go to the "00" ranch-the Two-Circle Bar-which was near the station of Agate on the K. P. Railroad. This ranch was owned by Henrv Gebhart who, with his family, lived on the ranch. Here we would stay from one to two weeks, feeding our horses grain twice a day and getting them into good condition for the sum­ mer's work. "'While at the ranch we had nothing to do but eat and sleep and feed our horses. Mrs. Gebhart kept a French girl, Gussie, who did the cooking. and I ,vill never forget the splendid meals she served us. We slept in the granary and loafed there most of the time, playing cards, reading or sleeping. After break­ fast we would go out and feed our horses and then go back to the granary. At about 9:30 or 10 o'clock Mrs. Gebhart would call us to come and have lunch. At noon we were called to din­ ner, at about 3 in the afternoon another lunch and at 7 we had supper. The lunches were better than any meals to which we were accustomed and the regular meals were wonderful." ( end of quotation.) This, of course, put boys as well as horses in fine condition to begin the summer's strenuous work. They would start from where Big Sandy Creek empties into the Arkansas River, work up the Big Sandy through Kit Carson, Hugo and River Bend into the Bijou Basin in Elbert county, covering the country be­ tween the South Platte and the Arkansas rivers and from the mountains to some miles into Kansas. Gene tells of finding a dead Indian in a cave one day and of believing him to be the one that one of the boys shot at a few nights before. They took off his buckskin leggins, cut them into strips and used them to decorate their horses' bridles and their own hats. 221 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

THE THRILL OF THE BUFFALO HERD Gene tells also of a thrilling and dangerous experience when he found himself one day in the middle of a big buffalo herd. He knew his only hope lay in riding faster than the buffalo could run, working his way as he rode to the outer edge of the herd. If his horse, only half broken and now thoroughly ex­ cited, should step into one of the many holes in the ground that could not possibly be seen-well, he was not sure where he might wake up; but quite surely Weld county must have lost her future Deputy l\!Iarshall. But his horse did not step into a hole, and Gene made it to the outer edge all right and mop­ ped his perspiring brow as he watched the vanishing herd sweep on and away.

HIS ESCAPE FROM INDIANS This story goes back again to an earlier day. Gene is not ashamed to tell that he once ran from the Indians; says he ran jast, too, and has always been glad he outran them. He was twelve years old, and was out looking for his father's horses. From \he top of a hill at a distance of two or three miles _he saw what he knew to be a bunch of Indians on horseback, and he knew they saw him. He was about fifteen miles from camp. He did not believe the Indians to be especially hostile but thought it never quite safe to meet a body of them al_one on the prairie He at once lost interest in his search for the horses and headed for camp. But he knew he must not appear to be frightened or even to know the Indians were there. If he started to run the Indians would do the same and their fleet footed ponies would be more than a match for his larger and slower horse. So with palpitating heart but with iron self control he jogged along leisurely until he saw they were making a maneuver to cut across his path and intercept him, then he threw discretion to the winds, gave his horse free rein and an urge for speed and the race was on. And it was a race never to be forgotten, but finally the In­ dians gave up the chase and turned back. Maybe they had had all the fun they wanted, but Gene does not know to this day 222 PIONEER STORIES whether that was all there was to it or not. At any rate he rode safely into camp and was neither laughed at nor blamed by his elders for not bringing in the horses. It was some adventure for a twelve year old boy. THE HORSE RACE An1ong the many reminiscences of the early days is one that Gene can call up now with a smile, but he always cautions his hearers not to ment~on it if they should happen to meet any of the other boys on the street. It is still a tender subject, even after half a century. It happened at Lodge Pole Creek near Sidney, Nebraska. The ooys not on herd came into town and at the livery stable met a long, lank, lean old negro on about the scrubbiest looking httle old pony they had ever seen. Maybe the negro read from the looks they cast upon his pony that they were underrating him, so he promptly offered to bet $100 that his pony could outrun anything in the stable. The offer promised entertainment, a purse was soon made up, and preliminaries arranged. The toughest mustang in the outfit was selected, which happened to be Gene's own, and Gene, being the smallest of the cowboys was chosen to ride him. The record of Gene's pony on herd gave the boys full confidence. A crowd gathered as by magic~ all Sidney and Lodge Pole seeming to be on hand. Betting was lively, but the boys covered every bet until there was not enough money left in the crowd to pay for one supper. The moment arrived; Gene and his mustang stood ready on the track, when from nowhere seemed to appear the negro's pony, but instead of the long,lank negro with feet almost drag­ ging on the ground there sat, perched upon the back of the pony the littlest piccaninny ever seen outside of a mammy's cradle. And the little villian had a wicked little twinkle in his eye as he rolled it around, taking in the situation. The cowboys took it in, too; Gene would have made three of the piccanniny. It wasn't fair, of course; but the bet had not stipulated the S!ze of the rider, and there was now no time for discussion. Gene cast a questioning glance into the faces of his friends but they 223 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO gave back no answer. There was nothing else for it; Gene rode up alongside the piccanniny and the signal was given. What hap­ pened next was even worse than could have been expected. The pony and the picanniny sprang into the air and their feet touched the ground no more until about half the race track was measured, leaving Gene trotting along behind, doing his best to keep the two in sight. Of course the crowd roared and shouted and shrieked and roared again until it seemed to the dejected cowb::>ys as they rode off toward the mess wagon that the very heavPns gave back the echo. No, better not say anything about it if you meet any of the boys on the street.

224 PIONEER STORIES

'I.HE BIG STORM AND A CURIOUS PHENOMENON One more story from the wealth of stories that will be in Gene's book: this time about a terrific snow storm and the re­ markable fireworks that went with it. It was in the early 1880s and toward the last of the open range in this region of the West. Homesteaders and colonists were arriving in ever increasing numbers and crowding the cow­ boy and his herd ever northward and westward; watering places were being fenced in and prairie acres cultivated. Gene was employed by Lusk, McQuillet & Macrum as one of the me1:1 to go north with the herd. It was late in the season for a round­ up but it had to be done; the cattle could not go through an­ other winter on the diminishing feed to be found. So the boys got together about 2,500 cattle at Big Crow Springs late one evening r~ady for the start in early morning, arranging them­ selvc; in relays to guard the cattle through the night. It was the custom for all the boys to ride around the herd until the cattle would be in a compact group and begin to lie down; but this time they were restless and uneasy and would not lie down; no one guard could hold them and it was soon ap­ parent that all would have to stay on duty. Soon the cattle be­ gan to bawl and from that passed into an ungovernable panic. And then the storm broke. It was a blizzard, the like of which Gene says he never saw before and hopes never to see again. The r•ight settled down into the blackest of darkness; a terrific wind drove in cutting blasts and the only way the boys could locate the cattle at all was by the balls of electric fire that hung on their horns. Gene says this phenomenon was not uncommon in summer but never before had it appeared in falling snow. Now the balls of bright electric fire danced from the horus of the cattle and the ears of the horses. It would have been a most interesting display of fireworks could it have been witnessed by a sheltered and comfortable Fourth of July audience, but to the cowboys trying to hold the panic stricken animals it meant nothing but terror and hardship. 225 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

The storm raged on through the night and late into the following day, and when strength and endurance had reached their limits the cowboys withdrew, leaving the still frantic an­ imals to seek shelter as best they could. After the storm finally abated and the cattle grew quiet the cowboys again rounded up the herd and started on the last long trek for the north country. That ended the life of the cowboy for Gene. Soon after that he settled down to the less adventurous but much more comfortable life of the Weld county citizen, became Dep­ uty Marshall, married Alice Billings and "lived happy ever after." And now Gene and Alice, otherwise Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Williams, still live at the pleasant family home on Tenth Ave­ enue, Greeley, where, the rapids passed, life flowes on like a river.

226 PIONEER STORIES

Platteville, The Colony That Was Different But Effective The Colony that settled Platteville was different from its neighbors, but in no way antagonistic. It was founded on a dif­ ferent principle. Union Colony of Greeley and St. Louis-West­ ern of Evans were co-operative in an economic way; Platteville frankly was not. Union and St. Louis-Wes tern each created a co-operative fund and from it bought land for the whole colony; also built co-operative ditches and fences, but Platteville did none of these things. It was a colony only in the sense of its people banding together for mutual protection and social intercourse. They bought no land in common and kept well to the beaten path of individualism in business. On May 27, 1871, the Platte River Land Company pur­ chased from the Union Pacific Railroad Company several thous­ and acres of land in the valleys of the South Platte and St. Vrain Rivers; then a number of people decided to locate there and to do so in a group, the more easily to establish their central set­ tlement and begin the development of their farms. Experiments In Colonization, by Willard and Goodykountz, p. 430, states that this group of people very frankly declared their intention-"To make a profit on their investment in a fair and legitimate way. To aid and encourage the building of a prosperous town with a flourishing settlement around it," to the end that "all citizen~ might improve their worldly possessions and happiness." But while Platteville was not a co-operative colony as were its neighbors, yet it seems always to have been proud of its re­ lationship to those that were. Advertisements of the Platte Riv­ er Land Company "pointed with pride," as the politicians say, to the fact that the famous Union Colony was but seventeen miles north, the Chicago-Colorado centered at Longmont but fourteen miles distant from their western boundary, the St. Louis­ Western but thirteen miles northward and the Southwestern at Green City but twenty-five miles eastward, thus making Platte­ ville the hub of the co-operative wheel. Such overtures of friend­ liness were promptly accepted by the neighbors, and the same 227 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO cordial relationships between the hub and its rim still exist to this day, 1938. Platteville is 3 5 miles northeast from Denver on Highway 85 and the Union Pacific Railroad. Its principle industry is agriculture, but it has also a fine stone quarry from which splen­ did building stone is taken, and a productive coal mine within a mile of its corporate limits. Beets and hay are its leading agri­ cultural products and cattle and dairying are important in­ dustries. The town is well laid out, its shaded streets running with the compass, east and west, north and south. The paved road formerly made a detour of a block to pass through the business part of the town, but in the summer of 193 7 this detour was eliminated, the road straightened far enough both north and south to put the town on the direct line. This change left Platte­ ville's famous historical landmark, Fort Vasquez, to the east instead of the west of the paved road as formerly. The care­ taker in charge of the Old Fort at the present time takes great pleasure in showing to visitors the many mementoes of a bygone day ,apd in telling in most effective manner the thrilling story of the past. The names of Platteville and Fort Vasquez are linked together in the thoughts of every tourist that ever visits the spot

228 PIONEER STORIES On The Homestead-Story of Mrs. C. A. Carlson Among the early pioneers o~ Weld county was the family of Charles A. Carlson. They were not so early as the colonists, but were early enough to do some genuine pioneering on the un­ tamed prairies of the county. Sweden was . the native land of both Charles and Louise, his wife, but all their children were American born. Early in the 1880s this family came from Pennsylvania to Colorado, settling first in Denver, but seeing no future for their children without a foothold on the land, took up a homestead about seven miles from Erie in the southwest corner of Weld county. But it was one thing to take up a homestead and quite an­ other to meet the requirements necessary to proving up on it. It must be actually lived on six months in the year for five con­ secutive years and certain improvements made that meant the outlay of money and the performance of labor. It could not yield a living at once, so the family faced a problem; it was met by this arrangement-the father would continue to work in Den­ ver to provide for the family and finance the new enterprise while Johnny, the eleven year old son, would hold the homestead. Mrs. Carlson was not fully satisfied with this arrangement, but Mr. Carlson, who believed in "making men" of his boys even at an early age, insisted it was all right. So a rude shack was built, stock and sheds for their shelter placed thereon and the eager boy duly installed. This may sound like a lark to boys who have never tried it, but in truth it required qualities of cour­ age and endurance that not many of that age possess. The complete outfit consisted of half a dozen cattle includ­ ing one milk cow, a few pigs, a small flock of chickens, a donkey -name "Jinnie"-and an old spring wagon. Stock had to be driven six miles to water and this was one of Johnny's daily tasks. Sometimes it was not easy when the wind blew and storms swept the prairie, but it was a part of the game and the young homesteader accepted it without protest. 229 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

He was provided with food but it was no easy matter to take care of it. The little shack was constantly surrounded by coyotes that made the night hideous with their howlings and that one day even contended with Johnny for his dinner of bacon that was frying on the stove; with the help of his loyal dog Johnny came off victorious, but at best it was a doubtful vic­ tory as the hungry pack stood outside ready with reinforce­ ments. However, the boy, his dog and his cat had their dinner that day without further molestations. Johnny had not a neighbor nearer than seven miles. He lived alone day and night while the slow moving day~ stretched into weeks and the weeks into months, with only his stock out­ side and his cat and dog inside the shack for companions--ex­ cept when unwelcome visitors in the form of coyotes or rattle­ snakes intruded. The snakes did not contend for his food, but they often came up through cracks in the floor and coiled them­ selves about the shack wherever it happened to suit them. One .mor_ning he found one in his wood box whert he reached in for wood to start his morning fire. Again there was conflict, but again the boy and dog came off victorious. Thus matters had gone on for almost two months when Mrs. Carlson, who had not seen the place, insisted on a visit; and not only insisted, but would not be denied. In this she was ably and enthusiastically supported by sons George and William, aged about nine and seven, and, as in all democratic organizations, the majority ruled; an early date was set for the journey and the day soon arrived. George and William were stowed away among the provisions in the back of the springwagon and Louise, with small Emma, took her place beside Charles on the seat. The journey began. When almost thirty-five raw prairie miles had bumped under the wheels a little speck appeared on the desert landscape and Louise asked what it might be. "That's Johnny's," aaswered Charles. That was exciting news and young George and William, from their slab-of-bacon seat in the back of the wago_n, set up a shout that did not stop un~ the little speck had developed into a typical homesteader's shack and its 230 PIONEER. STORIES

master came bounding from the door with the astonishing an­ nouncement, "Jinnie's got a colt." It was true. Somewhere on the prairie, some time in the night Jinnie had found a colt, a:nd there it was in the morning when Johnny went out to feed, safe and sound beside its proud mother. After this new addition to the family had been properly appreciated the young homesteader and his visitors entered the shack; and it was within the first two minutes thereafter that Louise had reached a decision; she and the other children would remain as long as it was necessary for Johnny to remain; Dad could return to Denver, hold his job and keep the family sup­ plied with provisions and, if he could not drive out of ten enough to bring them they could drive into Erie in Johnny's springwagon and get them. This decision was unalterable and Dad accepted it as any philosopher should. And now comes the story of life · on the raw prairie as experienced by Mrs.Carlson and her young brood. Here is one of the first happenings: One day about midafternoon, intending to drive to Erie for provisions, Johnny hitched the faithful Jinnie to the spring­ wagon, but, being pursuaded by his mother that there would not be time enough to make the trip and also take the cattle to wat­ er, he unhitched, took off the harness, threw it under the wagon, mounted Jinnie and started with the cattle. It was late when he returned and in his hurry to get all the chores done before night­ fall he for got about the harness left under the wagon. Some time in the night Mrs. Carlson heard a noise outside and, peer­ ing through the little window, saw something moving under the wagon. Cautiously she called, "Johnny, Johnny, there's a man out there at the wagon stealing the harness." Johnny sprang out of bed, peered through the window and agreed: "yes, it's a man all right, and he is stealing the harness." "What shall we do?" asked Mrs. Carlson; "we will have to scare him away somehow, won't we?" "Yes," replied John­ ny, "I'll shoot," and he reached for his gun. "All right,' said his mother, "do; but be careful; open the door just a little bit and shoot straight up into the air." Johnny did just that, and as his sudden "BANG" rang out in 231 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO the silent night it certainly gave proof to the thief that he had been discovered, and may have convinced him that the shack was full of armed and desperate defenders. There was a quick commotion under the wagon and while Johnny reloaded his gun his mother grabbed the ax and started for the miscreant. She reached the scene ahead of Johnny and just as her uplifted ax was about to come down on the head of the thief something shot out from under the wagon in great panic and struck her in the middle with terrific force; she went down under the unexpect­ ed blow in an inert heap, unable either to speak or move. In an instant Johnny was at her side trying to lift her up, while the miscreant that had dealt the blow, with a frightened "BAW" scampered off in great haste to find shelter beside his mother, the family cow. Johnny was, of course, now convinced that the harness was not being stolen, but he was face to face with a problem a thousand times greater. Here was liis mother, stricken and helpless, unconscious, probably dying, and not a human being within seven miles except the other children sleeping in the shat::k. It was a situation requiring straight and rapid thinking and prompt action. He took his mother's hands and pulled her to her feet. She was not unconscious, but unable to speak. He half led, half carried her into the shack, then, as unerringly and confidently as his medical skill of later years could have direct­ ed, he placed his patient on the bed, kindled a quick fire in the stove, sparing not the morning's kindling, and in a few minutes had a kettle of water boiling. He poured out a cupful, stirred into it a spoonful of ginger and dropped it, spoonful by spoon­ ful down the quivering throat of his patient. Then he raised her to a sitting position, slipped her feet into a tub of water into which he had sprinkled a generous supply of mustard, then, ( as his mother declared years later) almost rubbed the skin off, so vigorous was his treatment. But it was effective; she quickly recovered and after a while slept, while the child-man kept vigil until the break of day. Another time Emma, the littlest one, was found by her mother intently gazing at a large coiled snake and so fascinated 232 PIONEER STORIES that she could hardly obey the call to come away. Slowly and reluctantly she finally did move away, still looking back at' the shining beautiful thing and saying in a disappointed tone, ''Ma­ ma? I was going to b'ing you somefing pitty." The mother was horrified when she saw what the- "pitty thing" was. But Louise Carlson faced other troubles much harder to meet than those of calves and rattlesnakes. Somewhere there were men who resented the presence of the mother and her child­ ren on the prairie and who started in to terrorize them into leav­ ing the premises. In the darkness of the night they would ride up to within a few feet of the little shack, make noise enough so that their presence would be known, then ride away, and after a time return; and this performance they would repeat many times within a night. Finally one afternoon a man rode up, stopped and, wholly unbidden, entered the shack. "It is too bad," he said, "for a young woman like you to be living here all alone with nobody.but kids to keep you company." "I am not alone," promptly and stoutly declared Mrs. Carlson. "Oh, yes you are," contradicted the man; "don't you sup- pose I know?" "But I tell you I am not," she again emphatically declared. "Well, if you ain't, where's your man?" he demanded. "He's out hunting rabbits with the boys," she said; "Listen, I think I hear them coming now." Then, as Emma took on a wise look as though about to make the damaging revelation that "papa was in Denver," she grabbed up the child, fully intending --or so she afterwards declared-to choke the words back if she did begin the fateful story. But this heroic treatment was not necessary, for in that same instant with a whoop and a yell that filled the desert air three small boys came into view rushing across the prairie presumably followed by their father. These whooping youngsters that saved the situation that day were the future governor, doctor and county commissioner. And the un­ welcome but now thoroughly convinced visitor took sudden leave, not waiting for what might be the slower footsteps of the father. 233 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

These are but a few of the pioneer stories that might be told of this family; but with so many pioneer stories of remark­ able · families that should be recorded in the annals of Weld space is at a premium. However, not to leave this story wholly unfinished it should be stated: That Mrs. Carlson and her child­ ren sturdily held their ground, remaining in the little shack the full time required for proving up on their homestead. Later that homestead was sold and other land bought seven miles south­ west of Greeley in the Ashton school district, which farm re­ mains the family home to. this day. The children of the prairfe homestead have all been intimately connected with the life of the state and community. One son, George, was elected Gov­ ernor of Colorado in 1914; Johnny, the hero of the homestead, true to boyhood's promise, became a physician with a practice as wide as Weld county and every patient a personal friend. The other son, William A., has twice represented his district in the state legislature and served eight years as county commissioner. Emma and her husband, Charles Swink, are ideal "leading citizens'~ in their community, the Ashton neighborhood, and Charles is an official in the First National Bank of Greeley. Th~ third generation is also notable, but as this is a pioneer story and not a family tree the temptation to follow the family further must be resisted. However, reference to one more little incident may be pardoned. It is illustrative of the far cry from "Jinnie" and the spring­ wagon of the old homestead days to the method of going places that belongs to the third generation-and the fourth: One sum-· mer day in 193 7 Elaine, daughter of George, said to her small daughter of two years. "Listen; I think I hear Daddy coming;" and the little girl ran swiftly out from the vine sheltered porch in Tulsa, Oklahoma, lifted her chubby arms and blue eyes to the sky and waved a welcome to a bright red monoplane that instantly dipped her an answer.

234 PIONEER STORIES ROBERT HAUCK WHO CROSSED THE WATER TO BE A COLORADO EMPIRE BUILDER . From far across the ocean came the voice of America call­ ing young Robert Hauck to be an Empire Builder in the New World. The call was heard at Stettin on the northern coast of Germany in the middle of the Nineteenth century and at once the young man shipped on a sailing vessel for the land of destiny. His objective was Wisconsin which in Germany seemed the ex­ treme frontier but which was soon discovered to be several hun­ dred miles to the east of it. Late in the summer of 1858 his ear caught the first whisperings of gold discoveries far to the West in a land called The Pike's Peak Country. Other young men with senses alert heard also and a company was quickly formed to follow the Call to the promising West. Eight young men associated themselves together under the title of The Wisconsin Gold Mining Company for the enterprise, thus anticipating the famous Gold Rush of 1859 by several months. Besides Robert Hauch they were: A. J. Mackey, S. J. Plumb, Theodore J. Squires, Hiram Buck, Dennie Dailey, M. E. Barnard and Captain T. F. Godding, the last named being made President of the Company. The covenant between them was that all gold found was to be pooled and at the end of the season divided evenly amongst the Company. Thanksgiving Day, 1858, was a day of farewells as well as Thanksgiving for the eight who were ready for the long trek to the Pike Peak's Country. Each had two covered wagons with four yoke of oxen and grain to carry them through the winter when grazing would be scarce. Each also carried sufficient sup­ plies to last two years: ham, bacon, flour, coffee, salt, pepper, sugar, dried vegetables and fruits and a five gallon cask of vine­ gar. Also bedding, clothing, cooking utensils and a good supply of tallow candles. Robert Hauck was elected "Master" of the train and on his advice the two wagons of each outfit were fastened together in tandem fashion, the four yoke of oxen being hitched to each 235 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO tandem, thus making it easy for each driver to handle his outfit. Early in the morning of the day after Thanksgiving, 1858, the caravan of eight wagons lumbered down the main street of Rolling Prairie, making the start., It took courage for so haz­ ardous a trip in winter, through an unknown country with only a compass for a. guide; but the eight men had considered the difficulties and prepared, as far as possible, for all eventualities. To keep warm through wintry days the men walked beside the slow plodding oxen, directing their movements by the alter­ nate calls of "Gee," and "Haw." Reaching the Mississippi River they ferried across to the city of Debuque, Iowa. Here they were told to be on the outlook for Inkpaducah's band of renegades, outcasts from various Indian tribes, who were said to molest peaceful Indians as well as white people. Often hard storms delayed the travelers, when they would stop, form their wagons into a corral and place their oxen with­ in the inclosure to keep them from being driven away by the storm. Sometimes these blizzards lasted for a week at a time. One day when the travelers had about forgotten the warn­ ing given them with regard to the "renegades," they heard in the di&tjlnce war whoops and yells, rapidly growing nearer. The Master quickly gave the order to "corral," then, the oxen pro­ tected, each man grabbed his gun and stood at the end of his tandem wagon; they were no sooner in place than the wild band were upon them; but evidently the band had some power of discrimination, for, seeing the reception prepared for them they paused not at all but wheeled their horses and galloped away. Th~n the Master summed up the situation as "a good scare, no powder wasted and no harm done." But it was an experience to be remembered. They ferried across the Missouri River at Council Bluffs and reached Omaha, in Nebraska Territory. Here they made ready {or the long trek over "The Great American Desert," as tl:~ big, indefinite region including Pike's Peak Country was called. Here oxen were i;e-shod, tires re-set, purchases made and letters written to the folks back home, for this would be their last chance to mail letters for a long time. And early in the morning the 236 PIONEER STORIES caravan headed for the Land of Promise and slowly wound its way along the North Platte, following the trail of the '49ers and the Mormons. In due time they came to Fort Laramie, situated in the eastern part of what is now Wyoming. Here they decided that they must go farther south if they would reach the Pike's Peak Country. After resting a few days they turned southward and moved over what proved to be the toughest part of the journey; no sign of a trail anywhere; over mountains and ~rough canons of ten deep in snow, amid howling winds and biting cold. Bat­ tling many hardships they came to the South Platte River on March 9, 1859. Following the river they came upon a settle­ ment of a few tents and one log cabin, and were told by A. H. Barker that this was "Auraria, the place to start out from for gold." So, having almost reached the Promised Land they stop­ ped and took a much needed rest and learned all they could about prospecting for gold, and the location of the most prom­ ising diggings. A week later they forded the Platte and headed for the foot­ hills and the golden harvest. At the "Golden Gate" they stopped and planned their first campaign. M. E. Barnard was assigned to remain with the wagons and supplies and the others to go prospecting for gold. A kit, consisting of tools, provisions, necessary utensils, clothing and blankets, was made up for each man, which proved to be no light weight as the prospectors trudged through the trackless mountain canons. When they came to the Gregory diggings they camped for a week and prospected in the neigh­ borhood. Then they moved on to Russell Gulch, and after a few more days crossed the Georgia Pass to the Blue. River district, ( now the Alma and Breckenridge mining section.) Here they found their first "color" and staked out a number of claims. By the very democratic method of management adopted they decided that three of their number should stay at that place and make a dugout camp while the others should go on to the head of the gulch where Leadville now stands. There they engaged in placer mining and set up another camp which was 237 A msTORY OP WELD COUNTY, COLORADO the beginning of Ora City. When the summer came on they·es­ tablished the custom of meeting half way between the two camps to talk over the business of the Company. One day at their halfway meeting place they had a pleasant surprise. A man and a woman came riding along, each leading a pack horse; they stopped and introduced themselves to the Wisconsin men as ·Mr. and Mrs. H. A. W. Tabor from Kansas. They received a hearty welcome, the Wisconsiners declaring it to be a "great honor to have a lady" in their camp. Mrs. Augusta Tabor arose to the occasion, giving cordial greeting for cordial greeting and as time went on establishing a lasting friendship with every man of the Wisconsin group. During the summer of 1859 so great a number of disap­ pointed gold seekers from California stopped in the gulch that it finally took on the name of California Gulch. Abundant trout in the streams and game in the hills com­ bined with provisions still stored in the wagons lent assurance to the Wisconsin men that their operations would carry through the winter without difficulty; but the very first week of Sep­ tember, 1859, brought snow to the depths of five feet throughout the Gulc~, and convinced every man they had better get to lev"". eler land before another snow fell. So they gathered up their belongings and, on improvised snow shoes made of small trees, they started. The men from the Oro City camp met them and together they plodded over the mountain range, on and on through deep snow till at last in the distance they saw the open spaces. The valley down below, with a winding stream of water and well timbered hills would be an ideal spot for a winter camp; when they reached it some of them cut down trees and built cabins while others returned to the Golden Gate for their stock and wagons. These cabins were the very beginning of the village that the men named "Boulder City," because of the many bould­ ers lying on the ground. To the west ~of this infant city were a number of Indian tepees, and one day came a group of seven Indians protesting against the building of "strong tepees" on the Indian land. 238 PIONEER STORIES

The head of the band was Chief Left Hand, who explained to the white men that his domain ·extended from the mountains to the east beyond the Platte River, and from where they were, both north and south as far as the eye could see. This looked like trouble, but_ the white men met it in such a way that instead of trouble· it became friendly co-operation. Dinner was just ready and they asked the Indians to eat with them; the invitation was accepted, and all dined together. After dinner the white men brought forth their buckskin pouches filled with gold dust and small nuggets and offered to pay for the land they were using. But the Chief refused as politely as he knew how and, with his men, took his leave, saying he "would come again." That promise might mean anything, but the cordiality of the Chief tended to disarm fear. In six days he returned; again the white men offered to pay, but again their gold was refused, and they were assured that they might build their "tepees" there. Thus a friendship sprang up between the red men and the white that never was broken. In the spring the Chief asked the white men if they would like land on which to plant corn, saying, "there is land enough for the paleface and his red brothers." The white men thanked him, accepted the land, planted their corn, built their houses, and, to the end, had no better friends than Chief Left Hand and his band of Indians. On October 17, 1859, the keen ear of Robert Hauck caught an unusual sound, like the rumbling of heavy wheels. "Impos­ sible," said the others, "this is away off the road to the diggings." But Robert Hauck put his ear to the ground and was convinced, giving out the information that "a bull train was coming up along on Boulder Creek." "Then," said Mr. Godding, the president, "Hauck and Plumb will go down to the bend and meet them and bid them welcome." Promptly the men obeyed and at "the bend" met Alfred A. Brookfield and Captain Aikins with a caravan headed, as they supposed, for the "gold diggings." They told the Wisconsin men of a controversy that had arisen at Ft. Vas­ quez as to which way they should go to reach the diggings; their 239 A HISTORY 9F WELD COUNTY, COLORADO map had been drawn by a returned emigrant and they began to question its accuracy. So the big caravan had divided, L. M. Freese and a portion going south and Brookfield and Aikins and the other portion fording the river at the Fort and coming on westward. The Wisconsin men told the newcomers that they had taken the wrong road, but invited them to spend the winter there, which invitation was accepted with the result that the real social life of the little community began. Among the newcomers were four married couples, and it goes without saying that with four young and enthusiastic feminine pioneers the social amenities were soon established. These couples were: the A. A. Brookfields, the Dan­ iel Gordons, the Henry Nortons and Judge and Mrs. J. H. Deck­ er, By and by a baby came into the Norton family, with the dis­ tinction of being the first white child born in the new settlement. They named her Ella. So deeply did the Wisconsin men appreciate the coming of the ladies that they gallantly gave over to them the finished cab­ ins until such time as their own cabins could be made ready for occupancy, the bachelors doubling up and "bunking" with each other.. 'fhis arrangement put Robert Hauck and T. J. Squires together .. The men of the settlement prospected in the mountains and staked a good many claims, but with it all did not neglect their future "corn fields" promised by Chief Left Hand; and, in fact, it was not long until their agricultural interests far out­ weighed their mining interests in importance, and mines were all sold out and proceeds invested in farming. Their "squatter's" claims were all ·in the Boulder Valley, reaching from the village to the St. Vrain River. Theodore Squires located his near the village of "Boulder City," and it is now known as "Squire's Addition" in the heart of the present city of Boulder. A. J. Macky's was near Valmont Peak; Robert Hauck, S. J. Plumb and Dennis Dailey went four­ teen miles farthet. down the valley and T. H. Godding stopped near the St. Vrain River in what has since become known as th~ Godding Hollow. In 1866 when the Federal surveyors came out 240 PIONEER STORIES

from Washington and officially platted the counties it was found that Hauck, Plumb, Dailey and Godding were in Weld county, the others in Boulder. Hauck's was but three quarters of a mile from the county line, on Boulder Creek. Later Hauck assisted young Joseph Block, one of the_ new comers, to stake a claim adjoining his own on the east. But before this, in fact as far back as 1859, Hauck had sur­ veyed irrigating ditches and established a "water way" to his corn land; other settlers following his example. Establishing farms involved much hard work, but the settlers were equal to it. Timber had to be felled in the foothills, cut into logs and poles for buildings and corrals and hauled by slow lumbering ox teams. By 1861 homes were established and the married set­ tlers who had come without their families now either returned to "the states" to bring them, or met them at the Missouri Riv­ er. And pioneer society was the gainer. Robert Hauck is credited with taking the initial steps to­ ·,vard the establishment of the first school in the settlement. He was not married at that time, but was deeply interested in educa­ tional matters. He circulated a petition and the first school house was built by subscription. It was a comfortable one­ room log cabin and was ready for the opening of the summer tf.rm of 1862. It was situated in District One, Lower Boulder Valley, now in Weld county. It was probably the first rural school in Colorado Territory. Robert Hauck served as President of the school board for thirty years. In the spring of 1864 one hard storm followed another con­ tinuously, snow lying as deep as five feet over most of the Ter­ ritory as late as the last of April; then followed a two-weeks s~eady rainfall and all rivers and streams left their banks and all lowlands were flooded. Hauck's cabin stood in a meadow land near Boulder Creek, and when he saw the coming flood he hurriedly moved his household goods and stock to higher ground, outrunning the onrushing flood by but a few minutes. But even while he stood and watched his house float by on the crest of the waters his mind was shaping plans for a better one on higher ground. He built on the exact spot where Chief Left 241 A IIISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

1Iand had first advised him to build. Following the flood, A. J. J\1acky, the carpenter of the Wisconsin group, found no lack or employment. And it is said that the shingles he cut with an a,ce, sheltered the houses for full thirty years. He also made fur­ niture from the native lumber which mostly furnished the new house of Robert Hauck~ the first story-and-a-half residence in the Boulder and St. Vrain Valleys. By 1864 Indian troubles had become serious and the set­ tlers organized into companies known as "The Home Guards." The government furnished every member of the Companies with a muzzle loading rifle, a cap-and-ball sixshooter-then called a horse pistol-and all the amunition needed. Robert Hauck was a member of the Lower Boulder and St. Vrain Valleys Com­ pany; T. F. Godding was its Captain, Perry Smith first lieuten­ ant, John McKissick second lieutenant and Elisha Duncan com­ missary sergeant. Duncan was also Justice of the peace of the district and it was his duty to muster in and muster out the men and keep all records. Twice a week the "guards" met at his homes~ead for drill. In the summer of 1864 they built Fort Junction. near the· junction of Boulder Creek and St. Vrain River.' It was made of sod cut into eighteen inch lengths and laid up like bricks. For several years Indian troubles hampered the business of freighting across the plains, and, as a consequence, the in­ coming of supplies fell off and prices soared. Then the grass­ hoppers put in an appearance in such tremendous numbers that fields and gardens were stripped and famine seemed imminent. Flour sold for from $35 to $50 per hundred pounds; eggs $1 a piece; bacon and ham $1 a pound. Barley, if "it could be had at all, was browned and ground for coffee. Other commodities from the states were either out altogether or prohibitive in price. About this time a chemist among the settlers who had been quietly analyzing the soda deposits to be found at Soda Springs and Soda Lake near Morrison, announced that they were good, and from that time on all soda used for household purposes was brought from those places; and the water was found to be al­ most infallible as a cure for stomach troubles. To Robert Hauck 242 PIONEER STORIES generally fell the job of transporting supplies from the Lake and Springs to the settlement, and he made of it a sort of joy ride, taking different ones of the younger folks for the trips in his covered wagon. During the winter of 1865-6 _Hauck began teaming between the states and the settlement, taking baled hay eastward and bringing back needed supplies, and, finally, milch cows. But by and by he gave up the enterprise because, though he could pro­ tect himself from the Indians by choosing the time when they would be following the buffalo herds to the south, he could not sufficiently protect himself, his men or animals from the terrible blizzards that swept the plains; so after one last desperate ex­ perience when both men and animals almost died from cold and starvation he gave it up. A few months later he established ,a market with Central City and Black Hawk which were then thriving towns with good promise for the future. These trips were hard and tedious enough, but safer than the plains trips. Prices were good in the mountain towns, too, a single load of hay sometimes bringing as high as $300. In Black Hawk not only was trade above par, but Cupid, that little winged god as old as humanity and young as the spring, was busy. He maneuvered to bring the young farmer anci the mountain maiden, Miss Ernestine Lange, together and the knot was tied at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Block in Denver, by the Rev. A. Y. Moore on March 27, 1868. Miss Allie Hat­ ton-later Mrs. George Crater, and Miss Margaret Smith-later Mrs. Christian Schaeffer, were bride's maids, and Joseph Block and Joseph Bailey were best men and witnesses. The wedding tour was on the spring seat of a covered wagon, back of which were stored new dishes, bedding, furniture, trunks, etc., for the beginning of the new home in the Lower Boulder Valley. TRAGEDY: THE KILLING OF WM. BRUSH Late in the summer of 1868 ~e shadow of tragedy fell upon the settlement, shocking to arms the Home Guard. Out of that shadow came a rider carrying news of the killing by Indians of William Brush, his cousin Jared Conway and a Swede workman 243 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY., COLORADO in their employ. The massacre had occurred on the hay land near the confluence of Crow Creek and the Cache La Poudre. The Home Guard sprang into action at once. Coming upon a band of Indians in whose possession were two horses owned by Bjll Brush, they opened fire with an aim that left no Indian to tell the story. One Indian had been dressed in the uniform of a captain of the Union Army, with a sword without scabbard hanging from his waist. This sword was carried from the scene of battle by T. F. Godding, and a bridle, a beaded blanket and pair of moc­ casins by Robert Hauck. Later these mementos were given by Augusta Hauck-Block, daughter of Robert, to the State Museum in Denver, and the sword by Mrs. Bina Godding Marsh, daugh­ ter of T. V. Godding, to the Meeker Memorial Museum in Gree­ ley, where it may be seen by Museum visitors at any time. In 1869 Robert Hauck and several other settlers made the first drive of "Longhorns" from Texas. These were bred with Durham stock, producing a sturdy strain of "Colorado Natives," well a~t1-pted to the climate of the plains. Three years later over a thcusand cattle bore the brand "R.H." Successful with cat­ tle, Hauck now turned his attention to horses, importing a Nor­ man Percheon for draft horses and a thoroughbred Kentuckyian for carriage stock. \Vhen "halter broke" his young horses were shipped to the Atlanta, Georgia market, and also to the markets of Alabama and Mississippi.

"GRASSHOPPERS" In the summer of 18 74 an unusually good crop was fallow­ ing good crops and the world looked promising, when suddenly the sun was darkened by a cloud that soon descended with devas­ tation upon the fields in the form of untold millions of grass­ hoppers that in a few hours left the country bare. And not only was that year's~ crop a total loss, but the unwelcome visitors left the ground filled with eggs that brought destruction for sev­ eral years following. 244 PIONEER STORIES

THE FIRST GRASSHOPPER MACHINE. Then Robert Hauck turned his -attention to invention, and brought forth the first machine to combat the grasshopper plague. It was a tin tray measuring 4x12 feet, on runners; along the back was stretched a length of canvas; fastened to upright rods at the two rear corners; to the two front corners horses were hitched, and as the trap was driven over the field the hoppers flew up and struck the canvas then fell down into the tray that had been spread with tar and that held them fast. When the tray could hold no more it was scraped clean, and the hoppers piled and burned. Next Hauck bought a barrel of kerosene, put it in cans, drilled a small hole in each can and placed all on planks across ir­ rigating ditches. The oil slowly dripped upon the water, spread­ ing in a thin film and killing the hopper eggs as far as the irrigat­ ing water spread over the land. All settlers adopted this plan, and as a result the devastating pests disappeared from that sec­ tion of Weld county.

SUGAR BEETS FOR FEED. Robert Hauck had not forgotten that in his home land sugar beets had been fed to dairy cows with splendid results, and he reasoned that it should be so in America as well. So he asked his mother in Germany to send seeds which she promptly did. The yield was fine and the cows prospered, and Robert Hauck is credited with being the first farmer in Weld county to raise sugar beets. Hauck's next adventure did not turn out so well. He ven­ tured into the sheep business with Diedrick .Schroder for a part­ ner. In 1880 they had 21,000 sheep on the Big !Dry section of the wide prairie. But it was found that the sheep cropped the grass so close to the ground as to endanger its- life and threaten all future pasturage for cattle. So the partners sold out~ deeply thank£ ul for an even break on the deal. In 1904 a great honor was conferred upon Robert Hauck by the Federal Government. It was a diploma presented by the Agricultural Department in Washington for his success and ef- 245 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO ficiency in every phase of Agricultural Achievement, and for his generosity in passing on the benefits of his experiments to· other farmers. Through the years Robert Hauck found time for much study and research, collected a fine library, and was vitally interested in all public affairs, national and local. May 2, 1908 witnessed the closing of a well spent earth life; a 1ife that had been a dominant factor in shaping the destinies of the western section of Weld county. His mortal part rests in Crown Hill Cemetery in Denver. Three of his eight children still survive: Mrs. Augusta Hauck-Block (Mrs. Joseph Block), Carl Oswald and ~.\lfred Ernest Block, all proud of their pioneer heritage. It is to Mrs. Augusta Hauck-Block that this History is indebted for the facts of this story.

246 PIONEER STORIES Max Clark, 1870, And On WHO MET THE PHYSCHOLOGICAL ?tfOMENT AND TURNED A DESTINY. James l-:laxwell Clark, who seldom received anything more dignified from this imposing name than simply "Max", or at most "J. Max", possessed a saving sense of humor that, coupled with a keen intellect and a genial nature, made him an ideal colonist. He was always able to see the lights as well as the shadows that played across the colonist's pathway; and it was this rare quality that sounded the dominant note running through his book, "Colonial Days," making the story, though depicting in graphic terms the tribulations of those days, a most delight­ ful and entertaining story to read. Max Clark and his brother-in-law, Abner Baker, were more than mere brothers-in-law fo each other; they 1iad passed through the closing years of the civil war together, been boon compan­ ions through war and peace and now, as fellow colonists had cast their lots together, come weal, come woe, in this new and alluring adventure. The call of Nathan Meeker for the organization of a colony to settle out West somewhere had found the Clark family on a little rocky farm among the barren hills of eastern Tennessee. Max says in his book that he never questioned his good judg­ ment in leaving that place, but had often wondered why he ever went there. How·ever, a reason that to any one else might have seemed sufficient was found in the hope of escaping the scourge of tuberculosis that threatened in the rigorous climate of his native Wisconsin. The drab monotony of life among the Tennessee hills had been relieved once a week by the coming of the New York Tribune, every word being read and reread many times; and when Meeker's "Call" appeared it was like a sudden streak of sunshine across a leaden sky, galvanizing the hungry souls of the future colonists into prompt and decisive action. Max sprang from his chair, waving the paper aloft and wildly shouting: "I've struck it; I've struck it." 247 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

It took a few minutes for the family to find out exactly what had been struck, but from that moment the household never settled down to the routine of Tennessee life again. The membership fee and credentials were dispatched to New York with all possible speed, and the family gave itself up whole- heartedly to preparations for the great adventure. · In 1870, the wounds of the civil war had not yet fully healed in the South, and the title of "carpet-bagger" that had been besto"red upon Northern political plunderers was still im­ partially applied to all Northerners; and the Clarks had come from Wisconsin. So, when everything else was done, ready for the start to Colorado, Max, moved by the incurable sense of humor that was his, painted across the new white canvas covering of the wagon in vivid letters the inscription-"Baker & Clark, late Carpet-baggers of Tennessee; Goodby Forever, Sunny Southern Clime." And then came the hour of departure. At Louisville, Kentucky, Mrs. Clark and the two small children were placed on board a train for the old Wisconsin home, there to stay among relatives and friends until a home could be prepared for them in the new country; and Max and Abner, with all their belongings, embarked on a steamer to sail down the Ohio and up the Missouri Rivers to Omaha. The first night out, as they were sleeping in their wagon on board the steamer, they were awakened by a voice outside reading the in­ scription on their wagon; then came a chuckle and the voice remarked: "I'll bet that's a queer old fellow, whoever he may be.'~ Thirty years later it was the owner of that voice to whom the book, "Colonial Days" was dedicated. And the name of the owner was Joseph Shattuck. It had been the intention of the travelers to make the trip from Omaha on westward by wagon, but at Omaha they found that owing to recent Indian troubles on the western plains no single wagon was being allowed to undertake the journey alone, but all were being>held until at least a train of thirty were ready to start together. This would cause an indefinite delay, and Clark and Baker were too eager to wait; so they chartered a 248 PIONEER STORIES car, loaded thereon all their belongings and started by rail. Two days later they pulled in at Cheyenne, Wyoming. There the railroad agent made a charge of $50 for the balance of the jour­ ney, which, being equivalent to .a dollar a mile, was considered altogether too high; so they unloaded their car, hitched their horses to the covered wagon, and started over the trail-marked prairie to their journey's end, the Greeley that was to be. They had not gone far when a strange and beautiful and, at least to Baker, new revelation spread out before them. At a short distance ahead and directly in their path appeared a most beautiful lake, placidly shining in the sun, and in its midst a tall pole, more like a flag-staff than anything else. Baker was thrilled to the core with the beauty of it all, but wondered why the pole? Clark, who had been on the plains before, gave no guess but awaited developments, which were not long in coming. First the distance shortened with incredible speed; and then, even while they gazed, the pole resolved itself into a prairie dog that in­ stantly dispelled the illusion by dropping down upon his haunch­ es ana darting into a hole at the approach of the .wagon. To Baker, who had never before witnessed the halluci~ation of the desert mirage, the disillusionment was as thrilling as the beau­ tiful lake had been. That night the brothers slept under their wagon in the mid­ dle of the trail, there being no other spot free of cactus affording room enough for a bed. And so tranquil was their sleep that it seemed no time at all until the rising sun proclaimed the coming of the day for which all other days were made; the day set apart for their arrival at the Colony grounds. They at once hitched up and started without breakfast, but after a time, the needs of the inner man becoming urgent, they stopped at an adobe house near the river bottoms, known later to them as the Fletcher & Abbott Ranch. There was no one at home, but the open house and s~ble seemed to offer hospitality; so they unhitched, fed and watered their horses, made a fire in the kitchen stove, found a pan of milk and other supplies and soon had a good square breakfast; then, leaving a handful of coins 249 A msTORY OP WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

By the middle of the forenoon they reached the north bank of the Poudre river and found themselves actually in sight of the land of their dreams, the colony grounds. But there was "one more river to cross" and not a bridge in sight, except the railroad bridge. The water was high; they could not ford the river. Now, what was to be done? Must they stop defeated in sight of the goal? Not they; they had traveled too many hundreds of miles to turn back now with the Promised Land in sight. They pon­ dered the problem a while, then a bright idea came. They un­ hitched the horses, swam them across the river, walked back over the ties of the railroad bridge, and attached the horses by means of a long rope to the tongue of the wagon; then by strength of horses and skill of men they guided the wagon over the bridge, landing safely "on the other side of Jordan," and almost at the entrance to "the sweet fields of Eden."

DISILLUSIONMENT. It was high noon when they entered the colony grounds in typical emigrant style, covered wagon and all. It was a spectac­ ular enttance quite in keeping with the time, the place and the occasion;· and now for a Grand Reception. Many colonists were there, and they should set up a shout of welcome, flock around the wagon, reach in glad hands to the newcomers, and, reading the inscription on the wagon, say many witty things; and every­ body should have a happy time in true Western style~ But none of this happened, and soon the newcomers were conscious of the fact that they were attracting not the slightest attention. No­ body even saw them. They stopped, and looked about. Surely they had not made a mistake; this must be Greeley, the place for which they had given up everything else and traveled all these weary miles. Yes, the conclusion was inescapable; it was the place. But what a place! Looking upon it now for the first time, instead of the realiza­ tion of their rose-colored dreams, the scales of illusion seemed to fall from their eyes and they saw it in its stark reality, and 250 PIONEER STORIES wondered what madness had drawn them hither. It was the 25th of June, and the unclouded sun, pouring his searching rays into every inch of the barren land, mercilessly lighted up the rough, primitive buildings, as barren ~d bare as the prairie of which they were so fittingly a part. Shallow furrows crossed and recrossed each other at right angles, making a checkerboard of the ground with stakes driven down here and there; and a lot of people were excitedly running hither and thither driving down more stakes. They might have been escaped inmates from some madhouse for all the sense or reason there seemed to be in anything they were doing; the new­ comers watched the wild antics for a time, then tragically disillus­ ioned, drove away, their departure as unobserved as their en­ trance had been. They had no where to go, but jogged along aimlessly and finally stopped at Island Grove and, for the want of any further purpose, pitched their tent and stopped for the night. Almost in perfect silence the two worked together, mak­ ing their horses comfortable and putting up their tent; then, one on a rude bench and the other on the side of their bunk, sat down to gloomy reverie. All was lost; hope gone; nothing left but disgust with themselves for being such colossal dupes. At last Baker, drawing a long breath as though reaching a conclusion, declared his intention to "light out" at the first break of day. Then Clark, wholly in sympathy with the sentiment, breathed another long breath· and brought forth from somewhere in his innermost consciousness a word that was a question, and set up barriers; he said, "WHERE?" The question was not answered promptly; in fact not at all; and the long June day passed and the night followed, with still no answer There was no "where" to go But the morning dawned-without any resemblance to the morning before. They cooked their breakfast, fe4 _t:Iteir horses and hitched up as though there was some place to go--and drove to the place of the frenzied stake-drivers. There they met Nathan Meeker and argued it out with him, and, strangely enough, some­ how felt glad to be bested in the argument. A number of colon­ ists were already on the ground, early as it was, and were bubbling 251 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

over with enthusiasm. They seemed glad to have new listeners to tell the big news to, and so they talked. Clark and Baker listened indifferently, but as the stake­ drivers went on to picture the future of the commonwealth they were planting, the beautiful city with its fruitful surrounding farms, its great highways and its humming industries, somehow before they realized it they felt their dreams reviving; the stake­ drivers did not seem nearly so crazy as they had the day before, for now there seemed to be a method in their madness; and as they went on to explain how the ridiculous little furrows meant streets and avenues, and the stakes locations for homes and businesses, the whole situation became clear as crystal; and the brothers soon found themselves with hammers and stakes, paper and pencils, rushing about as busy and "crazy" as any other "lunatics" on the ground. If any covered wagon pulled in that day with new and expectant colonists neither saw it, but the lots staked off marked the home of Max Clark to the end of his days.

"A TILT WITH WHISKEY" · ' (This title quoted from "Colonial Days") Several months had elapsed since the arrival of Max Clark and Abner Baker, and the Colony was taking on the airs of a set­ tlement that had come to stay. As more fully stated in another Chapter, the town the col­ onists founded was a temperance town, a very strictly temper­ ance town. Off at a little distance stood the liquor business look­ ing longingly upon this rich new field going to waste. Might it not come in? Most assuredly it might not. The Liquor Business pondered. Why let a little thing like that stand in the way? \Vhy sacrifice business for such a foolish reason? Ridiculous. So it moved in-in the night-and was all ready and open for business next morning Now it so hippened that on that morning, as l\fax Clark sat quietly writing letters in his little new shack, a din arose in the street outside, and naturally he stepped out to see what it \\·as all about The sa/,oon was burning It burnt to the ground. 252 PIONEER STORIES

\Vhile this was in progress, Max and Ralph Meeker, at about the same moment, discovered a keg of whiskey safely outside the fire limits, and Max felt n1oved to say, "Why burn the saloon and save the whiskey?" At that Ralph picked up the keg and started toward the hungry flames;· but just at that psychological moment a restraining hand was laid upon his arm and a smooth voice said, "I wouldn't do that if I were you," and Ralph and ~fax looked around to find the ever suave and courteous Vice President, General Cameron, beside them; and, out of deference to the man and his high office, the keg was not thrown upon the blaze. There were also two other reputable witnesses who saw ~!ax while the fire was burning and knew that he had nothing whatever to do with it; but never-the-less, perfect as was this alibi, "justice," that is not only blind, but often deaf and dumb as well and utterly without reason, got Max mixed up with the affair, and he was "detained" for a preliminary hearing, the sa­ loon man charging "malicious destruction of property." In due time, the "hearing" was held. It was the first big important case that had ever come before a court in Greeley. One judge was not enough; a second had to be called. The hour arrived; the tdal was on; Max sat in the prisoner's dock, the two judges on the bench-( very literally bench). The prisoner was nervous; the judges stern and austere. Now just hold this scene a moment while a circumstance that ,vill fully account for the nervousness of the prisoner is ex­ plained. -~ short tillle before this happened, Mrs Clark, who had been staying with friends in Wisconsin, had taken advantage of an opportunity to come west with a brother who would help her with the children on the journey; and this was the day she was to arrive. It is thus that Max himself describes the situation in "Colonial Days": "After a separation of several months, almost any one, I infer, will be able to appreciate my predicament. Wife coming lo meet husband in the new home after months of separation; pleasing anticipation of reunion with the object of her affection. 253 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

Meanwhile, the dear man, instead of being at the depot to meet her, as young husbands usually do even after the most temporary of separations, is obliged to send a friend to break the news gently, that, owing to an unfortunate little occurrence, husband couldn't be there; nothing serious, you know, but just a little awkward. And, it is possible, too, that on account of the little occurrence, husband may not be able to get home tonight, be­ cause--well, dear madam, to tell you the truth, your husband is on trial for riot and arson, all because he is supposed to have burned down a gentleman's saloon. And it is possible he may go to prison for a few years." While all this was painfully passing through the mind of the n;isoner at the bar, the two judges fixed their eyes upon him and whispered together. Now it so happened that a look of swift recognition had pass­ ed between Max and the second judge, and, running along in Max's mind with the speech Max's friend was to deliver to Max's wife, was the memory of an occurrence similar to the case in court, so far as fire was concerned-only it had been a claim-jumper's .~, instead of a saloon that had burned-in which the judge, not then a judge but only a homesteader, had been active. And now this judge fixed keen eyes upon the prisoner. In fifteen minutes, the train would pull in. Time flew. Ten minutes, and pressing hard toward five. Train this side of Evans; almost whistling for Greeley. The second judge again whispered to the first, and then, fixing his gaze upon the suffering husband, pronounced these golden words: "Mr. Clark, as nothing_ of a very serious nature has ap­ peared against you, you are discharged." And Max beat the train to the station. THE LITTLE BUNCH OF WHEAT THAT TURNED A DESTINY. (The following incident may well be called the turning point in the affairs of the struggling colony) It was only a little bunch of wheat, stunted and starved and forlorn, measuring in its totality, from withered head to blighted 254 PIONEER STORIES root, not more than twelve inches. But in its feeble grasp it held the· destiny of an industry, the fortunes of a commonwealth, and the power of shaping the unwritten history of the arid region that gave it birth. To trace that little bunch of wheat back to the seed that produced it and onward through its struggle for existence to its literal "place in the sun," is to trace the struggles of the early colonists with the all-important question of irrigation, from al­ most certain failure to triumphant success. This is the story in its totality. Max Clark had taken as his portion in the colony possessions a farm north of town, and he and his brother were contending against fearful odds for their first crop. First, they had driven over to the Big Thompson for seed. Returning, the team stuck in the mud and the men were obliged to unload half the grain and return for it later. On the way home with the first half, by what Max called "some inscrutable and diabolical means"' one sack had become untied and a little trickle of golden grain marked a path all the way from the river to the farm. Again let Max tell the story: "We had paid a high price for that wheat, gone a long way after it and had not an ounce to spare. I presume every one has heard the story of the New Englander whose apples rolled, one by one, out of the rear of his cart until when he reached the top of the hill not a single apple was left, and then the man remark­ ed: 'It's no use cussin'; can't do the case justice, no how.' It has been a tradition ever since that our language, rich as it is in W"."athful expletives, is, in some emergencies, an utter failure. It was so in our case. I know I am well under the truth when I say that if that sack had been filled with almighty golden dollars and t.hey had slipped, one by one, into the ocean, we could not have felt more disgusted with the result." And he might have added: "nor found the English language more deficient in appropriate expressions." But, feeble though the language be, it gives some idea of the tremendous value of that lost sack of wheat.. But even that was not all. On the last trip they stuck in the Poudre and had to carry the sacks, one by 25S A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

one, on their backs, across the water. Again hear Max tell it: "When we had sowed the seed and killed our best horse in digging a lateral down to it through the desert, with anxious eyes we watched its uncertain growth day by day as it pushed its way through the ground, and nursed its sickly vitality with that at­ tenuated little stream of water that came creeping down to it un­ til at last it withered and died like a false hope. Then came a hail storm that would have knocked seventeen vigorous lives out of it if any had been left in it, which there wasn't. And in the end it would have been better if the whole load had been sown along the roadway rather than with such profitless labor scat­ tered upon the land." And so, feeble plants and strong men struggled together until what should have been the harvest-time arrived, the brothers watching the little shoots grow paler as the Reaper called Death approached, until only a few remained to chant their requiem on the desert air. ·While this tragedy was going on, something else was devel­ oping.

THE WOOLEN MILL-THAT NEVER WAS. Not all the members that made up the colony had been farmers, many coming from other industrial vocations. In the minds of these the thought had long been germinating that far .too great a proportion of the colony funds had been given to agriculture; ditches had been dug, fences built, and everything that farmers had asked for granted, while nothing whatever had been done toward the establishment of other industries. And so a sentiment had developed for the J:>uilding of a woolen mill and had reached the point of calling a colony meeting to take definite action before the farmers who had been so wholly engrossed with their own troubles had noticed it. Then a number of them got together to attend the meeting. Max was not among them but happened to meet them near the door of the meeting place. One of them held in his hand a little bunch of starved wheat 256 PIONEER STORIES exactly like that on Max's own farm. Max asked him for it. They all entered the hall. The meeting was just ready to begin. The hall was filled, and every man was on his toes iQ eager expectation of big things to come. The Chairman rapped for order, and the first speaker took the floor. This was none other than General. Cameron, the silver-tongued orator of the colony. He was an impressive speaker, and now he spoke eloquent­ ly of the need of the colony for a well-balanced industrial pro­ gran1, and dropping easily into a general consideration of the ,vhole economic problem, he said that even as it is recorded in the Book of Holy Writ that man cannot live by bread alone, so also had it been demonstrated that communities could not pros­ per by agriculture alone. It had been proved in communities the ~,orld over that a diversified program was needed; that over­ production of the gross products alone must soon glut the mar­ kets of the world unless balanced by a home market furnished by other essential industries. Therefore Greeley should begin the rounding out of her own program by the establishment of a woolen mill. ,.fhe speaker took his seat amid ringing and prolonged ap­ plause. His had been a masterful effort, a well-sustained and logical argument; and the farmers looked at each other with something akin to despair in their faces. Then Max took the floor. 'fhere was, of course, not much that could be said, but the audience listened respectfully-and indulgently. Max stood a moment as though uncertain as to how to begin, then brought out that little bunch of wheat from under his coat and held it up to view. It was not more than twelve inches long from tip to top; it was starved and withered and it hung its shriveled head as though in shame at being made so conspicuous. Then, when all eyes were centered upon it, Max asked: "Does that look much like glutting the markets of the world?'' The question cut through the audience like the shock of a galvanic battery. Then the speaker followed it up by the state­ ment that it '\\Tas not so much the problem of "over-production 257 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

of gross products" that was troubling the farmers out on the bluffs as it was whether or not they were going to be able to raise enough to keep the colony living for another year. That was about all he said, but it was enough; that little bunch of wheat did the rest. It brought to the colonists a clear realization that it was not the world problems that they were called upon just then to solve, but the more intimate and press­ ing one of whether the colony was to live or die. If it would live, food must be produced; and that could not be done unless ditches were enlarged to bring a sufficient supply of water to the crops. And then--everything else was forgotten; new appropria­ tions were made, liberal ones, and all colonists turned with a will and an understanding to the needs of the colony and the work to be done if it would live. It is not too much to say that from that hour and the inci­ dent of that little bunch of wheat, a force was set in motion that long before this date of 1938 has placed Weld County in the very first rank agriculturally of all the counties of the state, and C~l?rado in an enviable position among the states of the Union. Not only was the woolen mill not mentioned again at that destiny-shaping. meeting, but so far as known has never ·been since. SUGGESTING A FITTING MONUMENT. If the writer of this History should be asked to design a fitting Monument to the Spirit of The Early Colonists, showing their es~enHal part in the development of this great common­ wealth, the suggestion would be a bronze statue representing THE F ..I\RMER, modeled after the face and figure of Max Clark, holding in his hand a drooping little plant; and on a tab­ let beneath the figure would be the inscription: The Man and the Little Bunch of Wheat That Turned the Destiny of ~ Commonwealth."

258 PIONEER STORIES

David Hodgson, 1863 A COVERED \VAGON PIONEER, AND A FOUNDATION BUILDER.· In the spring of 1863, along the uneven prairie roads that stretched from Arena, Wisconsin, to the Platte River Valley of Weld county, rolled a typical wagon train-four horse-drawn and three ox-drawn covered wagons, followed by a drove of sixty cattle. As was the custom of that early day several families were travPJing together, the better to protect themselves from pos­ sible Indian raids or other happenings on the way. On the driv­ er's seat of one of the wagons sat David Hodgson and his wife, Christine, while tumbling about on the feather bed behind them and peering _out through the round canvas opening at the back of the wagon upon a strange new moving world were three small children, daughter Eva, baby son Frank and two year old George~ destined to be a future Weld county commissioner. The pioneers had allowed time for anticipated Indian at­ tacks and other misfortunes, but none occurring they made the journey in less than the time allotted, arriving at the valley of the Platte on July 12, 1863. Here they stopped and took pos­ session, and near here a dozen years later, the town of Platte­ ville was built. Every family built a cabin home and at once a pioneer settlement sprang into existence that preceded colon­ ization by almost a decade. The home of David and Christine Hodgson was in a picturesque spot, which, with a more commodi­ ous house replacing the cabin, still is known as the Hodgson Ranch. Among these early settlers of the Platte valley were men and women who figured prominently as foundation builders for the coming commonwealth, and whose names are still well re­ membered. There were the Smiths, two families of them, James and John. Henry Smith, whose reminiscenses form a "Vivid Pic­ ture" among the Pioneer Stories of this book was one of the child­ ren of James. There were the two McKernan brothers, who later 259 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

built that part of the Denver Pacific Raiload connecting Evans with Denver; and Roger O'Connor who drove the water wagon that supplied the builders. There was James Lee and his family, and Jay and Martha Thomas, all of whom became substantial farmers on the Platte. And there was Marshall Cook, an educated Cherokee Indian, and his white wife, Susan, a practicing physi­ cian. They raised a remarkable family. Marshall Cook was an expert on mining, and the first Prosecuting Attorney elected in Arapahoe county; this was March 28, 1859, before the organ­ ization of Jefferson Territory and while Arapahoe was still a part of Kansas Territory. This election was reported in Vol. 1, No. 1 of the Rocky Mountain News, April 23, 1859, the first news­ paper published in this part of the West, the property of William N. Byers. And the F. W. Hammett family have been prom­ inently connected with Weld county all along the line.

THE FIRST DISCOURAGING YEAR: The Dryest Summer, The Coldest Winter, The Worst Flood. And The Biggest Grasshoppers. It was almost as though some unseen Power, call it "Fate", had looked upon these new settlers and concluded as yet they had aad no test of endurance, but must have. Their long journey had been without mishap and their arrival auspicious; but would they hold up under misfortune? were they of a strong fiber, the stuff that pioneers are made of? Could they stand the tests of drouth and storm, and flood, and grasshoppers? Fate must be sure of her builders, and so each test was applied, all within the first year of their arrival. ·

THE DRYEST SUMMER David Hodgson, who fifty years later wrote a reminiscent story of that day, stated that the summer of 1863 witnessed a drouth the like of which had never before been seen. The river itself actually disappeared in places, and the only way the settlers could get water for themselves or their animals was by digging holes in the sands of the river bed and waiting for the 260 PIONEER STORIES water to slowly trickle in. Water was treasured as life itself, not a cupfull being wasted; it would -have been a crime to drink from a cup and throw the rest away. Those, even among the children, who have lived to this ~ummer of 1938 look upon the streams of water from irrigating hose and ditches wasting down the streets and roads-and remember. Along with the drouth-and because of it-came the threat of starvation. Nothing was produced in the valley and prices soared. Flour reached $23 a sack and salt for the bread, 60 cents a pound; and grain to feed horses, 18 cents a pound. Resources ran low and then it was that thirsty men drove thirsty horses over onto the banks of Lost Creek and put up hay. That was a life-saver; the hay when hauled to market brought all the way from $40 to $110 a ton. And thus the first test and threat of Fate was met by the settlers. Then came the second. THE COLDEST WINTER. The winter closed in early and with its deep snows almost isolated the little settlement from the outside world. The snows were deep and constantly increasing, one never going off before another had covered it. David Hodgson told of a custom that prevailed among travelers caught far out upon the plains during that bitter time, a custom that was cruel, but less so than its al­ ternative. He said that trains made up as theirs had been, of both horse and ox drawn wagons were halted by their drivers when the storms grew fiercest, the loads transferred from the oxen to the horses, the oxen then unyoked and turned loose to take their chances while the swifter footed horses with the added loads passed on. He said that by the slow pace of ·the oxen all must have perished, but by their sacrifice, men and horses could be saved. He said, too, that when the rigors of winter had passed many oxen were found, "leaning up against trees, frozen." THE WORST FLOOD. But because the settlers of the Platte valley had literally "made hay while the sun shone" through the drouth stricken summer, neither animals nor human beings suffered for food 261 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

through the ice locked winter, and so passed through Fate's sec­ ond test unharmed. Then came the third, the great historic flood of 1864. The spring came early and the soft, warm days and copious rains made the hearts of the settlers to grow warm with thanksgiving, for here was assurance that the drouth of the prev­ ious summer was not to be repeated. But it did not stop with that. This blessed promise soon grew into a threat of dangers more appalling, if possible, than any that had gone before. The rains kept falling and the deep snows melting until it was noth­ ing short of a flood that roared down the Platte from Denver to far beyond the little settlement; ana on and on it swept, car­ rying houses, animals and everything before it that could not be hurried out of its pathway. The settlers climbed to the high grounds with their children and what stock they could save and watched their cabins float by. And thus the third test of endur­ ance was met by the settlers. From that time on David Hodgson kept a boat at the river crossing until it was finally replaced by a strong bridge built by Contractor McElroy for the county in 1874 . . t THE BIGGEST GRASSHOPPERS David Hodgson outstripped all other story tellers of that early day in his description of the grasshopper plague that fell upon the valley in the summer of 1864. He declared that in the cloud that descended many were found as big as mice. And he did not qualify that assertion by the statement that it was the infants of the species he had in mind, but left it to stand as the full grown rodent. It is a good story, and quite correct when properly under­ stood. And now comes George, son of David, with the explanation. There has always been a type of grasshopper much larger than the ordinary type, that hops but does not fly; that requires much less food and subsists almost entirely on grass, which fact entitles him to the distinction of being the boni-fide, original grass hopper. Being without the power of flight he is not much of a traveler, seldom moving more than forty or fifty feet from his starting place during the whole summer of his existence. In 262 PIONEER STORIES

point of appetite he does not compare with his voracious little brother, but niobles the grass and sings away his short life in contentment. He is unobtrusive and quiet, but George, the son, says he has always been in the valley. In the summer of 1937, as if to prove the father's statement, the son gathered a handful of specimens fully measuring up to the description of the father and put them on display in a down town window where they at­ tracted much attention. So the explanation is that the giant type was in their native valley when the hungry hoard arrived in '64 but had not been noticed until after the "cloud" had passed by and then, being found on the scene of the crime were unjustly accused ,of being the criminals. It was a clear case of mistaken identity. * * * * When the settlers had made the grade on all four of these tests Fate seemed satisfied; and, after a few minor tests, put on a smile that in three quarters of a century has not worn off. These last tests were especially for the women and consisted of Indian visitations at times when the men were out in. their fields and the women alone. But the situations, calling for nothing more serious than good common sense and presence of mind, were suc­ cessfully met. In 1863-4 a band of Indians were encamped on the river near the mouth of Big Dry Creek, southwest of Fort Lupton. They were peaceable and friendly but always hungry. They de­ veloped a great fondness for the white squaw's biscuits and the white man's meat. But that was about the time when the white men were having a pretty hard scrabble to keep their flour bar­ rels filled and the rafters of their cabins properly decorated with pork hams and bacon. The women found that it took a lot of biscuits to fill up even one full grown Indian, and they generally came 1n• groups. It was a serious problem with the women how far this di­ viding up process should go, and two of them at least decided to put a stop to it. Mrs. F. W. Hammett adopted a method that was both heroic and effective but, in the judgment of her hus­ band, might have precipitated a crisis had it been successful. As 263 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO usual she gave the Indian the biscuits, but when he wanted the ham that hung from the ceiling she told him he could not have it; then as he reached for it she reached for her husband's gun, leveled it on the Indian and pulled the trigger. Fortunately the gun only snapped, but the astonished Indian left hurriedly with­ out the meat. When told of the incident, Mr. Hammet said they could not be thankful enough that the gun did not go off, for had an Indian actually been shot in the cabin of a settler the whole settlement might have been annihilated. Christine Hodgson was the other one who met the situa­ tion. The two cases were exactly parallel up to the point where the remedy was adopted. Instead of a gun Christine used a poker. She had sHpped the iron poker into the stove and let it heat on the red coals while she served the biscuits; when the Indian want­ ed meat she told him he could have the antelope quarter hang­ ing beside the ham, but he said be did not want that, for that was Indian meat, and he wanted white man's meat. Then as be reached for it the red hot poker made a swift journey across the room toward the upraised arm and the (_Indian beat a hasty ret;eat, leaving the ham behind. Then the group outside who had been watching the play, instead of entering enmasse· with war whoops, tommahawks and scalping knives according to gen­ erally accepted ideas of Indian ways, clapped their hands in hearty white man fashion and shouted: "Heap Brave \Vhite Squaw." One day David himself was at home when the Indians call­ ed. They were unusually friendly that day, and after they had eaten their full share of biscuits and white man's meat they ban­ tered David for a "wrastle." David admitted afterwards that he was actually afraid to accept the challenge, but equally afraid to not do so, but, he said, when a big A_rapahoe caught him up and began to playfully toss him about, fear lent courage to his heart'and strength to his muscles and he gave the Indian the best there was in him. The tussle must have been highly entertaining to the audience for when the two struck the floor and the white man struggled to the top, the Indians jumped and 264 PIONEER STORIES yelled in good Indian manner, s~outing their appreciation of a good fight with-"Heap big strong white man." * * * * Throughout the development of the valley David Hodgson was active in both its business and political development. In 1865 he brought the first mowing machine into the valley. It was a Buckeye Junior and cost $350. In '68 he opened a coal bank near where Platteville now stands and shipped the first coal out of the settlement. He voted in Precinct No. 6 which was first on St. Vrain Creek but later moved to David's own house. He helped to elect John McKissick sheriff in '64, Van B. Kelsey in '66 and Hugh Munson in '70. The first political ~onvention of Weld county was held under a big cottonwood tree on his place. He hoped his sons would follow in his footsteps. George did. He served as Mayor of Platteville in 1909-10; county commissioner from 1912 to '1 7, during which time the new court house was built, and was deputy under Sheriff Cor­ der in 1925. But long before any of these ·dates he was in pub­ lic service. In 1880-1 he had a part in the government survey under Major Hill and Lieutenant Egbert Johnson that surveyed twenty-three townships in the region of Las Animus county, now Baca county; six in North Park now Jackson, and two in Mid­ dle park now Grand county. And all this traceable to a jour­ ney he made with the Wisconsin covered wagon train in 1863.

265 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY. COLORADO

Mrs. Tuckerman, 1870 A STORY OF SOCIAL LIFE IN EARLY COLONIAL DAYS. Mrs. James Tuckerman, whose home for a good many years was at 907 Sixth street, Greeley, was one of the. few pioneers who kept a record of the early days when history was in the making. Some of the daily happenings were jotted down on paper, some only stamped on memory, but all were ready when, a few years later they passed into reminiscences and became bedtime stories for the young grandchildren. Later at the earn­ est request of grandchildren and others the stories were gath­ ered together and printed in booklet form. This was not for cir­ culation, but only for the preservation of the stories for the f am­ ily. The writer of this History was favored with the opportunity of reading the pages and of appropriating any part of them. So the story that follows will be a combination of these thrilling "bedtime stories" and other facts gathered from dependable sources. Since giving these stories, Mrs. Tuckerman has passed from earth, but the memory of her cheerful helpfulness through the· trying years of early colonization have left their impress, and her memory will ever be treasured in the community. she helped to build. The stories of the booklet are like the scenes of a play; they fit into the picture of Union Colony days and could fit into no other; so when the grandchildren, no matter how far down the line, read the stories, though other history were lost, they will be able to re-construct the picture of these thrilling pioneer days. First, something of the author, then the stories. * * * * Mary Emma Barclay was the daughter of Dr. J. B. Bar- clay of Brownsville, Pennsylvania. At the time of her arrival at the colony ground she was the wife of W. R. Norcross. Young: vivacious, fu11 of life and imbued with the spirit of adventure she had f alien in quite readily with the plans of her husband to join the Union Colony and take a whirl at life in the romantic and promising West. \Vhat if it did involve possible hardships 266 PIONEER STORIES

and privations? It would also involve expanding life, absorbing interests, a future of promise, a new world in the building. She accepted it all. Will the world ever know what it owes to the daring and dauntless spirits who blazed the trail to civilization? So, with plans all completed down to the last detail, the little party consisting of the Norcross couple and their baby, Dr. Barclay and his son Charles, were ready for the start to far away Colorado. Prevented by delicate health from chancing the rigors of the great adventure, Mrs. Barclay reluctantly ·re­ mained in the family home. This enterprise really began when Dr. Barclay, who, his daughter said, had for years read the New York Tribune as he read his Bible, read the Call of Nathan Meeker for the organ­ ization of a Western Colony and regarded it as "a summons from a Supreme Power" to go forth to the building of a West­ ern Empire. The contagion of his enthusiasm soon caught the young Norcross couple and the son George, and early in August 1870, the start was made. They traveled by boat down the Monongahala River to Pittsburgh and there took train for Colorado. In the little book­ let written by Mrs. Norcross-Tuckerman the writer said she had come to suspect that the train on which they took passage might have been an "emigrant" train, for there were a number of passengers on board carrying baskets of provisions, skillets and other cooking utensils and even feather beds. These, how­ ever, they soon found were not enroute to Greeley, but to Fre­ mont, Nebraska; they were mostly Dutch families with all the foresight for eventualities common to their people. On the train were none of the modern conveniences that make travel easy and luxurious in this day; no sleepers, no din­ ers, nor even reclining chairs; so, as the Norcross-Barclay band began to get their first taste of the primitive life by eating from baskets and sleeping on no beds at all, they began to appreciate the superior foresight of the feather bed and skillet owners. Mrs. Norcross held her baby in her arms all night and in the morning served breakfast to three hungry men who were wholly unskilled in the fine art of eating without dishes or table. But 267 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO all took the new method as gracefully as possible, regarding it as simply a first part of the new adventure on which they had embarked. At Council Bluffs the travelers crossed the Missouri River to Omaha on an open ferry. On board they met two other fam­ ilies whose baggage bore the red tag of "Union Colony." This at once established a bond of sympathy between the three f am­ ities that continued through all the years of close relationships that followed. The two families were the Faines and McCiains. The McClain baby took sick on the way and Dr. Barclay at- tended her, adding new strength to the bond. · After four days and nights of travel by train over sunbaked prairies the green cottonwood trees along the banks of the Cache la Poudre burst upon the view of the tired travelers as the Land of Promise must have burst upon the eyes of Moses and the weary Children. Finally the train slowed up and stopped-at Greeley; the end of a long, long joumey and the beginning of a new life. The station was a box car and a platform made from discarded railroad ties. ·The wind was blowing at hurricane speed and a fierce sand storm ·was raging. The proprietor of the Greeley House met the train and one of his first acts was to take the Norcross baby from the mother's aching arms. The,McClain baby, not yet ful­ ly recovered, could not be relinquished by the still somewhat anxious mother, to any one. The Greeley House stood where now stands the Hotel Cam­ field. It was a one-and-a-half story structure built of rough hoards set up and down. It lacked all there was of magnificence, but to the weary travelers it seemed a haven of rest after near­ ly a week of unrestful travel. A good hot supper was served, on real tables with real dish­ es and chairs, and it seemed a banquet, though chairs and tables were of unpoljshed wood, and dishes of plainest porcelain. By and by the wind ceased its raging and the sun set in splendor on the perfect ending of a weary but hopeful day. The newly arrived colonists gathered around the front door of the primitive 268 PIONEER STORIES hotel and gazed in wonder and something akin to awe at the beautiful sunset. But Dr. Barclay's face betrayed disappointment which even the gorgeous sunset could not dispel. While others tried to ex­ press their unbounded enthusiasm he turned to his daughter, Mrs. Norcross, and said: "Well, Em, I must go back. But I suppose you and Will will have to stay and 'root, hog, or die' ". Looking backward over the years between that day and this, and observing the commodious home and tidy fortune that came to "Em" and her family, it seems safe to say they must have "rooted" to good effect. But the Greeley House, being the aristocrat of the settle­ ment, was somewhat expensive and few colonists felt able to avaH themselves of its luxuries very long; so the Norcross-Bar­ clay family and their traveling companions and co-colonists soon left it and moved to the Hotel De Comfort, a fuller descrip­ tion of which is given in the Chapter on "Colonization." One day there came to this famous hostlery a young wife with a babe in her arms and tears in her eyes. She looked in blank astonishment at Mrs. Norcross who at that moment was crossing to the "bachelor's quarters," strumming her "grand piano" which looked to the new-comer like a washboard, and gaily singing as she tripped along, "Oh, Susanna, and don't you cry for me, for I'm going to Colorado with my washboard on my knee." Incredulously the young woman gazed through her tears at this apparition, the like of which she certainly had not ex­ pected to encounter in this woe-begone place. The singer stop­ ped, too, and, seeing in the new-comer herself as she must have appeared-sans the tears-not so long ago, experiencd instantly a fellow-feeling for the stranger and cordially invited her in to have a cup of tea. The stranger who had evidently mistaken her hostess for a professional cheer-leader or colony booster, under the influence of the "cup that cheers but not inebriates" became quite con­ fidential and told her new-found friend that she feared that she and her husband had made a mistake in coming to the colony, 269 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

because he was a "bar-jigger," and she feared he would never find work. But her genial hostess, without the slightest notion of what a "bar-jigger" might be assured her \that her fears were groundless, because everybody who came found work. And, maybe he did, though he may have had to wait for about sixty­ f our years for the kind he was looking for. But the young wife was comforted. Later work of some kind was found; and the young couple stayed and became enthusiastic colonists. Mrs. Tuckerman's little booklet states that the friendship started that first day enduring throughout the years, her friend always coming with cheer and service whenever sickness or trouble threatened. After all, might there not be something in the old f ash­ ioned theory that "Bread cast upon the waters" may return, many fold, after many days? The Norcross-Barclay family stayed in the Hotel de Com­ fort until their own two room house was roofed and floored and then moved in. Dr. Barclay recovered from his first disappoint­ ment and stayed on, himself "rooting" successfully; he took up land north of Longmont and became an important factor in the life of that neighborhood . . t HOW THE COLONISTS ENTERTAINED THEMSELVES. In the early 1870s there were no ready made entertainments in Greeley; and there were discouragements. But no matter how lowering the clouds the young folks could always laugh and sing as they carried their share of the pioneer's burden. Win­ some Emilie Morris sang "There is Music in the Air-" as she washed the dishes for a family of nine. Uncle John, of the f am­ ily of William Foote, played "Coronation" on his "fiddle" and the congregation sang "All Hail The Power of Jesus' name" at the first Sunday School service, while the ushers took up a col­ lection for books and other supplies. There was cheery Httle Ella Nye with always a song on her lips, who later became the wife of Governor Adams and the First Lady of the State. Among the colonists of that day were some of the brightest minds that have ever graced the town of Greeley. Lecturers, musicians, en­ tertainers; the great enterprise drew that kind together. 270 PIONEER STORIES

Within the year of 1870 the Greeley Lyceum was estab­ lished, its meeting place Ranney Hall. There the colonists met and discussed "every thing under the sun," said Mrs. Tucker­ man, "and did it well." There were Captain Boyd, Max Clark. Sam Wright, Oliver Howard, A:- J. Wilbur, M. B. Knowles and others, whose wives were equally as talented as they. A fine quartette of singers was composed of Mr. and Mrs. Cory San­ born, Alice Washburn and Charles Barnes. Charley had a deep bass voice that made shivers run up and down the spinal col­ umn when he sang "Old Sexton" and that bulged the rafters when he sang "Rocked in the Cra-del of the DEEP." And there was the Dramatic Club that did not have to take its hat off to such as Edwin Boothe or Sara Bernhardt when Ed Clark played "Bill Sykes" and Helen Ecker "Nancy' 'in Oliver Twist. And when Uncle Tom's Cabin was put on, so life-like and real were the characters that tears coursed unchecked and unashamed down the faces of the audience. OTHER INCIDENTS. There was· one Indian scare that proved to be groundless but furnished all the thrills while it lasted; hunting for hiding places, getting out the old musket, etc. At another time there was a grasshopper scare that was by no means groundless; the insects came in a cloud so dense as to obscure the sun and when the cloud had passed the colonists found no green thing left growing. They met the situation by replanting whatever crops had a fighting chance of maturing, and standing the rest of the loss the best they could. The government was not then standing by, helping to meet such emergencies. A MERRY-MAKING TRIP TO LONGMONT In the 1870s thirty-five miles was a long distance. But given a farm wagon with a straw filled bed, a spring seat for the driver and a bunch of boys and girls on the sunny side of thirty who could draw the joy of life from the cactus of experi­ ence as the busy bee draws honey from the blossoms of the prickly pear, and there was just thirty-five miles of pure delight. 271 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

Mrs. Tuckerman said that while the driver beat time with his whip on the dash board the song of the boys and girls echoed over the hills and far away, and almost too soon the journey ended. The sun was just going down over the mountains as the merry crowd drove into the grounds of "Ury Hall," the home of Dr. Barclay at Longmont; and there new joys awaited them. WHERE CHILDREN PLAYED IN THE 1870s The youngsters of 1938 can hardly get a mental picture of the playground of the children of the 1870s. Where smooth con­ crete sidewalks stretch between velvety lawns and parkings to­ day, children of that yesterday played along ditch banks and waded in running water. No electric lights illuminated the streets that day--or night-and if anyone had to be out after dark that one had to carry a lantern. No shady parks invited the children to play or grown-ups to rest in summer or young­ sters to skate in winter. No College with its beautiful campus crowned the hill to the south of town, but in its place herds of wild antelope roamed undisturbed. Curfew rang at nine o'clock ·and the thoughtless boy or girl caught out must hurry home to escape the frown of authority. FUN FOR THE CHILDREN, BIG OR LITTLE. Mrs. Tuckerman's book.let ends with these words: "We had no swimming pool nor movie, but we did some­ times have a circus, and oh my, oh my, how we did enjoy it. Father, Mother, brother, sister, all turned out to see the street parade, then hurried home for a quick lunch and back so as not to miss a single set of the aftenoon performance. Then what fun we had afterwards when we ~micked the clowns, swung from the homemade trapeze and roared like hungry lions; for, after all, you don't have to have everything, if you can only make believe." A fine bit of philosophy for any age or time.

272 PIONEER STORIES

George Pingree, Scout, 1827-1927 (The following is the story of one of the most daring scouts of the West at the time when the West was ea.ming its title of "Wild and Wooly," in the decade between th• late 1850s and '60s. He was a boon companion of the famous Kit Carson and shared with him many early adventures. The story from which !this synopsis is taken was published in the Denver Post March 4, 1911.) The life span of George Pingree stretched across more than a hundred of the most thrilling and eventful years of America's history. It began at Bangor, Maine, in 1826 and closed in Platte­ ville, Colorado, in 1927. In early life he went to sea, but sea life did not satisfy because, though the ocean looked big and wide yet travel over it must be confined to the movements of a vessel; so he soon returned to land where movements could be untrammelled. He became a trapper, hunter, lumberman and finally found his own as a scout, first independently and later in the employ of the U. S. Government. The most thrilling event of his life, as declared by himself after all adventures had been lived through and all returns were in, was his part in the Sand Creek encounter under Col. Chivington in 1864. "Encounter" was what Pingree called it, but the U. S. government at Wash­ ington named it "massacre." However, whatever its name, to Pingree it was adventure.

THE BATTLE OF SAND CREEK AS PINGREE SAW IT. At this time Pingree was a government scout and had been assigned to the command of General Anthony at Fort Lyons in Colorado. In October of 1864 Chief Black Kettle of the Cheyennes and Chief Left Hand of the Arapahoes expressed to Governor Evans their desire for peace and asked that their people be set­ tled somewhere for the coming winter. Governor Evans assigned them a winter camp on Sand Creek about forty miles northeast of Ft. Lyons, north of the Arkansas river. Here they pitched their tents and settled down for the winter. There were be­ tween 600 and 700 of the two tribes and they were housed in about 150 tepees. 273 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

In the absence of General Anthony, Col. Chivington was in command. This officer had no faith in the sincerity of the Indians. He believed that their desire for peace was in fact only a desire for food and shelter through the winter. He did• not be­ lieve in their sincerity in anything, nor their desirability, and he had openly expressed the belief that sooner or later a war of ex­ termination would have to be fought to rid the country for all time of their presence. Holding this conviction, and believing that many others held it though less openly, he doubtless plan­ ned the Sand Creek massacre in full confidence of a hero's laurels. And immediately after its consummation it seemed it was to be so, but there came a change when the government investigated. As a first step toward the successful carrying out of his plan he engaged George Pingree and a famous mulatto scout by the name of Jim Beckwith to reconnoiter and get the exact lay of the land about the Indian camp on Sand Creek. Then, when all was ready, in perfect secrecy the two trusted scouts led the troops in the darkness of the night, silently assembling within striking distance at break of day. It was late November, the 29, and the weather was cold. In the dim early light not an Indian could be seen. Cautiously and noiselessly Chivington surrounded the camp and then, what has gone down in history by names ranging all the way from "encounter" to "massacre" began. As the volley of bullets rained down upon the camp panic ensued and pandemonium reigned. The surprise was complete. In the wintry dawn the Indians poured from their te:Q.ts in great con­ fusion. Chief Left Hand, waving a flag of truce, ran toward the attackers but was riddled with bullets before reaching the line. Men, women and children ran wildly in all directions, and then it was that the soldiers, hardly knowing what to do about the children turned to their commander and received the fa­ mous command: "Nits make lice; kill 'em all." Pingree never believed that Chivington gave that comma.nd; to the end of his days he stoutly maintained it was not true; but it somehow cgot into history. And children were killed, indis­ criminately, and women too. Pingree declared that could not have been avoided because of the uncertain light; but the time and the 274 PIONEER STORIES light were of Chivington's choosing, as were all other conditions. Nevertheless, to the end of his days Pingree was a wholehearted defender of his commander; even when the War Department in Washington utterly repudiated his act and stripped him of all military honors, Pingree declared him to be "a brave man and not afraid of a dinged thing that walked the earth or swum or flew.'' Of all the incidents of that eventful day the one thing best remembered by the scout to his hundred and first birthday was the thrill that was his when his horse ran away and plunged· him into the very middle of a group of Indians. His was a big horse, much better suited for plowing than battle and in the ex­ citement hard to manage. "Finally," said Pingree, "he ups and breaks into a run" stra!ght for the bunch of Indians, and on he went, plunging and jumping until at last he gave one big leap into the air and fell down dead, plunging Pingree over his head into the very thickest of the Indians. Naturally the whole bunch set upon him, and he ran; he ran like the wind with the arrows of his pursuers whizzing all around him, chopping his clothes into shreds and some of them sticking into him; one went through his right cheek, plugged out a tooth and stuck in the hole. Pin­ gree always believed he must have had a charmed life, for he reached the troop line alive. Sam Dorsey was the soldier who pulled the arrow out of his face. He was just a boy then, but Pingree said he had nerve. He was the same Dorsey that years later was claim agent for the Denver Tramway. After the "encounter" was all over at Sand Creek-because there were no more Indians to shoot, Pingree found himself in possess=on of thirteen Indian scalps; but on his return to Ft. Lyons instead of being received with the honors he considered his due he was thrown.into the guard house. "What in thunder is this for?" he indignantly demanded, and when informed that it was because he had been scalping Indians shouted: "What the devil if I have? Why shouldn't I?" And then for the first time he learned that it was against the law to scalp Indians. It had not always been so, and he did not know the law had changed. Ho,vever, having now no use for the scalps he traded them to a 275 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

barber in Denver for two years' haircut and shaves-if he should need them. There was another incident in the life of George Pingree, much earlier and less dramatic than the Sand Creek adventure, but plenty exciting while it lasted. It was when General Fremont was the Republican candidate for president in 1856; Pingree, who

at that time was cutting railroad ties in Missouri1 voted for him. This, he found, was about as fool-hardy a thing as riding a run­ away horse into a camp of hostile Indians. It did not take long for the irate citizens in his voting precinct to trace the one lone Re­ publican vote to its source; then they called on him; they called enmasse, in the middle of the night, and gave him one emphatic command-"GIT." He stated afterwards that he "got" quite promptly and without argument; he outran the citizens to the bank of the Mississippi River, saw a row boat, leaped into it and rowed for dear life, while the citizens, missing him, shot away one of his oars, leaving him but one with which to reach the bend in the river and safety. After that he went to Minnesota where Republicans were more respected and became a trapper and hunter. But Minne­ sotat was too tame and monotonous, and in 18S8 he mounted his horse and headed westward. He stopped at the junction of Cher­ ry Creek and the Platte River, and there met Kit Carson, a man after bis own heart, and so cast his fortunes with the Colorado that was to be. In 1861 at the outbreak of the Civil War, the prospect for adventure looking hopeful, he joined the First Colo­ rado Cavalry. In 1863 along with Kit Carson he was detailed for service as government scout and it was in this capacity that he connected up with Col. Chivington and all that followed. After George Pingree had lived eight-five years and become convinced that Platteville was the best spot on earth, he literally pitched his tent and there lived for sixteen more years when the final summons came. And there, in an honored niche in the Platteville cemetery still lies the body of the famous scout, link­ ing Weld county with the adventurous years of the past.

276 PIONEER STORIES

Wild Horses·, Early 1870s A LEAF FROM THE EXPERIENCE OF L. E. WITHERBEE No story of the early day can be more pathetic than that of the Wild Horses tllat roamed the range in the· very excess of freed om and joy of existence. It is a story that must hold the interest of every human being who still can thrill to life in the natural, and respond with sympathy to the final despair of the wild as a changing order crept inevitably upon them. Civiliza­ tion laid heavy tribute upon all wild life, but upon none more heavily than upon the horse. Fleet of foot and free of spirit he seemed a part of the great open spaces. He was a part; but the wide open spaces finally yielded to limitations, and so at last did also the Magnificent Monarch to the toil of his civilized kindred and subjugation to the will of man. How this was eventually accomplished can best be told by the actual experience of L. E. \Vitherbee who rode the range in the early '70s. The story is taken, by friendly consent, from the History of Logan County, written by Mrs. Emma Burke Conklin in l928. It is abridged to save space, but quotations are accurate. Quoting- "The range country in the early '70s between the South Platte and the Arkansas rivers was infested with herds of wild horses. They ran in bands of from ten to fifty. They had their well-known watering places and knew every foot of the country over which they ranged. When the time came to eradicate them the job was a big one and was accomplished only by the most determined and concerted action. "It required our top hor~es, well grained and in perfect condition, and ridden by men who could rope and shoot. It re­ quired several relays of our best stock to run down and corral a bunch of mustangs. Their speed, endurance and head-work was marvelous. I have dropped in with a fresh horse at the sec­ ond or third relief behind a flying bunch and watched with amazement their untiring efforts to elude their pursuers. Every one would be covered with a white foam; but they were just then ready to do their best. No man except one who has had experi- 277 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

ence, could believe that a bunch of wild horses could possibly hold out to run at top speed for 40 or 50 miles at a stretch." Here Mr. Witherbee tells of the usual method of running them down, but also of one rider( who did it quite successfully another way. He says: "The most successful wild horse hunter on the range dis­ covered that he could walk them down and do it without injury, His name was Wild Horse Jerry; at least, though I knew him many years I never heard him called by any other. One day I got him to outline his mode of procedure, and this is the way he gave it. "He would locate a band of 30 or 40, find their watering place and move his camp into that territory. He would have three saddle horses. Leaving two on picket he would mount the other and ride out leisurely, allowing himself to be seen by the wild horses. They would run away. He would follow, still leisurely. When he came up with them they would run again and again he would follow; and this would be kept up all day. As night came on he would maneuver to direct their course toward the place where he had left the other horses; there he would leave the ti~ed one and take a fresh one. He never allowed the band to reach the water nor rest a moment. "By the end of the second day he would be nearer them and by the end of the third up with them. Many would be limping and have a tired and worn look, the effect of no water, no rest, no sleep. At the end of the fourth day he could drive them in any direction, but they were n·ot ready yet to be corralled. That was a work of art. When they were so footsore and worn that he could ride in among them and whip them up with a rope they were ready to be brought into civilization and would quietly walk into the corral. After they were rested and fed for about a week they were ready to be shipped east and sold." But notwithstanding Jerry's success wi·h this method the group of which Mr. Witherbee was a part still continued by the method of si)eed. Again quoting: "When the time finally came for us to make our raid on the mustangs there was real excitement in the camp. Every man 278 PIONEER STORIES

rode his top horse and looke<;l carefully after every detail. His saddle was thoroughly e~amined, gun cleaned and oiled, saddle blankets reduced in number to hold down weight; everything discarded that could be. But I never discarded my chaps after one painful experience. That was one day when I had roped, saddled and was riding a wild horse," ( one recently captured) u,vhen suddenly he turned his head back and snapped my shin bone ,vith his powerful teeth; he would undoubtedly have crushed it but for the chaps. As it was the pain was excruciating when his iron jaws slipped off and snapped together like a pistol. ,:on an early spring morning we started from the "22" ranch on the south side of the South Platte about midway be­ tween Greeley and Julesburg. The champing of bits, the jingle of spurs and the first streaks of dawn lent a sort of enchant­ ment to the scene. We rode out slowly, for a real Westerner never hurries his horse at the beginning of a day's work; that is an unwritten law that is never broken. Speed comes later. l~The Platte river, a mile wide in those days, we left behind us just as the day was breaking in the east. The morning wore on; the sun came up over the sand hills in spring time splendor, flashing on spurs, buckles and bridles. The horses all looked fit a.nd the sixteen riders felt the witchery of adventure, each knowing that he would do his best."

This sentiment was put to the acid test in Mr. Witherbee's case later when he was assigned a duty that under no other cir­ cumstances could he have done, and that eve1' as a duty was al­ most impossible. But 1 he law of the range must not be violated­ a duty assigned by a foreman must be performed. And so, this lover of. horses, before the end of the day, had killed two of the most beautiful he had ever seen. In the wordless organization among wild horses, one, gener­ ally the finest of the flock, is the leader. While his herd grazes or rests he is on the watchout, and when he gives the signal all follow him implicitly. He would lead the herd far away from their captors, th~refore he must be eliminated. In this case · he tragic duty fell to Mr. Witherbee. But hd can tell the story best himself. "I saw the leader of our riders slow down and stop; he disn1ounted and n1otioned to all of us to stop and be quiet. Then he crawled on his hands and knees to the top of a low sandy 279 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO ridge; carefully he looked through his field glass, then crept back and told us the wild horses were just over the ridge about three-quarters of a mile away. "'Boys,' he said, 'we are going to corral that bunch of horses; it will be rough riding and dangerous, but every thing is in our favor; wind is right; run will be down hill; our horses are in fine shape; the flat where the wild horses are is almost in the shape of a horseshoe with the open end toward the ranch; we will surround the bunch and they will have to go out that way.' "Then to me, looking at his watch: 'What time have you?' I showed him my watch. 'All right,' he said, 'give me just thirty minutes to place my men, then strip your horse and expose him on that ridge; the leader of the mustangs will come to him; he will come on until he sees you; you are to be lying down with gun in position. When he sees you he will turn broadside, but only for an instant; that is your time. Can you do it? Will you? I must have said yes, for he continued: 'You know that unless that stallion is killed we can never corral the bunch. Use your telescope. Be careful. All right, boys, come on.' "That half hour was a terror, but I carried out instructions to the letl~r. I crawled carefully to the top of the ridge; at the right moment I took the saddle off my horse and placed him where he could be seen. I rested my gun in a steady place, then I looked through my Malcom glass. What a sight. Some of the wild horses were lying down, some grazing, but that magnificent stallion was on the watch; he was a perfect picture of life and beauty, a thing that should never die, but live forever. He was uneasy; his intuition told him there was danger. He would trot back and forth, throw up his head, sniff the wind and stand listening, then circle the bunch far outside, his long sweeping tail and heavy mane shining like silver in the. sunlight. He was the handsomest thing I had ever seen. Did I feel sorry for what I was about to do? Yes. Did I hesitate? No. "He saw my horse; on and on he came, gracefully and swiftly over the three-quarter mile distance, his nostrils wide­ spread, his tail and mane floating on the air, the very embodi­ ment of power and beauty. Within a hundred and fifty feet of 280 PIONEER STORIES

my horse he seemed to sense my presence, stopped instantly and turned broadside. The cross hairs of my telescope marked the vital spot, my finger touched the trigger. He reared up and fell backwards. It was done. But I could not go and look at him." Here Mr. Witherbee tells of how the herd, now leaderless, were being driven toward the ranch and its corral when a beautiful mare with a y~ling colt beside her, threatened to break through the ranks an

281 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

Letters of Lucy M. Billings No p~cture could be truer to life in the first pioneer days of Union Colony than that found in the letters of Lucy Billings who lived through those days and had the rare ability of draw­ ing pictures form the scenes of every day life. Jesse F. and Lucy M.Billings with their two little girls, Alice and Fannie, arrived with other colonists May 10, 1870. l\t1rs. Billings kept up a constant correspondence with her moth­ er back in the old home in Wisconsin and these letters have been carefully preserved to the present day. They are among the priceless possessions of Mrs. Gene Williams, the Alice of the Billings family, who has kindly allowed the writer of this his­ tory to take from them the following extracts bearing upon I~fe in the first two years of the colony. They tell of hardships and privations met with the strong fine spirit of the pioneer; but there is a tinge of sadness in them, too, when it is known that the brave soul of Lucy Billings was called from earth before the end of the second colony year be fore ·Ihany of her cherished hopes could be realized. And one of the saddest parts of the story is that her death was caused _by typhoid fever which was traceable to the water that the colonists were then obliged to use. Her body was laid away on the hill that is now Inspiration Point, but later was placed in the new cemetery when it was established, where it is today. After the mother's death the little girls were sent back to their grandmother in Wisconsin, but when Alice was 16 she re­ turned to Greeley and lived with her father. Later she married Gene Williams and her home has ever since been in Greeley. The following are brief extracts from the letters: THE INDIANS. THE NEW HOME IN THE COLONY. "May 22, 1870. "They say there is no danger from Indians here, yet I can­ not help being some afraid. Jesse never goes to bed without his gun where he can put his hand on it. The colony is well armed~ and I hope for the best. 282 PIONEER STORIES

"There has been a great change in the two weeks we have been here. When we came there were three houses and three or four tents; now there are as many as 25 houses and a large num­ ber of tents; there would be more if there was lumber. We moved into our own house last Friday. I will describe it to you: It is better than most of the houses in Greeley: It is 12 feet by 18, all in one room. It is not plastered; that is to be done in the fu­ ture when lime can be had. Jesse is going to make me a cup­ board for a pantry. We have a hole dug under the floor with a tight box fitted into it where we keep milk and butter cool. We will have three windows when we get them finished. Our house is built of matched boards so it is warm and strong and the wind does not stir it at all. Our goods came all right."

Jmprovin.g. New Homemade Furniture. Rea/, Stove. Coal Mine Discovered Near Colony. "June 6, 1870. "We are improving a little in our style of living; Jesse is making improvements all the time. Our table and bedstead are both home-made; we have no chairs yet but they say there will be all kinds of furniture here soon. We have a pretty stove and a good one; it cost $3 7. The furniture with it is a boiler, spider, grid-iron, dripping pan, two griddles, two bread pans, a teaket­ tle, coffee boiler and steamer. "The worst thing here is we are obliged to burn coal, and I don't like it. Perhaps I shall get used to it. Wood is scarce and can only be used for kindling. The Colony has discovered a coal mine within 15 miles and is working it. Jesse has taken a share so we can have coal cheaply. 'Sometimes I get 'blue,' living so rough, but I look about me; others are living in the same way and worse, and making the best of it, and so I try to make the best of it, too. We are all perfectly well and that is a great blessing. The past week has been pleasant. "You pity me because I must live in the same room with my stove; but I haven't seen a night or morning yet when a fire was uncomfortable; some days we keep it all day. The Rocky moun- 283 A HISTORY OP WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

tains, only 18 miles away, are always covered with snow. "We have one big improvement the past week; a well has been dug of beautiful soft water, very pure. The river water that is to be brought over town for irrigation is soft and pure, too. "Lumber is high and almost impossible to get, but we think it will be cheaper by and by. Then we will build on a bed-room and finish off the house. I live in hopes of better things. I will send you one or two pressed flowers such as grow all over these prairies; one is a cactus, very handsome but covered with ter­ rible prickers. They say they ·Nill disappear when the ground is cultivated.'' NO INDIANS "June 11, 1870. "I am getting all over being afraid of Indians. Most of the Indian troubles are in the southern part of the state; if they should.come this way we should hear of it and the Colony would be prepared. I do not anticipate trouble. "'It is all nonsense to expect to build a town in a few weeks; it has to take time; and I came out expecting to undergo a good many privations and get along most any way for the first few years. \\Te have five acres about five miles out of town and I shouldn't wonder if we moved out there another year; then we could keep a cow and hens and raise stock. TOWN IMPROVING, BUT IT TAKES TIME. TREES, A • PARK AND A RESERVOIR. "June 19, 1870. "Our town is improving slowly. Some are very sure we are going to have a large place. If we do it will be a beautiful one because it is handsomely laid out and the colony is setting out trees on every street, both sides. There is a square or park in the middle witlia large reservoir in the center; water is conducted into it from the river and into our gardens. Ours is planted and irrigated; we have put in a good many potatoes and such things. 284 PIONEER STORIES

"Mr. Meeker and his family are here and living in no bet­ ter style than the rest of us. "All the village lots are taken and persons joining the col­ ony now have to pay $50 more than we did. We expect to have the deeds to our property soon. We may go out to our five acres in the spring. "We hope to get a bedstead and some chairs this week. It would have paid us to have brought ours. Jesse likes it here and thinks we can make something if we can be content to rough it for a while till we get a start. I have an easy time! don't have work enough to keep me busy." Ho,v THEY CELEBRATED THE FOURTH. THE FIRST BABY AND HIS IMPOSING NAME. "July 5, 1870. "I told you I would write again after the Fourth. It is over now so I can tell you about it. There were several hundred peo­ ple here from Cheyenne and Denver and the mountains. They went through the regular exercises and raised a Liberty pole in the Park. There were fireworks in the evening and on the whole we had quite a celebration on this Great American Desert. '~It is wonderful how this place has grown; there are over 200 buildings, though of course, they are shanties; just some­ thing for shelter. Ours is one of the best dwelling houses, but there are some good stores. There is no church organized yet, but there is one minister who preaches for all. I think he is a Baptist. "The first baby ~orn in Greeley came a few days ago. A Commitee named him Horace Greeley Meeker Cameron Dixon, and presented him with a share in the Colony." ALICE STARTS TO SCHOOL. "July 10, 1870. "Jesse works every day at carpentering and in the garden mornings and evenings; he works nearly an hour before break­ fast and we have breakfast at six; last night he was in the gar­ den till ten; it was moonlight. If we do not have early frost we 285 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO will have things to live on this winter. Alice began school last Wednesday. There are 35 pupils and no two have books alike." PLENTY OF WORK. THE MEEKER HOUSE BUILDING. July 17, 1870. "Jesse has more work than he can do. A good many are building houses now of adobe brick; they are made of soil and sun-dried. Mr. Meeker is having one built for himself. Jesse says if they are a success he will build us one. Some of my shrub­ bery is dying, but my rose bushes and grapes look splendid. It has been warm the past week but the nights are cool." MANY HOUSES GOING UP. FIRST DUST STORMS RECORDED. "July 23, 1870. Every day we see new houses going up; lumber is cheaper llow and they are building better houses. We have haci some very . warm weather lately; but instead of showers of rain we have showers of wind. I generally see them coming and rush to shut' the doors and windows for the air is filled with dust. It 1s one of the draw-backs of this country. Alice goes to Sabbath school regularly; we have a good day school taught ~y the widow of a Lutheran minister." SO LIFE GOES ON. "July 30, 18 70. "We jog along from week to week with. little change; it is warm but the nights are cool and it is not so prostrating as with you. As I look from my window I see two new houses I had not seen before. They spring up in every direction and new families are arriving every day. I am glad we came when we did. I can see it all." BLANK&T SHAWLS IN CHURCH. THE GREELEY TRIBUNE ABOUT TO START. THE FIRST DEATHS. "August 10, 1870. "Tuesday night we had a terrible thunder storm; it rained 286 PIONEER STORIES all night and is so cold today we need a fire to sit by. Most every­ body wore blanket shawls to church today. We had a Methodist minister this time. "The colony appears prosperous now. Mr. Meeker will start a paper soon; it wHl ·be called the Tribune of the West. I hear of no sickness here. There have been two deaths, but one was a boy run over by the cars and the other a woman who was very sick whe she came. I wish you would send me some flower seeds this fall for Alice." HOPING FOR A COMFORTABLE HOME IN THE NEAR FUTURE. "Sept. 11, 18 70. "We must get our house fixed soon. Jesse thinks he will build a cellar and another rough room. I live in hopes for we are so cluttered up·as we are that sometimes it seems I can't stand it another minute. We are better off than a good many, but if I ever do get a comfoitable home I shall stick to it, I know I shall.n NEIGHBORS AT THE END AS WELL AS THE BEGIN- NING THE FIRST Ai~D LAST SALOON "Oct. 22, 18 70. One of our neighbors died and the funeral was today. I have been over there and have had the two small children here. Poor little things. She was the third to be buried in the ceme­ tery here. They are having quite a time here today. You know this is a temperance town and we are determined it shall be so. Last night some parties came in and opened a saloon. The authorities broke it up and burned it today. The leading men say there shall be no saloons but it is outsiders who are determined to bring in liquor." IT IS DIFFERENT HERE "Nov. 7, 1870. ''We are having our bedroom built; it is slow work but when we get it fixed we shall be more comfortable; I have to be 287 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

patient. We have bought bedstead and chairs; the children sleep in a trundle bed. I will put my bureau in the new bedroom and carpet it. It would be awful to live like this back there, but people here who have a kitchen and bedroom are considered fortunate." LOOKING TOWARD NEXT YEAR "Nov. 20, 1870. "We have our five acres plowed now and will raise some­ thing on them next year. I am not going to get discouraged the first year." A HAPPY CHRISTMAS "Christmas Day, 1870. "We have had a house full of company; they were neigh­ bors; the wife came before her husband expected her. Now they are all fixed and they invited us over today. There was a Christ­ mas tree at Sabbath school for the children. Alice could not go because she was not well enough but her teacher, Mr. Meeker's daugHter, brought her presents to her: a little china cup and saucer 'and a big bag of candy. Alice was delighted. Both chil­ dren hung up their stockings and got numerous small presents and were very happy." BEAUTIFUL WEATHER IN JANUARY Jan. 8, 1871. "We are having the most beautiful weather I ever saw; I cannot realize it is mid-winter." * * * * And so these history-marking letters run on through the months down to September 18, 1871, three weeks before her death, every letter worthy a full quotation. January 22 she tells of the Baptists, Congregationalists and the Methodists preparing to build. February 10 she describes the most beautiful weather she ever saw in February; and speaks of the delicious dried peaches they had from Salt Lake. The March 10 letter tells of gardening operations beginning, and of her chickens. 288 PIONEER STORIES

April 12 tells of the summer kitchen finished and of putting two beds in her new bedroom so as to be able to give others shelter. April 30, more of their gardening and their intention of trying to raise melons. June 1 tells of a spell of sickness but declares herself all right again; of her white curtains with red tassles; of their nice looking garden; of six evergreen trees and cottonwoods all around; of a small tornado that had struck Greeley demolishing some unfinished houses. June 15, not feeling so well; town getting ready for a big Fourth of July celebra­ tion. July 2, feeling better; had been to hear Elizabeth Cady Stanton lecture; was delighted; garden fine; promise of many tomatoes: July 9 of a hail storm that had seemed to detroy it all; greatly discouraged. July 23 garden recovering wonder­ fully; not much loss. Evidently a letter had been published in the Toledo Blade declaring the Colony a failure, for Mrs. Bill­ ings comes to its· defense vigorously. She says in part: "Union Colony has succeeded beyond the expectations of the most hopeful. When a Colony has built up a town, set out trees and gardens and grown potatoes and other vegetables enough to last a year and wheat for bread, it cannot be called a failure. When saloons are opened and drunkards are seen here then I will be ready to say we are a miserable failure." Then she tells of a lot of editors visiting the Colony, of go­ ing to hear Grace Greenough lecture and how she enjoyed it. August 10 she tells of her fine citrons and ·of the tubf ull of pickles she had just finished putting down. Then comes the last letter, September 18, when she tells of attending the dedication ,f the new Baptist church, the first church building to be fin­ ished in Greeley. The sermon was by a minister from Chicago and the house was crowded; it was a pretty church and cost. $6,000. The Methodists were building one of brick to be com­ pleted soon. The Presbyterians to commence a church soon hut the Congregationalists not at present. * * * * Here the record breaks off, but "Alice", Mrs. Gene Will- iams, adds: "My mother was stricken and died_ after a short and violent illness, on October 21, 1s·11. She was buried on the 289 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO hill that is now Inspiration Point. I still have a boquet of wild flowers picked from that grave. In 1873 when the present cem­ etery was located her body was placed there and there rests today. My father lived to see Greeley grow and thrive. He died in January 1893 and was laid beside my mother." ·

290 SUGAR SUGAR BEET CULTURE, AND WHEN AND HOW IT ARRIVED IN- WELD. Going back to the first experiments in sugar beet culture in this state by way of The History Of Agriculture In Colorado, sponsored by the State Board of Agriculture, edited by Alvin T. Steinel with the assistance of Dr. D. W. Working as investigator and colaborator and published by the Board in 1926, we find that the first seed was planted by Peter Magnes and the second by L. K. Perrin or, possibly, both at the same time. The exact time of planting is not definitely known; but is believed to have been in the spring of either 1860 or 1861, most Histories giving the first date. It does not develop that either Magnes or Perrin knew that the other was planting, but both had reached the same conviction at about the same time, that the soil of Colorado Ter­ ritory would produce a beet that would produce sugar. It may have been in the soil of Jefferson Territory instead of Colorado that the seed was planted, if the planting was done in 1860 or early enough in 1861, since the change from Jefferson to Colo­ rado was not made formally until June of 1861. But it matters not what name the Territory bore, both Magnes and Perrin cer­ tainly demonstrated that its soil would produce the kind of beet that would make sugar. Peter Magnes was a Swede and a practical farmer. He came with the gold seekers of 1859 but was soon convinced that the gold of this region was not to be found in the sands of its creeks but in the deep furrowed fields of its future farmers. With this firm conviction he returned to Illinois in the fall of 1859 and prepared for a permanent move to the new Territory. In the spring of 1860 he came back bringing with him his fam­ ily and an abundant stock of supplies, among which were fruit trees and seeds of many kinds, and took up his abode a few miles south of the settlement of Denver, soon thereafter putting his theories to the test. Perrin carried forward his exoeriments.. in the Clear Creek valley not many miles away. But not much 291 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO could be learned of Perrin's personal history prior to his plant­ ing the seed. After a time, probably two or three years, no record states exactly, Magnes procured a small press, probably a cider press, extracted the juice of the beets he had grown and boiled it down. It made sugar. His theory was correct. The point of discovery, however, was. not that the juice of beets would make sugar; that had been demonstrated many years before; but the big discovery was that the soil of this region would produce a beet that would do it. And that was what he had now proven. Between the planting and the proving Magnes and Perrin had come together and compared notes, finding that both had reached the same conclusion. Then they told W. N. Byers, editor of the Rocky Mountain News, explained the process and showed the product, and Byers caught the enthusiasm and pub­ lished an editorial that started things going. This was November 3~ 1866. But things did not go very fast so far as material results were concerned. The leaven of the ,new idea had to work through the mental plane and that was a slow process. It was "too good to be true," and scepticism. held it back a good many years. In fact it was thirty-three years be­ fore the first factory appeared. But the early enthusiasts did not expect it to be that long, so went ahead as though success were just around the corner. · The next important development was in 1869 when Profes­ sor Jacob Schrimer, a scientist, stepped into the picture. He es­ tablished a laboratory in the old United State Mint Building that stood at 15th and Market streets, in Denver, and there made scientific tests that fully bore out the simpler tests made by Magnes and Perrin. These tests were entirely convincing to- the scientists and the experimentrs, but to convince the skeptic re­ quired further proof. In 1871 Professor Schrimer sent samples of the beets to the Agricultural Department at Washington requesting a labor­ atory test. The acting chemist of that departmen was an M. D. and his report was that he had "operated upon" two beets, giving 292 SUGAR scientific details of the "operation," and he declared that he had found the percentage of sugar, as compared with European an­ alyses, to be next to the highest; the top European figure stood at 14.78 and the Colorado analy~is at 14.50, a figure much high­ er than the EuropeaR average. Two facts were now definitely established; that the soil of this region was adapted to the culture of beets, and that beets grown on this soil contained a high percentage -of sugar. What now could hinder the industry from growing? Something did. The leaven of the new idea had not yet worked its way through the heavy mental material and many more experiments were necessary. However, the enthusiasts kept on. Editor Byers again took his pen in hand. Articles were written, meetin~. were called, even conventions, and speakers, armed to the teeth with facts and figures and conclusive arguments, spoke; the mental ground was plowed and harrowed, and by and by the seed that had so long Iain fallow sent forth one little shoot. A bill was introduced in the legislature of 1872 designed to attract capital for the build­ ing of a factory. It looked enticing and might have been a win­ ner had it successfully run the gauntlet of the legislature, but it didn't; near the end it stumbled and fell. The $10,000 bounty offered was the stumbling block. The bill provided that- "The first corporate company, person or persons, who will, within the limits of the Territory, erect a manufactory and re­ finery for the extraction of sugar from beets at a cost of not less than $50,000, having a capacity for, and producing, not less than 2,000 pounds of sugar per day, and which shall manu­ facture from beets grown in the Territory of Colorado not less than 200 barrels of good merchantable sugar, shall receive a bounty of $10,000 from the Territorial treasury." The enthusiasts watched the fortunes of this bill breath­ lessly. It had many friends in the legislature, but lacked ONE of having enough. It was defeated by just ONE vote. None opposed it on principle, but the ~rgument that swung the de­ cision was economy; the Territory could not afford the gift of 2-93 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

$10,000 to anybody for any purpose. The count of the final vote showed only a majority of one holding this view to the end, but h~~~- . Had the legislature of that time, 18 72, added t~ the $10,- 000 proposed as a clear gift enough more to have made up the $50,000 estimated to be needed for the establishment of a fac­ tory and set that amount aside for that purpose, the factory so built would have been the property of the state and a never failing source of income to meet the expenses of the state, and must have obviated in later years the necessity of such arbitrary enactments as sales and service taxes. Confidential figures per­ taining to the wealth actually produced are not easily available, but it is more than a safe guess that the income of the companies that finally did invest has run well over the million dollar mark every year on an average since factories have been established. But the legislature of 1872 did not embrace this opportun­ ity, and it is doubtful if tltat of 1936-7 would have done any better, so slowly does the leaven of a new idea work through ~~vy mental matter. , It was not only the idea that Colorado beets would produce sugar that had to be proven, but it had also to be shown that this could be done at a profit, and so a group of men started immediately after the defeat ~f the bonus bill to prove this point. On February 23, 1872, the Colorado Sugar Manufacturing Company was organized for the purpose of raising a fund of $30,000 to start a factory. But that was $20,000 short of being enough, so failed; the enterprise that might have succeeded at $50,000 failed to get a start at $30,000. James Arden, one of the incorporators, made the statement that the sugar industry when under way would bring to the Territory a million dollars a year. This statement was, of course, considered extravagant, but the authority from which these facts are taken, The History Of Agricuiture In Colorado, page 291, states that in the early 1930s an average of twenty millions a year was coming to the farmers of the state. And this after allowing other millions for the company. 294 SUGAR

In 18 79 the Agricultural College at Ft. Collins was started and in the following year an experimental station established. Here the tests of the early experimentors were continued. Set­ ting aside for the time being the hope of sugar production, the demonstrators proved that the· raising of beets was not a loss even without their utilization as sugar, their forage value being sufficient to pay for their cultivation. Somehow sugar beets had taken a hold on the farmers and could not be entirely abandoned. In the spring of 1888 seed was procured from the Spreckles plant in California and beets sent to the Watsonville factory for test. This test brought a report of 16 and ¾ per cent sugar content, which was above that of the California grown beets. The yield was from 2 2 to 2 9 tons per acre. In the early 1890s a Federal Bounty law was enacted to stimulate the establishment of factories over the United States; following this, in 1895, a bill made a successful passage through the Colorado legislature, but met defeat at the hands of Gover­ nor McIntyre. A WOMAN AT THE BOTTOM OF IT. Since the days of Mother Eve women have been to blame for things, but once in a while, perhaps, they might be given credit. There is no way of knowing how much longer the beet su­ gar industry might have languished in Colorado had it not been for a woman. In 1882 Mrs. C. E. Mitchell, wife of a druggist in Grand Junction, went visiting. Her friends lived in Grand Island, Ne­ braska. The Big Show Place they had to show her was the sugar factory. She was deeply impressed and gained so clear an under­ standing of its intricate processes that on her return home she was able to make a sugar enthusiast of her husband. And from that time to the end of the century-and beyona, the Mitchells, the farmers and the Agricultural papers hammered away on the sub­ ject until at last Garfield, Montrose and Delta counties joined in the chorus and Mesa stepped forward with the first tangible proof that the leaven was working. Mesa offered a one per cent 295 A IDSTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

bonus on whatever capital could be induced to invest and soon raised the ante to three per cent .. And the leaven that had so long been working through the mental plane began to show up on the material plane. On February 8, 1899, a contract was signed by the Colorado Sugar Manufacturing Company with E. H. Dyer of Cleveland, Ohio, for the erection of a factory at Grand Junction. That city donated 1,500 acres of land for a factory site and, in addition to the three per cent bonus given by the county, the farmers pledged 3,500 acres of beets each year for three years. The cap­ ital stock of the company was $750,000. The factory was a success from the start, and now profits began to talk and capitalists to listen. Capital lost its timidity and factories began to spring up all over the state until within the next twenty-six years seventeen had appeared. The contract price for beets was at first $4.25 per ton, but ex-Governor Eaton declared that was not enough and that it ought to reach $8; that it could come to that figure and still make a generous profit for investors. Since then in years when pril:es have climbed toward that iigure and companies have still realized profits, that assertion has held its ground. PRODUCTION IN WELD COUNTY. WHEN AND WHERE FACTORIES WERE ESTABLISHED. Charles E. Evans, for thirty-three years manager of this district who retired in January 1938 and was succeeded by Har­ vey S. Looper, is authority for the following information regard­ ing the different phases of sugar production in Weld county. Five factories have been established: Greeley and Eaton in 1902; Windsor, 1903; Ft. Lupton, 1920, and Johnstown.In 1925. FACTORIES OF GREELEY AND EATON. Ground was broken first in Greeley but was followed so soon by Eaton that both plants finished at the same time and opened for business on the same day. The first spade of dirt was lifted on October 15, 1901, and a year later, October 6, 1902, both factories were ready for a great celebration. They were ready, 296 SUGAR

but arrangements for the celebration of so tremendous an event, the like of which had never occurred before, took a few days longer; so it was actually on October 23 when A. M. McClenna­ han, representing the Sugar Company, pulled the lever that set in motion the great machinery_ that was destined to put Weld county definitely on the agricultural map and give it first rank in the state as a sugar producer. It was a history making event, marking a great forward stride industrially, economically and socially. In 1902, the factories being established and acreage pledged, the next question arising for settlement was the cultivation of beets. The Sugar company stated that American workers neither understood nor would be willing to perform the labor necessary to the successful cultivation of beets, therefore it would be neces­ sary to bring in laborers who did understand and were willing to do the work. Whether or not this was a surprise development to the farmers .does not appear, but history does record that the Company brought from near Lincoln, Nebr., a group of about 400 workers who had been brought to Nebraska from across the water and were called German-Russians. A few of this group were sent iarther north and east but the bulk of them were retained in the Greeley-Eaton district. As other factories were established their labor needs were supplied in the same manner. For this first group land was leased about two and a half miles northwest of Greeley and a colony estab­ lished; those for Eaton were located just east of the town, which location later became a part of the town. In personel these col­ onies have changed considerably in the passing years, owing mostly to changes in the emigration laws by which quotas have been so regulated as to check the inflow of immigration from Germany and Russia. Because of this beet workers have been brought almost exclusively from Mexico and the colonies are now known as Spanish-American. The Greeley factory was first constructed with a capacity of 600 tons of beets but has been increased to 1,550 tons. It has a yearly average of 122,700 tons. Its last report gives 122,112 tons used and 15,843 tons of sugar produced. But the Eaton fac- 297 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO tory topped this figure with the production of 16,289 tons of su­ gar from 124,500 tons of beets, thus securing top rating for that ... + • 01~ .. r1c t·• Length of the campaign in both factories is an average of 75 days. Each Etnploys e1ght people in the office and 250 in the factory. WINDSOR. \Vindsor opened for business in 1903 with a capacity of 1.155 tons of beets. In 1936 it used 123,000 tons of ~eets, and prrduced about 16,200 tons of sugar. It consumes yearly about 124,000 tons of beets. Its campaign is also an average of 75 d~ys, and its number of employes the same as Greeley and Eaton: eight in office and 250 in factory. Its manager is Ralph Partridge. FT. LUPTON. Ft. Lupton opened for business in October, 1920, with a capacity of 1,150 tons of beets daily and a yearly production of 12,000. ., tons of sugar. The report of 1936 gives it 92,000 tons of beets and approximately 11,900 tons of sugar. It employed seven in the office and 200 in the factory. Its campaign is also about 75 days, and its manager is Charles F. Johnson. JOHNSTOWN This factory is different from all others and is now the only one of its kind in the world. Its processes were invented for the purpose of utilizing the molasses from other factories that was otherwise, so far as sugar was concerned, a waste product. From the very beginning of sugar manufactory the scientific 'I.Uestion that had baffled all sugar makers was how to extract all the sugar from beets. After the juice had reached a certain stage of molasses beyond which further extraction was impos­ sible by any method known to refiners, there still remained a large percentage of sugar in it, even, it is claimed, up to 50 per cent. It was a serious problem, and it was a world problem; therefore Weld county can be congratulated on the best solution 298 SUGAR that has yet been worked out in the world. Other countries have wrestled with the problem and some have had confidence enough to establish factories based on their discoveries; but for one rea­ son or another all have been abandoned and the factory at Johns­ town alone holds the world solution at the present time. The Johnstown factory produces the finest quality of con­ fectioners sugar, and its processes are now being studied by ex­ pert chemists from all over the world. It is not claimed that without the Johnstown process the su­ gar that eluded refineries was a total waste, for it was being used in the make up of cattle feed; but in that it was not needed and was, to use the expression of the Great Western, at least "an un-economic" use to make of it. The Johnstown factory runs concurrently with the others and from six to eight months longer. C. C. Crawford is its man­ ager. GREAT WESTERN SUGAR COMPANY . The Great Western Sugar Company was formed by the consolidation of several smaller ones and placed under one gen­ eral management. The factories constituting the Great West­ ern are: Greeley, Eaton, Longmont, Loveland, Ft. Collins, Wind­ sor, Ft. Lupton, Sterling, Brush and Ft. Morgan. The first of its factories was built in Loveland in 1901. Charles S. Morey was its first General Manager and President. He was followed by W. P. Lippett, after whose death on February 17, 1935, Frank A. Kemp becan1e Ge1l~:-:-al Manager, and three months later, Presi­ dent. GE?~ERAL INFORMATION. UNCLASSIFIED. According to the observations of Charles Evans beets plant­ ed before April 15 produce from two to two and a half tons more sugar than seeds planted later; but the season has much to do with results. There have been many variations in the manner of com­ puting prices to farmers and wages to labor, but ( in 193 7) Mr. Evans believed the general trend was to be upward. However, 299 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO

as this History goes to press early in 1938 this prediction does not seem likely of verification. Colorado produces more than a third of all the beet sugar made in the United States, and Weld county almost a third of the state's production. Weld has five out of the seventeen fac­ tories of the state. During the War when pota~h was at a premium it was found that it could be extracted from the waste of sugar factories. One of its uses is the making of soap. Rare chemicals can also be made from the waste, but the demand does not make such pro­ duction profitable. The average value of sugar plants in Colorado is $1,000,- 000. The highest production of the largest plants is about 1,000,- 000 pounds of sugar every 24 hours during slicing time, about 75 days per year. The above facts and those to follow are taken from a state­ ment issued by·the Great Western Sugar Company. The follow­ ing statement will be surprising to many home canners who have always supposed that there was a distinct difference between beet and cane sugar for preserving. This statement is that in their chanical properties they are identical. The pure chemical base of sugar is called "sucrose," an_d is the same no matter whether found in beet or cane or tree. There are many common plants that contain sucrose but not in sufficient quantities to make extraction profitable. Clinch­ ing the above statement that there is no difference between cane and beet sugar, the authority quoted further states that when sugar is refined to its highest state of purity not even an ex­ pert chemist ca·n tell where it came from, whether beet, cane, maple tree or common plant. The by-products of beets have worked a big change in the feeding of stock and played a prominent part in placing Weld at the head of the counties of the state in dairy farming. Since calories have come to be recognized as an important factor in human diet, it may be interesting to know that sugar contains 1, 794 to the pound; only butter, oat meal and bacon are rated higher. Also that sugar is NOT harmful to the teeth. 300 Towns and Postoffices of Weld County SOURCES OF INFORMATION-The Colorado Year Book issued by the State Planning Commission, office of the secretary of state, Postmaster Redman, and the archives of City Hall. However reliable these sources, one class of figures, owing to the passing of time, must be incorrect-those on population. They were gathered in 1930, hence must not be expected to be correct in 1938. But being the latest available, are here used. A word of explanation should also be given with regard to the dates of incorporation of towns.. With the single excep­ tion of Greeley they are all as taken from the Year Book, which in turn took them from the office of the secretary of state. In that office dates are given when the state approved incorpora­ tion, and those dates are not necessarily those of actual incor­ poration by the towns. In the case of Greeley the state office gives N oveinber 15, 1885 as the date, while the Book of Ordin­ ances at the City Hall gives April 19, 1886. Both can be right. On the first date Greeley had established a right to incorpora­ tion by proving a certain population and on the la?t date the city council took action. In this case facts have been easily ob­ tainable, but not so in others; old records of town council meet­ ings are rare, so those of the secretary of state are depended upon for dates of incorporation. In givi~g statistics regarding the towns of Weld the follow­ ing order has been adopted: Date of incorporation, acres covered by incorporation, alti­ tude, principle industry, location in county relative to center and in reference to distance and direction from county seat, highway, railroad and bus line, and Postal service. Towns run alphabetically. AULT Incorporated April 11, 1904, covering 50 acres. Altitude 4,940 feet. Location, western part of county north of center; 11 miles north of county seat, and 3 west; on Highway 85, U. P. Railroad and bus line. Principal industry agriculture. Popula- 301 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO tion 73 7. Postal service local and rural. Route No. 1 with 148 boxes. CARR Not incorporated. Town site laid out March 23, 1907, by F. B. Stevenson, S. W. McGuire, T. A. Baden, J. L. Gray, Milt Warner and C. L. Warner; only one now living in Carr. Mc­ Guire and Mrs. Warner have died; Stevenson has removed to Ft. Collins, Gray to San Pedro, California, and Baden to Gree­ ley. Milt Warner is still in Carr and has served as secretary of the town site company ever since its organization. Location in northwestern part of county, 33 miles north and 9 west of county seat; 7 miles south of Wyoming state line and 3 east of Larimer county line. Elevation 5,705 feet. Population 7 5. On Union Pacific Railroad. Four and a half mile east of famous Natural Fort. DACONA Incorporated September 23, 1908, covering 40 acres. Alti­ tude 4,500 feet. Principal industry coal mining. Location south­ western part of county, 13 miles west and 23 south of county s~c\t. Population 27 5. Postal service, local only. EATON Incorporated December 5, 1892, covering 100 acres. Alti­ tude 4,750 feet. Population 1,221. Principal industry agriculture, almost wholly by irrigation. Location western part of county, north of center; 7 miles north of county seat, 1 west; on paved Highway 85, U. P. Railroad and bus line. Postal service, local and rural; Rural routes 1, 2, 3 with 3 7 5 boxes. ERIE Incorporated November 15, 1885, covering 10 acres. Alti­ tude 5,000 feet. Population 830. Principal industry coal mining. Location extreme southwest corner of county, 2 5 miles south and 18 west of county seat. On Boulder Valley Raflroad. Postal service local and rural; Route 1, with 8 7 boxes; local lock boxes 187. 302 TOWNS AND POSTOFFICES OF WELD COUNTY

EVANS Incorporated November 15, 1885, covering 1,000 acres. Alti­ tude 4,647 feet. Principal industry agriculture; irrigation. Popu­ lation 540. Location north and east of center, 3 miles south of county seat. On highway 85, U,. P. Railroad, Colorado Motor­ way. Postal service local; Lock boxes 125. FT.LUPTON Incorporated January 15, 1890, covering 500 acres. Alti­ tude 4,906 feet. Principal industry agriculture by irrigation; some coal mining. Population 1,578. Location, west of center; 23 miles south and 5 west of county seat. On Highway 85, U. P. Railroad and Colorado Motorway. Postal service local and rural. Rural Routes 1, 2, 3, with 410 boxes. Local lock boxes 252 FIRESTONE Incorporated October 8, 1908, covering 240 acres. Altitude 5,280 feet. Principal industry coal mining. Population 240. Lo­ cation southwest part of county, 20 miles south and 13 west of county seat. Postal service local; Lock boxes 6 7. FREDERICK Incorporated September 9, 1908, coveri_ng 120 acres. Alti­ tude 5,120 feet. Principal industry coal mining. Population 595. Location southwestern part of county; 21 miles south and 13 west of county seat. Postal service local; Lock boxes 186. GILCREST Incorporated March 18, 1912, covering 500 acres. Altitude 4,752 feet. Principal industry agriculture. Population 324. Lo­ cation west and south of center, 8 miles south and 5 west of county seat. On Highway 85, U. P. Railroad and Colorado Mot­ orway. Postal service local; Lock boxes 50. GREELEY-COUNTY SEAT Incorporated April 19, 1886, covering 2,297 acres. Alti­ tude 4,637 feet. Principal industry agriculture by irrigation. Population 12,203. Location south and west of center of county. On Highway 85, U. P. Railroad and Colorado Motorway. Postal 303 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO service local and rural; Rural Routes 1, 2, 3, 4, serving 1,122 boxes. Local lock boxes 688. GROVER Incorporated October 6, 1916, covering 200 acres. Altitude 5,000 feet. Industry, agriculture-dry farming. Population 167. Location northern part of county near center; 30 miles north and 24 east of county seat. On Burlington Railroad. Postal service local and rural; Rural Route 2, serving 190 boxes; Local lock boxes 40. HUDSON Incorporated April 2, 1914, covering 200 acres. Altitude 5,000 feet. Industry, agriculture. Population 346. Location, southern part of county west of center; 24 miles south and 3 west of county seat; 5 miles north of Adams county line. Postal serivce local and rural; Rural Route serving 94 boxes; Local lock boxes 72. JOHSTOWN Incorporated May 13, 1907, covering 40 acres. Altitude 4,820 feet. Population 767. Principal industry agriculture;_ also srq:ial sugar factory, only one of its kind in the world. Southwest of center; 6 miles south and 10 west of county seat. Postal service local and rural; Rural 118 boxes; Local lock boxes 245. KEENESBURG Incorporated June 4, 1919, covering 300 acres. Altitude 4,951. Population 297. Industry agriculture, both dry and ir­ rigated ;irrigation mostly by wells. Location southern part of county west of center; 20 miles south and 9 east of county seat. Postal service local and rural. Rural Route A serves 164 boxes. Local lock boxes 7. KEOTA Incorporated April 17, 1919 ____ , covering 140 acres. Altitude 5,000. Population 108. Industries dry farming and cattle graz­ ing. Locati~n north and east of center; 32 miles east and 20 north of county seat; 8 miles south and 4 west from famous f os­ sil fields of Pawnee Buttes. Postal service local; 28 boxes. 304 TOWNS AND POSTOFFICES OF WELD COUNTY

KERSEY Incorporated December 3, 1908, covering 3 20 acres. Alti­ tude 4,614. Industry agriculture, both dry and irrigated. Lo­ cation south and east of center; 3 miles south and 7 east of county seat. Postal service lo~l and rural. Rural Route A serves 187 boxes. Local lock boxes 81. LA SALLE Incorporated May 6, 1910, covering 640 acres. Altitude 4,700 feet. Population 564. Location south and west of center; 5 miles south and 1 west of county seat. On Highway 8S, Junc­ tion of U. P. and Burlington railroads. On Colorado Motorway. Industries agriculture and Railroad business. Postal service local and rural. Route 2 serves 294 hoes. Local lock boxes 143. MEAD Incorporated March 1 7, 1908, covering 60 acres. Altitude 5,280 feet. Population 152. Location extreme west of county south of center; 3 miles from Boulder county line; 16 miles west and 12 south of county seat. Industries agriculture. and coal mining. Postal service local. Lock boxes 80. MILLIKEN Incorporated October 1, 1910, covering 160 acres. Altitude 4,760 feet. Population 483. Industry agriculture, mostly by ir­ rigation. Location, south and west of center; 9 miles west and 6 south of county seat. Postal service local and rural. Rural Route No. 1 serves 105 boxes; local 87 boxes. NUNN Incorporated March 23, 1908, covering 640 acres. Altitude 5,186 feet. Population 196. Location north and west of center, 20 miles north and 5 west of county seat. On Highway 8S, U. P. Railroad and bus line. Industries agriculture, mostly dry farming, and cattle grazing. Postal service local and rural. Rural Route A serves 10S boxes. Lock boxes 70. PIERCE Incorporated August 30, 1918, covering 400 acres. Altitude 5,041 feet. Population 281. Industries, dry farming and cattle 30S A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO grazing. Location north and _west of center, 15 miles north and 4 west of county seat. On Highway 85, U. P. Railroad and bus line. Postal service local and rural. Rural Route No. 1 serves 88 boxes. Local boxes 70. PLATTEVILLE Incorporated January 1, 1887, covering 640 acres. Alti­ tude 4,820 feet. Population 533. Location south and west of center; 14 miles south and 4 west of county seat. Industry agri­ culture, almost wholly by irrigation. On Highway 85, U. P. Rail­ road and Motorway bus line. Postal service local and rural. Rural Route No. 2, serves 267 boxes. Local 157 boxes. NEW RAYMER Incorporated May 29, 1919, covering 250 acres. Altitude 4,779 feet. Population 254. Industry, farming and cattle graz­ ing. Location north and east of center; 44 miles east and 1 2 north of county seat. On Burlington Railroad. Postal service local and rural. Rural Route 1 serves 76 boxes, and local 96. SEVERANCE Incorporated November 20, 1920, covering acres (not given by tsecretary of state.) Altitude 4,900. Population 300. Location western part of county near center-( as measured from -north to south) 5 miles from Larimer county line; 7 north and 7 west of county seat. Industry agriculture both dry farming and irri­ gated. Postal service local; 3 2 boxes. WINDSOR Incorporated April 15, 1890, covering 275 acres. Altitude 4,900 feet. Population 1,852. Location western edge of county near central as from north to south; 2 miles from Larimer coun­ ty line; 10 west ond 4 north of county seat. On Burlington Rail­ road and Highway. Industries agriculture and horticulture, ir­ rigation only. Postal service local and rural. Rural Route No. 1 serves 180 boxes. Local 445. TOWNS~NOT INCORPORATED, POSTAL CENTERS BRIGGSDALE North central part of county, 18 miles east and 14 north of 306 TOWNS AND POSTOFFICES OF WELD COUNTY county seat. Population about 210. Industry dry farming, cat­ tle grazing. BRIGGSDALE North central part of county, 18 miles east, 14 north of coun­ ty seat. Population about 210. Industry dry farming, cattle. BUCKINGHAM N ortheastem part of county; 3 7 miles east and 13 ~orth of county seat. Population about 110. Industry dry farming and cattle grazing. CORNISH West of central part of county; 14 miles east, 7 north of county seat. Industry dry farming. Annual Stone Age Fair. GALETON West of center of county; 5 miles east, 7 north of county seat. Industry agriculture, dry and irrigated. Population about 150. GILL West of center of county; 7 miles east and 3 north of county seat. Population about 200. Industry agriculture, dry and ir­ rigated. HARDIN South of. central, 13 miles east and 4 south of county seat. Dry farming and cattle grazing. HEREFORD Extreme north-central part of county, 20 miles east and 38 north of county seat; 2 miles south of Wyoming state line. Dry farming and cattle grazing. Population about 60. IONE Southwest of center; 18 miles south and 6 west of county seat. Industry agriculture, dry and irrigated. LUCERNE West of central part of county, ·4 miles north of county seat. Industry agriculture, mostly by irrigation. MASTERS South central part of county, 7 miles south and 25 east of county seat on South Platte River near Morgan county line. 307 Coal; Prehistoric to 1938 ONE OF THE LINES OF PRODUCTION IN WHICH WELD COUNTY STANDS AT HEAD OF THE STATE. There was a time not so many years ago when Weld County languished far down the line of the state's producers of coal, but when she finally struck her stride she forged ahead and in 1931 stood at the head of her class. In the Colorado Year Book of 1932, page 240, the statement is made by Clark B. Carpenter, Associate Professor of Metalurgy in the State School of Mines, that Colorado's resources are greater than those of any other state in the Union. Added to this is the statement of the State Mine Inspector, (found in same book, Page 241) that the resources of Weld county are believed to be greater than those so far known, of any other county in the state. This statement is well qualified by the words "so far known," for it is always possible that some other county may discover deposits hitherto unknown, just as Weld has done, that may trans£ er the proud distinction of first place to that other county. When-and if-that happens Weld will cheerfully yield to. fme winner; but at present that honored place belongs to Weld. · It is well known in a general way that there was a consid­ erable coal production in Weld dating back to early colonial days; that veins were found on farms in the Greeley district and elsewhere, and, even that there was a Union Pacific Coal Company that transported coal by rail as far back as 1873. But there being no official or definite record of that time this His­ tory will have to start in at about 1885 when records began to be kept. From reliable state records of that tin1e, the period between 1885 and 1890 had a production of 8,450 tons, and the following years showed a steady increase. In the five year period between 1890 and 1895 production multiplied by six, and a little over, the figure standing at 50,822 tons. Between 1895 and 1900 the proportion was not so great but the total increase quite satis­ factory, standing as it did at 89 ,8 71 tons. Then from 1900 to 1905 it almost trebled, marking up to 13 7 ;039 tons. 308 THE PRODUCTION OF COAL IN WELD COUNTY

From 1905 to 1910 it more than multiplied by five, and from 1910 to 1915 almost trebled again, standing at 2,038,954 tons; then from 1915 to 1920 it rose to 3,262,954 tons, and between 1920 to 1925 more than doubled that figure with 7,287,097 tons. The next five year period, between 1925 and 1930 it added some­ thing like two millions to the ·product, with a total of 9,336,545 tons. It was within this period that the highest single year pro­ ducion was reached, which was 1929 when the figure stood at 2,177,517 tons. Then production began to fall off, the four years between 1930 and 1934 showing a total of but 5,974,087 tons. Here the question arises why production should fall off with deposits still available; and the answer is found in three differ­ ent developments; the coming of natural gas, the introduction of oil plants for heating purposes and the improved methods for the extraction of heat units from coal. Natural gas was discovered and used in the state as early as 1892; first in Florence, Fremont county, and later in Los An­ imus, Moffat and Larimer counties, but did not begin to dis­ place coal for domestic and manufacturing purposes in Weld county until about 1928 or 1929 when it entered the northern district from Amarilla, Texas. Now Colorado both exports and imports gas; imports from Texas and New Mexico and exports into Wyoming. Oil as a fuel has not as yet displaced coal to a great extent, but what it has already done may be prophetic of the future. There are many improvements in engines and furnaces, and even in house heaters and ranges designed to economize coal, and still greater improvements are promised for the future; all of which will have a tendency to make statistical tables seem to show a falling off in production of coal. But this will only mean that better methods of heat extraction are coming into use. This h.1stead of being discouraging should be re-assuring to those who have feared a coal-famine in the coming years, since it only serves the conservation of coal. However, accord!ng to the statement of R. D. George, State Geologist, there never was much danger .of a coal famine any way. In his book, Common Minerals and Rocks, page 64, he says that at t:he present rate of 309 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO consumption Colorado alone could supply the whole United States for about 7 50 years; and the state alone about 31,000 years. By that time, perhaps, even the youngest of us will be where we will not need the heat of coal. Or, a more cheerful prospect, the world will have learned how to can up the heat of the sun in summer, and coal will no longer be needed. Mr. Carpenter, previously quoted, states that Colorado has enough coal alreadj discovered but unmined to hold her in first rank as a producing state for an indefinite number of years; and that Weld county has 1,049 acres of coal lands in production and as many as 5,880 acres of deposits known to exist but not yet mined. In the Bulletin from which we are quoting, Rocks and Min­ erals, by R. D. George, between pages 94 and 95, is a chart giv­ ing the location of coal deposits in this part of the state. It is shown as a compact and continuous bed running across parts of Weld, Adams, Arapahoe, Jefferson, and Douglas counties and on down into El Paso county. As the picture lies on the map it bears a shape something like a crude drawing of a horse, with metely a body and without legs, ears or tail, the head and neck in Weld county jutting over the line into Boulder, and the rest of the body shaping itself southwestward through the other coun­ ties, giving Weld a greater area than any other single county~ though not so great as all others taken together. Since ·this pic­ ture was drawn and its outline fixed, later discoveries have somewhat changed the outline, but the bulk of deposits still hold at about the same proportions in the counties. \Veld county has no gold deposits, at least so far as known; but is in no way envious of counties that have; for coal is more valuable than gold, not only intrinsically but in actual money value as well. Up to 1931 gold held first place as a wealth pro­ ducer, but in that year gave up to coal; and coal still holds the lead. In lq.31 the gold of the state was valued at $720,245,420 and coal at $729,816,680, giving coal the lead by $8,571,260. This statement is from the Year Book of 1932. 310 THE PRODUCTION OF COAL IN WELD COUNTY

MINES OF WELD COUNTY The Assessor's office kindly furnished a complete list of the actively producing mines of the county; they are here given, not in the technical terms of location on file in that office, but only in reference to their location in the county. They are al­ most all in the south-western part of the county, and many near Erie in the extreme southwest corner. In this locality are: The Monroe, Columbine, Boulder Valley.., Clayton, Morri­ son and New Graham. Those nearer Frederick are: the Ster­ ling, Bollen-Combs, Liley, Russell, Grant, Puritan, Shamrock, Baum. Near Milliken and Beebe Draw are: the Buddy, Hubbs, Casselman and White Ash. Near Keota in the northeastern part of the county is the Keota Coal Company mine. The last four named and also the Bollen-Combs are called wagon mines, being off the railroad and only reached by wagon or truck. The ·Union Pacific Railroad owns a large block of unde­ veloped coal lands in the southwestern part of the county. WHAT IS COAL, ANYWAY? The answer depends entirely upon the point of view--or of contact--of the one answering. The exasperated housekeeper whose time and strength are dissipated in an endless and uneven battle to keep her house clean in spite of it, will answer:----es­ pecially if she came from a wooded country-"It is a dirty, black substance that the people in this benighted country have to use for fuel." But the scientist whose contact is from a much more comfortable and interesting angle will say-in language we may not understand so well- "It is carbon, hydrogen and oxygen in proportions repre­ sented by the formula C-6, H-10, 0-5. In the change from plant tissue to coal, carbon-dioxide, C 0-2, Carbon-monoxide, CO, water H-2-O and marsh gas, C-2-4, are given off in such quan­ tities as to increase the proportion of carbon and decrease that of hydrogen and oxygen, etc., etc.'' And both answers will be correct. There is not much to be said of the first answer. It begins 311 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO and ends in dirt, but furnishes the necessary heat to ward off the wintry blasts and, sometimes, to prepare the family food; so we will take up the second which, with all its mystifying terms is more interesting and enlightening. The definition given above is quoted verbatim from State Geologist, R. D. George, who published Bulletin No. 6 on Com­ mon Rocks and Minerals. On page 89 he traces coal from its vegetable origin to its development into coal, and adds: "This is the process by which the vegetable is changed back into the mineral: by the increase of the element of carbon and the decrease of the other two." And he proceeds further to show that this mineralization is still going on, and that its point of de­ velopment is what makes the different grades of coal. For in­ stance: When the process has been going on only a few thousand years we have peat; a few more thousand and we have lignite; then on, the thousands giving way to the millions of years and we have bituminous coal; and after the measure of millions slips into what the scientist calls "ages," we have anthricite, and still later on carbonite and graphite. Then we quit counting and in course of time comes diamonds. ·Here the orthodox imagination_ staggers a bit, wondering how all this is ever going to square up with the accepted theolog­ ical measure of six thousand years as the age of the world. And on this point Mr. George does not help the least bit; he only goes on to talk about how the "growth of mountains" had caused a "folding of the rocks" that contained the develop­ ing coal; and of how this "compression" created heat and has­ tened the process of development from the trees and ferns of the long ago to the "dirty, black," but tremendously important, sub­ stance we call coal. And, to make matters worse, he asserts that while our sup­ posed "eternal hills" were going through all these contortions the "molten rock" was being forced up from deep within the earth, up and into seams and veins and becoming coal. Some­ times this process is hastened a little too fast; in other words, the subterraneum fireman gets too hot a fire, in which case the 312 THE PRODUCTION OF COAL IN WELD COUNTY substance is burned up before it really reaches the stage of coal. But even this apparent disaster may have had its compen­ sations. If the fire down below, that is, in the interior of the earth, had been less hot, and the mountains had not grown so fast and the rocks folded up ·so _completely, we might not have had any coal for a few millions of years yet; and may~e human­ ity would still be waiting for a planet to be made ready to live on. But this is drifting into a field where histories like tliis have no business to go; so let's change the subject somewhat and talk about- WHAT IS IN A TON OF COAL. In addition to dirt and heat this is what Mr. George says it contains: Coke ------·------1,100 to 1,500 pounds Ammonium sulphates ______20 to 30 pounds Coal· tar ______50 to 80 pounds Benzene ------12 to 18 pounds Gas ------8 ,00 to 12 ,00 cubic feet But that is where they just begin to_ find out what is in it. Various cyanide salts are made from the bydrocyanic acid found in the crude g~s, the yield being from one fo five pounds per ton. · From the ammonium sulphate is derived a very fine fer­ tilizer, the tremendous value of which Mr. George thinks our farmers do not yet full appreciate. He states that the by-pro­ ducts of the salts of this element were valued, in 1910, at $3,- 860,000 A part of the coal tar in that year sold for $1,600,000. Quoting from page 9 7: "It would be impossible to give even a brief outline of the various and extensive industries based upon coal-tar as the raw material. It is used in part for fuel, for gas manufacture, for weather-proof and chemical-proof paint; for the manufacture of roofing-felt and lamp-black, and as a bind­ er for "briquetting," ( compressing) slack coal." But this is not even skimming the surface. Coa1-ta, is a magic-maker. Out of it comes dye stuffs from the analine salts, over 300 in number; of perfumes and flavor- 313 A HISTORY OP' WELD COUNTY, COLORADO ing extracts, a long list; medicines and pharmaceutical prepara­ tions such as carbolic acid, salicylic acid and its salts, disenfect­ ants, antiseptics, anesthetics, etc. Also photographic prepara­ tions; creosote, and many other chemicals. The cyanide salts are used chiefly in metalurgy. When coal is burned these rare elements escape into the air. So, when we see a dense cloud of smoke rolling from a railroad engine back over the long train and being dissipated in air, we may think of the dyes, the per­ fumes and extracts, the medicines, etc., floating off into the air, never to be captured for the benefit and delight of human kind. THE COKE OVENS. There are three types of coke ovens: the beehive which saves none of the by-products; and two others called non-byproduct and by-product ovens. These, however, are retorts instead of ovens. The non-byproduct saves nothing outside~ the coke ex­ cept the gas; but the by-product saves everything. This is a much more complicated and expensive oven to build, but pays far more abundantly in the end than either of the others. The plain bee­ hive can be built for $300, while the by-product type costs at lea.st $5,000. Careful estimates by the U. S. Geological Survey .shows that by-products wasted in the manufacture of coke amounts to tens of millions of dollars every year. Why, then, should the beehive oven be used at all? In truth this oven is being aband­ oned. Truly coal is many times more wonderful and valuable than gold.

314 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many have contributed toward the gathering of material for this History; have turned back pages in their own lives or those of their friends and brought forth stories of rare his­ torical value, and always in a spirit of friendly interest and cooperation. The list is too long for special mention, but the following brief statement, at least should be made. The first to suggest the writing of this History was Judge Bradfield and through the almost five years of its preparation has given unstintingly from his rich storehouse of historical data, and from start to finish has stood ready with counsel and ad­ vice of incalculable value; and at the last was the first to read and approve the finished manuscript. J. M. B. Petrikin, whose connection with the development of Greeley and Weld county dates back almost to the begin­ ning, has given dependable information as well as valuable help along other lines. H. E. Green, manager of radio station KFKA, gave a radio period every Thursday evening from July 1935 to No­ vember 1936-16 months-for stories that were to constitute the chapters of this book. From the College of Education much help has been re­ ceived. First Miss Frances Tobey read the whole manuscript and gave friendly criticism that was immeasurably helpful. President Frasier and John Henry Shaw of the department of Journalism read Chapter 13 and gave approval. The early historical chapters were submitted to the department of Social Science and History under Dr. Dickerson, read by Dr. Peake and approved. The whole manuscript was read by George Irvin of the department of Teacher Placement and by him recom­ mended to the Chamber of Commerce, in which body he was chairman of the literary department. Representing the public schools were superintendents both past and present. W. S. Hunt, present superintendent, read the entire manuscript and gave encouraging endorsement. J erre Moreland and Carl Carlson in the earlier stages helped mater­ ially to give form and system to the work. C. C. Crea, assistant to the present superintendent gave help all the way from the 315 A HISTORY OF WELD COUNTY, COLOJlADO oldest files to the newest information. H. IT. Eldridge, superin­ tendent of District No. 6, Greeley, gave a complete summary of present school activities. Of allied educational institutions, both College and City libraries have given of their best. Iii the work of earlier research when most of the historical material was being gathered, Li­ brarian Carter of the College and Miss Helen Thomas of the· City library, with her able corp of assistants, never failed to locate the most prolific sources of information; and, later, the College under Dr. Rugg and the City under Hamilton Hatfield were equal to all calls made upon them. _ The Meeker Memorial Museum has yielded facts concern­ ing early colonial days and the people who first met desert con­ ditions and as no other could; first under A. B. Copeland and, later George Hodgson as curator. In addition to these general sources should be added the personal assistance given by individuals. Robert Hanna, almost the whole of whose life has been spent in Weld county, has ent:)lusiastically encouraged the preservation of records that he believes should never be lost. Walter Morrison, present county cle~k and recorder, has made the files of his office freely avail­ able. Frank S. Green has given many legal facts concerning early organization, especially along temperance lines. Mrs. Grace Allen has given valuable literary as well as historical criticism. Miss Psyche Boyd, at the very beginning gave valuable help in the book written by her father, David Boyd, History of Greeley and W eul County, which book stands unrivaled in historical facts and documents. Mrs. Ethel Dowell and Mrs. Mildred Fra­ lick loaned the rare old diaries of their father, Oliver Howard. Postmaster Redman gave much valuable data concerning the towns and Post Offices o fthe county. Tracy Cameron drew all the maps. Mr. and Mrs. George Hodgson have given freely of the hospitality of their home and the service of their car, besides unfailing comfort and encouragement. And last, also first and all the time has been the help given by Mrs. Bessie Carlson, whose faith has been as a lodestar, pointing always to ultimate success. 316 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter I-First Historical Epoch ------7 Chapter II-Turning Point in Fortunes of Weld Connty ______25 Chapter 111-Epedition of Zebulon M. Pike, 1806 ______50 Chapter IV-Expedition of Stephen A. Long, 1820 ______68 Chapter V-Weld Through 79 Years, 1859-1938 ______83 Chapter VI-Forts of Weld, 1836-3 7 ______l 07 Chapter VII-The First Gold Rush, 1849 ______l 16 Chapter VIII-The Cattle Industry, 1870s into 1880s ______127 Chapter IX-Agriculture in Weld, 9 5 Years ______13 2 Chapter X-Irrigation 1860-193 8 ______l 3 8 Chapter XI-Meeker Massacre, Captivity, Rescue, 1879 ____ 145 Chapter XII-Public Schools, 1860-1938 ______168 Chapter XIII-Birth of the State Normal, 1890 ______180 Chapter XIV-Meeker Memorial Museum ______l 98 Chapter XV-Grand Lake-Big Thompson Project ______202

Pioneer Stories and Other Articles Chapter XVI-The Cowboy ------·------215 Chapter XVII-Platteville ------·------2 2 7 Chapter XVIII-On Homestead; Story of Mrs. C. A. Carlson 22(} Chapter XIX-Robert Hauck ______235 Chapter XX-Story of Max Clark, 18 70 ------2 4 7 Chapter XXI-David Hodgson, 1863 ------·------2 59 Chapter ~XII-Story of Mrs. Tuckerman, 1870 ______266 Chapter XXIII-George Pingree, Scout, 1826-1927 ______.273 Chapter XXIV-Wild Horses, I,. E. Witherbee, 18 70s ______2 7 7 Chapter XXV-Letters of Lucy Billings, 1870-1871 ______282 Chapter XXVI-Sugar ______291 Chapter XXVII-Towns and Post Offices ______301 Chapter XXVIII----Coal, Prehistoric to 1938 ______308 Chapter XXIX-Acknowledgments ______31 S

317 INDEX A-Adams, Gen., 161-2-4. American Flag, S3. Aubrey, X. F., 124-5. Agency, 1S8. Allencaster, 61. B-Brands, 128-9-216-17. Company B, 163. Buildings. College, 195-6. Boyd, David, 3-8. Boiling Spring, 72. Bedroom, Cowboys, 217-19. Bright Spots, 220. Buffalo Herd, 22. Concord Stage, 118. Crabbe, Dr. John, 192. Cameron, Gen., 30-1-3. C-"Call,'' 30-32t County Commissioners, 205. Carpenter, Delph, 2-04. Clark, Max, 34-247 on. Colony, Union, 28-29-30. Colorado Territory, 20. Colony fence, 39-40. Cattle, pound, 41. College, 188-196. D-Dresser, Frank, 158. District 6, 170-174. Deep Chasm, 76. Ditches, 34-5. Disillusionment, 250. E-Evans, 32-41-3-4-S-6-88, 9. Dr. John Evans, 44. Eaton, B. F., 33. Eldridge, W. D., 176. Embankment, 53. F-Fort ,Lupton, 107. France, 50. Facts, Irrigation, 214. Frey, Johnny, 124-5-6. Frasier. Dr. Fan,ily Compact, 10. G-Greeley, Town, 36, 31, 88, 89; Horace, 30-9-40-120. Grand Lake 202 on. Gray, Thomas, 198. Gold Rush, 17. Great Peak, 54. Grass­ hoppers, 78-244-5-262. H-Hansen, Charles, 205. Hotel de Comfort, 32-4-6-269. Historical Steps, 206 to 212. Hard Winter, 38. Hunt, W. S., 168-172 I-Ildefonso, 13. Iron Horse, 26. Iliff, J. W., 128. J-Jefferson, President, 13-18. Territory, 19. Jane, 148-9-150. Jack, 153-5. ~Lancaster Lupton, 107-8-9-116-123. 11.atham, 85-6. Lory, Dr., 213. Long, Stephen A., 16-66-9-70-80-81, 2. La Salle, 50. ,Louisiana Pur­ c~•se, 68. Last Stand. 58. Land Claims, 133, M---:-Meeker, Nathan, 29 to 38, 10, 140 to 149, 150' to 157, 198; Josephine 158 to 166; Memorial, 166-7; Museum, 198 to 201. Milk Creek, 152- 6-7. Merritt, Gen., 157. Maps, 101. Monument, 258, McCreary, James w., 183-4-5. N__.Napoleon, 12. O-Ouray, Chief, 161-4. Osage Indians, 50; Officers, 122. P-Pony Express, 123-4. Platteville, 28-227; On Platte River, 25. Poudre, 24, 138-9. Pike, Zebulon, 50-66. Preston, 'Porter J. 213. Pike's Peak, 31. R-Rankin, Joe, 155-6. Robinson, 52-4-8., 64 Reservoirs, 138-9, 140-1. Russell, W. A. 117-8. Royal Gorge, 57. Red River, 57-8. S-Snyder, Dr., State Normal, 180 to 188. Snook, J. E., 171. Southwest­ ern, 46. St. Louis-Western Colony, 42-7. St. Vrain, 86; 112. 115. Shawsheen, 162 to 165. Statistical, 98. Stage Coach, 117. Schools. 168-170, 123, 176. Sangre de Cristo Rang_e, 58. Shifting Sands, 75. Summit 77-8-9. T-Thornburg, 151 to 158. Tribune, 43 to 47. Tilt with Whiskey, 250. Treaty of Paris, 11. Temperance, 32. Tree Culture, 38. 1$1> U-Uncle Sam, 15. Ute Country, 152. V-Vasquez, Fort, 107-112. W-Wells and Pumps. 142-3-4. Weld County Court House, 7-12--25- 107-127. West, Henry T., 31. Woolen Mills, 258. Wet Mountain, 58. 318