In 1904 Enos Mills of Estes Park reported 10-20% less snow on the range than the average.

Katharyn Bauder, namesake of Bauder Elementary, died in 1970 at the age of 76. She began supervising music in Fort Collins schools in 1922. Among other things, Katharyn was recognized in the community for her contribution to music.

In 1882 Scotch farmers who settled both north and south of Fort Collins celebrated the 123rd anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns. A piper in kilts performed at the festivities.

In 1873 the County Commissioners granted a citizen’s petition for a town government and appointed five men as the first Board of Trustees. The five trustees were elected in the town’s first election in April, at which 23 votes were cast. The town tax of six mills was levied.

In 1880 at 10 p.m., fire broke out in the Welch Building trapping and killing bookkeeper, Miss Tillie Irving and Mr. A.F. Hopkins, a salesman who were sleeping on the second floor of the building. Will Keays, son of Mrs. Elizabeth Keays (first schoolteacher in Fort Collins) along with others, tried to get a ladder but none could be found.

In 1904 the corner stone for the new Presbyterian Church in Bellvue was laid. In a box placed within the corner stone were deposited copies of the Fort Collins papers, lists of names of Bellvue farmers, names of the building committee and a history of the organization of the Sunday School. The church was to be a framed structure 24×32 feet at a cost of about $800.

In 1904 Architect Montezuma W. Fuller moved his new offices to the Avery Block. Albert Bryan, the Denver architect who designed the new public library, also moved into a room in the Avery block and was making arrangements for the opening of a permanent office in Fort Collins.

Miss Alice Button and Mr. Fred Barnes were married in 1902. The Courier office force was especially pleased that the game of “Button, Button, who’s got the Button” was terminated so happily with the Button in the possession of one of the nicest fellows in the world. Mr. Barnes was the bookkeeper and cashier at theCourier.

In 1903 Tucker’s Cafe, the new restaurant in the Masonic Temple opened for business at noon. Everything about the place was new and neat as a pin. Dinners were served at a cost of 15 cents to 5 dollars and short orders would be served at all hours. Meals included fish, oysters, game and fresh fruits in season.

In 1903 the road to Estes Park was under construction. The road was to enter the mountains directly west of Loveland and follow the Big Thompson River the entire distance into the park. The road would eliminate all the heavy grades heretofore met in getting to this noted summer resort. The grade the entire distance would not be more than 2%. This was to make this road one of the most scenic routes in the state and would afford good camping and fishing all the way to the park. Work was to begin as soon as men and teams could be gotten together. The road was to be completed by July. Tourists would then be able to reach the park in a pleasant four hours from Loveland rather than the tedious all day trip.

In 1905 Dr. Sutherland, a physician in charge, reported the removal of a 40-pound tumor from the abdomen of G.W. Litle at the Loveland Hospital. Mr. Litle had tried a change of climate, but at length submitted to the surgical operation.

The C.A.C. basketball team was quite elated over their victory over the Prep team of Boulder, for two years the state champions. The score was 22 to 17. Thus far, C.A.C. had won all their games in 1902.

In 1912 the Fort Collins Weekly Express announced that Larimer County would soon boast another city, or a part of one at least, as all is set for the curtain to raise on Kelim, a city located on the Union Pacific and at its crossing with the sugar road and also on the south line of Larimer County. There was to be an auction on the city lots in hopes of increasing the population.

The 1894 Fort Collins Express advertisement reported the secret to a happy life – “To grow gracefully, one must live temperately, calmly, methodically, be interested in all that is going on in the world, be happy, cheerful and contented and above all, keep the blood pure and vigorous by the use of Ayer’s Sarsparilla.”

In 1894 Charles Marshall had made two locations of copper lodes in the vicinity of Horsetooth Mountain. Assays showed 55% of copper, 21 ounces of silver and $3 in gold.

In 1904 the Evening Courier reported that through the efforts of Judge McAnelly, the house committee on pensions has reported favorably on a special pension bill providing for an increase of the pension of Samuel R. Wasson of Fort Collins to $20 a month. Mr. Wasson was one of the few survivors of the Mexican War living in Colorado and was deserving of the increase.

In 1911, patrons of the Laporte school presented a petition to a special session of council to close the school due to smallpox. A week later the Fort Collins High School was fumigated for smallpox.

In 1865 a law was passed authorizing counties to issue bonds to assist in the construction of railroads. The year 1865 saw a railroad epidemic throughout the country.

In 1882 work (brick laying) commenced on the new city hall.

In 1912 Loveland and Berthoud started a movement to organize a County Fair Association and the people of the Big and Little Thompson valleys are heartily supporting the proposition morally and materially. The promoters of the proposition are also meeting with encouragement from other sections of the county with the result that the organization is about ready to be perfected. Many Fort Collins people, believing that a county fair should be held at the county seat, have taken steps to organize a rival county fair association.

Frederick W. Sherwood, one of the first pioneer leaders in Fort Collins, passed away on this date in 1906. Chief Friday and his band of Arapahos camped on his ranch from 1865 to 1866. Sherwood was appointed agent of the government to supply the Native Americans with food and look after their welfare. One of Sherwood’s most treasured items was the commission issued to him and signed by President Abraham Lincoln.

In 1904 the practice of throwing hot ashes into the street was irritating many of the local Fort Collins residents. They stated that the streets were not made to serve as dumping grounds for the refuse of the house and besides, the danger from fire should prompt every person to discontinue the practice. They felt the ordinance against the practice should be rigidly enforced.

In 1904 another petition was presented to the county court asking for the incorporation of the town of East Collins. The beer jerkers seemed persistent in their efforts to open one or more beer gardens down on the sugar factory grounds, but the respectable citizens of the proposed new town made a hard fight against it.

Joseph Mason, Fort Collins’ “first settler” (according to Ansel Watrous) passed away in 1891 from a blow to the head by a colt. He was post sutler at Old Grout, Fort Collins’ first sheriff (1871) and ran a mill purchased from Auntie Stone and H. C. Peterson in 1872.

In 1903 the young ladies of the domestic science department formed a society to be known as the “Domestic Science Club.” It was to be modeled somewhat after the engineering society.

In 1902 it was said that taxes were being paid quite freely. Treasurer Clark Smith took in over $7,000 in January. He said he had narrowly escaped violence from the hands of some persons who were enraged at the amount of their taxes.

The new college auditorium opened in 1904 and a formal opening was held. Among the attractive features of the dedicatory exercises was a vocal solo by Mrs. Ellis, wife of the president of the college.

Born on this date in 1849, the Honorable Ledru R. Rhodes came to Fort Collins in 1872. He opened a law practice in 1873 and was elected city attorney in 1874. In 1878 he was elected to represent the people of Larimer County in the State Senate. He enacted several laws relating to irrigation.

In 1884 John H. Routt, son of ex-governor, Routt, mayor of Denver, arrived in Fort Collins to take charge of the Meldrum Ranch in Pleasant Valley, west of Fort Collins, which his father had purchased.

In 1902 the experiment station received a request from the East for Rocky Ford melon seed. Another tribute to the excellent of Colorado products.

In 1899, a majority of the stock of the Courier Printing and Publishing Co. was sold and transferred to Carl Anderson, Maude Anderson and Charles Miller. The company reorganized with Ansel Watrous serving as president.

In 1899, architect Montezuma Fuller completed plans and specifications for a building for Robert E. Trimble, to be erected on College Avenue south of Shield’s Tailor Shop.

In 1881 W.W. Sullivan sold his interest in the Courier Publishing Company to John B. Bruner, leaving only Ansel Watrous as the sole surviving original owner of the paper. Bruner turned around and sold his interest to H.R. Sturdevant on August 4, 1881.

In 1904 the surveyors of the C.S. Railroad were in Bellvue. They were surveying the ground for the purpose of building an extension from Bellvue to the lime stone quarries.

In 1904 a Mandolin and Guitar Club was formed. Their first job was playing several selections at the fireman’s dance.

Birthdate of Frederick R. Baker (b. 1844), a Larimer County pioneer who knew Abraham Lincoln personally. Mr. Baker was on duty in Washington during the Civil War, entrusted with carrying important dispatches between the office of the President, the Department of War and the Army. He came to Larimer County in 1873 where he homesteaded. Part of his land included what was formerly the Agronomy Farm. He served as chairman of the County Commissioners, was mayor of the city and thrice re-elected to the City Council. He died on May 2, 1906.

In 1903 a meeting had been called of the delegates from all the college classes to consider the question of changing the college colors. All the regular college classes and alumni voted for the old colors while the preparatory students and commercial voted for a change to cherry and black. The vote stood 8 to 6 in favor of the old colors.

The opening of the Northern Hotel in 1905 marked the beginning of a new era in the history of Fort Collins. The city took on added prominence as a town in which the hotel accommodations were not surpassed by any other city in the state (outside of Denver and Colorado Springs). Its closeness to the railroad depot made it a popular stopping place for travelers. On this date in 1975 a major fire heavily damaged the upper floors of the building. The once-beautiful Northern Hotel has been in disrepair over the past few years.

In 1902 Mrs. Owens of Castle Rock, a representative of the Anti-Cigarette League, gave a helpful lecture on “Love, Courtship and Marriage” at the college chapel. The students were treated to a whirlwind of wholesome wit interspersed with straightforward defense of the right and condemnation of the wrong as they have heard from this breezy, cheery woman.

The Cornucopia started a bread wagon in 1884 and they delivered warm, fresh bread daily to the residents of Fort Collins.

Elizabeth Stone married Ezekiel W. Robbins in Watertown, New York at the age of 22. He passed away in 1852. She met and married Lewis Stone in 1857 on this date.

Katherine Lindenmeier, wife of William Lindenmeier passed away in 1902. Born in Germany in 1833 she was mourned by her husband and one son.

In 1904, the Anti-Eaters Club gave one of their many delightful spreads. Each member presided over a chafing dish, which she cooked as part of the feast. The menu consisted of clam soup, fried oysters and Lobster a la Newburg.

In 1910, Washington’s birthday was celebrated and there was no school.

In 1916 the cadet battalions of CAC and the Colorado School of Agriculture along with the cadet band, paraded through town to celebrate Washington’s birthday.

In 1904 Madame Marie Lafitte was arrested for dealing in illicit cordial. She had a hearing in Justice Gunn’s court and was acquitted. The only evidence against the Madam was the testimony of a man who was afflicted with wheels in this head, which the court declined to consider.

In 1904 the paper reported that those not familiar with the signals of the bells at city hall would do well to cut this out and paste it up somewhere. One tap of the bell calls the city Marshall, two taps calls the water superintendent or his assistant, one tap followed by two short taps means that the water is to be shut off soon and that you should draw out a supply to last until pipes are repaired. Five taps calls the fire department to meet, at 6:30 the bell rings as a signal for the stores to close up and at 7:50 p.m. curfew rings after which time children found on the streets are liable to arrest.

In 1903 Enos A. Mills of Estes Park went on snowshoes from Estes to Grand Lake. He went over in one day. He found snow about seven feet deep on the Flat Top.

In 1916 the Fort Collins Health Department criticized local physicians for failing to report cases of contagious diseases.

William Cody, better known as Buffalo Bill Cody, was born in Scott County, Iowa in 1846. Buffalo Bill was a frequent visitor to Fort Collins as a performer in the Sells-Floto Buffalo Bill circus. He was good friends with Fort Collins pioneer Arthur Patterson, one of the men who saw to it that 240 acres of land be deeded for the establishment of a college in Fort Collins.

In 1902 Professor Theodosia Ammons appeared before the House Judiciary Committee in Washington, D.C. at the hearing on the equal suffrage question. Her remarks were confined chiefly to the results of equal suffrage in Colorado. She also addressed the Suffrage Association on that day.

Professor S.H. Birdsall composed a song that he had published and copyrighted in 1902 entitled, “She Can’t Do It, You Know,” and it was written primarily for the army and navy.

Architect Montezuma Fuller was preparing the plans for a new 1 1/2 story, 7-room pressed brick residence for Frank Miller, Jr. on Meldrum Avenue in 1902. It was to be modern in all respects and cost $2,000.

In 1904 the WCTU met at the home of Mrs. Meredith to discuss the Frances Willard Memorial Fund (founder of WCTU). Light refreshments were served at a cost of 10 cents each.

In 1908 the Loveland Leader stated, “It may be difficult for some to realize it, but really Fort Collins is not the whole thing in Larimer County.”

A 1902 bulletin issued by the Ag Experiment Station reported, “the success attained at Fort Collins in sugarbeet culture last year has never been equaled in the United States. The Department of Agriculture was getting out a new sugar beet bulletin in which Larimer County is put ahead of the world.”

In 1903 a census was taken in Loveland with a view to changing Loveland to a second class city. When it was found out that the purpose of the move was to prevent an election and thereby continue the saloon license for another year, protest was made and it looked as though the election will be held as usual.

In 1904 F.D. Giddings, who started a machine shop here three years ago and has built up a first class trade, today sold a half interest to his brother, Claude Giddings. They will continue the business in the same satisfactory manner as before.

Other Events in February

1873

The city of Fort Collins was incorporated and the board of commissioners appointed as trustees George G. Blake, Benjamin Whedbee, H.C. Peterson, W.C. Stover and W.S. Vescilus. At the first city election in April 1873 the same persons were re-elected.

1876

Franklin Avery married Sara Edson. They began a family later that included Edgar, Ethel and Louise.

1876

Alfalfa was first grown in the Poudre Valley in 1876 by the late John Sheldon, father of Charles H. Sheldon, cashier at Poudre Valley National Bank. Seed was procured from California and hundreds of thousands of tons harvested in Larimer County each year were drawing national attention.

1879

In 1879, Remington School, the second public school in Fort Collins was completed. It was a beautiful 2-story structure and had a bell tower. The school was named after Colonel J.E. Remington, one of the founders of our town. The school was demolished in 1968, after serving the community for nearly 90 years.

1881

A group of Fort Collins businessmen including Judge Jay Bouton and Franklin Avery began the project of building an opera house in Fort Collins in 1880. The beautiful 3-story building, which was ahead of its time, opened in 1881 to Fannie Louise Buckingham in the title role of Mazeppa. Some of the best troupes in the country occupied the stage of the opera house. It also served as a facility for high school graduations and for other local programs.

1882

Old Grout, the third oldest building standing in Fort Collins, was torn down. Built by Joseph Mason and Company at Linden and Jefferson Streets in 1863, the building served as a sutler store. In 1875 it was sold to J.C. Mathews and A.H. Patterson who sold it to W.C. Stover and Co. It once served as the courthouse.

1903

During February 1903, S. Oldfield, carrier on route 1 delivered 8,229 pieces of mail matter as follows: 2,220 letters, 192 postal cards, 3897 newspapers, 1801 circulars, 149 packages. He collected 1 registered letter, 721 letters, 58 cards, 18 newspapers, and 11 packages for a total of 893 items.

1909

In 1909 Marshall Moore was appointed postmaster. He was the 13th postmaster awarded the job in 36 years. In total the location of the post office moved 12 times from 1873 to 1912. In the early days of mail delivery the postman would blow a whistle when he left any mail in your mailbox.

February in Early Fort Collins

Other Events in February