%1 http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/ en Hover Home and Farmstead http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/hover-home-and-farmstead <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Hover Home and Farmstead</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/users/yongli" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">yongli</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2020-09-14T15:01:46-06:00" title="Monday, September 14, 2020 - 15:01" class="datetime">Mon, 09/14/2020 - 15:01</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'addtoany_standard' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * addtoany-standard--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * addtoany-standard--node.html.twig x addtoany-standard.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <span class="a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list" data-a2a-url="http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/hover-home-and-farmstead" data-a2a-title="Hover Home and Farmstead"><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share" href="https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Fcoloradoencyclopedia.org%2Farticle%2Fhover-home-and-farmstead&amp;title=Hover%20Home%20and%20Farmstead"></a><a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a></span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-body"><p>The Hover Home and Farmstead is a historic mansion and agricultural property on the west edge of <a href="http://www.coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/longmont-0"><strong>Longmont</strong></a>. Retired pharmacist Charles Hover and his wife, Katherine, bought the farm in 1902 and built the mansion in 1913–14. Over the next several decades, the Hovers ran one of the most successful farms in the area and became leading citizens of Longmont. After her parents died, Beatrice Hover lived at Hover Home until she moved in 1983 and gave the house to the nonprofit that ran the adjacent Hover Manor retirement complex.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1997 the nonprofit sold Hover Home to the St. Vrain Historical Society, which had already begun buying up the Hovers’ old farmland. The society rehabilitated the house and many of the old farm structures and has maintained the property to the present. The Hover Home and Farmstead was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. Today, the property hosts weddings, corporate gatherings, and other events.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Coming to Longmont</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Charles Lewis Hover was born in 1867 in Wisconsin. He studied pharmacy at the University of Wisconsin before entering the wholesale drug business in <a href="/article/denver"><strong>Denver</strong></a>. In 1898 he married Katherine Avery. By the early 1900s, the Hovers had grown tired of the city bustle and sought a quieter life along the <a href="http://www.coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/front-range"><strong>Front Range</strong></a>.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Meanwhile, the <a href="http://www.coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/chicago-colorado-colony"><strong>Chicago-Colorado Colony</strong></a> established the city of Longmont in March 1871. Colonists, many of whom came from the Midwest, immediately began digging irrigation ditches, planting crops, and building the city’s first businesses and homes. Railroads arrived in 1873 and 1883, and businesses such as the <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/kuner-empson-cannery"><strong>Empson Cannery</strong></a> (1889) and the Longmont Sugar Factory (1903) helped make the city into a major agricultural center by the time the Hovers arrived in 1902.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Farm</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>The 160-acre farm the Hovers bought had been owned by a succession of early homesteaders. From 1875 to 1902 the farm was owned by the family of Mary Marshall, who expanded it to 1,500 acres. The Marshall family built a simple wood frame farmhouse there in 1893. In 1902 Mary Marshall sold the farm to Joseph Williamson, who quickly sold it to the Hovers.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The Hovers first moved into the farmhouse, but they soon built and moved into a new cottage. The farm had never been very productive, but Charles Hover was determined to change that. He immediately installed an expensive new drainage system that removed crop-killing alkali deposits and planted a third of the farm in alfalfa to restore nutrients to the soil. The alfalfa fed sheep and cows, which Hover relied on for fertilizer. He also used commercial fertilizers and implemented crop rotation.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Hover’s improvements substantially boosted the farm’s productivity. In 1912 the <strong><em>Rocky Mountain News</em></strong> was so impressed with Hover farm’s turnaround that it ran a story about the property with a headline that read “Prairie Farm is Paradise in 10 Years.” Many of the ancillary buildings on the farm are also believed to have been built by Hover in that first decade.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1907, while the Hovers were still developing their farm, the couple adopted a nine-year-old girl, Beatrice. With the farm’s productivity restored, in 1913 Charles Hover turned toward building a stately residence for his larger family.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Mansion</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Designed by famous Denver architect <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/robert-s-roeschlaub"><strong>Robert S. Roeschlaub</strong></a>, the Hover Home is an impressive, 6,000-square-foot brick mansion built in the Tudor Revival style, with steeply pitched rooflines, parapeted gables, and multiple bay windows. Inside, the home features oak flooring and decorative woodwork throughout, as well as a brick-floor conservatory, an eight-foot brick fireplace in the living room, and built-in glass bookcases in Charles Hover’s extensive library.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The grounds of Hover Home reflect Katherine and Beatrice Hover’s affinity for gardening. The western walkway is lined with peony bushes, while yellow rose bushes flourish on the property’s eastern boundary. Irises once grew along the property’s irrigation ditch, but the plants were removed once the ditch was filled in.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Serving the Community</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Once Hover Home was complete, Charles Hover began renting out the farm and shifted his focus to the community and other investments. During <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/colorado-world-war-i"><strong>World War I</strong></a>, he served as treasurer for the local Red Cross chapter. He was also an agricultural advisor for the state’s draft, meaning he helped determine how many young men were to remain on Colorado farms during the war.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1920 Hover was part of a group of Longmont investors who purchased the Empson Cannery from the retiring John H. Empson. Hover served as president of the cannery until it merged with the Kuner Pickle Company in 1927. Hover also served as vice president of the Boulder County Fair Association, was a member of the Colorado Farm Bureau’s board of directors, and spent twenty-two years as treasurer of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Katherine also supported the church, hosting annual fundraisers for St. Stephen’s at Hover Home. After her husband died in 1958, Katherine sold the old farmhouse to a cousin, Jack Wilson, who converted the house into apartments. Katherine, meanwhile, began pursuing her dream to build a residential community for the low-income elderly. She sold off family farmland to pay for the retirement community, which was to be built just west of Hover Home. Katherine did not live to see her plans come to fruition—she died in 1971—but Beatrice followed through on her mother’s vision. In 1979 she opened the Hover Manor retirement community, managed by the nonprofit Hover Community, Inc.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Donation and Preservation</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1983 Beatrice Hover moved to Hover Manor and deeded Hover Home to Hover Community, Inc., hoping that the mansion could be used as a communal space for the elderly residents. However, the nonprofit found the giant house too costly to maintain, and in 1997 it sold the mansion and grounds to the St. Vrain Historical Society (SVHS) for $500,000.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Upon her death in 1991, Beatrice willed most of Hover Home’s original furnishings to the SVHS for preservation, so today the home’s interior looks much like it did when the Hovers lived there. In 1994 the SVHS purchased some of the Hovers’ surrounding farmland and began rehabilitating the old farmhouse and other structures. Over the next two years, the society received more than $90,000 in grants from the <strong>State Historical Fund</strong> (SHF) to perform restoration work on Hover Home. In 1998 the SHF gave the SVHS another $100,000 to acquire more of the family’s property, and the next year both the Hover Home and farm were listed on the National Register of Historic Places.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Restoration and rehabilitation work continued throughout the 2000s, with the SVHS receiving more than $387,500 in SHF grants between 2002 and 2013. Among other projects, the society rehabilitated the roof on Hover Home, rebuilt the family barn, and restored the iris bushes along the filled irrigation ditch.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Today</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Today, the SVHS rents out Hover Home for weddings, banquets, and other events. The society still rents the old farmhouse apartments to help pay for maintenance at the Hover property. The nonprofit Hover Manor continues to offer affordable living for residents age sixty-two and over, while the rehabilitated farm buildings and the restored Hover Home serve as reminders of the Hovers’ major influence in the Longmont economy and community.</p>&#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-author--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-author.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-author.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-author"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-author">Author</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-author"><a href="/author/encyclopedia-staff" hreflang="und">Encyclopedia Staff</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-keyword--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-keyword.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-keyword.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-keyword field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-keyword"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-keyword">Keywords</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/charles-lewis-hover" hreflang="en">charles lewis hover</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/katherine-hover" hreflang="en">katherine hover</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/hover-home" hreflang="en">hover home</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/longmont" hreflang="en">longmont</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/longmont-history" hreflang="en">longmont history</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/agriculture" hreflang="en">agriculture</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/boulder-county" hreflang="en">boulder county</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/hover-manor" hreflang="en">hover manor</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links--inline.html.twig * links--node.html.twig * links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-references-html--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-references-html.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-references-html.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-references-html field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-references-html"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-references-html">References</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-references-html"><p>Dale S. Bernard, “Hoverhome &amp; Hover Farmstead,” National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form, 1998.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>City of Longmont, “<a href="https://www.longmontcolorado.gov/departments/departments-n-z/planning-and-development-services/historic-preservation/designated-landmarks/historic-hover-farm">Historic Hover Farm</a>,” n.d.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>City of Longmont, “<a href="https://www.longmontcolorado.gov/departments/departments-n-z/planning-and-development-services/historic-preservation/designated-landmarks/hover-home">Hover Home</a>,” n.d.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Ben Fogelberg, “<a href="https://www.historycolorado.org/oahp/paradise-ten-years-c-l-hover-and-hoverhome">Paradise in Ten Years: C.L. Hover and Hoverhome</a>,” History Colorado, 2002.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Thomas J. Noel, <em>Guide to Colorado Historic Places </em>(Englewood: Colorado Historical Society, 2006).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>St. Vrain Valley Historical Association, <em>They Came to Stay: Longmont, Colorado, 1858–1920 </em>(Longmont: Longmont Printing, 1971).</p>&#13; </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-additional-information-htm--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-additional-information-htm field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-additional-information-htm">Additional Information</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"><p>Mabel Downer Dunning, <em>The Chicago-Colorado Company Founding of Longmont</em>, ed. Mildred Neeley, Clara Williams, Muriel Harrison, Colleen Cassell, and Mildred Brown (Longmont, CO: n.p., 1975).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Thomas J. Noel and Dan W. Corson, <em>Boulder County: An Illustrated History </em>(Carlsbad, CA: Heritage Media, 1999).</p>&#13; &#13; <p><a href="http://longmontian.blogspot.com/">Observations About Longmont, Colorado (blog)</a>.</p>&#13; &#13; <p><a href="http://www.stvrainhistoricalsociety.com/">St. Vrain Historical Society</a>.</p>&#13; </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> Mon, 14 Sep 2020 21:01:46 +0000 yongli 3413 at http://coloradoencyclopedia.org Nathan Meeker http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/nathan-meeker <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Nathan Meeker</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: x field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-article-image.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-article-image.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div id="carouselEncyclopediaArticle" class="carousel slide" data-bs-ride="true"> <div class="carousel-inner"> <div class="carousel-item active"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--3321--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--3321.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/nathan-meekers-home"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/Nathan-Meeker-Media-2_0.jpg?itok=kTc8jWgm" width="900" height="621" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/nathan-meekers-home" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Nathan Meeker&#039;s Home</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>After founding the city of Greeley in 1870, Nathan Meeker built himself a stately two-story house on Ninth Avenue. After his death in 1879, the home was purchased by Greeley residents and converted into the city's first history museum. Today it houses the Meeker Home Museum.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/users/yongli" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">yongli</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2020-01-15T14:44:30-07:00" title="Wednesday, January 15, 2020 - 14:44" class="datetime">Wed, 01/15/2020 - 14:44</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'addtoany_standard' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * addtoany-standard--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * addtoany-standard--node.html.twig x addtoany-standard.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <span class="a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list" data-a2a-url="http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/nathan-meeker" data-a2a-title="Nathan Meeker"><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share" href="https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Fcoloradoencyclopedia.org%2Farticle%2Fnathan-meeker&amp;title=Nathan%20Meeker"></a><a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a></span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-body"><p>Nathan&nbsp;Cook Meeker (1817–1879) was an agriculturalist, newspaper editor, and Indian agent. He founded the <strong>Union Colony</strong> at present-day <a href="/article/greeley"><strong>Greeley</strong></a> as well as the city’s oldest newspaper, the <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/greeley-tribune-building"><strong><em>Greeley Tribune</em></strong></a>. In 1878 he was appointed <a href="http://www.coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/indian-agencies-and-agents"><strong>Indian agent</strong></a> of the <a href="/article/white-river-ute-indian-agency"><strong>White River Agency</strong></a> in northwest Colorado. He was killed at the agency in September 1879 after his poor treatment of the <a href="http://www.coloradoencyclopedia.org/search/google/ute"><strong>Utes</strong></a> provoked a <a href="/article/meeker-incident"><strong>revolt</strong></a>. The small community of <a href="/article/meeker-0"><strong>Meeker</strong></a> in <a href="http://www.coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/rio-blanco-county"><strong>Rio Blanco County</strong></a> bears his name.</p> <h2>Early Life</h2> <p>Nathan Meeker was born on July 12, 1817, in Euclid, Ohio, the third child of Enoch and Lurana Meeker. After a childhood spent working on his family’s farm, Meeker developed a passion for writing. Beginning at age seventeen, he worked for newspapers in New Orleans, Cleveland, and Louisville, Kentucky.</p> <p>Meeker was an avid reader despite having only a grade-school education. He read Greek classics, the Bible, poetry, and political theory. He was also a productive writer, keeping a diary and authoring poems, articles, short stories, and novels. His newspaper articles often focused on agriculture. Like some other nineteenth-century authors, Meeker had an opium habit.</p> <h2>Interests, Career, and Family</h2> <p>The works of Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson introduced the young, ambitious Meeker to the idea of the utopian community. Enthralled by the idea of gradually perfecting the human experience, Meeker studied attempts at utopian communities in Oneida, New York, and in Mormon Utah. The utopia became a central part of his religious philosophy, which focused on applying God’s gift of free will toward self- and community improvement. He rejected war and capital punishment and embraced temperance.</p> <p>As he endeavored to “do something of significance before I die,” Meeker came across French philosopher Charles Fournier’s theory of cooperative agriculture in the pages of <strong>Horace Greeley</strong>’s <em>New York Tribune</em>. Soon, he joined Greeley, Emerson, and others in establishing collective agricultural communities across the Midwest during the 1840s.</p> <p>In 1844 he married <strong>Arvilla Smith</strong>, a childhood friend from Euclid, Ohio. The pair would have five children: Ralph, George, Rozene, Mary, and <strong>Josephine</strong>.</p> <p>After the failure of his utopian community in Braceville, Ohio, Meeker tried to launch his literary career with the help of Horace Greeley. Meeker’s relationship with Greeley continued into the 1850s, when Greeley helped Meeker publish a novel about an English missionary expedition to the Sandwich Islands (present-day Hawai’i). In the novel, Meeker’s English captain attempts to “civilize” the island’s native population, with disastrous results—an uncanny foreshadowing of Meeker’s own fate.</p> <p>The novel sold poorly, and Meeker relocated his family to a farm in southern Illinois. After a brief period of success, the family was again short of money, so Meeker went back to writing agricultural articles for the <em>Cleveland Plain Dealer</em> and <em>New York Tribune</em>. Impressed by Meeker’s writing, Greeley hired him in 1861 as the <em>Tribune</em>’s <a href="/article/civil-war-colorado"><strong>Civil War</strong></a> correspondent in southern Illinois. After the war ended in 1865, Greeley made Meeker the <em>Tribune</em>’s agricultural editor, and the Meekers moved to New Jersey.</p> <h2>Union Colony</h2> <p>Greeley, the consummate booster, was obsessed with the West and its prospects for settlement and agriculture. In 1869 Greeley sent Meeker to <a href="http://www.coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/colorado-territory"><strong>Colorado Territory</strong></a> to write a series of articles, and on the way Meeker met railroad mogul <a href="http://www.coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/william-jackson-palmer"><strong>William Jackson Palmer</strong></a> and <strong><em>Rocky Mountain News</em></strong> editor <a href="/article/william-n-byers"><strong>William N. Byers</strong></a>. They told Meeker of their plans to build railroads and communities around <a href="/article/denver"><strong>Denver</strong></a>, and Meeker began thinking of Colorado as the place where he might finally build his agrarian utopia.</p> <p>In New York, Greeley and Meeker drafted the charter for an agricultural community called the Union Colony. Through Byers, Meeker purchased land near the confluence of the <a href="http://www.coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/south-platte-river"><strong>South Platte</strong></a> and <a href="http://www.coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/cache-la-poudre-river"><strong>Cache la Poudre</strong></a> Rivers. In 1870 Meeker and the first group of colonists arrived at their new townsite; the colonists wanted to name the community after Meeker, but he demurred and instead suggested Greeley, in honor of his editor and financier.</p> <p>The Union Colony got off to a rough start, with the arid climate and unbroken land proving to be stubborn obstacles. Financial solvency was constantly an issue for the colony and for Meeker himself. In 1870 Meeker borrowed $1,500 from Greeley to found the <em>Greeley Tribune</em>. Although he delighted in publishing the paper, he was unable to repay the debt by the time Greeley died, and Greeley’s daughters eventually sued Meeker for the unpaid sum of $1,000. Compounding his hardship, Meeker’s son George died of tuberculosis in 1877. Grieving and again in financial trouble, Meeker looked for employment elsewhere.</p> <h2>Indian Agent</h2> <p>As Meeker racked up debt at Union Colony, the federal government was having a difficult time finding a permanent Indian agent for the White River Indian Agency in northwest Colorado. Established soon after the <a href="/article/ute-treaty-1868"><strong>Ute Treaty of 1868</strong></a>, the agency’s primary purpose was to distribute rations and other <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/indian-annuities"><strong>annuities</strong></a> to the Parianuche and Yampa Ute bands, then known as the White River Utes. On account of federal negligence, the annuities often arrived late or not at all, prompting the Utes to reject agents’ efforts to encourage farming and instead continue their seasonal hunts, both on and off the reservation.</p> <p>Down on his luck, Meeker saw the salaried Indian agent job as one of several positions that might help him repay his debts and salvage his reputation. With a recommendation from Colorado senator <a href="http://www.coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/henry-teller"><strong>Henry Teller</strong></a>, among others, President Rutherford B. Hayes appointed Meeker to head the White River Agency in 1878. Meeker had no experience with American Indians and knew little of the Utes beyond stereotypes when he arrived at the White River Agency in early 1879.</p> <p>Appointed in part because of his agricultural experience, Meeker’s first order was to move the agency’s buildings onto land more suitable for farming and <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/irrigation-colorado"><strong>irrigation</strong></a>—land that happened to be a Ute horse pasture. For the Utes, it was the first of many grievances against their new agent.</p> <p>While the Utes resisted farming and left the reservation to hunt, Meeker wrote articles that contradicted his belief that all people could be “reformed”—the Utes, he grumbled, were too set in their ways, imbued with an inferior intelligence and character. His frustration soon turned to cruelty, as at one point he withheld the Utes’ rations as punishment for their refusal to follow his teachings. He declared, in direct opposition to the 1868 treaty, that the reservation did not belong to the Utes but to the government; he ordered pasture after pasture to be plowed into farm fields. Where other agents might have taken a more lenient approach in exchange for cooperation, the stubborn Meeker would accept nothing but total compliance.</p> <h2>Meeker Incident</h2> <p>Meeker’s heavy-handedness began to wear on local Ute leaders, especially <strong>Johnson</strong> and <strong>Douglass</strong>. After Meeker arrived, both were willing to try a bit of farming, but as the agent’s conduct toward them worsened they grew increasingly frustrated. During one argument late in the summer of 1879, Johnson shoved Meeker and hurt the agent’s arm. Fearing for his life, Meeker wrote for federal troops to come to the agency and protect him.</p> <p>As US cavalry under Major Thomas Thornburgh advanced toward the agency, the Utes warned Meeker that troops entering the reservation would be taken as an act of war. Meeker relayed the Utes’ warning to Thornburgh, but the major had already decided to proceed to the agency. On September 29, 1879, Ute warriors pinned down Thornburgh’s cavalry at Milk Creek. When Utes at the agency learned that troops had entered the reservation, they set fire to the buildings and killed all white male employees, including Meeker.</p> <p>Army reinforcements finally relieved the US cavalry at Milk Creek on October 5, forcing the Utes’ surrender. The soldiers proceeded to the agency, where they found the burned buildings and the mutilated bodies of Meeker and his staff. Meeker’s head had been bludgeoned and impaled.</p> <p>It is perhaps a cruel irony that Meeker met a fate similar to the one he wrote for his literary character Captain Armstrong, who was run off by the native islanders he hoped to convert and “civilize.” But it is also apparent that Meeker did not take his own story to heart, as he failed to appreciate the folly of his actions at the Indian agency.</p> <p>Meeker’s body was recovered and now lies buried in Greeley’s Linn Grove Cemetery.</p> <h2>Legacy</h2> <p>In 1929 Greeley residents bought Nathan Meeker’s former home at 1324 Ninth Avenue and converted it into the Meeker Home Museum. Outside of Greeley, where he is still celebrated for his role in the city’s development, Meeker is largely remembered as an overzealous Indian agent who caused his own demise. His ambition, self-belief, and determination made him a successful entrepreneur and journalist as well as an ideal government agent; however, it was those same qualities that inspired the arrogance and willful ignorance that got him killed.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-author--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-author.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-author.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-author"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-author">Author</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-author"><a href="/author/encyclopedia-staff" hreflang="und">Encyclopedia Staff</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-keyword--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-keyword.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-keyword.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-keyword field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-keyword"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-keyword">Keywords</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/nathan-meeker" hreflang="en">nathan meeker</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/meeker" hreflang="en">meeker</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/white-river" hreflang="en">white river</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/white-river-agency" hreflang="en">white river agency</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/meeker-massacre" hreflang="en">meeker massacre</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/horace-greeley" hreflang="en">Horace Greeley</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/union-colony" hreflang="en">union colony</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/greeley" hreflang="en">greeley</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/agriculture" hreflang="en">agriculture</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/indian-agent" hreflang="en">Indian Agent</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/ute" hreflang="en">ute</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/ute-history" hreflang="en">ute history</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/rio-blanco-county" hreflang="en">rio blanco county</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/weld-county" hreflang="en">weld county</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links--inline.html.twig * links--node.html.twig * links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-references-html--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-references-html.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-references-html.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-references-html field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-references-html"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-references-html">References</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-references-html"><p>Peter R. Decker, <em>“The Utes Must Go!”: American Expansion and the Removal of a People </em>(Golden, CO: Fulcrum, 2004).</p> <p>Mike Peters, “<a href="https://www.greeleytribune.com/2002/11/25/the-obituary-of-nathan-meeker-written-as-it-would-appear-today/">The Obituary of Nathan Meeker: Written as It Would Appear Today</a>,” <em>Greeley Tribune</em>, November 25, 2002.</p> <p>Emily Wenger, “<a href="https://www.greeleytribune.com/2019/06/06/meeker-home-museum-hosting-free-event-in-celebration-of-nathan-meekers-birthday/">Meeker Home Museum Hosting Free Event in Celebration of Nathan Meeker’s birthday</a>,” <em>Greeley Tribune</em>, June 6, 2019.</p> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-additional-information-htm--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-additional-information-htm field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-additional-information-htm">Additional Information</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"><p>Sondra G. Jones, <em>Being and Becoming Ute: The Story of an American Indian People </em>(Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 2019).</p> <p><a href="https://greeleymuseums.com/locations/meeker-home/">Meeker Home Museum</a></p> <p>Sandy Shimko, “<a href="https://www.theheraldtimes.com/letter-%E2%80%98meeker-incident%E2%80%99-waters-down-history/meeker/">Letter: ‘Meeker Incident’ Waters Down History</a>,” <em>Times Herald </em>(Meeker, CO), October 9, 2009.</p> <p>Robert Silbernagel, <em>Troubled Trails: The Meeker Affair and the Expulsion of Utes From Colorado </em>(Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 2011).</p> <p>Virginia McConnell Simmons, <em>The Ute Indians of Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico </em>(Boulder: University Press of Colorado, 2000).</p> <p>Southern Ute Tribe, “<a href="https://www.southernute-nsn.gov/history/chronology/">Chronology</a>,” n.d.</p> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> Wed, 15 Jan 2020 21:44:30 +0000 yongli 3114 at http://coloradoencyclopedia.org Longmont http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/longmont-0 <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Longmont</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: x field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-article-image.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-article-image.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div id="carouselEncyclopediaArticle" class="carousel slide" data-bs-ride="true"> <div class="carousel-inner"> <div class="carousel-item active"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--2864--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--2864.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/fourth-main-c-1900"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/Longmont-Media-5_0.jpg?itok=c31hYTft" width="1000" height="581" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/fourth-main-c-1900" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Fourth &amp; Main, c. 1900</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>This photograph looks south at the intersection of Main Street and Fourth Avenue in Longmont around 1900. The post office (marked at right behind the McFarland's Dry Goods sign) dated to the city's founding in the early 1870s. Many of the brick buildings in this photo still stand today.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/users/yongli" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">yongli</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2017-12-11T13:09:01-07:00" title="Monday, December 11, 2017 - 13:09" class="datetime">Mon, 12/11/2017 - 13:09</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'addtoany_standard' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * addtoany-standard--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * addtoany-standard--node.html.twig x addtoany-standard.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <span class="a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list" data-a2a-url="http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/longmont-0" data-a2a-title="Longmont"><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share" href="https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Fcoloradoencyclopedia.org%2Farticle%2Flongmont-0&amp;title=Longmont"></a><a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a></span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-body"><p>Longmont is a city of about 92,000 along the <a href="/article/front-range"><strong>Front Range</strong></a> in eastern <a href="/article/boulder-county"><strong>Boulder County</strong></a>. Named after the prominent <a href="/article/longs-peak"><strong>Longs Peak</strong></a> to the west, the city was founded in 1871 by members of the <a href="/article/chicago-colorado-colony"><strong>Chicago-Colorado Colony</strong></a>, near the confluence of Left Hand and St. Vrain Creeks.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>After its founding, Longmont quickly developed into an agricultural hub where local farmers and ranchers brought produce to be processed and shipped out on rail lines. Beginning in the 1960s, the Longmont economy diversified to include high-tech and other industries, and the population swelled to 71,000 by 2000. Today, even though agriculture is more a part of Longmont’s past than its present or future, the city maintains a hard-working, industrious spirit, with a large population of blue-collar and service industry workers and a thriving artist and professional class.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Early History</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>The sheltered and well-watered region along Colorado’s Front Range has drawn human populations for millennia, as far back as the <a href="/article/paleo-indian-period"><strong>Paleo-Indian</strong></a> and <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/folsom-people"><strong>Folsom peoples</strong></a> about 12,000 years ago or earlier. By the nineteenth century, the <strong>Arapaho</strong> and <strong>Cheyenne</strong> people lived in the area, making winter camp near the sites of present-day cities such as <a href="/article/boulder"><strong>Boulder</strong></a> and <a href="/article/fort-collins"><strong>Fort Collins</strong></a>. Left Hand Creek is named for the Arapaho leader <a href="/article/left-hand-niwot"><strong>Niwot</strong></a>, or “Left Hand,” who encountered the first white prospectors in what became Boulder County.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>St. Vrain Creek, Longmont’s other main waterway, was named after <strong>Ceran St. Vrain</strong>, a fur trader of French descent who came to the area in the early nineteenth century.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Beginnings at Burlington</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>The <a href="/article/colorado-gold-rush"><strong>Colorado Gold Rush</strong></a> of 1858–59 brought thousands of white settlers to the Front Range. The first to settle near present-day Longmont were prospector Alonzo Allen and his seventeen-year-old stepson, <a href="/article/william-h-dickens"><strong>William Henry Dickens</strong></a>, who in 1860 built a cabin on the south bank of St. Vrain Creek.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1862 Allen and Dickens filed for adjacent <a href="/article/homestead"><strong>homesteads</strong></a> on St. Vrain Creek. Allen’s cabin was located near a convenient ford of the creek, so it soon became a stage stop and post office. Allen’s wife, Mary, arrived in 1863, and they set up a tavern and inn that served passengers on stage routes between <a href="/article/denver"><strong>Denver</strong></a> and Laramie, Wyoming. A small settlement of 150 took shape around Allen’s stage stop and was named Burlington. The community added a school in 1864 and a newspaper in 1871, but frequent <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/flooding-colorado"><strong>flooding</strong></a> stunted its growth.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Chicago-Colorado Colony</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>The Chicago-Colorado Colony Company incorporated in Chicago on November 20, 1870, with the goal of establishing an agricultural community in what was then <a href="/article/colorado-territory"><strong>Colorado Territory</strong></a>. A committee headed by former lumberman Seth Terry and <strong><em>Rocky Mountain News</em></strong> founder <a href="/article/william-n-byers"><strong>William Byers</strong></a> arrived in <a href="/article/denver"><strong>Denver</strong></a> in January 1871 to search for a suitable location for the colony. Byers, along with the group’s secretary, Cyrus N. Pratt, were investors in the <strong>Denver Pacific Railway</strong> and wanted the colony to buy land from the railroad.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>After a tour of the Front Range that included a visit to <strong>Horace Greeley</strong>’s <strong>Union Colony</strong>, Terry bought 23,000 acres near the Burlington settlement from the Denver Pacific’s National Land Company. In early March 1871, Terry led a group of about 250 settlers to the confluence of St. Vrain and Left Hand Creeks.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Terry surveyed and platted a town, naming it Longmont after the stunning view of Longs Peak to the west. The colonists immediately set to work digging ditches and building homes.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Like the Union Colony, the Chicago-Colorado Colony was envisioned as an agricultural utopia where colonists would farm the land and share the benefits of their work. Temperance was written into the colony’s constitution although it was quickly challenged, and saloons became legal as early as 1873. The colonists had plans for churches, parks, a library, a college, and even a county courthouse, as they hoped to take over the county seat from <a href="/article/boulder"><strong>Boulder</strong></a>.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Longmont never became the county seat, but many of the colonists’ other plans quickly came to fruition. The city’s first church, the United Methodist, was founded in 1871. Lake Park, one of Colorado’s earliest public parks, was completed just west of Main Street that same year. The park was supposed to hold a lake, but it was eventually filled in and made into a horse racing track. Elizabeth Thompson, a wealthy East Coast philanthropist, financed the construction of Colorado’s first public library in Longmont in 1871. The library doubled as the city’s first schoolhouse.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Growing City</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Longmont absorbed the older community of Burlington in 1871 and incorporated in 1873. The Chicago-Colorado Colony all but dissolved with Longmont’s incorporation. That year the <strong>Colorado Central Railroad</strong> arrived from <a href="/article/golden-0"><strong>Golden</strong></a>, allowing Longmont to ship farm products to miners in the mountains.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Some of the Burlington homesteaders became leading citizens of Longmont, the most famous being <a href="/article/william-h-dickens"><strong>William Henry Dickens</strong></a>. He built the <a href="/article/dickens-opera-house"><strong>Dickens Opera House</strong></a> at Third Avenue and Main Street in 1881, which served for decades as the social hub of the city, hosting not only concerts, plays, and operas but also dances, club meetings, political rallies, and other events. Among other ventures, Dickens also founded Farmers National Bank, which helped local farmers secure funds for land and farm equipment.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>A year after Dickens built his opera house, the Chicago, Burlington &amp; Quincy Railroad arrived in Longmont, giving the city its second rail line and easier access to markets in Chicago, Kansas, and elsewhere.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1887 entrepreneur Thomas Callahan and his wife Alice arrived and opened a dry goods store on Main Street called the Golden Rule. The Golden Rule was immediately successful, and Callahan soon opened other locations throughout the Front Range and Wyoming. In 1892 the Callahans acquired and improved the large mansion at the corner of Third Avenue and Terry Street, now known as the <a href="/article/callahan-house"><strong>Callahan House</strong></a>. Meanwhile, the local Presbyterian synod built Longmont’s first college on East Sixth Avenue in 1886, but only had enough money to complete one building, now known as <a href="/article/longmont-college-landmark"><strong>The Landmark</strong></a>.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>As Longmont developed, pro- and anti-drink crowds battled over temperance. Saloons were first allowed in Longmont in 1873, but liquor was periodically banned and allowed between 1875 and 1916, when Colorado enacted statewide prohibition. During these decades, the<em> Longmont Ledger</em>, a weekly newspaper dating to 1877, was one of the loudest voices for temperance, while the <em>Longmont Call</em>, founded in 1893, defended saloons. The situation became so heated that in 1903 a group of pro-liquor Longmontians moved north and established the new town of Rosedale, also known as North Longmont. Rosedale welcomed not only saloons but also gambling and prostitution. After a lengthy and controversial annexation process, Longmont officially absorbed Rosedale in 1913. Legal booze finally won out in Longmont with the lifting of national prohibition in 1933.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Agricultural Hub</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Longmont had a flour mill as early as 1872, but its days as a processing center for local produce were only beginning. In 1889 Denver businessman John Empson opened the <a href="/article/kuner-empson-cannery"><strong>Empson Cannery</strong></a> in Longmont and began buying up local farmland to grow vegetables. The cannery helped anchor the city’s growing economy, and in 1891 Empson’s money and canned pumpkin helped make Longmont’s first annual Pumpkin Pie Days a success. Empson’s company became one of the leading producers of canned peas in the world, and in the 1920s, it merged with the successful Kuner Pickle Company of Denver.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Longmont’s economy received another major boost when the city gained a sugar beet factory in 1903. City trustee Frank M. Downer led the campaign for the factory. He formed the Longmont Sugar Company, and local businessman Henry O. Havemeyer agreed to provide funds for the plant. With Thomas Callahan supplying the bricks, the Longmont beet factory was built just southeast of downtown. At the time of its completion, it was the largest beet factory in Colorado, employing more than 700 men, women, and children.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>At its peak, the factory processed 3,650 tons of beets and produced more than one million pounds of sugar per day. The Longmont Sugar Company was soon acquired by the Great Western Sugar Company, the agricultural titan that dominated the <a href="/article/sugar-beet-industry"><strong>sugar beet industry</strong></a> in Colorado for nearly seven decades.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Beet farms needed labor, and Longmont’s sugar beet boom brought hundreds of newcomers from all parts of the world. Germans from Russia joined Japanese and Mexican families that either worked in the beet fields or set up farms of their own.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1900 the US census recorded no one with a Spanish surname living in Longmont, but by 1920 the city had thirty-one households headed by a person with a Spanish last name. Great Western built a small <em>colonia</em>—a cluster of barely adequate company houses—near its factory, and Latino beet workers spent winters there until the 1940s. In 1907 German Russians established Longmont’s first German-speaking church, the Evangelical Lutheran. The first generation of Japanese farmers in the St. Vrain valley arrived between 1915 and 1920. One prominent early Japanese farmer was Goroku Kanemoto, who moved his family to a large farm near Terry Lake in 1919.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>As one of the most prosperous agricultural hubs in Colorado, Longmont enjoyed continued growth even during the <a href="/article/dust-bowl"><strong>Dust Bowl</strong></a> and <strong>Great Depression</strong>, events that hollowed out other farm communities. In 1934 some 380 of Boulder County’s 1,500 farms reported crop failure, yet the city’s population kept rising, reaching 7,406 by 1940.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Diversification and Growth</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Continued growth through the postwar years gave way to economic diversification in the 1960s and 1970s. State Highway 119 between Boulder and Longmont was paved and straightened in 1960, allowing more Longmont residents to commute to university and other non-farming jobs in Boulder. The US government built an air traffic control center in Longmont in 1962 and IBM added a large facility southwest of the city in 1965.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>As the ranks of commuters grew and government and tech jobs arrived, agricultural and industrial jobs dried up. Outdated equipment and infrastructure forced the Kuner-Empson cannery to close in 1970 and decades of corporate mismanagement led to the closure of the Longmont sugar factory in 1977.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Economic transformation proved to be a boon for Longmont, as the city’s population exploded from 11,489 in 1960 to 42,942 by 1980. Longmont developers were quick to seize the demand for new housing. After the IBM campus opened, the Kanemoto family stopped farming and built the 700-home Southmoor Park neighborhood on some of their land. The neighborhood was one of several Kanemoto developments in town. In the 1980s, the old Longmont College building was converted into apartments, and developer Roger Pomainville turned the old brick warehouses of the Kuner-Empson cannery into apartments.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Redevelopment of Longmont’s downtown district also began in the 1980s. The city council formed the Longmont Downtown Development Authority (LDDA) in 1982, and over the next two decades the authority invested more than $45 million in new buildings and renovations along Main Street. The LDDA also oversaw the construction of pedestrian-friendly alleys and crosswalks, the planting of trees and flowers, and other beautification efforts.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Alongside downtown development came historic preservation, in the form of two <a href="/article/longmont-historic-districts"><strong>historic districts</strong></a> located east and west of Main Street. The districts were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986–87.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The city’s Latino community grew along with the city, as the changing economy attracted more people from elsewhere in the United States and immigrants from Mexico and Central America. When IBM first set up its facility, the company did not hire many Latinos, but a discrimination lawsuit in 1971 changed that. By the middle of the decade, Longmont was home to some 101 Latino professionals, many of whom worked at IBM or the <strong>University of Colorado</strong>. Hundreds more Latinos worked in service or industrial jobs such as the Longmont turkey processing factory, which was known for poor working conditions.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Although Latinos were a fundamental part of the city’s culture and economy, they faced discrimination and police harassment throughout the twentieth century. In August 1980 a Longmont police officer shot and killed two unarmed Latino men during a routine traffic stop. In response, Latino community leaders formed El Comité, a group that demanded reform of the Longmont Police Department and increased dialogue between the police and the Latino community. El Comité’s efforts were largely successful, and the group continues to advise Longmont police today on behalf of a Latino community that now makes up 25 percent of the city’s population.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Today</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Today Longmont’s population boom continues, mirroring the explosive growth of the Front Range. Housing developments continue to spring up, such as the 115-unit Roosevelt Park Apartments and Pomainville’s 220-unit Mill Village. Like its Front Range neighbors Boulder and Fort Collins, Longmont has also developed a thriving craft beer industry, anchored by <strong>Left Hand Brewery</strong> and <strong>Oskar Blues</strong>. More affordable than nearby Boulder, Longmont is home to many working-class residents who commute to the affluent county seat for jobs in construction and service or at the University of Colorado.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Though it has seen plenty of changes over the last 150 years, Longmont remains dedicated to preserving its heritage. The <strong>Longmont Museum</strong>, which opened in 2002 south of downtown, is one of the more robust museums along the Front Range. In 2008 its permanent exhibit Front Range Rising won History Colorado’s Josephine H. Miles History Award and the Award of Merit from the American Association for State and Local History. Still in touch with its agricultural roots, Longmont is home to the <strong>Boulder County Agricultural Heritage Center</strong>, along Ute Highway at the west end of town.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>After three decades of redevelopment, downtown Longmont is now a hub for restaurants, brewpubs, coffee shops, and boutiques. In addition to The Landmark and the Empson cannery, which still house apartments, many of the city’s oldest buildings remain in use. The Dickens Opera House continues to offer live entertainment on the second floor and dining on the first, while the city-maintained Callahan House welcomes visitors and hosts a variety of public and private events.</p>&#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-author--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-author.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-author.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-author"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-author">Author</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-author"><a href="/author/encyclopedia-staff" hreflang="und">Encyclopedia Staff</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-keyword--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-keyword.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-keyword.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-keyword field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-keyword"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-keyword">Keywords</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/elizabeth-thompson" hreflang="en">elizabeth thompson</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/william-byers" hreflang="en">william byers</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/rocky-mountain-news" hreflang="en">rocky mountain news</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/denver-pacific-railroad" hreflang="en">denver pacific railroad</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/william-dickens" hreflang="en">william dickens</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/dickens-opera-house" hreflang="en">dickens opera house</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/sugar-beet-industry" hreflang="en">sugar beet industry</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/longmont-museum" hreflang="en">longmont museum</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/longmont-historic-districts" hreflang="en">longmont historic districts</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/boulder-county" hreflang="en">boulder county</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/boulder-county-history" hreflang="en">boulder county history</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/latino-history" hreflang="en">latino history</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/agriculture" hreflang="en">agriculture</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/front-range" hreflang="en">front range</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links--inline.html.twig * links--node.html.twig * links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-references-html--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-references-html.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-references-html.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-references-html field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-references-html"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-references-html">References</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-references-html"><p>Robert R. Crifasi, <em>A Land Made from Water: Appropriation and the Evolution of Colorado’s Landscape, Ditches, and Water Institutions </em>(Boulder: University Press of Colorado, 2015).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Mabel Downer Dunning, <em>The Chicago-Colorado Company Founding of Longmont</em>, ed. Mildred Neeley, Clara Williams, Muriel Harrison, Colleen Cassell, and Mildred Brown (Longmont, CO: n.p., 1975).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Longmont Downtown Development Authority, “<a href="https://www.downtownlongmont.com/about">About Us</a>,” n.d.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Candy Hamilton, <em>Footprints in the Sugar: A History of the Great Western Sugar Company </em>(Ontario, OR: Hamilton Bates, 2009).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Erik Mason, “<a href="https://www.longmontcolorado.gov/departments/departments-e-m/museum/collections/history-of-longmont">History of Longmont</a>,” City of Longmont, Colorado, n.d.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Marjorie K. McIntosh, <em>Latinos of Boulder County, Colorado, 1900–1980</em>. Vol. 1:<em> History and Contributions</em> (Palm Springs, CA: Old John, 2016).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Marjorie K. McIntosh, <em>Latinos of Boulder County, Colorado, 1900–1980</em>. Vol. 2:<em> Lives and Legacies </em>(Palm Springs, CA: Old John, 2016).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Thomas J. Noel and Dan W. Corson, <em>Boulder County: An Illustrated History </em>(Carlsbad, CA: Heritage Media, 1999).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>St. Vrain Valley Historical Association, <em>They Came to Stay: Longmont, Colorado, 1858–1920 </em>(Longmont, CO: Longmont Printing, 1971).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>US Department of Agriculture, “<a href="https://usda.library.cornell.edu/">Colorado</a>,” USDA Census of Agriculture, Vol. 1, Pt. 41 (1935).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Alicia Wallace, “<a href="https://www.timescall.com/2014/10/05/apartment-boom-playing-out-in-longmont/">Apartment boom playing out in Longmont</a>,” <em>Longmont Times-Call</em>, October 5, 2014.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Magdalena Wegrzyn, “<a href="https://www.timescall.com/2012/03/21/longmonts-link-to-japan-began-with-immigrants-continues-with-students/">Longmont’s link to Japan began with immigrants, continues with students</a>,” <em>Longmont Times-Call</em>, March 25, 2012.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Carah Wertheimer, “<a href="https://www.timescall.com/2016/09/04/the-rise-and-fall-of-north-longmont-a-century-old-tale-of-saloons-water-rights-and-the-ballot-box/">The rise and fall of North Longmont: A century-old tale of saloons, water rights and the ballot box</a>,” <em>Longmont Times-Call</em>, September 4, 2016.</p>&#13; </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-additional-information-htm--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-additional-information-htm field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-additional-information-htm">Additional Information</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"><p><a href="https://bouldercounty.gov/open-space/education/museums/agricultural-heritage-center/">Boulder County Agricultural Heritage Center</a></p>&#13; &#13; <p><a href="https://bocolatinohistory.colorado.edu/">Boulder County Latino History</a></p>&#13; &#13; <p><a href="https://www.longmontcolorado.gov/">City of Longmont</a></p>&#13; &#13; <p>Dorothy Large, <em>Old Burlington: First Town on the St. Vrain, 1860–1871 </em>(Longmont, CO: St. Vrain Publishing, 1984).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Longmont Hispanic Study, <em>We, Too, Came to Stay: A History of the Longmont Hispanic Community </em>(Longmont, CO: Longmont Hispanic Study and El Comité, 1988).</p>&#13; &#13; <p><a href="https://www.rootsweb.com/~colgs/">Longmont Genealogical Society</a></p>&#13; &#13; <p><a href="https://www.longmontcolorado.gov/departments/departments-e-m/museum">Longmont Museum</a></p>&#13; &#13; <p>Erik Mason, <em>Longmont:</em> <em>The First 150 Years </em>(Virginia Beach, VA: Donning, 2020).</p>&#13; &#13; <p><a href="http://longmontian.blogspot.com/">Observations about Longmont, Colorado (blog)</a></p>&#13; &#13; <p><a href="http://www.stvrainhistoricalsociety.com/">St. Vrain Historical Society</a></p>&#13; </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> Mon, 11 Dec 2017 20:09:01 +0000 yongli 2862 at http://coloradoencyclopedia.org Chicago-Colorado Colony http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/chicago-colorado-colony <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Chicago-Colorado Colony</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/users/yongli" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">yongli</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2017-12-06T12:21:54-07:00" title="Wednesday, December 6, 2017 - 12:21" class="datetime">Wed, 12/06/2017 - 12:21</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'addtoany_standard' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * addtoany-standard--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * addtoany-standard--node.html.twig x addtoany-standard.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <span class="a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list" data-a2a-url="http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/chicago-colorado-colony" data-a2a-title="Chicago-Colorado Colony"><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share" href="https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Fcoloradoencyclopedia.org%2Farticle%2Fchicago-colorado-colony&amp;title=Chicago-Colorado%20Colony"></a><a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a></span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-body"><p>The Chicago-Colorado Colony (1871–73) established the city of <a href="/article/longmont-0"><strong>Longmont</strong></a> near the confluence of <strong>St. Vrain</strong> and Left Hand Creeks in 1871. Financed by wealthy Chicagoans and consisting mostly of immigrants from the Midwest, the colony was an agricultural community that emphasized thrift, temperance, and the communal use of resources—most importantly, <a href="/article/water-colorado"><strong>water</strong></a>.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Inspired by <strong>Horace Greeley</strong>’s <strong>Union Colony</strong>, members of the Chicago-Colorado Colony built a robust <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/irrigation-colorado"><strong>irrigation</strong></a> system that allowed Longmont to prosper as a major agricultural hub along the <a href="/article/front-range"><strong>Front Range</strong></a> for nearly a century. Many of Longmont’s streets—including Bross, Collyer, Gay, Pratt, and Terry—are named for colony founders. In addition to establishing some of Colorado’s first public parks, the Chicago-Colorado Colony was also home to the state’s first public library.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Origins</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Though it eventually adopted the idealistic slogan of “industry, temperance, and morality,” the Chicago-Colorado Colony had somewhat less idealistic origins as part of a scheme to sell railroad land. To encourage railroad building in the American West during the nineteenth century, the US government routinely granted railroads land on either side of their right-of-way; the railroads could then offer the land for sale to pay for railroad construction or to make a profit.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>By 1870 the <strong>Denver Pacific Railroad</strong> (DP) was looking to sell land along its right-of-way between <a href="/article/denver"><strong>Denver</strong></a> and Cheyenne. Chicagoan Col. <strong>Cyrus N. Pratt</strong> was the general agent of the National Land Company, the real estate subsidiary of the DP. Pratt, along with <strong><em>Rocky Mountain News</em></strong> founder and fellow DP investor <a href="/article/william-n-byers"><strong>William Byers</strong></a>, believed an agricultural colony modeled after the <strong>Union Colony, </strong>established that year in present-day <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/greeley"><strong>Greeley</strong></a>, made a perfect client.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>With Pratt as secretary, the Chicago-Colorado Colony Company incorporated in Chicago on November 20, 1870. Unitarian minister Robert Collyer served as president, with newspaperman Sidney H. Gay as vice president. Another prominent investor was former Illinois lieutenant governor William Bross. In January 1871, while Pratt helped secure some 300 investors in Chicago, Byers led a committee consisting of former lumberman Seth Terry and several other colony representatives to what was then <a href="/article/colorado-territory"><strong>Colorado Territory</strong></a>.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>During a tour of the Front Range that included a visit to the Union Colony, the committee crossed paths with Enoch J. Coffman, a <a href="/article/homestead"><strong>homesteader</strong></a> near the small community of <a href="/article/burlington-boulder-county"><strong>Burlington</strong></a>, located along St. Vrain Creek. Impressed with Coffman’s wheat harvest, the committee chose the area near Coffman’s homestead—the confluence of St. Vrain and Left Hand Creeks—for the location of the colony. The Chicago-Colorado Colony quickly bought 23,000 acres from the National Land Company and secured an additional 37,000 acres from the federal government and other landowners.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>To recruit new residents for the colony, Byers filled the <em>Rocky Mountain News</em> with advertisements that promised potential colonists bountiful harvests and instant prosperity. The <em>Chicago Tribune </em>published similar ads. <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/colorado-climate"><strong>Colorado’s climate</strong></a>, said to be a cure for many maladies, already had a sterling reputation in the humid Midwest, so the colony had little difficulty persuading Chicagoans to make the journey across the plains. For $150 plus an initiation fee of $5, colonists received a forty-acre farm, and an additional $50 bought a lot in town.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>First Years</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Once the land was secured, Terry and some 250 colonists took a train to Erie, Colorado, and then wagons to Burlington, arriving at the site of their new home in early March 1871. They built a temporary shelter and set to work digging ditches and building homes. Terry, later elected the colony’s first president, laid out a town and named it Longmont, after the area’s striking view of <a href="/article/longs-peak"><strong>Longs Peak</strong></a> to the west.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>By the end of May 1871, the colony had 390 members, including 151 from Illinois and another 89 from Colorado. Thirty-six came from Massachusetts. Of the Coloradans who relocated to Longmont, about 75 came from Burlington. Others, including doctors Conrad Bardill and Joseph B. Barkley, came from the Union Colony. Longmont’s first winter was mild, leading Terry to mistakenly believe that the colony would not suffer during the coldest months. The next year’s harsh winter changed the settlers’ perception of the climate, but they were undaunted.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Perhaps more important to the colony than anything else were the irrigation ditches, which allowed farming and provided drinking water to Longmont. By the summer of 1871, colonists had dug numerous small ditches in town and near their fields. Initial crops included wheat, strawberries, and pumpkins, and colonists also raised turkeys and cattle for meat and dairy. Illinoisan Jarvis Fox built the colony’s first flour mill in 1872.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In the summer of 1871, colonists had also begun digging an eighteen-foot-wide primary ditch that they called the Excelsior. The colony soon ran out of money, however, and the ditch was never completed. Improvising, the colonists formed the Highland Ditch Company to build and manage their primary ditch, which was now to be called the Highland. Money from a Chicago investor helped pay for the construction of a headgate at the mouth of St. Vrain Canyon, and water from the St. Vrain began flowing into the eight-mile-long, twelve-foot-wide Highland Ditch on March 30, 1873. From there, it was diverted into numerous other ditches to water crops and to provide drinking water to Longmont.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The Chicago-Colorado Colony was home to one of Colorado’s first public parks—Lake Park, named for Lake Michigan and completed in 1871—as well as the territory’s first public library, founded in 1871 by Elizabeth Thompson, a philanthropist who lived on the East Coast. The library doubled as Longmont’s first schoolhouse. Seth Terry’s fourteen-year-old son William attended school there and became the first librarian.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Temperance was enshrined in the colony’s constitution, and anyone caught with alcohol in the early days had to return their land to the colony. However, residents soon put the temperance law to the test, and saloons were allowed as early as 1873. A protracted fight between proponents of drink and of temperance ensued, resulting in periodic bans on liquor between 1875 and 1916, when Colorado instituted statewide prohibition. Legal liquor finally prevailed in Longmont with the lifting of national prohibition in 1933.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Though the community it founded continued to prosper, the Chicago-Colorado Colony essentially ended with the incorporation of the city of Longmont in 1873. The company continued selling off property until it formally dissolved in 1890.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Legacy</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>The initial work of the Chicago-Colorado colonists—especially the irrigation ditches they built—allowed Longmont to become one of the most agriculturally productive places in Colorado for nearly a century. The Highland Ditch, for example, has been enlarged six different times since its construction and currently irrigates more than 20,000 acres each year. Residents of Longmont maintain the hard-working, pragmatic attitudes of their predecessors.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Like the Union Colony after which it was modeled, the Chicago-Colorado Colony became a manifestation of communitarian ideals in Colorado. But unlike Horace Greeley’s venture, the Chicago-Colorado Colony was founded on equal parts corporate scheming and utopian idealism. As such, the colony serves as an example of how opposing ideologies of communitarianism and capitalism nonetheless combined to build stable communities in the nineteenth-century American West.</p>&#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-author--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-author.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-author.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-author"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-author">Author</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-author"><a href="/author/encyclopedia-staff" hreflang="und">Encyclopedia Staff</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-keyword--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-keyword.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-keyword.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-keyword field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-keyword"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-keyword">Keywords</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/longmont-history" hreflang="en">longmont history</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/chicago-colorado-colony" hreflang="en">chicago-colorado colony</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/nc-pratt" hreflang="en">n.c. pratt</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/seth-terry" hreflang="en">seth terry</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/william-byers" hreflang="en">william byers</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/denver-pacific-railroad" hreflang="en">denver pacific railroad</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/robert-collyer" hreflang="en">robert collyer</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/william-bross" hreflang="en">william bross</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/longmont" hreflang="en">longmont</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/boulder-county" hreflang="en">boulder county</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/boulder-county-history" hreflang="en">boulder county history</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/horace-greeley" hreflang="en">Horace Greeley</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/colony" hreflang="en">Colony</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/agriculture" hreflang="en">agriculture</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/farming" hreflang="en">farming</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links--inline.html.twig * links--node.html.twig * links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-references-html--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-references-html.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-references-html.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-references-html field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-references-html"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-references-html">References</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-references-html"><p>Robert R. Crifasi, <em>A Land Made from Water: Appropriation and the Evolution of Colorado’s Landscape, Ditches, and Water Institutions </em>(Boulder: University Press of Colorado, 2015).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Mabel Downer Dunning, <em>The Chicago-Colorado Company Founding of Longmont</em>, ed. Mildred Neeley, Clara Williams, Muriel Harrison, Colleen Cassell, and Mildred Brown (Longmont, CO: n.p., 1975).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>St. Vrain Valley Historical Association, <em>They Came to Stay: Longmont, Colorado, 1858–1920 </em>(Longmont, CO: Longmont Printing, 1971).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Carah Wertheimer, “<a href="https://www.timescall.com/2016/09/04/the-rise-and-fall-of-north-longmont-a-century-old-tale-of-saloons-water-rights-and-the-ballot-box/">The rise and fall of North Longmont: A century-old tale of saloons, water rights and the ballot box</a>,” <em>Longmont Times-Call</em>, September 4, 2016.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>James F. Willard, ed., <a href="https://archive.org/stream/experimentsincol00jame/experimentsincol00jame_djvu.txt">Experiments in Colorado Colonization 1869–1872</a> (Boulder: University of Colorado, 1926).</p>&#13; </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-additional-information-htm--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-additional-information-htm field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-additional-information-htm">Additional Information</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"><p>Karen Antonacci, “<a href="https://www.timescall.com/2015/01/31/happy-144th-birthday-longmont/">Happy 144th birthday, Longmont</a>,” <em>Longmont Times-Call</em>, January 31, 2015.</p>&#13; </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-4th-grade--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-4th-grade.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-4th-grade.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-4th-grade field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-field-4th-grade"><p>The Chicago-Colorado Colony (1871–73) established the city of Longmont. It was paid for by wealthy Chicagoans and made up mostly of people from the Midwest.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Members of the Chicago-Colorado Colony built an <strong>irrigation</strong> system that made Longmont a major farming community. Many of Longmont’s streets are named for colony founders. The colony established some of Colorado’s first public parks. It was also home to the state’s first public library.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Origins</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>The Chicago-Colorado Colony was initially part of a plan to sell railroad land. The US government wanted to encourage railroad building. The government gave railroads land on either side of their tracks. The railroads could sell the land to pay for railroad construction or to make a profit.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>By 1870 the <strong>Denver Pacific Railroad</strong> (DP) was looking to sell land between <strong>Denver</strong> and Cheyenne. Chicagoan Col. <strong>Cyrus N. Pratt</strong> and <strong><em>Rocky Mountain News</em></strong> founder <strong>William Byers</strong> wanted to build a farming colony in this area.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The Chicago-Colorado Colony Company was formed in Chicago on November 20, 1870. In January 1871, Byers led a committee to what was then <strong>Colorado Territory</strong>.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>During a tour of the Front Range, the committee met Enoch J. Coffman, a <strong>homesteader</strong> near the small community of <strong>Burlington</strong>. The committee was impressed with Coffman’s wheat harvest. They chose the area near Coffman’s homestead for their colony. The Chicago-Colorado Colony bought 23,000 acres. They secured 37,000 acres from the federal government and other landowners.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>To get new residents, Byers filled the <em>Rocky Mountain News</em> with ads that promised good harvests. The<em> Chicago Tribune</em> published similar ads. <strong>Colorado’s climate</strong> was said to be a cure for many illnesses. That meant the colony didn't have trouble getting Chicagoans to come. For $150 plus an initiation fee of $5, colonists got a forty-acre farm. An additional $50 bought a lot in town.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>First Years</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Some 250 colonists arrived in early March 1871. They set to work digging ditches and building homes. They laid out a town and named it Longmont, after the view of Longs Peak to the west.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>By the end of May 1871, the colony had 390 members. There were 151 from Illinois and another 89 from Colorado. Thirty-six came from Massachusetts. Of the Coloradans who moved to Longmont, about 75 came from Burlington.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The most important part of the colony was the irrigation ditches. The ditches allowed farming and provided drinking water to Longmont. By the summer of 1871, colonists had dug many small ditches. Crops included wheat, strawberries, and pumpkins. Colonists also raised turkeys and cattle for meat and dairy.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The colonists formed the Highland Ditch Company to build and manage their primary ditch. The ditch was to be called the Highland. Money from a Chicago investor helped pay for the construction. Water from the St. Vrain began flowing into the eight-mile-long, twelve-foot-wide Highland Ditch on March 30, 1873. From there, it went into other ditches to water crops and provide drinking water.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The Chicago-Colorado Colony was home to one of Colorado’s first public parks. Lake Park was named for Lake Michigan. It was completed in 1871. The territory’s first public library was also founded in 1871. The library doubled as Longmont’s first schoolhouse.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The Chicago-Colorado Colony essentially ended with the creation of the city of Longmont in 1873. The company continued selling off property until it dissolved in 1890.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Legacy</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>The work of the Chicago-Colorado colonists made Longmont one of the most productive farming communities in Colorado for nearly a century. The Highland Ditch has been enlarged six times since its construction. It currently irrigates more than 20,000 acres each year.</p>&#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-8th-grade--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-8th-grade.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-8th-grade.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-8th-grade field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-field-8th-grade"><p>The Chicago-Colorado Colony (1871–73) established the city of <strong>Longmont</strong>. It was paid for by wealthy Chicagoans and made up mostly of immigrants from the Midwest.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Members of the Chicago-Colorado Colony built an <strong>irrigation</strong> system that made Longmont a major agricultural hub. Many of Longmont’s streets—including Bross, Collyer, Gay, Pratt, and Terry—are named for colony founders. The colony established some of Colorado’s first public parks. It was also home to the state’s first public library.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Origins</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>The Chicago-Colorado Colony was originally part of a plan to sell railroad land. To encourage railroad building in the American West, the US government granted railroads land on either side of their right-of-way. The railroads could then sell the land to pay for railroad construction or to make a profit.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>By 1870 the <strong>Denver Pacific Railroad</strong> (DP) was looking to sell land along its right-of-way between <strong>Denver</strong> and Cheyenne. Chicagoan Col. <strong>Cyrus N. Pratt</strong> was the general agent of DP's real estate subsidiary. Pratt, along with <strong><em>Rocky Mountain News</em></strong> founder and fellow DP investor <strong>William Byers</strong>, believed a farming community modeled after the <strong>Union Colony</strong> in <strong>Greeley</strong> would work.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The Chicago-Colorado Colony Company was formed in Chicago on November 20, 1870. In January 1871, Byers led a committee to what was then <strong>Colorado Territory</strong>.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>During a tour of the Front Range, the committee crossed paths with Enoch J. Coffman, a <strong>homesteader</strong> near the small community of <strong>Burlington</strong>. The committee was impressed with Coffman’s wheat harvest.  They chose the area near Coffman’s homestead for the location of the colony. The Chicago-Colorado Colony bought 23,000 acres from the National Land Company. They secured an additional 37,000 acres from the federal government and other landowners.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>To recruit new residents for the colony, Byers filled the <em>Rocky Mountain News</em> with ads that promised large harvests. The <em>Chicago Tribune</em> published similar ads. <strong>Colorado’s climate</strong> was said to be a cure for many illnesses. That meant the colony didn't have trouble persuading Chicagoans to come. For $150 plus an initiation fee of $5, colonists received a forty-acre farm. An additional $50 bought a lot in town.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>First Years</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Some 250 colonists arrived at the site of their new home in early March 1871. They built a temporary shelter and set to work digging ditches and building homes. They laid out a town and named it Longmont, after the view of <strong>Longs Peak </strong>to the west.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>By the end of May 1871, the colony had 390 members. There were 151 from Illinois and another 89 from Colorado. Thirty-six came from Massachusetts. Of the Coloradans who moved to Longmont, about 75 came from Burlington. Others came from the Union Colony.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The most important part of the colony was the irrigation ditches. The ditches allowed farming and provided drinking water to Longmont. By the summer of 1871, colonists had dug numerous small ditches. Crops included wheat, strawberries, and pumpkins. Colonists also raised turkeys and cattle for meat and dairy. Illinoisan Jarvis Fox built the colony’s first flour mill in 1872.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In the summer of 1871, colonists had begun digging a primary ditch that they called Excelsior. However, the colony ran out of money, and the ditch was never completed. The colonists then formed the Highland Ditch Company to build and manage their primary ditch. The ditch was to be called the Highland. Money from a Chicago investor helped pay for the construction of a headgate at the mouth of St. Vrain Canyon. Water from the St. Vrain began flowing into the eight-mile-long, twelve-foot-wide Highland Ditch on March 30, 1873. From there, it went into other ditches to water crops and provide drinking water to Longmont.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The Chicago-Colorado Colony was home to one of Colorado’s first public parks. Lake Park was named for Lake Michigan. It was completed in 1871. The territory’s first public library was also founded in 1871 by Elizabeth Thompson. The library doubled as Longmont’s first schoolhouse.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Temperance was in the colony’s constitution. In the early days, anyone caught with alcohol had to return their land. However, saloons were allowed by 1873. The fight over alcohol continued for several years. There were some bans on liquor between 1875 and 1916. In 1916, Colorado passed statewide prohibition. Liquor become legal in Longmont when national prohibition ended in 1933.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The Chicago-Colorado Colony essentially ended with the creation of the city of Longmont in 1873. The company continued selling off property until it dissolved in 1890.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Legacy</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>The work of the Chicago-Colorado colonists made Longmont one of the most productive farming communities in Colorado for nearly a century. The Highland Ditch has been enlarged six times since its construction. It currently irrigates more than 20,000 acres each year. Residents of Longmont maintain the hard-working attitude of the colonists.</p>&#13; &#13; <p> </p>&#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-10th-grade--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-10th-grade.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-10th-grade.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-10th-grade field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-field-10th-grade"><p>The Chicago-Colorado Colony (1871–73) established the city of <strong>Longmont </strong>near the confluence of <strong>St. Vrain</strong> and Left Hand Creeks in 1871. It was financed by wealthy Chicagoans and consisted mostly of immigrants from the Midwest. The colony was an agricultural community that emphasized thrift, temperance, and the communal use of resources.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Inspired by <strong>Horace Greeley’s Union Colony</strong>, members of the Chicago-Colorado Colony built an <strong>irrigation</strong> system that made Longmont a major agricultural hub. Many of Longmont’s streets—including Bross, Collyer, Gay, Pratt, and Terry—are named for colony founders. In addition to establishing some of Colorado’s first public parks, the Chicago-Colorado Colony was also home to the state’s first public library.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Origins</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Though it adopted the slogan “industry, temperance, and morality,” the Chicago-Colorado Colony had less idealistic origins. It was part of a plan to sell railroad land. To encourage railroad building in the American West during the nineteenth century, the US government routinely granted railroads land on either side of their right-of-way. The railroads could then offer the land for sale to pay for railroad construction or to make a profit.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>By 1870 the <strong>Denver Pacific Railroad</strong> (DP) was looking to sell land along its right-of-way between <strong>Denver</strong> and Cheyenne. Chicagoan Col. <strong>Cyrus N. Pratt</strong> was the general agent of the National Land Company, the real estate subsidiary of the DP. Pratt, along with <strong><em>Rocky Mountain News</em></strong> founder and fellow DP investor <strong>William Byers</strong>, believed an agricultural colony modeled after the <strong>Union Colony</strong>, established that year in present-day <strong>Greeley</strong>, made a perfect client.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The Chicago-Colorado Colony Company incorporated in Chicago on November 20, 1870. In January 1871, while Pratt helped secure some 300 investors in Chicago, Byers led a committee to what was then <strong>Colorado Territory.</strong></p>&#13; &#13; <p>During a tour of the Front Range that included a visit to the Union Colony, the committee crossed paths with Enoch J. Coffman, a <strong>homesteader </strong>near the small community of <strong>Burlington</strong>. Impressed with Coffman’s wheat harvest, the committee chose the area near Coffman’s homestead—the confluence of St. Vrain and Left Hand Creeks—for the location of the colony. The Chicago-Colorado Colony quickly bought 23,000 acres from the National Land Company and secured an additional 37,000 acres from the federal government and other landowners.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>To recruit new residents for the colony, Byers filled the <em>Rocky Mountain News</em> with advertisements that promised potential colonists bountiful harvests and instant prosperity. The <em>Chicago Tribune</em> published similar ads. <strong>Colorado’s climate</strong> was said to be a cure for many maladies, so the colony had little difficulty persuading Chicagoans to make the journey across the plains. For $150 plus an initiation fee of $5, colonists received a forty-acre farm. An additional $50 bought a lot in town.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>First Years</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Once the land was secured, some 250 colonists took a train to Erie, Colorado, and then wagons to Burlington. They arrived at the site of their new home in early March 1871. They built a temporary shelter and set to work digging ditches and building homes. They laid out a town and named it Longmont, after the view of Longs Peak to the west.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>By the end of May 1871, the colony had 390 members, including 151 from Illinois and another 89 from Colorado. Thirty-six came from Massachusetts. Of the Coloradans who relocated to Longmont, about 75 came from Burlington. Others, including doctors Conrad Bardill and Joseph B. Barkley, came from the Union Colony. Longmont’s first winter was mild, colonists to mistakenly believe that the colony would not suffer during the coldest months. The next year’s harsh winter changed the settlers’ perception of the climate.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>More important to the colony than anything else were the irrigation ditches. The ditches allowed farming and provided drinking water to Longmont. By the summer of 1871, colonists had dug numerous small ditches in town and near their fields. Crops included wheat, strawberries, and pumpkins. Colonists also raised turkeys and cattle for meat and dairy. Illinoisan Jarvis Fox built the colony’s first flour mill in 1872.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In the summer of 1871, colonists had also begun digging an eighteen-foot-wide primary ditch that they called the Excelsior. The colony soon ran out of money, however, and the ditch was never completed. Improvising, the colonists formed the Highland Ditch Company to build and manage their primary ditch, which was to be called the Highland. Money from a Chicago investor helped pay for the construction of a headgate at the mouth of St. Vrain Canyon. Water from the St. Vrain began flowing into the eight-mile-long, twelve-foot-wide Highland Ditch on March 30, 1873. From there, it was diverted into other ditches to water crops and provide drinking water to Longmont.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The Chicago-Colorado Colony was home to one of Colorado’s first public parks—Lake Park. The park was named for Lake Michigan and completed in 1871. The territory’s first public library was founded in 1871 by Elizabeth Thompson. The library doubled as Longmont’s first schoolhouse.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Temperance was enshrined in the colony’s constitution. In the early days, anyone caught with alcohol had to return their land to the colony. Residents soon put the temperance law to the test, and saloons were allowed as early as 1873. A protracted fight between proponents of drink and of temperance ensued. This resulted in periodic bans on liquor between 1875 and 1916, when Colorado instituted statewide prohibition. Legal liquor finally prevailed in Longmont with the lifting of national prohibition in 1933.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The Chicago-Colorado Colony essentially ended with the incorporation of the city of Longmont in 1873. The company continued selling off property until it formally dissolved in 1890.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Legacy</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>The work of the Chicago-Colorado colonists allowed Longmont to become one of the most agriculturally productive places in Colorado for nearly a century. The Highland Ditch has been enlarged six times since its construction. It currently irrigates more than 20,000 acres each year. Residents of Longmont maintain the hard-working attitude of the colonists.</p>&#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> Wed, 06 Dec 2017 19:21:54 +0000 yongli 2816 at http://coloradoencyclopedia.org Oltjenbruns Farm http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/oltjenbruns-farm <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Oltjenbruns Farm</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/users/yongli" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">yongli</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2017-07-05T13:40:47-06:00" title="Wednesday, July 5, 2017 - 13:40" class="datetime">Wed, 07/05/2017 - 13:40</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'addtoany_standard' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * addtoany-standard--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * addtoany-standard--node.html.twig x addtoany-standard.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <span class="a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list" data-a2a-url="http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/oltjenbruns-farm" data-a2a-title="Oltjenbruns Farm"><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share" href="https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Fcoloradoencyclopedia.org%2Farticle%2Foltjenbruns-farm&amp;title=Oltjenbruns%20Farm"></a><a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a></span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-body"><p>Oltjenbruns Farm is a historic agricultural property about two and a half miles southwest of <strong>Amherst</strong> in <a href="/article/phillips-county"><strong>Phillips County</strong></a>. The 320 acres around the main farmstead, which lies on the west side of County Road 49 just north of Highway 23, was first claimed by the Berkes and Hanway families in the 1890s and 1900s. In 1917 August Welper united the two parcels into a single farm, where he grew wheat and had a small dairy operation. In 1939 he sold the farm to his daughter Amelia and her husband, Harry Oltjenbruns, and the property has remained in the Oltjenbruns family ever since.</p> <h2>Berkes and Hanway Property</h2> <p>Speculators and settlers flocked to Colorado’s <a href="/article/front-range"><strong>Front Range</strong></a> and central mountains starting with the <a href="/article/colorado-gold-rush"><strong>Colorado Gold Rush</strong></a> of 1858–59, but settlement of the state’s eastern <a href="/article/colorado%E2%80%99s-great-plains"><strong>plains</strong></a> did not begin until a few decades later. In the meantime, the US Army removed Native Americans from the area through a campaign that culminated in the <strong>Medicine Lodge Treaty of 1867</strong> and the <a href="/article/battle-summit-springs"><strong>Battle of Summit Springs</strong></a> in 1869. The Cheyenne and Arapaho were relocated to an Oklahoma reservation. Cowboys started to graze cattle on the open grassland.</p> <p>By the 1880s, as farmland farther east filled up, northeast Colorado began to draw migrants from Europe and the eastern United States. Settlement accelerated after the <strong>Chicago, Burlington &amp; Quincy Railroad</strong> built a line through the area in 1887 and formed a land company that platted a series of towns along the route. As farmers flocked to the region, in 1889 the Colorado Legislature split Phillips County (and several others) from the originally huge <a href="/article/weld-county"><strong>Weld County</strong></a>.</p> <p>What is now the historic Oltjenbruns Farm started as two adjacent 160-acre <a href="/article/homestead"><strong>homesteads</strong></a> that were first acquired by different families. The northern half was settled by Jacob Berkes, who bought the land from the federal government in 1890. Over the next half-decade, however, Phillips County farms suffered, with the <strong>Panic of 1893</strong> and a drought in 1894 driving many people away and pushing others to shift from crops to cattle. Berkes left his farm by 1900 but retained ownership until his death in 1914, when the property passed to his wife, Ella. The southern half of Oltjenbruns Farm was homesteaded by Anson Hanway in the early 1900s. Hanway gained title to the land in 1910.</p> <h2>Welper Farm</h2> <p>By the 1910s, memories of earlier hardships had passed and a second wave of settlers swept into Phillips County. This group of largely German farmers was attracted to the area by its cheap, fertile land, and they were well prepared by their previous experience growing winter wheat and other dryland crops in Nebraska. Many of the new farmers settled around Amherst, which had a German Lutheran Church and became a center of the local German community. The church held services in German until 1918, when it switched to English because of strong anti-German sentiment during <strong>World War I</strong>. But in other ways the war was a boon for local farmers because it boosted demand for Phillips County agricultural products.</p> <p>One of the Germans who moved to the Amherst area during these years was August Welper. Born in Hanover in 1862, Welper worked as a brewer and farmworker before coming to the United States in 1881 to avoid service in the Prussian Army. He gradually made his way west to Nebraska, where he married Emma Riesche in 1892. Over the next twenty-five years, the Welpers had five children—Amelia, Mathilda, Herbert, Etta, and Irma—and moved from farm to farm before settling in Pierce County, Nebraska, where they lived near the Oltjenbruns.</p> <p>In 1917 the Welpers came to Phillips County and acquired 320 acres of land southwest of Amherst: the former Berkes property, then owned by Michael Mahoney, and the former Hanway property, then owned by Robert and Anna Buchholz. The Buchholz farm included a house built in 1915. The rectangular, two-story frame house was on the east side of the farm, just west of County Road 49. Designed in the Dutch Colonial Revival style, it resembled a large barn with a gambrel roof.</p> <p>The Welpers used the northern half of their farm as pasture for horses and cattle, and they planted the southern half in wheat and alfalfa. They added new work buildings along the south and west sides of the farmstead, including a wash house, barn, and chicken coop, and acquired more land, bringing the farm’s total acreage to 800. After Emma Welper died in 1924, Herbert Welper and his wife started managing the farm in partnership with his father. The <a href="/article/dust-bowl"><strong>Dust Bowl</strong></a> and the <strong>Great Depression</strong> made the 1930s difficult, but the family survived by selling dairy products around Amherst. In the middle of the decade, Herbert was diagnosed with diabetes and stopped working on the farm.</p> <h2>Oltjenbruns Farm</h2> <p>Back when the Welpers moved from Nebraska to Phillips County in 1917, they sold their Nebraska farm to the nearby Oltjenbruns family, and their oldest daughter, Amelia, married Harry Oltjenbruns. Harry and Amelia took over the old Oltjenbruns property, while the elder Oltjenbrunses moved onto the former Welper farm. Within two years, Harry and Amelia moved to Phillips County, where they settled on a farm owned by one of Harry’s relatives near <strong>Holyoke</strong>.</p> <p>In 1939, after Amelia’s brother could no longer work the Welper farm, Harry and Amelia bought the farm for $15,000 because it had better land than their own farm. At their new home, they grew wheat and barley and raised chickens, hogs, and dairy cows. They also added a brooder house for the chickens and a granary for storage.</p> <p>In 1947 Harry and Amelia Oltjenbruns retired from farming and moved to Amherst. Management of the farm passed to their twin sons Milton and Elton, with Elton working land east of County Road 49 and Milton working land west of the road—including the 320 acres that his grandfather, August Welper, acquired in 1917.</p> <p>Milton Oltjenbruns and his wife, Leona, presided over the farm during a period of tremendous change. After <strong>World War II</strong>, as new machinery and other technologies transformed American agriculture, farms tended to grow larger, more mechanized, and more specialized. As part of this shift, many Phillips County farmers eliminated livestock entirely or focused only on cattle. At Oltjenbruns Farm, Milton and Leona ended their dairy operation in 1952 and shifted their livestock efforts primarily to feeder cattle. In 1953 they added a grain elevator to increase their grain storage capacity as they expanded the farm to more than 2,000 acres. In 1960 they relocated part of a building from Amherst to the farm for use as machine storage.</p> <p>In 1965 Milton and Leona stopped their feeder cattle operation and shifted entirely to crops, focusing on winter wheat and other grains. In 1973 the farm was incorporated as M &amp; L Oltjenbruns Farms, Inc., to make it easier to pass down to multiple descendants without having to split up the physical property.</p> <h2>Today</h2> <p>In 1985 Milton and Leona Oltjenbruns turned management of the farm over to their son Kenneth, who had attended <strong>Colorado State University</strong>. They retired and moved to Holyoke the next year. Kenneth Oltjenbruns has continued to increase the farm’s size up to nearly 3,500 acres, which he usually plants in a mix of wheat, dryland corn, and irrigated corn.</p> <p>In 2016 the 320-acre half-section of land around the farmstead was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The buildings on this part of the farm—including the original 1915 farmhouse—remain largely historic, with only a storage shed and machine shed added since the 1960s. The property has now been owned and worked by the same family for a century.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-author--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-author.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-author.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-author"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-author">Author</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-author"><a href="/author/encyclopedia-staff" hreflang="und">Encyclopedia Staff</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-keyword--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-keyword.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-keyword.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-keyword field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-keyword"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-keyword">Keywords</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/phillips-county" hreflang="en">Phillips County</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/historic-farms" hreflang="en">historic farms</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/agriculture" hreflang="en">agriculture</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/august-welper" hreflang="en">August Welper</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/harry-oltjenbruns" hreflang="en">Harry Oltjenbruns</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/winter-wheat" hreflang="en">winter wheat</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/milton-oltjenbruns" hreflang="en">Milton Oltjenbruns</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/kenneth-oltjenbruns" hreflang="en">Kenneth Oltjenbruns</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links--inline.html.twig * links--node.html.twig * links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-references-html--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-references-html.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-references-html.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-references-html field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-references-html"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-references-html">References</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-references-html"><p>Abigail Christman, “Oltjenbruns Farm,” National Register of Historic Places Registration Form (June 2013).</p> <p><em>Those Were the Days</em> (Holyoke, CO: Phillips County Historical Society, 1988).</p> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> Wed, 05 Jul 2017 19:40:47 +0000 yongli 2714 at http://coloradoencyclopedia.org Harms Farm http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/harms-farm <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Harms Farm</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/users/yongli" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">yongli</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2017-07-05T12:52:58-06:00" title="Wednesday, July 5, 2017 - 12:52" class="datetime">Wed, 07/05/2017 - 12:52</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'addtoany_standard' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * addtoany-standard--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * addtoany-standard--node.html.twig x addtoany-standard.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <span class="a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list" data-a2a-url="http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/harms-farm" data-a2a-title="Harms Farm"><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share" href="https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Fcoloradoencyclopedia.org%2Farticle%2Fharms-farm&amp;title=Harms%20Farm"></a><a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a></span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-body"><p>Harms Farm is a historic agricultural property about two and a half miles north of <strong>Paoli</strong> in <a href="/article/phillips-county">Phillips County</a>. The 160-acre section around the main farmstead, which lies on the west side of County Road 21 between County Roads 30 and 32, was first claimed by John Nelson in 1894 and acquired by the Gansemer family in 1917. Since then, the related Gansemer and Harms families have farmed the land. They developed an extensive sheep and chicken operation in the middle of the twentieth century, but since then they have focused largely on dryland crops such as winter wheat and millet.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Nelson Property</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Speculators and settlers flocked to Colorado’s <a href="/article/front-range">Front Range</a> and central mountains starting with the <a href="/article/colorado-gold-rush">Gold Rush of 1858–59</a>, but settlement of the state’s <a href="/article/colorado%E2%80%99s-great-plains">Eastern Plains</a> did not begin until a few decades later. In the meantime, the US Army removed Native Americans from the area through a campaign that culminated in the <strong>Medicine Lodge Treaty of 1867</strong> and the <a href="/article/battle-summit-springs">Battle of Summit Springs</a> in 1869, resulting in the relocation of Cheyenne and Arapaho groups to an Oklahoma reservation. Cowboys started to graze cattle on the open grassland.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>By the 1880s, northeast Colorado began to draw settlers from Europe and the eastern United States as farmland farther east filled up. Sometime in the early 1880s, an immigrant named John Nelson became one of the first settlers in what is now Phillips County. He planned to stake a claim using the <strong>Timber Culture Act</strong>, which allowed settlers to claim up to 160 acres if they could plant trees on a certain portion of the land (originally forty acres, later ten).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1894 Nelson successfully claimed the title to his 160-acre parcel under the Timber Culture Act. At the time, however, Phillips County farms were suffering, with the <strong>Panic of 1893</strong> and a drought in 1894 driving many people away and pushing others to shift from crops to cattle. Nelson remained on his land, but he suffered some setbacks. He failed to pay his taxes, and in 1905 Phillips County took his property. He seems to have satisfied the county and recovered the land, but he promptly sold it in 1907. Over the next eight years, the parcel passed through the hands of several land speculators.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Gansemer Farm</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>By the 1910s, memories of earlier hardships had passed and a second wave of settlers swept into Phillips County. This group of largely German farmers was attracted to the area by its cheap, fertile land, and they were fortified by their previous experience growing winter wheat and other dryland crops in Nebraska. In 1915 the Aufrecht brothers from Nebraska bought the former Nelson property, and in 1917 they sold it for $3,360 to William Gansemer, also from Nebraska.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Gansemer had grown up on a farm in Gage County, Nebraska, as the son of a Prussian father and Swiss mother. In 1917 he moved to the former Nelson property in Phillips County with his brother Fred, Fred’s brother-in-law Henry Alberts, and a hired man named Lloyd Deitz. When they arrived, they immediately built a shed for shelter (later converted to a chicken coop), a barn, and dug a well. They planted the land with wheat and excavated a basement for a main house to be completed the next year. With those improvements in place, William sold the property to Fred for $4,800 and started his own farm nearby.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Born in 1875, Fred was a few years older than William and had already farmed land in Lancaster County, Nebraska, with his wife Johanna (Henry Alberts’s sister), and their two young daughters, Gladys and Irene. The rest of his family joined him in Phillips County in the spring of 1918, along with all their livestock and machinery. That year Fred started to build up the farmstead, including the one-and-a-half-story main house, which featured a square plan, cross-gabled roof, and full-width front porch facing east onto County Road 21. Other agricultural buildings stood just west of the house.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Fred Gansemer maintained a small but relatively diversified farming operation. He planted most of his land with crops such as wheat, millet, and corn, but he kept forty acres as pasture for eight dairy cows and six horses. The Gansemer family also raised several hogs, sheep, and chickens.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Harms Farm</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>In the early 1920s, the Gansemers hired a farmworker named John Harms, who had moved to Phillips County from Nebraska in 1920. In 1925 he married Irene Gansemer, and that same year his brother Gade married Irene’s sister, Gladys. John and Irene Harms moved around on other farms in Phillips County, starting a family (they eventually had seven children) and raising a handful of horses, cows, hogs, and hens. When Fred and Johanna Gansemer returned to Nebraska in 1931 because of Johanna’s bad health, John and Irene Harms took over the Gansemer farm. Johanna died in 1933, and Fred moved back to the farm and worked it with his daughter and son-in-law until his death in 1940.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>After struggling through the <a href="/article/dust-bowl"><strong>Dust Bow</strong>l</a> and <strong>Great Depression</strong> of the 1930s, the Harms family slowly developed and expanded the farm to its current condition. During the 1940s and 1950s, as new machinery and other technologies transformed American agriculture, farms tended to grow larger, more mechanized, and more specialized. As part of this shift, after World War II many Phillips County farmers eliminated livestock entirely or focused only on cattle. In contrast, Harms expanded his livestock operation to raise sheep and chickens. From the 1950s to the early 1960s, he built new chicken facilities and added three sheep barns. At its peak, the farm was one of Phillips County’s largest producers of sheep and chickens, with about 1,000 lambs and 4,000 hens.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Harms gradually increased the farm’s size to a total of 1,440 acres. He tried to make improvements as cheaply and efficiently as possible, adapting old buildings and materials to new uses. One of the sheep barns, for example, was an old Methodist Church Tabernacle that he moved to the farm from <strong>Haxtun</strong>, and other facilities were made of reused windbreaks and recycled building materials. Most of these agricultural buildings were clustered on the west side of the farmstead.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Harms also added some new buildings—most notably a Quonset hut—to store the growing number of large tractors and other machines required for modern farming. Quonset huts were essentially large half-cylinders placed horizontally on the ground to form long storage sheds with a semicircular roof. They had been developed during World War II, when the military needed portable, prefabricated buildings that could be erected quickly, but they remained popular after the war for agricultural and industrial uses.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>As his family’s farm prospered, John Harms became more involved in local civic and business affairs. He served on the boards of Co-op Oil and the Paoli grain elevator as well as the local school district. In addition, he and Irene both played an active role in the Methodist Church in Paoli and Haxtun.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Today</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1986 John and Irene Harms retired from the farm and moved about ten miles east to Haxtun. Management of the farm passed to their son Virgil, who had owned a nearby farm since 1948 and served as mayor of nearby Paoli since 1961. In 1987 Virgil’s son Duane moved to Harms Farm with his family to help run the property. Virgil and Duane Harms decided to stop raising livestock on the farm, choosing instead to focus on <a href="/article/sunflowers"><strong>sunflowers</strong></a> and dryland grains such as winter wheat and millet.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In 2016 the 160-acre parcel of land around the Harms Farm <a href="/article/homestead"><strong>homestead</strong></a>—which dates to John Nelson’s 1894 land claim—was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The main house has been altered somewhat since its construction in 1918, but it remains the oldest building on the farm and the only standing farmstead building constructed by Fred Gansemer. Today the farm continues to be worked by Duane Harms, Virgil Harms, and a few close relatives, who have kept the property in their family for a century.</p>&#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-author--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-author.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-author.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-author"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-author">Author</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-author"><a href="/author/encyclopedia-staff" hreflang="und">Encyclopedia Staff</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-keyword--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-keyword.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-keyword.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-keyword field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-keyword"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-keyword">Keywords</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/agriculture" hreflang="en">agriculture</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/phillips-county" hreflang="en">Phillips County</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/winter-wheat" hreflang="en">winter wheat</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/fred-gansemer" hreflang="en">Fred Gansemer</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/john-harms" hreflang="en">John Harms</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/virgil-harms" hreflang="en">Virgil Harms</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/duane-harms" hreflang="en">Duane Harms</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/timber-culture-act" hreflang="en">Timber Culture Act</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links--inline.html.twig * links--node.html.twig * links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-references-html--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-references-html.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-references-html.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-references-html field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-references-html"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-references-html">References</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-references-html"><p>Abigail Christman, “Harms Farm,” National Register of Historic Places Registration Form (June 2013; revised October 2015).</p>&#13; &#13; <p><em>Those Were the Days</em> (Holyoke, CO: Phillips County Historical Society, 1988).</p>&#13; </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-additional-information-htm--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-additional-information-htm field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-additional-information-htm">Additional Information</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"><p>Monte Whaley, <a href="https://www.denverpost.com/2011/12/09/in-colorado-paoli-mayor-virgil-harms-50-years-in-office-puts-him-at-the-top-of-the-heap/">“In Colorado, Paoli Mayor Virgil Harms’ 50 Years in Office Puts Him ‘At the Top of the Heap,’”</a> <em>The Denver Post</em>, December 9, 2011.</p>&#13; </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> Wed, 05 Jul 2017 18:52:58 +0000 yongli 2704 at http://coloradoencyclopedia.org Dearfield http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/dearfield <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Dearfield</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: x field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-article-image.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-article-image.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div id="carouselEncyclopediaArticle" class="carousel slide" data-bs-ride="true"> <div class="carousel-inner"> <div class="carousel-item active"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--2661--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--2661.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/oliver-toussaint-jackson-dearfield"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/Dearfield-Media-1.jpg?itok=UNH88L4x" width="1000" height="1306" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/oliver-toussaint-jackson-dearfield" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Oliver Toussaint Jackson at Dearfield</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Oliver Toussaint Jackson was the driving force behind the establishment of the black agricultural colony of Dearfield in <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/weld-county"><strong>Weld County</strong></a> in 1910. </p>&#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/users/yongli" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">yongli</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2017-06-02T13:05:15-06:00" title="Friday, June 2, 2017 - 13:05" class="datetime">Fri, 06/02/2017 - 13:05</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'addtoany_standard' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * addtoany-standard--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * addtoany-standard--node.html.twig x addtoany-standard.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <span class="a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list" data-a2a-url="http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/dearfield" data-a2a-title="Dearfield"><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share" href="https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Fcoloradoencyclopedia.org%2Farticle%2Fdearfield&amp;title=Dearfield"></a><a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a></span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-body"><p>Established on May 5, 1910, by a young entrepreneur named <strong><a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/oliver-toussaint-jackson">Oliver Toussaint Jackson</a></strong>, Dearfield was an agricultural colony for Black people about twenty-five miles southeast of <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/greeley"><strong>Greeley</strong></a>. For two decades nearly 700 Black people worked to transform the rolling desert hills into a thriving farm community. The <strong>Great Depression</strong> and a major drought drove most of these farmers away, leaving only Jackson and his niece by the 1940s. Today Dearfield is a ghost town with only a handful of buildings remaining, but the <strong>Black American West Museum </strong>and other groups are working to improve preservation and historical interpretation at the site.</p> <h2>Origins</h2> <p>Oliver Toussaint Jackson, or O. T. Jackson as he was commonly known, came to Colorado in 1887 from Oxford, Ohio. He began his career at the age of fourteen in the catering and restaurant business, a skill he successfully employed in <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/denver">Denver</a> and <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/boulder">Boulder</a>. Inspired by Booker T. Washington’s<em> Up from Slavery </em>(1901), Jackson dreamed of a place where people like him could farm and become self-sufficient.</p> <p>In 1906 Jackson began looking for a location that would accommodate 200 black families. He soon met his first hurdle. “I found it difficult to get the people in the land office to pay very much attention to a negro,” he said. To remedy that, he became active in politics and was soon appointed messenger in the office of Governor<strong> John Shafroth</strong>. Shafroth helped Jackson select land in <a href="/article/weld-county">Weld County</a>, where he filed a desert claim of 320 acres. Jackson once explained the choice by noting that the land was only five miles from a railroad station and seventy miles from Denver, which he thought would assure a market for the colony’s produce. He would model the colony after the <strong>Union Colony</strong>, an agricultural community founded in 1870 near present-day Greeley.</p> <p>Unfortunately for Jackson, no black organization equal to the Greeley Union Colony was willing to support his group’s effort. He first proposed the colony venture to the Colorado Negro Business League, an offshoot of Booker T. Washington’s National Negro Business League. The league was supportive of the idea and even called Jackson’s colony project its “first begotten child.” But when Washington did not endorse the plan, the local group dropped the idea. (Washington said that he simply could not back every project needing help.)</p> <p>Jackson proceeded alone, without the support of black leadership. The black monied interests and other black bourgeoisie did not support him, in part for political reasons. Many of those in the new black leadership were affiliated with the party of Lincoln, while Jackson supported Democratic candidates and worked for a Democratic governor. Jackson was a hard man for Denver’s black leadership to fathom. He did not align himself behind a partisan leader but instead tried to apply the popular “back to the land” and colony ideas of the day, while seeking support from anyone who could help.</p> <p>Jackson expressed his dream at a special meeting of the stockholders and subscribers of the Negro Townsite and Land Company on December 8, 1909. Jackson, president of the organization, told the group that “if a community of representative families can be located in a farming community it would be laying a foundation for the future of a race.” The idea of “race duty” was self-evident in his life’s work. He believed in the duty of the more advantaged to help create an opportunity which would “lift up weaker ones of their race.”</p> <p>The name Dearfield, suggested by black Denver physician Dr. J. H. Westbrook, was chosen at a meeting in late 1910 to express how dear the land would be to the colony’s residents. Seven other black men filed for land that year, and in 1911 Dearfield boasted seven families.</p> <h2>Early Struggles and Brief Prosperity</h2> <p>In his description of Dearfield’s first year, O. T. Jackson wrote that “[t]he new settlers at Dearfield were as poor as people could be when they took up their homesteads. . . . Some were in tents, some in dugouts and some just had a cave in the hillside.” Residents planted small garden crops of corn, melons, pumpkins, squash, beans, and hay, and raised chickens, ducks, and turkey. “That winter,” Jackson wrote, “only two of us had wooden houses, and the suffering was intense. We had scarcely any wood to burn. Buffalo chips and <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/sagebrush"><strong>sagebrush</strong></a> was our chief fuel.” The only other fuel was driftwood from the Platte River, which the settlers carried back to Dearfield on their heads.</p> <p>Only about seven of the original sixty settlers were farmers, according to Jackson. He also admitted that they became successful “without capital or any appreciable knowledge of dry farming.” They did, however, receive assistance from the state agricultural college and the county superintendent and sent delegates to the farmers’ congress at Greeley and <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/fort-collins"><strong>Fort Collins</strong></a>.</p> <p>In his letters and promotional pieces, it is often difficult to distinguish between what really existed at Dearfield and what were merely Jackson’s hopes for the future. His vision included a soap factory, a fifty-room hotel, a grain elevator, a creamery, a bank, and a packing and provision company. He also stated that a white philanthropist in Colorado offered to build a large sanatorium to be supported by black charitable organizations, churches, lodges, and insurance organizations. None of this was ever realized.</p> <p>Dearfield persevered, however, and by 1914 the community was beginning to show signs of prosperity. That year residents were also helped by a large snowstorm that left precipitation on the ground until the following spring. The colony’s population grew to 111 in 1915, and residents filed for <strong><a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/homestead">homesteads</a></strong> on 8,400 of the 20,000 available acres in Weld County. Residents planted oats, barley, alfalfa, corn, beans, potatoes, sugar beets, watermelons, cantaloupes, pumpkins, and squash on 595 cultivated acres. The settlement also began hosting weekend dances for visitors from Denver, which both raised revenue for the colony and established connections with Denver’s <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/five-points"><strong>Black community</strong></a>.</p> <p><a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/colorado-world-war-i"><strong>World War I</strong></a> provided a reliable market for Dearfield’s crops, but in 1918 the war ended and the inflated market fell. Like others at the time, Dearfield farmers were caught up in the temporary prosperity and had acquired mortgages, new machinery, and debts. As for Jackson, he switched gears from pushing farming to selling lots for houses in the settlement.</p> <h2>Decline</h2> <p>As the wartime prices fell, more than 400,000 farmers nationwide lost their farms. Dearfield, together with many other marginal farming communities, was hit hard. Jackson claimed that the drop in prices after World War I started the downward spiral of Dearfield’s prosperity.</p> <p>In 1921 the settlement consisted of 700 people, a school, and two churches, with an aggregate land value of $750,000. The livestock and poultry was valued at $200,000 and annual production was in the range of $125,000. However, only the most tenacious farmers survived the hard times of the 1920s. Those who managed to stick to the land through the early Great Depression years were plagued by a drought that lasted from 1931 to 1939. The 1940 census listed the population of Dearfield as only twelve, and if the census is correct, only twenty black farmers existed in all of Colorado.</p> <p>Even a driven man like O. T. Jackson could not withstand the constant barrage of hard luck. As people left, he sold the buildings for precious lumber. Some folks in the 1930s sold out for five dollars per house. Jackson kept the filling station and the lunch counter open until he became ill in 1946. He searched for a young black man to keep his dream alive, but could find neither a successor nor a willing buyer for the property. Jackson held the property until his death in 1948. His niece, Jenny, remained at Dearfield until she died in 1973.</p> <h2>Today</h2> <p>Today, Dearfield is a ghost town, although several organizations are working to restore its six original buildings and develop the area as a historic site. In addition to the buildings, two ruins at the site roughly date from 1911 to the early 1940s. The present-day gas station/store is located directly south of the highway, along with the historic lunchroom. Another building that once housed a blacksmith’s shop and garage sits directly south of the lunchroom. Behind these two buildings rests a small wooden structure on a crumbling foundation, once rented out as a hunter’s cabin.</p> <p>The remaining historical structures and ruins may be reached via a rough road that was once Dearfield’s Washington Avenue. East of the road rests a false-front building referred to as a hotel, also believed to be Jackson’s residence in his later years. South of the hotel are the ruins of a granary. West of the road lie the ruins of a grocery store that was later converted into a residence. Farther west stand the structural remains of a small cabin owned by Squire Brockman, a well-known fiddle player and one of Dearfield’s last residents in the 1940s.</p> <p>In 1995 Dearfield was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1999 <strong>Colorado Preservation, Inc.</strong> named it one of the state’s “Most Endangered Places” and started to work with Denver’s Black American West Museum and <strong>Colorado State University</strong>’s Architectural Preservation Institute to preserve what remained of the site. The organizations received funding from the state legislature and the <strong>State Historical Fund,</strong> and partnered with AmeriCorps to clean and stabilize Dearfield’s buildings. By the time Dearfield celebrated its 100th anniversary in September 2010, three of the six remaining buildings had been stabilized. In addition, the Black American West Museum has slowly accumulated property in the area with the goal of developing the site for historical interpretation.</p> <p><strong>Adapted from Karen Waddell, “Dearfield . . . A Dream Deferred,” <em>Colorado Heritage</em> no. 2 (1988).</strong></p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-keyword--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-keyword.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-keyword.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-keyword field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-keyword"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-keyword">Keywords</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/oliver-toussaint-jackson" hreflang="en">Oliver Toussaint Jackson</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/weld-county" hreflang="en">weld county</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/agriculture" hreflang="en">agriculture</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/black-american-west-museum" hreflang="en">Black American West Museum</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/all-black-settlements" hreflang="en">all-black settlements</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links--inline.html.twig * links--node.html.twig * links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-additional-information-htm--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-additional-information-htm field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-additional-information-htm">Additional Information</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"><p>Colorado Preservation, “<a href="https://coloradopreservation.org/programs/endangered-places/endangered-places-archives/dearfield-colony/">Dearfield Colony</a>,” Endangered Places Archive, n.d.</p> <p>Douglas Flamming, <em>African Americans in the West</em> (Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2009).</p> <p>George Junne, Jr., Ostia Ofoaku, Rhonda Corman, and Rob Reinsvold, “Dearfield, Colorado: Black Farming Success in the Jim Crow Era,” in <em>Enduring Legacies: Ethnic Histories and Cultures of Colorado</em>, ed. Arturo Aldama (Boulder: University Press of Colorado, 2011).</p> <p>William Loren Katz, <em>The Black West: A Documentary and Pictorial History of the African American Role in the Westward Expansion of the United States</em> (New York: Broadway Books, 2005).</p> <p>Melvin Edward Norris Jr., <em>Dearfield, Colorado—The Evolution of a Rural Black Settlement: An Historical Geography of Black Colonization on the Great Plains</em> (PhD dissertation, University of Colorado–Boulder, 1980).</p> <p>Quintard Taylor, <em>In Search of the Racial Frontier: African Americans in the American West, 1528–1990</em> (New York: Norton, 1998).</p> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> Fri, 02 Jun 2017 19:05:15 +0000 yongli 2658 at http://coloradoencyclopedia.org Irrigation in Colorado http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/irrigation-colorado <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Irrigation in Colorado</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/users/yongli" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">yongli</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2017-02-03T11:48:36-07:00" title="Friday, February 3, 2017 - 11:48" class="datetime">Fri, 02/03/2017 - 11:48</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'addtoany_standard' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * addtoany-standard--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * addtoany-standard--node.html.twig x addtoany-standard.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <span class="a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list" data-a2a-url="http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/irrigation-colorado" data-a2a-title="Irrigation in Colorado"><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share" href="https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Fcoloradoencyclopedia.org%2Farticle%2Firrigation-colorado&amp;title=Irrigation%20in%20Colorado"></a><a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a></span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-body"><p>The tension between aridity and irrigated agriculture has been a defining characteristic of Colorado for much of its modern history. On average, the state receives less than fifteen inches of annual precipitation, making it the seventh driest state in the country. To complicate matters, the majority of the state’s <a href="/article/water-colorado"><strong>water</strong></a> originates in basins that are not suited for agricultur­­e, making access to water not just a question of quantity but of engineered distribution. Consequently, Colorado farmers, politicians, and businesses developed sophisticated irrigation systems and complex laws for capturing, storing, and moving water from source to field.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Beginnings</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Though irrigation in the West has been practiced for over a millennium, its continuous use in Colorado stems from the mid-1800s. Beginning in 1852, descendants of Spanish settlers near the town of <strong>San Luis</strong> built community-owned ditches known as <em>acequias</em>, which diverted water from the Rio Grande and its tributaries. The next significant irrigation effort occurred near the confluence of the <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/cache-la-poudre-river"><strong>Cache la Poudre</strong></a> and <a href="/article/south-platte-river"><strong>South Platte Rivers</strong></a>, where settlers established the <strong>Union Colony </strong>of Colorado. The colony’s success was predicated on irrigation sufficient to grow high-value crops. Despite higher-than-expected costs and poor planning, the colony—later named for cofounder <strong>Horace Greeley</strong>, editor of the <em>New York Tribune</em>—built twenty-seven miles of canal in its first year, capable of watering 25,000 acres. Following the <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/greeley"><strong>Greeley</strong></a> colony’s example, settlers in the region had appropriated every last drop of water in the South Platte watershed by the turn of the twentieth century. By 1900 extensive irrigation works watered fields in the <strong>Arkansas</strong>, <strong>Rio Grande</strong>, <a href="/article/colorado-river"><strong>Colorado</strong></a>, <a href="/article/gunnison-river"><strong>Gunnison</strong></a>, <a href="/article/animas-river"><strong>Animas</strong></a>, and <a href="/article/yampa-river"><strong>Yampa</strong> <strong>River</strong></a> watersheds. At the turn of the century, Colorado led the nation in irrigated acreage.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Water Law</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Precedent, scarcity, and economics pushed Colorado farmers to develop <a href="/article/water-law"><strong>water laws</strong></a> that diverged from those of their eastern peers, who possessed the right to divert water from a natural stream only if it coursed through their land and if their diversion did not damage the rights of downstream users. By contrast, during the <a href="/article/colorado-gold-rush"><strong>Colorado Gold Rush</strong></a> of 1858–59, miners diverted water from streams sufficient to conduct their operations. The right to divert water was not based on land ownership but on the order of their claim. Early water claims possessed priority over later ones. Farmers embraced that same “first in time, first in right,” or prior appropriation, doctrine, enabling them to divert water from streams on a first-come-first-served basis, regardless of the stream’s location. Prior appropriation was tested in 1874 when, in a drought year, Greeley farmers were unable to access sufficient water from the Cache la Poudre River because upstream farmers in <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/fort-collins"><strong>Fort Collins</strong></a> nearly drained the river dry. The two sides were forced to come to an agreement that guaranteed Greeley its water based on its prior claim. Colorado’s 1876 <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/colorado-constitution"><strong>constitution</strong></a> and the 1882 court case <em>Coffin v. Left Hand Ditch</em> <em>Co. </em>enshrined the doctrine of prior appropriation into law with one caveat: appropriators needed to demonstrate that they were putting water to beneficial use. Most states in the American West based their water laws on those established in Colorado.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Since the late nineteenth century, mutual irrigation companies have managed the majority of Colorado’s irrigation water. These companies issue stock to farmers; however, unlike stock traded on Wall Street, each share entitles the holder—generally, a farmer—to a volume of water in a given year. The amount of water attached to a share varies from one year to the next based on water available in streams and reservoirs and on the seniority of each company’s rights; senior appropriation rights guarantee more reliable flows than junior ones. To guarantee sufficient water, junior appropriators will often purchase water from others in low-water years to make up their deficit. This is only possible because the majority of canals, ditches, diversions, and reservoirs in the state are interconnected, which facilitates water exchanges.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Federal Measuring Projects</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>During the twentieth century, farmers, local boosters, and politicians prioritized making more water available and streamlining the delivery system. According to <strong>Elwood Mead</strong>, the first professional irrigation engineer in the state and a key figure in the federal <a href="/article/bureau-reclamation-colorado"><strong>Bureau of Reclamation</strong></a> in the early twentieth century, Coloradans in 1900 were taking as much as fifty times more water than they were allotted or could beneficially use. Without effective tools for water measurement, little could be done to regulate the system. As a result, the Colorado Agricultural College (CAC) at Fort Collins—now <strong>Colorado State University</strong>—and the federal Bureau of Agricultural Economics funded Colorado-based projects to accurately measure and distribute water. <strong>Ralph Parshall</strong>, perhaps the most influential of these irrigation engineers, developed tools for measuring water in streams and ditches to within 2 percent accuracy. This increased the amount of available water in Colorado streams by as much as 30 percent, a boon for junior appropriators who were often left high and dry in drought years. Parshall and his colleagues at the CAC also experimented with methods for removing silt and gravel from irrigation ditches, measuring <a href="/article/snow"><strong>snowpack</strong></a> to predict annual stream flow, and reforesting hillsides to slow spring runoff in attempts to make more water available later in the farming season. Still, Colorado farmers complained of insufficient water for their crops.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Transmountain Diversion Projects</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Effective measuring did not entirely solve water shortages. Transmountain diversion—moving water from a watershed with abundant water and little agriculture to parched regions with developed agriculture—presented another solution. The first and largest of these—the <a href="/article/colorado–big-thompson-project"><strong>Colorado-Big Thompson Project</strong></a> (C-BT)—was approved by Congress in the midst of the <strong>Depression</strong> and drought of the 1930s. Financed largely by the Bureau of Reclamation in 1937, it transferred 320,000 acre-feet of water annually from the headwaters of the Colorado River, on the west side of the <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/great-divide"><strong>Continental Divide</strong></a>, through a tunnel under the peaks of <a href="/article/rocky-mountain-national-park"><strong>Rocky Mountain National Park</strong></a> and into Eastern Slope reservoirs and streams that fed agriculture in northern Colorado. C-BT water annually added the equivalent of the total flow of the Cache la Poudre River to the South Platte River watershed.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Subsequent transmountain diversion projects sponsored by Reclamation, such as the San Juan-Chama and Fryingpan-Arkansas Projects, transferred water from the Colorado and <strong>San Juan </strong>watersheds into the Arkansas and Rio Grande basins. In total, there have been more than thirty transmountain diversion projects in Colorado during the twentieth century.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Changes in Water Demand</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Water thirst in Colorado has been fed not just by scarcity but by real estate and consumer markets. A cursory glance at land values and crop evolution offers evidence. While land values across the state have generally increased in Colorado throughout the twentieth century, they rose most rapidly in irrigated lands. The costs of land and water on those lands, as well as property taxes, encouraged farmers to plant crops of high market value. In the early twentieth century, the most lucrative crop on the <a href="/article/western-slope"><strong>Western Slope</strong></a> and in the Arkansas and Platte River valleys was the <a href="/article/sugar-beet-industry"><strong>sugar beet</strong>,</a> a vegetable requiring extensive irrigation. In the 1930s and 1940s, when new hybrid corns were developed that were better suited to the short growing season of the state’s eastern plains, farmers prioritized corn, which required even more water than beets.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>On the Western Slope, hardy varieties of peaches—another water-loving crop—pushed farmers on irrigated lands to plant orchards. In the <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/san-luis-valley"><strong>San Luis Valley</strong></a>, where aridity and high elevations demanded crops that could withstand a short growing season, farmers prioritized potatoes, alfalfa, hay, barley, wheat, and lettuces.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The post–World War II era has challenged Colorado’s limited water supply. After massive population increases—especially on the arid <a href="/article/front-range"><strong>Front Range</strong></a>—municipalities demanded more water. This has enticed farmers and ditch companies to sell their lucrative water rights to growing municipalities and construction companies offering high prices, resulting in housing developments on land formerly used by farmers.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Other parties seeking water rights include oil and gas companies, which often lease farmland for drilling and then employ purchased water rights to extract fossil fuels. Additionally, climate change threatens to reduce the state’s water supply, and higher temperatures result in evaporative water loss from the state’s reservoirs and streams. All of these factors place additional pressure on fish and other wildlife, which rely on consistent flows of clean water for their existence. While modern water users in Colorado employ the state’s streams for diverse purposes, they are still confronted with the same limits and challenges of aridity faced by nineteenth-century settlers.</p>&#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-author--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-author.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-author.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-author"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-author">Author</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-author"><a href="/author/weeks-michael" hreflang="und">Weeks, Michael</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-keyword--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-keyword.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-keyword.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-keyword field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-keyword"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-keyword">Keywords</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/history" hreflang="en">history</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/san-luis-peoples-ditch" hreflang="en">san luis people&#039;s ditch</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/agriculture" hreflang="en">agriculture</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/sugar-beets" hreflang="en">sugar beets</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/great-plains" hreflang="en">Great Plains</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/parshall-flume" hreflang="en">parshall flume</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/ralph-parshall" hreflang="en">ralph parshall</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/front-range" hreflang="en">front range</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/colorado-river" hreflang="en">colorado river</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/greeley" hreflang="en">greeley</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/union-colony" hreflang="en">union colony</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/bureau-reclamation" hreflang="en">bureau of reclamation</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/canals" hreflang="en">canals</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/irrigation-ditches" hreflang="en">irrigation ditches</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/water-law" hreflang="en">water law</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/colorado-big-thompson-project-0" hreflang="en">colorado big-thompson project</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/dam" hreflang="en">dam</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/reservoirs" hreflang="en">reservoirs</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links--inline.html.twig * links--node.html.twig * links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-references-html--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-references-html.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-references-html.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-references-html field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-references-html"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-references-html">References</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-references-html"><p>David Boyd, <em>A History: Greeley and the Union Colony of Colorado</em> (Greeley CO: Greeley Tribune Press, 1890).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Environmental Health Center, Missouri River Basin Project (US), ed., <em>South Platte River Basin Water Pollution Investigation: Report</em> (Cincinnati, OH: The Center, 1950).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Greg Hobbs, <em>The Public’s Water Resource: Articles on Water Law, History, and Culture</em> 2nd ed. (Denver: Continuing Legal Education in Colorado, 2010).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Wells A. Hutchins, <em>Mutual Irrigation Companies</em>. US Department of Agriculture Technical Bulletin No. 82 (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1929).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>William John May, <em>The Great Western Sugarlands: The History of the Great Western Sugar Company and the Economic Development of the Great Plains</em> (New York: Garland, 1989).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Elwood Mead, <a href="https://archive.org/details/irrigationinsti02meadgoog"><em>Irrigation Institutions: A Discussion of the Economic and Legal Questions Created by the Growth of Irrigated Agriculture in the West</em></a> (London: Macmillan, 1903).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>R. L. Parshall, <em>The Parshall Measuring Flume</em> (Fort Collins: Colorado State College, Colorado Experiment Station, 1936).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Alvin T. Steinel, History of Agriculture in Colorado: A Chronological Record of Progress in the Development of General Farming, Livestock Production and Agricultural Education and Investigation, on the Western Border of the Great Plains and in the Mountains of Colorado, 1858 to 1926 (Fort Collins: Colorado Agricultural College, 1926).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>US Department of the Interior, Federal Water Pollution Control Administration, South Platte River Basin Project, <em>The Beet Sugar Industry: The Water Pollution Problem and the Status of Waste Abatement and Treatment</em> (Denver: US Department of the Interior, 1967).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Daniel Tyler, <em>The Last Water Hole in the West: The Colorado-Big Thompson Project and the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District</em> (Niwot: University Press of Colorado, 1992).</p>&#13; </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-additional-information-htm--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-additional-information-htm field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-additional-information-htm">Additional Information</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"><p><em>The</em> <em>Great Divide: The Destiny of the West is Written in the Headwaters of Colorado</em>. Directed by Jim Havey. Denver: Havey Productions, 2015.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Robert G. Hemphill, ed. <em>Irrigation in Northern Colorado</em>. US Department of Agriculture Bulletin No. 1026 (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1922).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Rose Laflin, <em>Irrigation, Settlement, and Change on the Cache La Poudre River</em> (Fort Collins: Colorado Water Resources Research Institute, Colorado State University, n.d).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Donald J. Pisani, <em>To Reclaim a Divided West: Water, Law, and Public Policy, 1848–1902</em> (Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1992).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>José A. Rivera, <em>Acequia Culture: Water, Land, and Community in the Southwest</em> (Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1998).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>David Schorr, <em>The Colorado Doctrine: Water Rights, Corporations, and Distributive Justice on the American Frontier</em> (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2012).</p>&#13; </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> Fri, 03 Feb 2017 18:48:36 +0000 yongli 2318 at http://coloradoencyclopedia.org Rock Ledge Ranch (Buena Vista) http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/rock-ledge-ranch-buena-vista <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Rock Ledge Ranch (Buena Vista)</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: x field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-article-image.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-article-image.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div id="carouselEncyclopediaArticle" class="carousel slide" data-bs-ride="true"> <div class="carousel-inner"> <div class="carousel-item active"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--2005--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--2005.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/rock-ledge-ranch"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/Rock_Ledge_Ranch-Franzel_Ranch_0.jpg?itok=rj9gyTfq" width="1000" height="763" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/rock-ledge-ranch" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Rock Ledge Ranch</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Located four miles west of Buena Vista near the base of Mt. Princeton and Mt. Yale, Rock Ledge Ranch was settled in 1887 by Ernest Wilber and has been owned and worked by the Franzel family since 1908. It is representative of the long history of agriculture in the Upper Arkansas Valley.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/users/yongli" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">yongli</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2016-10-31T10:59:38-06:00" title="Monday, October 31, 2016 - 10:59" class="datetime">Mon, 10/31/2016 - 10:59</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'addtoany_standard' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * addtoany-standard--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * addtoany-standard--node.html.twig x addtoany-standard.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <span class="a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list" data-a2a-url="http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/rock-ledge-ranch-buena-vista" data-a2a-title="Rock Ledge Ranch (Buena Vista)"><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share" href="https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Fcoloradoencyclopedia.org%2Farticle%2Frock-ledge-ranch-buena-vista&amp;title=Rock%20Ledge%20Ranch%20%28Buena%20Vista%29"></a><a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a></span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-body"><p>Established in 1887 by Ernest Wilber, Rock Ledge Ranch is a historic ranch four miles west of <strong>Buena Vista</strong> in the <strong>Upper Arkansas Valley </strong>(17975 Co Rd 338, Buena Vista, CO 81211). Since 1908 the ranch has been owned and operated by multiple generations of the Franzel family, which immigrated to the United States from Germany in the late nineteenth century. Still run by the Franzel family, in 2015 the ranch was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as an important example of the Upper Arkansas Valley’s long agricultural tradition.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Wilber <a href="/article/homestead"><strong>Homestead</strong></a></h2>&#13; &#13; <p>On September 15, 1887, Ernest Wilber founded Rock Ledge Ranch. Originally from Michigan, Wilber had come to Colorado in 1880 as a conductor for the <strong>Denver, South Park &amp; Pacific Railroad</strong>. He was based in Buena Vista, where he married Belle Orr in 1882 and became active in local affairs. In 1883 he left his job with the railroad and entered the election for county clerk and recorder. He won the position and acquired a ranch near Buena Vista, but in 1885 he lost his bid for re-election because some thought he cared more about his ranch than his clerkship.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Wilber clearly paid attention to his ranch work, for he quickly gained a reputation as a successful cattleman and vegetable grower. In the late 1880s he acquired Rock Ledge Ranch a few miles west of Buena Vista along Cottonwood Creek. He settled the land in September 1887, and his family followed in January 1888. That year the family built a log house on the land, and by 1890 they also had a barn, a cellar, and an <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/irrigation-colorado"><strong>irrigation</strong></a> ditch. They were raising horses, cattle, and hogs, and had 160 acres planted in peas, potatoes, and hay.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1891 Wilber tried to win the county clerk and recorder position again but was defeated. At the ranch, he shifted his focus from cattle and vegetables to dairy cows and started to deliver milk in the area using a canvas-covered wagon. As the business grew, he switched his herd to Jersey cows, which were regarded as the best milk cows at the time. He also built an ice house and started selling ice.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Ernest’s wife, Belle Wilber, spent her summers on the ranch but lived in Buena Vista during the winters. She also became politically active in the 1890s and was involved in the successful campaign for <a href="/article/womens-suffrage-movement"><strong>women’s suffrage in Colorado</strong></a> in 1893.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Franzel Ranch</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1908 the Wilbers sold the ranch to Gustav Adolph “Gus” Franzel, a miner in <strong>Granite</strong> who had decided that he could make a better living selling food to miners. A German immigrant who came to the United States in 1890, Franzel had married fellow German immigrant Marie Baier in <a href="http://www.coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/leadville"><strong>Leadville</strong></a> in 1894. The couple had three children—Carl, Herman, and Erna—in the 1890s, and became naturalized citizens in 1903.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>After Franzel acquired Rock Ledge Ranch, the rest of his young family moved there from Granite on January 1, 1909. The Franzel family grew garden peas, lettuce, and potatoes, selling much of their produce in Leadville. They also raised hogs, using them to make German sausages such as liverwurst. Franzel became a leading local rancher, and in 1916 he helped organize the <a href="/article/chaffee-county"><strong>Chaffee County</strong></a> Cattle and Horse Growers Association.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The Franzels gradually added new buildings to the ranch. In the 1920s Franzel brought an old brooder house from Leadville to have a heated building for raising chicks. He also moved another building from Leadville and used it to expand the original log ranch house.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>The Next Generations</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>As Gus Franzel got older, his son Carl took on more responsibility at the ranch, eventually becoming its owner after his father died in 1950. His duties shifted with the seasons: winter was for maintaining buildings, spring for herding cattle, summer for harvesting hay, and fall for rounding up cattle. After he acquired the ranch’s first tractor in 1940, other mechanized tools and appliances began to ease certain farm tasks. Carl and his wife, Lois, had three children—Lucia, Kenneth, and Jan—who helped with chores around the ranch in the 1940s and 1950s.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>After Carl died in 1980, his son, Kenneth, retired from the Air Force and returned to the ranch with his wife, Grace. They helped Lois Franzel until her death in 1984, when they inherited the property. In 1987 they remodeled and expanded the ranch house, whose core still dates to the Wilber family’s original 1888 log house. They continue to raise cattle, keep a vegetable garden, and maintain the ranch’s buildings, fences, and fields.</p>&#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-author--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-author.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-author.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-author"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-author">Author</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-author"><a href="/author/encyclopedia-staff" hreflang="und">Encyclopedia Staff</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-keyword--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-keyword.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-keyword.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-keyword field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-keyword"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-keyword">Keywords</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/buena-vista" hreflang="en">Buena Vista</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/upper-arkansas-valley" hreflang="en">Upper Arkansas Valley</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/historic-ranches" hreflang="en">historic ranches</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/agriculture" hreflang="en">agriculture</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/ernest-wilber" hreflang="en">Ernest Wilber</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/gustav-franzel" hreflang="en">Gustav Franzel</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links--inline.html.twig * links--node.html.twig * links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-references-html--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-references-html.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-references-html.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-references-html field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-references-html"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-references-html">References</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-references-html"><p>R. Laurie Simmons and Thomas H. Simmons, “Rock Ledge Ranch/Franzel Ranch,” National Register of Historic Places Registration Form (January 30, 2015).</p>&#13; </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-additional-information-htm--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-additional-information-htm field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-additional-information-htm">Additional Information</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"><p>June Shaputis and Suzanne Kelly, eds., <em>A History of Chaffee County</em> (Marceline, MO: Walsworth, 1982).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Virginia McConnell Simmons, <em>The Upper Arkansas: A Mountain River Valley</em> (Boulder: Pruett, 1990).</p>&#13; </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> Mon, 31 Oct 2016 16:59:38 +0000 yongli 2006 at http://coloradoencyclopedia.org Bromley/Koizuma-Hishinuma Farm http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/bromleykoizuma-hishinuma-farm <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Bromley/Koizuma-Hishinuma Farm</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: x field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-article-image.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-article-image.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div id="carouselEncyclopediaArticle" class="carousel slide" data-bs-ride="true"> <div class="carousel-inner"> <div class="carousel-item active"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--1936--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--1936.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/farm-restoration"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/BromleyFarm-KoizumaHishinumaFarm_0.jpg?itok=hi2qU9QA" width="1000" height="503" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/farm-restoration" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">The Farm Before Restoration</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The Bromley/Koizuma-Hishinuma Farm retains a full complement of farm buildings, including (left to right) a barn, main house, migrant worker building, and silo. In 2006 the city of Brighton acquired the farmstead to preserve an important part of the area's agricultural heritage.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/users/yongli" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">yongli</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2016-10-07T16:38:49-06:00" title="Friday, October 7, 2016 - 16:38" class="datetime">Fri, 10/07/2016 - 16:38</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'addtoany_standard' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * addtoany-standard--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * addtoany-standard--node.html.twig x addtoany-standard.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <span class="a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list" data-a2a-url="http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/bromleykoizuma-hishinuma-farm" data-a2a-title="Bromley/Koizuma-Hishinuma Farm"><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share" href="https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Fcoloradoencyclopedia.org%2Farticle%2Fbromleykoizuma-hishinuma-farm&amp;title=Bromley%2FKoizuma-Hishinuma%20Farm"></a><a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a></span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-body"><p>Located near Bromley Lane and South Fifteenth Avenue in <strong>Brighton</strong>, the Bromley/Koizuma-Hishinuma Farm is significant for its association with an early Brighton civic leader as well as later Japanese American farmers in <a href="/article/adams-county"><strong>Adams County</strong></a>. <strong>Emmet Bromley</strong> first established the farm in 1883 and owned it until the 1920s. In 1947 the Koizuma and Hishinuma families bought the farm, which the Hishinumas operated for the next six decades. In 2006 the city of Brighton bought the farmstead to preserve an important part of the area’s agricultural history and make the property into a living farm, education center, and recreation space.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Bromley Farm</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1883 Emmet Bromley bought 200 acres of land south of what is now Bromley Lane in Brighton. Bromley and his brother Martin had come to Colorado from New York in 1877. After working in <a href="/article/denver"><strong>Denver</strong></a> for a year, Bromley bought his own cattle and rented a farm to get started in the dairy business. By 1883 he was able to buy his own land and was also working 600 additional acres of dry land west of his farm.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Bromley became a prosperous farmer as well as a local business and civic leader. He expanded his property to more than 1,100 acres, on which he raised livestock, grew crops, and planted walnut tree orchards. He was active in local business as president of the First National Bank of Brighton, the Gibraltar Oil Company, and the German Ditch and Reservoir Company. In 1892 he married Anna Dickson, and around 1900 he built a one and a half-story farmhouse for his growing family.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The Bromley brothers attained prominence in Brighton-area politics. Starting in 1890, Bromley was elected to the state legislature, where he earned the title “Father of Adams County” for introducing the bill that created Adams County out of northern <a href="/article/arapahoe-county"><strong>Arapahoe County</strong></a> in 1902 and made Brighton the new county seat. His brother Martin then became the county’s first sheriff.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In the early twentieth century Bromley traded some of his land for Denver investment properties that performed poorly. He then had to sell even more land to cover his debts, ultimately leading the family to move in with relatives. In 1922 Bromley died deeply in debt, and in 1926 his wife had to give up the deed to their farm. The farm’s ownership over the next decade remains unclear, but several of the farm’s surviving buildings, including a migrant worker house, a silo, and a barn, probably date to this period.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>James/Roberts Interlude</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>The property’s history becomes clear again in 1935, when I. B. James bought 160 acres of the former Bromley Farm. James operated a tourist bus company and had a hotel near <a href="/article/rocky-mountain-national-park"><strong>Rocky Mountain National Park</strong></a>, and it is possible that he and his family planned to develop a resort on foreclosed farmland in Adams County. In the meantime, James hired William O. Roberts to manage the farm. Over the next decade, the Roberts family lived on the farm, where they grew <a href="/article/sugar-beet-industry"><strong>sugar beets</strong></a>, alfalfa, corn, and grains, and raised hogs and dairy cattle.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Koizuma-Hishinuma Farm</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1947 the large Hishinuma family, which had eleven children in addition to parents Yachi and Sen, partnered with relatives Mitsuye and Sumi Koizuma to purchase the farm for $40,000. Japanese immigrants like the Koizumas and Hishinumas had settled in Adams County since the early 1900s, when they were recruited to work in sugar beet fields and canning factories. Over the next few decades, they gradually saved enough money to start leasing and buying farms of their own. The growing economic prosperity of Colorado’s Japanese Americans collided with strong anti-Japanese sentiment during World War II, but Governor<strong> <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/ralph-carr">Ralph Carr</a></strong> defended the constitutional rights of the state’s Japanese residents and Colorado voters defeated a proposed constitutional amendment that would have prohibited Japanese aliens from owning land.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The Hishinumas and the Koizumas had each farmed elsewhere in Adams County before moving to the Brighton area. At the farm near Brighton, the Hishinumas lived in the large main house, while the smaller Koizuma family (which adopted two Hishinuma daughters) lived in the former migrant worker house. Together they grew fruit and vegetables for their own use as well as sugar beets, cabbage, alfalfa, and corn for businesses such as the Great Western Sugar Company and the Kuner-Empson Canning Company.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>After Yachi Hishinuma died in 1958 and the Koizuma family moved to New York in 1963, ownership of the farm passed to the five Hishinuma sons. The youngest son, James, managed the farm until his death in 2004.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Today</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>In 2005 the surviving members of the Hishinuma family sold the farm to a developer. In 2006 the city of Brighton stepped in to buy a 9.6-acre parcel around the historic farmstead to save it from demolition and redevelopment. In 2007 the farm was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Brighton developed a master plan that called for gradually restoring the property as a living farm, education center, and recreation space. The city has received funding for the project from Adams County Open Space and the State Historical Fund, allowing it to begin restoring the farm’s buildings.</p>&#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-author--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-author.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-author.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-author"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-author">Author</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-author"><a href="/author/encyclopedia-staff" hreflang="und">Encyclopedia Staff</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-keyword--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-keyword.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-keyword.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-keyword field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-keyword"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-keyword">Keywords</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/emmet-bromley" hreflang="en">Emmet Bromley</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/japanese-americans" hreflang="en">Japanese Americans</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/brighton" hreflang="en">brighton</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/adams-county" hreflang="en">adams county</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/agriculture" hreflang="en">agriculture</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links--inline.html.twig * links--node.html.twig * links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-references-html--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-references-html.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-references-html.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-references-html field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-references-html"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-references-html">References</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-references-html"><p><a href="http://www.brightonco.gov/926/Bromley-Farm-Koizuma-HIshinuma-Farm">“Bromley Farm/Koizuma-Hishinuma Farm,”</a> City of Brighton, Parks and Recreation Department.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Megan Mitchell, <a href="https://www.denverpost.com/2014/09/09/brighton-works-to-restore-historic-bromley-farm-for-events-classes/">“Brighton Works to Restore Historic Bromley Farm for Events, Classes,”</a> <em>The Denver Post</em>, September 9, 2014.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Patricia Reither, “Bromley Farm/Koizuma-Hishinuma Farm,” National Register of Historic Places Registration Form (February 23, 2006).</p>&#13; </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-additional-information-htm--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-additional-information-htm field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-additional-information-htm">Additional Information</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"><p>Bill Hosokawa, <em>Colorado’s Japanese Americans: From 1886 to the Present</em> (Boulder: University Press of Colorado, 2005).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Albin Wagner, <em>Adams County, Colorado: A Centennial History, 1902–2002</em> (Virginia Beach, VA: Donning Company, 2002).</p>&#13; </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> Fri, 07 Oct 2016 22:38:49 +0000 yongli 1934 at http://coloradoencyclopedia.org Yuma County http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/yuma-county <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Yuma County</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: x field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-article-image.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-article-image.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div id="carouselEncyclopediaArticle" class="carousel slide" data-bs-ride="true"> <div class="carousel-inner"> <div class="carousel-item active"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--1909--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--1909.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/yuma-county"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/Yuma_County_0.png?itok=IZR34blP" width="1024" height="741" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/yuma-county" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Yuma County</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Yuma County covers 2,369 square miles in northeast Colorado. A part of the state’s <a href="/article/colorado%E2%80%99s-great-plains"><strong>Great Plains</strong></a> region, the county includes the lowest point in Colorado: 3,315 feet, along the <strong>Arikaree River</strong> at the Kansas border.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> <div class="carousel-item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--1910--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--1910.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/yuma-county-google-map"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/Yuma_County_0.jpg?itok=u_3S_Di0" width="659" height="734" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/yuma-county-google-map" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Yuma County on Google Map</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><span>The county seat is Wray.</span></p> <div class="mod" data-md="1001" data-ved="0ahUKEwi509a127fPAhWK1IMKHRC3DyUQkCkIgAEoAzAO" style="clear:none"> <div class="_eFb"> <div class="_mr kno-fb-ctx" data-ved="0ahUKEwi509a127fPAhWK1IMKHRC3DyUQyxMIgQEoADAO"><span class="_xdb"><a class="fl" data-ved="0ahUKEwi509a127fPAhWK1IMKHRC3DyUQ6BMIggEoADAO" href="https://www.google.com/search?biw=1333&amp;bih=651&amp;q=yuma+county,+colorado+area&amp;stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAOPgE-LQz9U3yIsvSNaSyk620s_JT04syczPgzOsEotSEwF1MsAKKAAAAA&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwi509a127fPAhWK1IMKHRC3DyUQ6BMIggEoADAO">Area</a>: </span><span class="_Xbe kno-fv">2,369&nbsp;mi²</span></div> </div> </div> <div class="mod" data-md="1001" data-ved="0ahUKEwi509a127fPAhWK1IMKHRC3DyUQkCkIgwEoBDAP" style="clear:none"> <div class="_eFb"> <div class="_mr kno-fb-ctx" data-ved="0ahUKEwi509a127fPAhWK1IMKHRC3DyUQyxMIhAEoADAP"><span class="_xdb"><a class="fl" data-ved="0ahUKEwi509a127fPAhWK1IMKHRC3DyUQ6BMIhQEoADAP" href="https://www.google.com/search?biw=1333&amp;bih=651&amp;q=yuma+county,+colorado+founded&amp;stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAOPgE-LQz9U3yIsvSNZSzk620s_JT04syczP009JLElNiYdxrdLyS_NSUlMA5O6aXTEAAAA&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwi509a127fPAhWK1IMKHRC3DyUQ6BMIhQEoADAP">Founded</a>: March 15, </span><span class="_Xbe kno-fv">1889</span></div> </div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> </div> <button class="carousel-control-prev" type="button" data-bs-target="#carouselEncyclopediaArticle" data-bs-slide="prev"> <span class="carousel-control-prev-icon" aria-hidden="true"></span> <span class="visually-hidden">Previous</span> </button> <button class="carousel-control-next" type="button" data-bs-target="#carouselEncyclopediaArticle" data-bs-slide="next"> <span class="carousel-control-next-icon" aria-hidden="true"></span> <span class="visually-hidden">Next</span> </button> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/users/yongli" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">yongli</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2016-09-30T12:30:55-06:00" title="Friday, September 30, 2016 - 12:30" class="datetime">Fri, 09/30/2016 - 12:30</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'addtoany_standard' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * addtoany-standard--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * addtoany-standard--node.html.twig x addtoany-standard.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <span class="a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list" data-a2a-url="http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/yuma-county" data-a2a-title="Yuma County"><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share" href="https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Fcoloradoencyclopedia.org%2Farticle%2Fyuma-county&amp;title=Yuma%20County"></a><a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a></span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-body"><p>Yuma County covers 2,369 square miles in northeast Colorado. A part of the state’s <a href="/article/colorado%E2%80%99s-great-plains"><strong>Great Plains</strong></a> region, the county includes the lowest point in Colorado: 3,315 feet, along the <strong>Arikaree River</strong> at the Kansas border. Yuma County is bordered to the east by Cheyenne County, Kansas, to the south by <a href="/article/kit-carson-county"><strong>Kit Carson County</strong></a>, to the west by <a href="/article/washington-county"><strong>Washington County</strong></a>, and to the north by <a href="/article/logan-county"><strong>Logan</strong></a> and <a href="/article/phillips-county"><strong>Phillips</strong></a> Counties.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Yuma County has a population of 10,146. <strong>Wray</strong>, the county seat, has a population of 2,342 and is located in eastern Yuma County along the North Fork of the Republican River and US Highway 34. The city of <strong>Yuma</strong>, with a population of 3,524, is the county’s most populous city and is located in western Yuma County, at the intersection of US Highway 34 and State Highway 59. The town of Eckley, with a population of 257, lies between Yuma and Wray.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Before it became part of the <a href="/article/colorado-territory"><strong>Colorado Territory</strong></a> in 1861, the county served as camping and hunting grounds for many different Indigenous peoples, such as the <strong>Arapaho</strong>, <strong>Cheyenne</strong>, <strong>Kiowa</strong> and <strong>Pawnee</strong>. Yuma County was officially organized in 1889. Today it is one of the state’s most productive agricultural counties, drawing <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/water-colorado"><strong>water</strong></a> from the Ogallala Aquifer to support more than 800 farms and more than 260,000 head of cattle.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Native Americans</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>From around AD 1000 to 1400, members of the <a href="/article/upper-republican-and-itskari-cultures"><strong>Upper Republican and Itskari</strong></a> cultures occupied parts of northeast Colorado, including present-day Yuma County. These semi-sedentary people fished, farmed, and hunted<strong> buffalo</strong>, living in earthen lodges and crafting distinctive ceramic pots. While they were apparently able to thrive in eastern Colorado for nearly three centuries, it appears that environmental pressures—most likely drought—caused them to gradually abandon the region. There is little evidence of their presence in the area by the mid-fifteenth century.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the rapid expansion of the <strong>Lakota</strong> displaced a number of other horse-mounted groups from the northern plains, including the Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Kiowa. These groups filtered south onto the plains of Nebraska, Wyoming, and Colorado. The Pawnee also made occasional visits to eastern Colorado, although they mostly frequented present-day Kansas and Nebraska.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>By 1790 the Kiowa had moved onto the plains from the mountains of Montana. The Cheyenne and Arapaho, meanwhile, had been migrating westward from their homelands in the upper Midwest since the early eighteenth century. By 1800 the Lakota had forced both the Cheyenne and Arapaho out of present-day South Dakota. The Cheyenne and Arapaho followed the buffalo herds across the plains, living in portable, cone-shaped dwellings called <a href="/article/tipi-0"><strong>tipis</strong></a>. During the notoriously harsh plains winters, they found shelter near bluffs and in <a href="/article/cottonwood-trees"><strong>cottonwood</strong></a> groves along the river bottoms. While the Cheyenne rarely left the plains, the Arapaho made a habit of venturing into the mountains during the spring to hunt game in the high country.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Anglo-American traffic across the <a href="/article/colorado%E2%80%99s-great-plains"><strong>Colorado Plains</strong></a> increased during the 1840s with the organization of the Oregon Territory and the California Gold Rush of 1849. In response to this incursion, Plains Indians sometimes harassed or stole from wagon trains, and many whites began to fear these attacks as they crossed the plains. In 1851 the federal government sought to make the westward journey safer for white travelers with the <a href="/article/treaty-fort-laramie"><strong>Treaty of Fort Laramie</strong></a>, signed by leaders of the Cheyenne, Lakota, Arapaho, and other Plains Indians. The treaty acknowledged Native American sovereignty across the plains, and each group would receive annual payments in exchange for guaranteeing safe passage for whites and allowing the government to build forts in their territory.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Relations between Colorado’s Native Americans and the US government deteriorated after the <a href="/article/colorado-gold-rush"><strong>Colorado Gold Rush</strong></a> in 1858–59, with the latter pursuing an agenda that sought to strip away Native Americans’ rights to the land. In 1861 the <a href="/article/treaty-fort-wise"><strong>Treaty of Fort Wise</strong></a> relegated the Cheyenne and Arapaho to a small reservation in eastern Colorado between the <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/arkansas-river"><strong>Arkansas River</strong></a> and the Smoky Hill Trail. It was on that reservation, along <a href="/article/sand-creek-massacre"><strong>Sand Creek</strong></a> in present-day <a href="/article/kiowa-county"><strong>Kiowa County</strong></a>, that Col. <strong>John Chivington</strong> and the Third Colorado Volunteers slaughtered some 150 peaceful Cheyenne and Arapaho—mostly women, children, and the elderly—in 1864.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Enraged by the massacre, groups of Cheyenne and Arapaho warriors, such as the Cheyenne <strong>Dog Soldiers</strong>, fought a bloody war of resistance against the US Army. On September 16, 1868—on an island in the Arikaree River in present-day Yuma County—more than 600 Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Lakota warriors pinned down a group of fifty volunteer army scouts from Kansas under the command of Col. George Forsyth. The scouts entrenched themselves in the island and spent nine days under siege until <a href="/article/buffalo-soldiers"><strong>black troops</strong></a> of the Tenth Cavalry rescued them on September 25. The <a href="/article/beecher-island-battleground"><strong>Battle of Beecher Island</strong></a>—named for Lt. Fred Beecher, one of the casualties of the engagement—had the makings of a disaster until the Tenth Cavalry and other units arrived and routed the Native Americans. Beecher Island was a prelude to the last major engagement of the so-called Indian Wars of the late 1860s—the <a href="/article/battle-summit-springs"><strong>Battle of Summit Springs</strong></a>, in which the Dog Soldier leader Tall Bull was killed. After 1867, with the exception of the Dog Soldiers, most of the remaining Cheyenne and Arapaho in the Yuma County area were forced to Oklahoma per the <a href="/article/medicine-lodge-treaties"><strong>Medicine Lodge Treaty</strong></a>.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>County Development</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>After the American Indians left, the only people living in the Yuma County area before 1880 were ranchers. Joseph W. Bowles had a ranch near the North Fork of the Republican River, about twenty-three miles from present-day Yuma, while William L. Campbell had a ranch near the Nebraska state line and Frank and Charles Reeks grazed their cattle in the area of Beecher Island.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Wray began as an early cattle-trading hub for these ranchers, but the town did not officially begin until 1882, when it became a stop along the Burlington &amp; Colorado (B&amp;C) Railroad, which was then advancing toward Denver. The railroad increased the value of the surrounding land, and soon homesteaders and businesspeople moved to the settlement. The city of Wray was incorporated on June 6, 1906.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Also in 1882, A. C. Smith surveyed the town of Eckley along the B&amp;C tracks. The town was platted by the Lincoln Land Company in 1889. It was apparently named for either Adam or Amos Eckles, both of whom worked on Bowles’s ranch. A well nearby helped sustain the community, which soon had a hardware store, two grocery stores, a pool hall, church, post office, and two grain elevators.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>A. B. Smith surveyed the town of Yuma in 1885, and the town was platted in 1886. Homesteaders began arriving, and in 1887 the area became part of Washington County. By the time it incorporated in March 1887, Yuma had 105 residents. Von Horrum Schramm was one of Yuma’s most prominent early residents, as he built the town’s first brick building—the farmers exchange—as well as a bank, general store, and brickyard. He also owned a ranch southwest of the town.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>When Yuma County was carved from Washington County in 1889, Yuma beat out Wray for the county seat. Between 1896 and 1906 Yuma served as the agricultural center for farmers within a forty-mile radius. During that time Wray made several attempts to hold a new county seat election, and in 1902 it finally wrested the status from Yuma. Yuma County obtained its present size in 1903, when the state legislature partitioned the eastern part of Arapaho County. That year the county had little more than 1,700 residents.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In the early twentieth century, boosters in newly settled towns across Colorado published promotional pamphlets touting favorable features of the area, such as <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/colorado-climate"><strong>climate</strong></a> or soil fertility. In one of these pamphlets published around 1908–9, Yuma merchant Chas J. Nelson promised “wonderful opportunities for the homeseeker or investor” in Yuma and Washington Counties. He proclaimed eastern Colorado to be “the healthiest country in the world” and provided numerous tables on rainfall and prices for farm goods as evidence of the bountiful opportunities that awaited settlers of Yuma County.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Pamphlets like Nelson’s seemed to do the trick. By 1920 Yuma County had more than 13,000 residents, and by 1930 it had become one of the state’s premier agricultural producers. That year Yuma County had more than 2,000 farms valued at more than $22 million total. By comparison, the total farm value in neighboring Washington County—a county of similar size—was $15 million that year, and only <a href="/article/adams-county"><strong>Adams</strong></a>, <a href="/article/larimer-county"><strong>Larimer</strong></a>, Logan, and <a href="/article/jefferson-county"><strong>Jefferson</strong></a> Counties had greater farm values than Yuma County. The county also had more than 50,000 head of cattle, compared to 37,000 in neighboring Washington County, and major crops included corn, winter wheat, barley, and rye. Although its population overwhelmingly consisted of white Americans originating from the Midwest and East, by 1930 Yuma County had also attracted a significant number of German families.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Like all plains counties in Colorado, Yuma County suffered during the Great Depression and <a href="/article/dust-bowl"><strong>Dust Bowl</strong></a> of the 1930s. But unlike most other counties, it was able to keep its population stable, sustaining just an 11 percent drop in residents between 1930 and 1940. After the Dust Bowl, which was caused by a combination of drought and excessive plowing of the prairie over the past several decades, the US government created Soil Conservation Districts that were charged with monitoring agricultural practices. Today, Yuma County’s Conservation District, which monitors land and water use and educates county residents about responsible use practices, is the descendant of the districts established in the 1930s.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Agricultural Changes</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>The decades following World War II saw innovations in agriculture, including machinery that allowed for larger yields and diesel and natural gas-powered pumps that allowed farmers to tap additional water supplies in the underlying Ogallala Aquifer. The aquifer stretches some 174,000 square miles underneath the Great Plains from South Dakota to Texas and is hundreds of feet deep in some places. Yuma County was one of the biggest beneficiaries of the new water source, as it put a remarkable 991,096 irrigated acres into cultivation between 1950 and 1982. With a steady supply of water from the aquifer, Yuma County farmers were able to ramp up corn production. The water-intensive crop covered 198,545 acres in 1982, up from 117,078 acres in 1950.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Mechanization, meanwhile, allowed for larger farms and encouraged the consolidation of farmland by those who could afford to invest in the new machinery. In Yuma County the average farm size increased by more than 400 acres between 1950 and 1982. Even though the amount of farmland remained more or less the same over that period, the number of farms dropped from 1,436 to 996.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Today</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Today, Yuma County is the largest grower of corn in Colorado, with a crop worth some $206 million in 2012. That value places it in the top fifty corn-producing counties in the nation. Yuma County is also Colorado’s top supplier of hogs and pigs and ranks second in cattle and calf raising. Additionally, Yuma County farms produce significant amounts of poultry and eggs, winter wheat, hay, potatoes, melons, and sweet potatoes.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The county’s agricultural prowess, now and in the future, depends on the Ogallala Aquifer, a resource that is vast but finite. A 2013 study by the US Geological Survey reported that total water levels in the aquifer, which supplies eight states, had declined by 8 percent since 1950. But the future of Ogallala water use in eastern Colorado (or in any other region) depends on the depth of the underlying portion of the aquifer and how quickly that portion takes to recharge. A 2016 study by civil engineers at Kansas State University showed that water draws from the aquifer under eastern Colorado have outpaced the regional recharge rate since 1999 or 2000. However, the study projects that Colorado’s annual depletion of the aquifer will peak in 2023 and then decline, on account of a growing public awareness and efforts to reduce water use.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Under guidance from the Yuma County Conservation District, water conservation efforts are already under way in Yuma County. The district offers a variety of workshops on <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/irrigation-colorado"><strong>irrigation</strong></a> water management, hosts an annual Youth Water Fest to emphasize the importance of responsible water use, and sells monitoring equipment to help farmers use water with maximum efficiency.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Additionally, beginning in 2011, the Republican River Water Conservation District, in partnership with the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service, has provided incentives each year to farmers who implement water conservation measures, including the removal of some acreage from irrigated cultivation entirely. These efforts appear to be succeeding, as the <a href="/article/colorado-foundation-water-education"><strong>Colorado Foundation for Water Education</strong></a> (CFWE) currently reports that rates of withdrawal from the aquifer “appear to have stabilized.”</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The CFWE’s assessment, along with current scientific studies, suggests that Yuma County will have enough water to support its agricultural economy in the near future. Future droughts, however, may place increased pressure on the aquifer and alter current projections. It seems likely that Yuma County residents will need to continue monitoring and managing consumption of their most precious resource.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Beyond agriculture, Yuma County is notable as the home county of current US Senator <strong>Cory Gardner</strong> (R-CO). Although the county remains mostly white, its Latino population has increased since the 1990s, when work on new hog and dairy farms began drawing Latino families to Yuma and other towns. Today, Latinos make up 12.8 percent of the county population.</p>&#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-author--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-author.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-author.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-author"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-author">Author</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-author"><a href="/author/encyclopedia-staff" hreflang="und">Encyclopedia Staff</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-keyword--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-keyword.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-keyword.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-keyword field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-keyword"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-keyword">Keywords</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/yuma-county" hreflang="en">yuma county</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/yuma-county-history" hreflang="en">yuma county history</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/wray" hreflang="en">wray</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/great-plains" hreflang="en">Great Plains</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/ogallala-aquifer" hreflang="en">ogallala aquifer</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/agriculture" hreflang="en">agriculture</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/farming" hreflang="en">farming</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/yuma" hreflang="en">yuma</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/yuma-county-colorado" hreflang="en">yuma county colorado</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/arikaree-river" hreflang="en">arikaree river</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links--inline.html.twig * links--node.html.twig * links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-references-html--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-references-html.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-references-html.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-references-html field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-references-html"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-references-html">References</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-references-html"><p>“<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/10/19/in-colorado-gop-senate-candidate-cory-gardner-straddles-fence-on-immigration.html">Colorado’s growing Hispanic population shaping view on immigration for GOP Senate candidate</a>,” Associated Press via <em>Fox News Latino</em>, October 19, 2014.</p>&#13; &#13; <p><a href="https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/cgi-bin/colorado?a=d&amp;d=YPI19130509.2.44">Classifieds</a>, <em>Yuma Pioneer</em>, May 9, 1913 (Denver: Colorado State Library, Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>V.L. McGuire, “<a href="https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2012/5291/sir2012-5291.pdf">Water-Level and Storage Changes in the High Plains Aquifer, Predevelopment to 2011 and 2009-11</a>,” US Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5291 (Reston, VA: US Geological Survey, 2013).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Chas J. Nelson, “Agricultural Possibilities of Eastern Colorado” (Yuma, CO: Chas J. Nelson, c. 1908[?]).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Republican River Water Conservation District, “<a href="https://republicanriver.com/Programs/AWEP/tabid/173/Default.aspx">Agricultural Water Enhancement Program</a>,” n.d.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Shirley Starnes, ed., <em>West Yuma County, Colorado: A History of West Yuma County, 1886-1986 </em>(Dallas, TX: Taylor, 1985).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>David R. Steward and Andrew J. Allen, “<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377415301220">Peak groundwater depletion in the High Plains Aquifer, projections from 1930 to 2110</a>,” <em>Agricultural Water Management </em>170 (May 2016).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>US Census Bureau, “Yuma County, CO,” US Census, 1930.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>US Department of Agriculture, “<a href="https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/AgCensus/2012/Online_Resources/County_Profiles/">2012 Census of Agriculture County Profile: Yuma County Colorado</a>,” National Agricultural Statistics Service.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>US Department of Agriculture, “<a href="https://usda.library.cornell.edu/">Colorado-Arizona</a>,” US Census of Agriculture, Vol. 2, Part 3 (1930).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>US Department of Agriculture, “<a href="https://usda.library.cornell.edu/">Colorado-Wyoming: Chapter B – Statistics for Counties</a>,” US Census of Agriculture, Vol. 1, Part 29 (1950).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>US Department of Agriculture, “<a href="http://agcensus.mannlib.cornell.edu/AgCensus/getVolumeOnePart.do?year=1982&amp;part_id=6&amp;number=6&amp;title=Colorado">Colorado</a>,” US Census of Agriculture, Vol. 1, Part 6 (1982).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Cathy Walp, “<a href="https://www.historycolorado.org/sites/default/files/files/OAHP/NRSR/5YM290.pdf">Cliff Theater</a>,” US Department of the Interior, National Park Service Form 10-900b (Denver: History Colorado, 2012).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Elliot West, <em>Contested Plains: Indians, Goldseekers, and the Rush to Colorado </em>(Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1998).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Yuma County Conservation District, “<a href="https://www.ycconservation.com/about.html">About</a>,” n.d.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Yuma County Conservation District, “<a href="https://www.ycconservation.com/programs.html">Programs</a>,” n.d.</p>&#13; </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-additional-information-htm--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-additional-information-htm field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-additional-information-htm">Additional Information</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"><p>History Colorado, “<a href="https://www.historycolorado.org/oahp/yuma-county">Yuma County</a>,” n.d.</p>&#13; &#13; <p><a href="https://republicanriver.com/">Republican River Water Conservation District</a></p>&#13; &#13; <p><a href="http://www.wrayco.net/index.html">Wray</a></p>&#13; &#13; <p><a href="http://www.wrayco.net/museum_display.html">Wray Museum</a></p>&#13; &#13; <p><a href="https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cityofyuma">Yuma</a></p>&#13; &#13; <p><a href="http://yumacounty.net/">Yuma County</a></p>&#13; </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> Fri, 30 Sep 2016 18:30:55 +0000 yongli 1911 at http://coloradoencyclopedia.org Washington County http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/washington-county <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Washington County</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: x field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-article-image.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-article-image.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div id="carouselEncyclopediaArticle" class="carousel slide" data-bs-ride="true"> <div class="carousel-inner"> <div class="carousel-item active"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--1906--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--1906.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/washington-county"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/Washington_County_0.png?itok=fR6MpZ7y" width="1024" height="741" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/washington-county" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Washington County</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Washington County, named for the first US president, is a county of 2,524 square miles on Colorado’s eastern <a><strong>Great Plains</strong></a>.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> <div class="carousel-item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--1907--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--1907.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/washington-county-google-map"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/Washington_County_0.jpg?itok=SQGXeNIB" width="747" height="665" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/washington-county-google-map" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Washington County on Google Map</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><span>The county seat is Akron. The county was named in honor of the United States President George Washington.</span></p> <div class="_eFb"> <div class="_mr kno-fb-ctx" data-ved="0ahUKEwiL3taEzLfPAhVB0oMKHVdAB2EQyxMIeigAMA4"><span class="_xdb"><a class="fl" data-ved="0ahUKEwiL3taEzLfPAhVB0oMKHVdAB2EQ6BMIeygAMA4" href="https://www.google.com/search?biw=1315&amp;bih=641&amp;q=washington+county,+colorado+area&amp;stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAOPgE-LQz9U3yIsvNNGSyk620s_JT04syczPgzOsEotSEwESa780KAAAAA&amp;sa=X&amp;sqi=2&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiL3taEzLfPAhVB0oMKHVdAB2EQ6BMIeygAMA4">Area</a>: </span><span class="_Xbe kno-fv">2,524&nbsp;mi²</span></div> </div> <div class="_eFb"> <div class="_mr kno-fb-ctx" data-ved="0ahUKEwiL3taEzLfPAhVB0oMKHVdAB2EQyxMIfSgAMA8"><span class="_xdb"><a class="fl" data-ved="0ahUKEwiL3taEzLfPAhVB0oMKHVdAB2EQ6BMIfigAMA8" href="https://www.google.com/search?biw=1315&amp;bih=641&amp;q=washington+county,+colorado+founded&amp;stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAOPgE-LQz9U3yIsvNNFSzk620s_JT04syczP009JLElNiYdxrdLyS_NSUlMAeyyhCzEAAAA&amp;sa=X&amp;sqi=2&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiL3taEzLfPAhVB0oMKHVdAB2EQ6BMIfigAMA8">Founded</a>: February 9, </span><span class="_Xbe kno-fv">1887</span></div> </div> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> </div> <button class="carousel-control-prev" type="button" data-bs-target="#carouselEncyclopediaArticle" data-bs-slide="prev"> <span class="carousel-control-prev-icon" aria-hidden="true"></span> <span class="visually-hidden">Previous</span> </button> <button class="carousel-control-next" type="button" data-bs-target="#carouselEncyclopediaArticle" data-bs-slide="next"> <span class="carousel-control-next-icon" aria-hidden="true"></span> <span class="visually-hidden">Next</span> </button> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/users/yongli" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">yongli</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2016-09-30T11:23:05-06:00" title="Friday, September 30, 2016 - 11:23" class="datetime">Fri, 09/30/2016 - 11:23</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'addtoany_standard' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * addtoany-standard--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * addtoany-standard--node.html.twig x addtoany-standard.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <span class="a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list" data-a2a-url="http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/washington-county" data-a2a-title="Washington County"><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share" href="https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Fcoloradoencyclopedia.org%2Farticle%2Fwashington-county&amp;title=Washington%20County"></a><a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a></span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-body"><p>Washington County, named for the first US president, is a county of 2,524 square miles on Colorado’s eastern <a href="/article/colorado%E2%80%99s-great-plains"><strong>Great Plains</strong></a>. It is bordered to the north by <a href="/article/logan-county"><strong>Logan County</strong></a>, to the east by <a href="/article/yuma-county"><strong>Yuma County</strong></a>, to the south by <a href="/article/kit-carson-county"><strong>Kit Carson</strong></a> and <strong><a href="/article/lincoln-county">Lincoln</a> </strong>Counties, and to the west by <a href="/article/arapahoe-county"><strong>Arapahoe</strong></a>, <a href="/article/adams-county"><strong>Adams</strong></a>, and <a href="/article/morgan-county"><strong>Morgan</strong></a> Counties.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Washington County was formed in 1887 when the state legislature broke up a larger <a href="/article/weld-county"><strong>Weld County</strong></a>. Washington then ceded its eastern half to the formation of Yuma County in 1889 and assumed its current size by acquiring part of eastern Arapahoe County in 1903. Today the county has a population of 4,864. <strong>Akron</strong>, with a population of 1,702, is the county seat. Otis, with a population of 534, is the only other incorporated area in Washington County, as most of its residents live on the county’s 824 farms.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>US Highways 34 and 36 are the major east-west thoroughfares: Highway 34 runs through Akron and Otis in the northern part of the county, and Highway 36 runs through the small communities of Last Chance, Lindon, Anton, Arickaree, and Cope to the south. State Highway 63 bisects the county running north-south through Anton and Akron, while State Highway 71 (County Road G) meets US 36 at Last Chance, continuing north to Morgan County and south to Lincoln County. A portion of <a href="/article/interstate-76"><strong>Interstate 76</strong></a> runs through the northwestern corner of Washington County, near the small farm community of Messex.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Water resources include a number of small tributaries to the <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/south-platte-river"><strong>South Platte</strong></a>, but the county generally lacks the major water sources of its neighbors, such as the South Platte River in Morgan County or the Ogallala Aquifer underneath Yuma County. To cope with the county’s aridity, Washington County farmers have long relied on the cultivation of dryland crops, especially winter wheat, of which it is one of the state’s top producers.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Native Americans</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>From around AD 1000 to 1400, members of the <a href="/article/upper-republican-and-itskari-cultures"><strong>Upper Republican and Itskari</strong></a> cultures occupied parts of northeast Colorado, including present-day Washington County. These semi-sedentary people fished, farmed, and hunted<strong> bison</strong>, living in earthen lodges and crafting distinctive ceramic pots. While they were apparently able to thrive in eastern Colorado for nearly three centuries, it appears that environmental pressures—most likely drought—caused them to gradually abandon the region. There is little evidence of their presence in the area by the mid-fifteenth century.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the rapid expansion of the <strong>Lakota</strong> displaced a number of other nations from the northern plains, including the <strong>Arapaho</strong>, <strong>Cheyenne</strong>, and <strong>Kiowa</strong>. These groups filtered south onto the plains of Nebraska, Wyoming, and Colorado. The Pawnee also made occasional visits to eastern Colorado, although they mostly frequented present-day Kansas and Nebraska.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>By 1790 the Kiowa had moved onto the plains from the mountains of Montana. The Cheyenne and Arapaho, meanwhile, had been migrating westward from their homelands in the upper Midwest since the early eighteenth century. By 1800 the Lakota had forced both the Cheyenne and Arapaho out of present-day South Dakota. The Cheyenne and Arapaho followed the buffalo herds across the plains, living in portable, cone-shaped dwellings called <a href="/article/tipi-0"><strong>tipis</strong></a>. During the notoriously harsh plains winters, they found shelter near bluffs and in <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/cottonwood-trees"><strong>cottonwood</strong></a> groves along the river bottoms. While the Cheyenne rarely left the plains, the Arapaho made a habit of venturing into the mountains during the spring to hunt game in the high country.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Anglo-American traffic across the Colorado plains increased during the 1840s with the organization of the Oregon Territory and the California Gold Rush of 1849. In response to this incursion, Indigenous people sometimes harassed or stole from wagon trains, and many whites began to fear these attacks as they crossed the plains. In 1851 the federal government sought to make the westward journey safer for white travelers with the <a href="/article/treaty-fort-laramie"><strong>Treaty of Fort Laramie</strong></a>, signed by leaders of the Cheyenne, Lakota, Arapaho, and other Indigenous nations. The treaty acknowledged Native American sovereignty across the plains, and each group would receive annual payments in exchange for guaranteeing safe passage for whites and allowing the government to build forts in their territory.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Relations between Colorado’s Native Americans and the US government deteriorated after the <a href="/article/colorado-gold-rush"><strong>Colorado Gold Rush</strong></a> in 1858–59, with the latter pursuing an agenda that sought to strip away Native Americans’ rights to the land. In 1861 the <a href="/article/treaty-fort-wise"><strong>Treaty of Fort Wise</strong></a> relegated the Cheyenne and Arapaho to a small reservation in eastern Colorado between the <a href="/article/arkansas-river"><strong>Arkansas River</strong></a> and the Smoky Hill Trail. It was on that reservation, along <a href="/article/sand-creek-massacre"><strong>Sand Creek</strong></a> in present-day <a href="/article/kiowa-county"><strong>Kiowa County</strong></a>, that Col. <strong>John Chivington</strong> and the Third Colorado Volunteers slaughtered some 150 peaceful Cheyenne and Arapaho—mostly women, children, and the elderly—in 1864.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Enraged by the <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/sand-creek-massacre"><strong>massacre</strong></a>, groups of Cheyenne and Arapaho warriors, such as the Cheyenne <strong>Dog Soldiers</strong>, fought a bloody war of resistance against the US Army. The last major engagement of the so-called Indian Wars in Colorado occurred in 1869 at <a href="/article/battle-summit-springs"><strong>Summit Springs</strong></a> in present-day Washington County, where the Dog Soldier leader <strong>Tall Bull</strong> was killed. After 1867, with the exception of the Dog Soldiers, most of the remaining Cheyenne and Arapaho in the Washington County area had been relocated to Oklahoma per the <a href="/article/medicine-lodge-treaties"><strong>Medicine Lodge Treaty</strong></a>.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>County Development</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>With the exception of a few ranchers, in the 1870s the area that would become Washington County was uninhabited. In the early 1880s the Chicago, Burlington &amp; Quincy Railroad (CB&amp;Q) began building a line across the Colorado plains toward Denver, and land along the route became more valuable.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1882 A. B. Smith of the Lincoln Land Company, a subsidiary of the railroad, surveyed the current town site of Akron, and the town of Otis began as a railroad camp. With the exception of a store operated by Patrick Dougherty, the Akron town site remained empty until 1886, when the first additions were platted. Akron is the Greek word for “summit,” and in the context of the plains the name is appropriate, as the town sits at 4,669 feet, the highest point east of Denver.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Washington County was created the following year, split from a larger Weld County. Akron quickly became an important railroad depot, and by 1890 it featured not just a railroad roundhouse and depot but also a general store, two newspapers, four hotels, four blacksmiths, five doctors’ offices, a Presbyterian church, and a library.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In the early twentieth century, boosters in newly settled towns across Colorado published promotional pamphlets touting favorable features of the area, such as <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/colorado-climate"><strong>climate</strong></a> or soil fertility. In one of these pamphlets published around 1908–9, Yuma merchant Chas J. Nelson promised “wonderful opportunities for the homeseeker or investor” in Yuma and Washington Counties. He proclaimed eastern Colorado to be “the healthiest country in the world” and provided numerous tables on rainfall and prices for farm goods as evidence of the bountiful opportunities that awaited settlers of both counties.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>A lack of major water sources may have made Washington County a tougher sell for prospective farmers. But dryland crops and techniques helped make up for a lack of water. Winter wheat, for instance, requires little moisture and became a staple crop of Washington County in its early days, while precipitation and the South Platte tributaries apparently provided enough water to allow growth of corn; by 1930 the county had 133,754 acres of corn compared to 89,331 acres of winter wheat. County farmers also took part in the expansive <a href="/article/sugar-beet-industry"><strong>sugar beet industry</strong></a> of the early twentieth century, planting nearly 1,400 acres of beets by 1930. Although Washington County lagged behind neighboring Yuma County in agricultural production, it had nonetheless established itself as a key part of the eastern Colorado breadbasket.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Like other counties on the Colorado plains, Washington County was hit hard by the Great Depression and <a href="/article/dust-bowl"><strong>Dust Bowl</strong></a> of the 1930s. Farms folded and banks failed, and the county lost 1,255 residents between 1930 and 1940. To control the excessive plowing that helped cause the Dust Bowl, the federal government set up soil conservation districts in many counties across the country, including Washington County. With funds from the Works Progress Administration, one of President Franklin Roosevelt’s <a href="/article/new-deal-colorado"><strong>New Deal</strong></a> initiatives, high schools in Akron and Otis received new <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/akron-gymnasium"><strong>gymnasiums</strong></a>.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Agricultural Changes</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>The decades following World War II saw innovations in agriculture, including machinery that allowed for larger yields and diesel and natural gas-powered pumps that allowed farmers to tap additional water supplies in the underlying Ogallala Aquifer. The Ogallala formation stretches some 174,000 square miles underneath the Great Plains from South Dakota to Texas and is hundreds of feet deep in some places. However, the aquifer underlies only a small slice of northeastern Washington County, so many of its residents were unable to capitalize on the new water source in the same way that farmers in neighboring Yuma County could.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Mechanization, meanwhile, allowed for larger farms and encouraged the consolidation of farmland by those who could afford to invest in the new machinery, as well as other inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides. In Washington County the average farm size increased by 489 acres between 1950 and 1982. Even though the amount of farmland remained more or less the same over that period, the number of farms dropped from 1,263 to 854.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Today</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Today, Washington County is one of the top wheat producers in Colorado, as its 219,819 acres ranks second among the state’s forty-six wheat-growing counties. The county is also ranked sixth in corn production and raises more than 74,000 head of cattle.</p>&#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-author--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-author.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-author.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-author"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-author">Author</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-author"><a href="/author/encyclopedia-staff" hreflang="und">Encyclopedia Staff</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-keyword--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-keyword.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-keyword.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-keyword field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-keyword"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-keyword">Keywords</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/washington-county-colorado" hreflang="en">washington county colorado</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/washington-county" hreflang="en">washington county</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/washington-county-history" hreflang="en">washington county history</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/akron-colorado" hreflang="en">akron colorado</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/akron-history" hreflang="en">akron history</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/akron" hreflang="en">Akron</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/great-plains" hreflang="en">Great Plains</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/agriculture" hreflang="en">agriculture</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/farming" hreflang="en">farming</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/winter-wheat" hreflang="en">winter wheat</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/sugar-beets" hreflang="en">sugar beets</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links--inline.html.twig * links--node.html.twig * links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-references-html--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-references-html.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-references-html.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-references-html field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-references-html"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-references-html">References</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-references-html"><p>Abbey Christman, “<a href="https://www.historycolorado.org/sites/default/files/files/OAHP/NRSR/5WN198.pdf">Akron Gymnasium</a>,” US Department of the Interior, National Park Service Form 10-900b (Denver: History Colorado, 2007).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>History Colorado, “<a href="https://www.historycolorado.org/sites/default/files/files/Researchers/Mss.00005.pdf">Akron, Colorado Collection</a>,” Stephen G. Hart Research Library Finding Aid (Denver: History Colorado, 2013).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>US Department of Agriculture, “<a href="https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/AgCensus/2012/Online_Resources/County_Profiles/">2012 Census of Agriculture County Profile: Washington County Colorado</a>,” National Agricultural Statistics Service.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>US Department of Agriculture, “<a href="http://agcensus.mannlib.cornell.edu/AgCensus/censusParts.do?year=1890">Colorado, Contd.</a>,” US Census of Agriculture (1890).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>US Department of Agriculture, “<a href="https://usda.library.cornell.edu/">Colorado-Arizona</a>,” US Census of Agriculture, Vol. 2, Part 3 (1930).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>US Department of Agriculture, “<a href="https://usda.library.cornell.edu/">Colorado-Wyoming: Chapter B – Statistics for Counties</a>,” US Census of Agriculture, Vol. 1, Part 29 (1950).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>US Department of Agriculture, “<a href="http://agcensus.mannlib.cornell.edu/AgCensus/getVolumeOnePart.do?year=1982&amp;part_id=6&amp;number=6&amp;title=Colorado">Colorado</a>,” US Census of Agriculture, Vol. 1, Part 6 (1982).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Elliott West, <em>Contested Plains: Indians, Goldseekers, and the Rush to Colorado </em>(Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1998).</p>&#13; </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-additional-information-htm--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-additional-information-htm field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-additional-information-htm">Additional Information</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"><p><a href="http://www.townofakron.com/index.htm">Akron</a></p>&#13; &#13; <p><a href="https://www.colorado.gov/washingtoncounty">Washington County</a></p>&#13; </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> Fri, 30 Sep 2016 17:23:05 +0000 yongli 1908 at http://coloradoencyclopedia.org Phillips County http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/phillips-county <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Phillips County</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: x field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-article-image.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-article-image.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div id="carouselEncyclopediaArticle" class="carousel slide" data-bs-ride="true"> <div class="carousel-inner"> <div class="carousel-item active"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--1903--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--1903.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/phillips-county"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/1024px-Map_of_Colorado_highlighting_Phillips_County.svg__0.png?itok=LWBVBYuU" width="1024" height="741" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/phillips-county" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Phillips County</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Phillips County covers 688 square miles on the <a href="/article/colorado%E2%80%99s-great-plains"><strong>Great Plains</strong></a> of northeastern Colorado. It has a population of 4,349, more than half of whom live in the county seat of <strong>Holyoke</strong>.<span> </span></p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> <div class="carousel-item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--1904--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--1904.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/phillips-county-google-map"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/Phillips_County_0.jpg?itok=MuPlj0Qf" width="901" height="681" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/phillips-county-google-map" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Phillips County on Google Map</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><span>The county seat is Holyoke. It is named after R.O. Phillips. </span></p> <div class="_eFb"> <div class="_mr kno-fb-ctx" data-ved="0ahUKEwjwv4jIyLfPAhVG64MKHRWAAa0QyxMIeCgAMA4"><span class="_xdb"><a class="fl" data-ved="0ahUKEwjwv4jIyLfPAhVG64MKHRWAAa0Q6BMIeSgAMA4" href="https://www.google.com/search?biw=1315&amp;bih=641&amp;q=phillips+county,+colorado+area&amp;stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAOPgE-LQz9U3yIsvz9OSyk620s_JT04syczPgzOsEotSEwEa5VclKAAAAA&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjwv4jIyLfPAhVG64MKHRWAAa0Q6BMIeSgAMA4">Area</a>: </span><span class="_Xbe kno-fv">688&nbsp;mi²</span></div> </div> <div class="_eFb"> <div class="_mr kno-fb-ctx" data-ved="0ahUKEwjwv4jIyLfPAhVG64MKHRWAAa0QyxMIeygAMA8"><span class="_xdb"><a class="fl" data-ved="0ahUKEwjwv4jIyLfPAhVG64MKHRWAAa0Q6BMIfCgAMA8" href="https://www.google.com/search?biw=1315&amp;bih=641&amp;q=phillips+county,+colorado+founded&amp;stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAOPgE-LQz9U3yIsvz9NSzk620s_JT04syczP009JLElNiYdxrdLyS_NSUlMAxSANDjEAAAA&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjwv4jIyLfPAhVG64MKHRWAAa0Q6BMIfCgAMA8">Founded</a>: </span><span class="_Xbe kno-fv">March 27, 1889</span></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> </div> <button class="carousel-control-prev" type="button" data-bs-target="#carouselEncyclopediaArticle" data-bs-slide="prev"> <span class="carousel-control-prev-icon" aria-hidden="true"></span> <span class="visually-hidden">Previous</span> </button> <button class="carousel-control-next" type="button" data-bs-target="#carouselEncyclopediaArticle" data-bs-slide="next"> <span class="carousel-control-next-icon" aria-hidden="true"></span> <span class="visually-hidden">Next</span> </button> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/users/yongli" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">yongli</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2016-09-30T11:11:33-06:00" title="Friday, September 30, 2016 - 11:11" class="datetime">Fri, 09/30/2016 - 11:11</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'addtoany_standard' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * addtoany-standard--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * addtoany-standard--node.html.twig x addtoany-standard.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <span class="a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list" data-a2a-url="http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/phillips-county" data-a2a-title="Phillips County"><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share" href="https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Fcoloradoencyclopedia.org%2Farticle%2Fphillips-county&amp;title=Phillips%20County"></a><a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a></span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-body"><p>Phillips County covers 688 square miles on the <a href="/article/colorado%E2%80%99s-great-plains"><strong>Great Plains</strong></a> of northeastern Colorado. It has a population of 4,349, more than half of whom live in the county seat of <strong>Holyoke</strong>. Other communities include Haxton (pop. 946) and Amherst (58). Frenchman Creek is the only source of surface <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/water-colorado"><strong>water</strong></a> for the rural county. But by first farming dryland crops such as winter wheat, and later by pumping water from the <strong>Ogallala Aquifer</strong>, residents have managed to build a successful agricultural economy. Today, farms cover nearly all of the county’s land.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Phillips County’s two main thoroughfares, US Highways 385 and 6, meet at Holyoke and connect the county to its neighbors—<a href="/article/sedgwick-county"><strong>Sedgwick County</strong></a> to the north, the state of Nebraska to the east, <a href="/article/yuma-county"><strong>Yuma County</strong></a> to the south, and<strong> <a href="/article/logan-county">Logan County</a></strong> to the west. Phillips County was once traversed by many different groups of Plains Indians, including the <strong>Arapaho</strong>, <strong>Cheyenne</strong>, <strong>Comanche</strong>, <strong>Kiowa</strong>, <strong>Pawnee</strong>, and <strong>Lakota</strong>. After 1900 the county became home to thriving communities of Anglo-American farmers, which were hit hard by the <a href="/article/dust-bowl"><strong>Dust Bowl</strong></a> of the 1930s but bounced back in future decades. Today the county is one of the state’s top producers of corn, sheep, pigs, and cattle, thanks to water pumped from the vast Ogallala Aquifer.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Native Americans</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>From around AD 1000 to 1400, members of the <a href="/article/upper-republican-and-itskari-cultures"><strong>Upper Republican and Itskari</strong></a> cultures occupied parts of northeast Colorado, including present-day Phillips County. These semi-sedentary people fished, farmed, and hunted buffalo, living in earthen lodges and crafting distinctive ceramic pots. While they were apparently able to thrive in eastern Colorado for nearly three centuries, it appears that environmental pressures—most likely drought—caused them to gradually abandon the region. There is little evidence of their presence in the area by the mid-fifteenth century.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the rapid expansion of the Lakota displaced a number of other horse-mounted groups from the northern plains, including the Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Kiowa. These groups filtered south onto the plains of Nebraska, Wyoming, and Colorado. The Pawnee also made occasional visits to eastern Colorado, although they mostly frequented present-day Kansas and Nebraska.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>By 1790 the Kiowa had moved onto the plains from the mountains of Montana. The Cheyenne and Arapaho, meanwhile, had been migrating westward from their homelands in the upper Midwest since the early eighteenth century. By 1800 the Lakota had forced both the Cheyenne and Arapaho out of present-day South Dakota. The Cheyenne and Arapaho followed the buffalo herds across the plains, living in portable, cone-shaped dwellings called <a href="/article/tipi-0"><strong>tipis</strong></a>. During the notoriously harsh plains winters, they found shelter near bluffs and in <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/cottonwood-trees"><strong>cottonwood</strong></a> groves along the river bottoms. While the Cheyenne rarely left the plains, the Arapaho made a habit of venturing into the mountains during the spring to hunt game in the high country.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Anglo-American traffic across the <a href="/article/colorado%E2%80%99s-great-plains"><strong>Colorado Plains</strong></a> increased during the 1840s with the organization of the Oregon Territory and the California Gold Rush of 1849. In response to this incursion, Plains Indians sometimes harassed or stole from wagon trains, and many whites began to fear these attacks as they crossed the plains. In 1851 the federal government sought to make the westward journey safer for white travelers with the <a href="/article/treaty-fort-laramie"><strong>Treaty of Fort Laramie</strong></a>, signed by leaders of the Cheyenne, Lakota, Arapaho, and other Plains Indians. The treaty acknowledged Native American sovereignty across the plains, and each group would receive annual payments in exchange for guaranteeing safe passage for whites and allowing the government to build forts in their territory.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>County Development</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Relations between Colorado’s Native Americans and the US government deteriorated after the <a href="/article/colorado-gold-rush"><strong>Colorado Gold Rush</strong></a> in 1858–59, with the latter pursuing an agenda that sought to strip away the former’s rights to the land. Native American presence in the Phillips County area dwindled in the late nineteenth century after the <a href="/article/medicine-lodge-treaties"><strong>Medicine Lodge Treaty</strong></a> of 1867 and the <a href="/article/battle-summit-springs"><strong>Battle of Summit Springs</strong></a> in 1869. The treaty and battle resulted in the relocation of the area’s Cheyenne and Arapaho inhabitants to a reservation in present-day Oklahoma.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>As part of the <a href="/article/colorado-territory"><strong>Colorado Territory</strong></a> (1861–76), present-day Phillips County was part of <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/weld-county"><strong>Weld County</strong></a>. After Colorado became a state in 1876, the area remained part of Weld County until 1887, when it became part of Logan County. In 1889 both Phillips and Sedgwick County were partitioned from eastern Logan County.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Phillips County was named for R. O. Phillips, secretary of the Lincoln Land Company, which sold <a href="/article/homestead"><strong>homesteads</strong></a> in the area during the late nineteenth century. One of the first homesteads in the area belonged to English immigrant Henry Hargreaves, who set up a farm and ranch in 1887. To help farmers conduct business, William E. Heginbotham and his father established the First National Bank of Holyoke around this time. Holyoke’s Sears Hotel (now the Sawyer House) was built in 1887, and the town incorporated in 1888.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Farming got off to a rough start in Phillips County on account of the lack of surface water and arid <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/colorado-climate"><strong>climate</strong></a>. An economic downturn in 1893 and a harsh drought in 1894 led to many farmers losing their land due to the inability to pay taxes. Yet ranching increased during this time, as cattle could graze the abundant, drought-tolerant prairie grasses. Population and cattle counts between 1890 and 1900 illustrate the shift: the county population dropped from 2,642 to 1,583, while the number of cattle increased from 3,701 to 23,633.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The savior of agriculture in early Phillips County turned out to be winter wheat, a drought-resistant crop that required only minimal amounts of water and a cold period to produce grain. Winter wheat acreage and farming in general expanded greatly in Phillips County during the early twentieth century, causing the county population to increase to 5,499 by 1920.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>New Deal, New Courthouse</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>By 1924 it was clear that the county had outgrown its second courthouse, built in 1904, and needed a new one. By 1931 the county had set aside $27,000 for the building. However, like most other counties on Colorado’s eastern plains, Phillips County suffered during the Great Depression and <a href="/article/dust-bowl"><strong>Dust Bowl </strong></a>of the 1930s, and the county ceased collecting funds for the new courthouse. The population dropped from an all-time high of 5,797 in 1930 to 4,948 in 1940.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Despite the hard times, in 1933 the Greater Holyoke Club circulated petitions asking county commissioners to build the courthouse. The federal Public Works Administration (PWA), one of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s <a href="/article/new-deal-colorado"><strong>New Deal</strong></a> initiatives, provided the county with a $23,000 grant and additional loans for the building. Construction began following voter approval in 1934, and the new courthouse was completed in 1936. The PWA grant came even as the administration was pulling funds from dozens of other projects, suggesting that it considered the new Phillips County courthouse to be an important project.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Agricultural Transformation</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>American agriculture became increasingly mechanized after 1940, allowing farmers to plant considerably more acreage and harvest it with minimal labor costs. Farms in Phillips County reflected this trend, as farmers invested in combines and other machinery and began building on-site grain storage and drying systems to store larger harvests. For example, the Hargreaves farm—now managed by Henry Hargreaves’s son George and his children—built a new garage and granary in the 1940s and added five metal grain bins in the 1950s.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>When the Hargreaves installed a new <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/irrigation-colorado"><strong>irrigation</strong></a> system in 1964, their farm illustrated another fundamental transformation in Phillips County agriculture—the shift from dryland crops such as winter wheat to thirstier crops such as corn, made possible by mechanized access to water in the Ogallala Aquifer. The aquifer stretches some 174,000 square miles underneath the Great Plains from South Dakota to Texas and is hundreds of feet deep in some places. Using pumps powered by diesel or natural gas, farmers could bring up more than 2,000 gallons per minute to flood trenches between rows of crops.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>By 1974 the Hargreaves and 142 other farmers in Phillips County were using the new irrigation technique, called flood irrigation. Although county farmers still planted more wheat, irrigation prompted corn acreage to expand from 35,773 in 1950 to 64,492 in 1984. Although <strong>center-pivot irrigation </strong>has since replaced flood irrigation, Phillips County farmers still rely on the Ogallala Aquifer for water.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Today</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Agriculture in Phillips County remains strong today, with the market value of the county’s crops increasing by 45 percent between 2007 and 2012. The average crop value per farm saw an even greater increase over that period, growing 52 percent. Phillips County ranks eighth out of sixty-four Colorado counties in the value of its agricultural products and is the third-largest producer of both corn and hogs in the state.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The county’s agricultural prowess, now and in the future, depends on the Ogallala Aquifer. A 2013 study by the US Geological Survey reported that total water levels in the aquifer, which supplies eight states, had declined by 8 percent since 1950. But the future of Ogallala water use in eastern Colorado (or in any other region) depends on the depth of the underlying portion of the aquifer and how quickly that portion takes to recharge. A 2016 study by civil engineers at Kansas State University showed that water draws from the aquifer under eastern Colorado have outpaced the regional recharge rate since 1999 or 2000. However, the study projects that Colorado’s annual depletion of the aquifer will peak in 2023 and then decline, on account of a growing public awareness and efforts to reduce water use.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Conservation efforts are already under way in eastern Colorado. Beginning in 2011, the Republican River Water Conservation District—in partnership with the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service—has provided incentives each year to farmers who implement water conservation measures. These efforts appear to be succeeding, as the <a href="/article/colorado-foundation-water-education"><strong>Colorado Foundation for Water Education</strong></a> (CFWE) currently reports that rates of withdrawal from the aquifer “appear to have stabilized.”</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The CFWE’s assessment, along with current scientific studies, suggests that Phillips County will have enough water to support its agricultural economy in the near future. Future droughts, however, may place increased pressure on the aquifer and alter current projections. Phillips County residents will need to continue monitoring and managing consumption of their most precious and finite resource.</p>&#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-author--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-author.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-author.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-author"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-author">Author</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-author"><a href="/author/encyclopedia-staff" hreflang="und">Encyclopedia Staff</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-keyword--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-keyword.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-keyword.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-keyword field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-keyword"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-keyword">Keywords</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/phillips-county" hreflang="en">Phillips County</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/phillips-county-history" hreflang="en">phillips county history</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/holyoke" hreflang="en">Holyoke</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/great-plains" hreflang="en">Great Plains</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/farming" hreflang="en">farming</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/agriculture" hreflang="en">agriculture</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/ogallala-aquifer" hreflang="en">ogallala aquifer</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links--inline.html.twig * links--node.html.twig * links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-references-html--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-references-html.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-references-html.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-references-html field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-references-html"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-references-html">References</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-references-html"><p>Abigail Christman, “<a href="https://www.historycolorado.org/sites/default/files/files/OAHP/NRSR/5PL24.pdf">Hargreaves Homestead Rural Historic Landscape</a>,” US Department of the Interior, National Park Service Form 10-900b (Denver: History Colorado, 2013).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Abigail Christman, “<a href="https://www.historycolorado.org/sites/default/files/files/OAHP/NRSR/5PL19.pdf">Phillips County Courthouse</a>,” US Department of the Interior, National Park Service Form 10-900b (Denver: History Colorado, 2007).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Colorado Foundation for Water Education, “<a href="https://www.watereducationcolorado.org/cfwe-education/water-is/climate-and-drought/2-uncategorised/617-colorado-s-four-major-aquifers">Colorado’s Four Major Aquifers</a>,” n.d.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>History Colorado, “Phillips County,” n.d.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>V.L. McGuire, “<a href="https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2012/5291/sir2012-5291.pdf">Water-Level and Storage Changes in the High Plains Aquifer, Predevelopment to 2011 and 2009-11</a>,” US Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5291 (Reston, VA: US Geological Survey, 2013).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>David R. Steward and Andrew J. Allen, “<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377415301220">Peak groundwater depletion in the High Plains Aquifer, projections from 1930 to 2110</a>,” <em>Agricultural Water Management </em>170 (May 2016).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>US Department of Agriculture, “<a href="https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/AgCensus/2012/Online_Resources/County_Profiles/">2012 Census of Agriculture County Profile: Phillips County Colorado</a>,” National Agricultural Statistics Service.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>US Department of Agriculture, “<a href="https://usda.library.cornell.edu/">Colorado-Wyoming: Chapter B – Statistics for Counties</a>,” US Census of Agriculture, Vol. 1, Part 29 (1950).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>US Department of Agriculture, “<a href="http://agcensus.mannlib.cornell.edu/AgCensus/getVolumeOnePart.do?year=1987&amp;part_id=68&amp;number=6&amp;title=Colorado">Colorado,”</a> US Census of Agriculture, Vol. 1, Part 6 (1987).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Elliot West, <em>Contested Plains: Indians, Goldseekers, and the Rush to Colorado </em>(Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1998).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Deon Wolfenbarger, “<a href="https://www.historycolorado.org/sites/default/files/files/OAHP/crforms_edumat/pdfs/649.pdf">New Deal Resources on Colorado’s Eastern Plains</a>,” US Department of the Interior, National Park Service Form 10-900b (Denver: History Colorado, 2005).</p>&#13; </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-additional-information-htm--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-additional-information-htm field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-additional-information-htm">Additional Information</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"><p><a href="https://www.colorado.com/cities-and-towns/holyoke">Holyoke</a> (Colorado Tourism page)</p>&#13; &#13; <p>David E. Kromm, “<a href="http://www.waterencyclopedia.com/Oc-Po/Ogallala-Aquifer.html">Ogallala Aquifer</a>,” <em>Water Encyclopedia</em>, n.d.</p>&#13; &#13; <p><a href="https://www.colorado.gov/phillipscounty">Phillips County</a></p>&#13; &#13; <p><a href="https://www.holyokeenterprise.com/"><em>The Holyoke Enterprise</em></a></p>&#13; &#13; <p>US Geological Survey, “<a href="https://ne.water.usgs.gov/ogw/hpwlms/tablewlpre.html">High Plains Aquifer Water-Level Monitoring Study Area-weighted average water-level change, predevelopment to 1980, 2000 through 2013</a>,” updated December 19, 2014.</p>&#13; </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> Fri, 30 Sep 2016 17:11:33 +0000 yongli 1905 at http://coloradoencyclopedia.org “Great American Desert” http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/great-american-desert <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">“Great American Desert”</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/users/yongli" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">yongli</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2016-09-30T09:37:31-06:00" title="Friday, September 30, 2016 - 09:37" class="datetime">Fri, 09/30/2016 - 09:37</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'addtoany_standard' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * addtoany-standard--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * addtoany-standard--node.html.twig x addtoany-standard.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <span class="a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list" data-a2a-url="http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/great-american-desert" data-a2a-title="“Great American Desert”"><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share" href="https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Fcoloradoencyclopedia.org%2Farticle%2Fgreat-american-desert&amp;title=%E2%80%9CGreat%20American%20Desert%E2%80%9D"></a><a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a></span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-body"><p>Early nineteenth century Army explorers <a href="/article/zebulon-montgomery-pike"><strong>Zebulon Pike</strong></a> and <strong><a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/stephen-h-long">Stephen H. Long</a> </strong>conceptualized the <a href="/article/colorado%E2%80%99s-great-plains"><strong>Great Plains</strong></a> east of the <a href="/article/rocky-mountains"><strong>Rocky Mountains</strong></a> as the “Great American Desert.” Long’s report called it “unfit for cultivation,” while Pike compared it to “the sandy deserts of Africa.” The myth of the Great American Desert deterred the settlement of the Great Plains, as migrants heading west typically passed through the uninviting region as quickly as possible. The myth also intensified antebellum sectional politics, as the North and the South struggled over congressional representation by seeking to control the admission of new states, such as Colorado, into the Union.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Birth of a Myth</h2>&#13; &#13; <p><strong>Edwin James</strong>, chronicler of Long’s 1820 expedition, established the image of the Great American Desert when he described the Great Plains as “uninhabitable by a people depending upon agriculture for their subsistence.” An 1823 map produced by Long labeled the region the Great American Desert, which permanently fixed the term in the minds of westward migrants, eastern and western boosters, and politicians.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Geographies published in New England from 1820 to 1835 perpetuated the myth. Elite New Englanders, fearing that new western states would diminish northeastern political power, pointed to the foreboding description of the area as a reason for halting westward expansion. During the middle third of the nineteenth century, the desert myth held little appeal among southerners or citizens in the interior, especially on the frontier and eastern margins of the Great Plains. The <strong>Mormons</strong> were an exception: from 1855 onward, the Great American Desert had become an invented tradition for a majority of their faithful. From the pulpit, Mormon leaders transformed the Mormon’s relatively easy crossing of the Great Plains into a neo-Mosaic traverse of an American Sinai. The Mormons’ crossing of the Great American Desert east of the Rockies proved to be the crucible of the Latter-day Saints, proof that Mormons were God’s chosen people.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Dispelling and Embracing the Myth</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>By the mid-nineteenth century, Great Plains boosters, writers for railroads, and chambers of commerce in Colorado, Nebraska, and Kansas began publishing hundreds of pamphlets and books promoting the region. The 1890s discovery of the <strong>Ogallala Aquifer, </strong>one of the world’s largest freshwater aquifers, further eroded the desert myth.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In addition, the late nineteenth century brought higher-than-average rainfall to the Great Plains. Multiple theories emerged to explain the increased precipitation. Some attributed it to <strong>Manifest Destiny</strong>—a reward from a benevolent God for settling a promised land. Others held that “rain followed the plow”—that is, plowing the soil and planting trees brought desirable climatic changes. In promoting the Great Plains, boosters touted the “conquest” of the Great American Desert and challenged potential migrants to go west and further the change. The boosters, local historians, and Great Plains newspaper editors of the period between 1870 and 1900 effectively erased the memory of the arid land encountered by the pioneers.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>After 1880, Great Plains pioneers adopted the New England boosters’ concept of the desert in interviews for state historical societies and local history publications. Predominantly Midwesterners who had not read about the Great American Desert during the 1850s and 1860s, these pioneers nonetheless talked themselves into believing that they had either conquered or disproved the existence of a desert. In effect, by claiming to have conquered it, the pioneers revived the concept of the Great American Desert; thus, the romantic Great Plains historians, drawing confidently and uncritically from the pioneers’ embellished accounts, further propagated the concept in their work between 1885 and 1910.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In <em>The Great Plains</em> (1931), Walter Prescott Webb cites references to the Great American Desert in school geography texts from the 1840s and 1850s to argue that the idea of a Great American Desert did exist in the American mind from 1820 to 1870. Webb maintained that the idea was at the height of its popularity in the 1850s and that it halted the expansion of the American frontier. The nation’s textbooks and students followed Webb’s interpretation for decades. However, with the exception of the Mormons after 1855 and a well-educated minority in the northeast before 1855, practically nobody between 1820 and 1870 believed in the existence of a desert west of the Missouri River. Ironically, the only period that such a belief existed consensually in the American mind was between 1920 to 1970—courtesy of Webb.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>But while eastern Colorado is not technically a desert, it is prone to harsh droughts, such as the one during the 1930s that helped cause the <a href="/article/dust-bowl"><strong>Dust Bowl</strong></a>. More recently, recurring droughts in the 2010s have brought back some of the Dust Bowl–like conditions in parts of southeastern Colorado. Given the realities of episodic but searing drought and the difficulties humans have faced in forcing this semi-arid region to bloom, Pike, Long and their disciples perhaps chose an apt metaphor in comparing the region to a desert.</p>&#13; &#13; <p><strong>Adapted from Martyn J. Bowden, “Great American Desert,” <em>Encyclopedia of the Great Plains</em>, ed. David J. Wishart (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2004).</strong></p>&#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-keyword--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-keyword.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-keyword.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-keyword field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-keyword"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-keyword">Keywords</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/great-american-desert" hreflang="en">great american desert</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/stephen-h-long-0" hreflang="en">stephen h long</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/great-plains" hreflang="en">Great Plains</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/zebulon-pike" hreflang="en">zebulon pike</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/farming" hreflang="en">farming</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/agriculture" hreflang="en">agriculture</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/explorers" hreflang="en">explorers</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/myths" hreflang="en">myths</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links--inline.html.twig * links--node.html.twig * links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-references-html--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-references-html.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-references-html.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-references-html field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-references-html"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-references-html">References</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-references-html"><p>Joey Bunch, “<a href="https://www.denverpost.com/2014/04/05/for-southeast-colorado-a-new-dust-bowl-is-blowing-in/">For Southeast Colorado, a New Dust Bowl is Blowing In</a>,” <em>The Denver Post</em>, April 5, 2014.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>George J. Goodman and Cheryl A. Lawson, eds., <em>Retracing Major Stephen H. Long’s 1820 Expedition: The Itinerary and Botany</em>, The American Exploration and Travel Series (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1995).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Edwin James, <em>Account of an Expedition From Pittsburgh to the Rocky Mountains</em>, ed. Edwin James, vol. 2, <em>March of America Facsimiles Series, no. 65</em> (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Microfilms, 1966).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Jesse Paul, “<a href="https://www.denverpost.com/2016/04/08/drought-returns-to-southeast-colorado-counties-abnormal-dryness-spreads/">Drought Returns to Southeast Colorado Counties, Abnormal Dryness Spreads</a>,” <em>The Denver Post</em>, April 8, 2016.</p>&#13; </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-additional-information-htm--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-additional-information-htm field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-additional-information-htm">Additional Information</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"><p>Phil Carson, <em>Among the Eternal Snows: The First Recorded Ascent of Pike’s Peak, July 13–15, 1820 </em>(N.P.: First Ascent Press, 1995).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Howard Ensign Edwards, <em>The Natural History of the Long Expedition to the Rocky Mountains</em> (New York: Oxford University Press, 1997).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Jean Gray, <em>Homesteading Haxtun and the High Plains: Northeastern Colorado History </em>(Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2013).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Kenneth Haltman, <em>Looking Close and Seeing Far: Samuel Seymour, Titian Ramsay Peale, and the Art of the Long Expedition, 1818–1823</em> (University Park: Pennsylvania State University, 2008).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Robert Lawrence, <em>Ethnology and Empire: Languages, Literature, and the Making of the North American Borderlands</em> (New York: New York University Press, 2015).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Elliott West, <em>The Contested Plains: Indians, Goldseekers, and the Rush to Colorado </em>(Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1998).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Donald A. Wilhite, “<a href="http://plainshumanities.unl.edu/encyclopedia/doc/egp.wat.008.xml">Drought</a>,” <em>Encyclopedia of the Great Plains</em>, ed. David J. Wishart (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2011).</p>&#13; </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-4th-grade--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-4th-grade.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-4th-grade.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-4th-grade field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-field-4th-grade"><p>Explorers Zebulon Pike and Stephen H. Long thought of the Great Plains east of the Rocky Mountains as the “Great American Desert.” Pike compared it to “the sandy deserts of Africa.” The myth of the Great American Desert deterred settlement of the Great Plains. Migrants heading west passed through the region as quickly as possible.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Birth of a Myth</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Edwin James, chronicler of Long’s 1820 expedition, created the image of the Great American Desert.  An 1823 map made by Long labeled the region the Great American Desert. This fixed the term in the minds of westward migrants and politicians.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Geographies published in New England from 1820 to 1835 continued the myth. New Englanders feared new western states would take away from their political power. They pointed to the description of the area as a reason for halting westward expansion.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Dispelling and Embracing the Myth</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>By the mid-nineteenth century, Great Plains boosters began publishing pamphlets and books promoting the region. The 1890s discovery of the Ogallala Aquifer further destroyed the desert myth.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The late nineteenth century brought higher-than-average rainfall to the Great Plains. There were several theories about the increase. Some thought was a reward from God for settling a promised land. Others held that “rain followed the plow.” That is, plowing the soil and planting trees brought climate changes. Boosters challenged migrants to go west and further the change. Between 1870 and 1900, the boosters erased the memory of the dry land.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In The Great Plains (1931), Walter Prescott Webb cites references to the Great American Desert in school geography texts from the 1840s and 1850s. He said that the idea of a Great American Desert did exist in the American mind from 1820 to 1870. Webb said the idea was its height in the 1850s. It halted the growth of the American frontier. The nation’s students followed Webb’s opinion for decades. However, the only time the idea was widely believed was between 1920 and 1970—because of Webb.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Eastern Colorado is not a desert. It is prone to droughts. Given the realities of drought, Pike and Long might have rightly compared the region to a desert.</p>&#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-8th-grade--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-8th-grade.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-8th-grade.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-8th-grade field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-field-8th-grade"><p>Army explorers Zebulon Pike and Stephen H. Long thought of the Great Plains east of the Rocky Mountains as the “Great American Desert.” Long’s report called it “unfit for cultivation.” Pike compared it to “the sandy deserts of Africa.” The myth of the Great American Desert deterred settlement of the Great Plains. Migrants heading west passed through the region as quickly as possible.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Birth of a Myth</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Edwin James, chronicler of Long’s 1820 expedition, created the image of the Great American Desert. He described the Great Plains as “uninhabitable...” An 1823 map created by Long labeled the region the Great American Desert. This fixed the term in the minds of westward migrants and politicians.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Geographies published in New England from 1820 to 1835 continued the myth. New Englanders feared new western states would diminish their political power. They pointed to the description of the area as a reason for halting westward expansion. The desert myth held little appeal among southerners or citizens in the interior. The Mormons were an exception. From 1855 on, the Great American Desert had become an invented tradition for their faithful.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Dispelling and Embracing the Myth</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>By the mid-nineteenth century, Great Plains boosters in Colorado, Nebraska, and Kansas began publishing pamphlets and books promoting the region. The 1890s discovery of the Ogallala Aquifer, one of the world’s largest freshwater aquifers, further destroyed the desert myth.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The late nineteenth century brought higher-than-average rainfall to the Great Plains. Multiple theories emerged to explain the increase. Some thought it was Manifest Destiny—a reward from God for settling a promised land. Others held that “rain followed the plow.” That is, plowing the soil and planting trees brought desirable climate changes. Boosters challenged migrants to go west and further the change. The boosters, local historians, and Great Plains newspaper editors between 1870 and 1900 erased the memory of the arid land.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In The Great Plains (1931), Walter Prescott Webb cites references to the Great American Desert in school geography texts from the 1840s and 1850s. He argued that the idea of a Great American Desert did exist in the American mind from 1820 to 1870. Webb said the idea was at the height of its acceptance in the 1850s. It halted the growth of the American frontier. The nation’s textbooks and students followed Webb’s opinion for decades. However, the only time the idea was widely believed was between 1920 to 1970—because of Webb.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Eastern Colorado is not a desert. However, it is prone to droughts, such as the one during the 1930s that helped cause the Dust Bowl. Droughts in the 2010s have brought back some of the Dust Bowl–like conditions in parts of southeastern Colorado. Given the realities of drought, Pike and Long might have rightly compared the region to a desert.</p>&#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-10th-grade--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-10th-grade.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-10th-grade.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-10th-grade field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-field-10th-grade"><p>Early nineteenth-century Army explorers Zebulon Pike and Stephen H. Long thought of the Great Plains east of the Rocky Mountains as the “Great American Desert.” Long’s report called it “unfit for cultivation.” Pike compared it to “the sandy deserts of Africa.” The myth of the Great American Desert deterred the settlement of the Great Plains. Migrants heading west passed through the region as quickly as possible.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Birth of a Myth</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Edwin James, chronicler of Long’s 1820 expedition, established the image of the Great American Desert. He described the Great Plains as “uninhabitable by a people depending upon agriculture for their subsistence.” An 1823 map produced by Long labeled the region the Great American Desert. This fixed the term in the minds of westward migrants and politicians.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Geographies published in New England from 1820 to 1835 continued the myth. New Englanders feared that new western states would diminish northeastern political power. They pointed to the description of the area as a reason for halting westward expansion. The desert myth held little appeal among southerners or citizens in the interior. The Mormons were an exception. From 1855 on, the Great American Desert had become an invented tradition for their faithful. From the pulpit, Mormon leaders turned the Mormon’s relatively easy crossing of the Great Plains into a neo-Mosaic traverse of an American Sinai.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Dispelling and Embracing the Myth</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>By the mid-nineteenth century, Great Plains boosters and chambers of commerce in Colorado, Nebraska, and Kansas began publishing hundreds of pamphlets and books promoting the region. The 1890s discovery of the Ogallala Aquifer, one of the world’s largest freshwater aquifers, further destroyed the desert myth.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In addition, the late nineteenth century brought higher-than-average rainfall to the Great Plains. Multiple theories emerged to explain the increased rainfall. Some thought it was Manifest Destiny—a reward from God for settling a promised land. Others held that “rain followed the plow.” That is, plowing the soil and planting trees brought desirable climatic changes. Boosters touted the “conquest” of the Great American Desert. They challenged migrants to go west and further the change. The boosters, local historians, and Great Plains newspaper editors between 1870 and 1900 erased the memory of the arid land.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In The Great Plains (1931), Walter Prescott Webb cites references to the Great American Desert in school geography texts from the 1840s and 1850s to argue that the idea of a Great American Desert did exist in the American mind from 1820 to 1870. Webb maintained that the idea was at the height of its acceptance in the 1850s. It halted the expansion of the American frontier. The nation’s textbooks and students followed Webb’s opinion for decades. However, with the exception of the Mormons after 1855 and a well-educated minority in the northeast before 1855, practically nobody between 1820 and 1870 believed in the existence of a desert west of the Missouri River. The only period that such a belief existed in the American mind was between 1920 to 1970—courtesy of Webb.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>But while eastern Colorado is not a desert, it is prone to harsh droughts, such as the one during the 1930s that helped cause the Dust Bowl. Recurring droughts in the 2010s have brought back some of the Dust Bowl–like conditions in parts of southeastern Colorado. Given the realities of drought and the difficulties humans have faced in forcing this semi-arid region to bloom, Pike, Long and their disciples perhaps chose an appropriate metaphor in comparing the region to a desert.</p>&#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> Fri, 30 Sep 2016 15:37:31 +0000 yongli 1900 at http://coloradoencyclopedia.org Logan County http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/logan-county <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Logan County</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: x field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-article-image.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-article-image.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div id="carouselEncyclopediaArticle" class="carousel slide" data-bs-ride="true"> <div class="carousel-inner"> <div class="carousel-item active"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--1891--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--1891.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/logan-county"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/Logan_County_0.png?itok=IcMwl3dP" width="1024" height="741" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/logan-county" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Logan County</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Logan County covers 1,845 miles of the <strong><a href="/article/colorado%E2%80%99s-great-plains">Great Plains</a>&nbsp;</strong>and <a href="/article/south-platte-river"><strong>South Platte River</strong></a> valley&nbsp;in northeast Colorado.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> <div class="carousel-item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--1892--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--1892.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/logan-county-google-map"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/Logan_County_0.jpg?itok=hPaOwoTf" width="916" height="701" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/logan-county-google-map" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Logan County on Google Map</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Logan County,&nbsp;named for Civil War general General John A. Logan, was established in 1887.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> </div> <button class="carousel-control-prev" type="button" data-bs-target="#carouselEncyclopediaArticle" data-bs-slide="prev"> <span class="carousel-control-prev-icon" aria-hidden="true"></span> <span class="visually-hidden">Previous</span> </button> <button class="carousel-control-next" type="button" data-bs-target="#carouselEncyclopediaArticle" data-bs-slide="next"> <span class="carousel-control-next-icon" aria-hidden="true"></span> <span class="visually-hidden">Next</span> </button> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/users/yongli" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">yongli</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2016-09-29T15:57:45-06:00" title="Thursday, September 29, 2016 - 15:57" class="datetime">Thu, 09/29/2016 - 15:57</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'addtoany_standard' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * addtoany-standard--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * addtoany-standard--node.html.twig x addtoany-standard.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <span class="a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list" data-a2a-url="http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/logan-county" data-a2a-title="Logan County"><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share" href="https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Fcoloradoencyclopedia.org%2Farticle%2Flogan-county&amp;title=Logan%20County"></a><a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a></span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-body"><p>Logan County, named for <a href="/article/civil-war-colorado"><strong>Civil War</strong></a> General John A. Logan, covers 1,845 miles of the <a href="/article/colorado%E2%80%99s-great-plains"><strong>Great Plains</strong></a> in northeast Colorado. It is bordered to the north by the state of Nebraska, to the east by <a href="/article/sedgwick-county"><strong>Sedgwick</strong></a> and <a href="/article/phillips-county"><strong>Phillips</strong></a> Counties, to the southeast by <a href="/article/yuma-county"><strong>Yuma County</strong></a>, to the south by <a href="/article/washington-county"><strong>Washington County</strong></a>, to the southwest by <a href="/article/morgan-county"><strong>Morgan County</strong></a>, and to the west by <a href="/article/weld-county"><strong>Weld County</strong></a><strong>.</strong></p> <p>Logan County has a population of 22,036, with 18,211 residing along the <a href="/article/south-platte-river"><strong>South Platte River</strong></a> in <a href="/article/sterling-0"><strong>Sterling</strong></a>, the county seat. The South Platte bisects the county, flowing northeast, and is shadowed by <a href="/article/interstate-76"><strong>Interstate 76</strong></a>, the major thoroughfare. Other communities along the South Platte include Merino (pop. 284), Atwood (133), Iliff (266), and Crook (110), while the town of Fleming (408) is situated along US Highway 6 in the eastern part of the county, and Peetz (227) lies along State Highway 113 near the Nebraska border. Agriculture has been the dominant industry in Logan County since its creation in 1887; as of 2012 it had nearly 900 farms.</p> <h2>Native Americans</h2> <p>From around AD 1000 to 1400, members of the <a href="/article/upper-republican-and-itskari-cultures"><strong>Upper Republican and Itskari</strong></a> cultures occupied parts of northeast Colorado, including present-day Logan County. These semi-sedentary people fished, farmed, and hunted<strong> bison</strong>, living in <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/earth-lodge"><strong>earth lodges </strong></a>and crafting distinctive ceramic pots. While they were apparently able to thrive in eastern Colorado for nearly three centuries, it appears that environmental pressures—most likely drought—caused them to gradually abandon the region. There is little evidence of their presence in the area by the mid-fifteenth century.</p> <p>During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the rapid expansion of the <strong>Lakota</strong>&nbsp;displaced a number of other peoples from the northern plains, including the <strong>Arapaho</strong>, <strong>Cheyenne</strong>, and <strong>Kiowa</strong>. These groups filtered south onto the plains of Nebraska, Wyoming, and Colorado. The Pawnee also made occasional visits to eastern Colorado, although they mostly frequented present-day Kansas and Nebraska.</p> <p>By 1790 the Kiowa had moved onto the plains from the mountains of Montana. The Cheyenne and Arapaho, meanwhile, had been migrating westward from their homelands in the upper Midwest since the early eighteenth century. By 1800 the Lakota had forced both the Cheyenne and Arapaho out of present-day South Dakota. The Cheyenne and Arapaho followed the buffalo herds across the plains, living in portable, cone-shaped dwellings called <a href="/article/tipi-0"><strong>tipis</strong></a>. During the notoriously harsh plains winters, they found shelter near bluffs and in <a href="/article/cottonwood-trees"><strong>cottonwood</strong></a> groves along the river bottoms. While the Cheyenne rarely left the plains, the Arapaho made a habit of venturing into the mountains during the spring to hunt game in the high country.</p> <p>Anglo-American traffic across the Colorado plains increased during the 1840s with the organization of the Oregon Territory and the California Gold Rush of 1849. In response to this incursion, Plains Indians sometimes harassed or stole from wagon trains, and many whites began to fear these attacks as they crossed the plains. In 1851 the federal government sought to make the westward journey safer for white travelers with the <a href="/article/treaty-fort-laramie"><strong>Treaty of Fort Laramie</strong></a>, signed by leaders of the Cheyenne, Lakota, Arapaho, and other Plains Indians. The treaty acknowledged Native American sovereignty across the plains, and each group would receive annual payments in exchange for guaranteeing safe passage for whites and allowing the government to build forts in their territory.</p> <p>The <a href="/article/overland-trail"><strong>Overland Trail</strong></a> in what became Colorado was an Indian path that the army developed into a stagecoach route in 1858, the year of the <a href="/article/colorado-gold-rush"><strong>Colorado Gold Rush</strong></a> and the founding of <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/denver"><strong>Denver</strong></a>. The trail passed along the South Platte through present-day Logan County on its way to Denver.</p> <p>Relations between Colorado’s Native Americans and the US government deteriorated after the gold rush in 1858–59, with the government pursuing an agenda that sought to strip away Native Americans’ rights to the land. In 1861 the <a href="/article/treaty-fort-wise"><strong>Treaty of Fort Wise</strong></a> relegated the Cheyenne and Arapaho to a small reservation in eastern Colorado between the <a href="/article/arkansas-river"><strong>Arkansas River</strong></a> and the Smoky Hill Trail. It was on that reservation, along <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/sand-creek-massacre"><strong>Sand Creek</strong></a> in present-day <a href="/article/kiowa-county"><strong>Kiowa County</strong></a>, that Col. <strong>John Chivington</strong> and the Third Colorado Volunteers slaughtered some 150 peaceful Cheyenne and Arapaho—mostly women, children, and the elderly—in 1864.</p> <p>Enraged by the massacre, groups of Cheyenne and Arapaho warriors, such as the Cheyenne <strong>Dog Soldiers</strong>, fought a bloody war of resistance against the US Army. The last major engagement of the so-called Indian Wars in Colorado occurred in 1869 at <a href="/article/battle-summit-springs"><strong>Summit Springs</strong></a>, where the Dog Soldier leader <strong>Tall Bull</strong> was killed. After 1867&nbsp;most of the remaining Cheyenne and Arapaho in the Washington County area were forced&nbsp;to Oklahoma per the <a href="/article/medicine-lodge-treaties"><strong>Medicine Lodge Treaty</strong></a>.</p> <h2>County Development</h2> <p>When the <a href="/article/colorado-territory"><strong>Colorado Territory</strong></a> was established in 1861, the area of present-day Logan County was part of Weld County. In 1871 railroad surveyor David Leavitt, a native of Sterling, Illinois, passed through Logan County and was impressed with the South Platte valley’s agricultural potential. He was not alone—by the mid-1870s rancher <strong>John Wesley Iliff</strong> was grazing thousands of his cattle in the area.</p> <p>In 1873 a group of southern families traveled west hoping to join the <strong>Union Colony</strong> (present-day <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/greeley"><strong>Greeley</strong></a>). When they reached the colony they found the best land already claimed, so they traveled east to the South Platte valley. There, the King, Perkins, Prewitt, and two Smith families, as well as a handful of other single men, formed the first group of <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/homestead"><strong>homesteads</strong></a> near present-day Sterling. Leavitt joined them and set up a post office, which he named Sterling, after his hometown.</p> <p>The first <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/irrigation-colorado"><strong>irrigation</strong></a> ditches around Sterling were dug in 1872–73, but by the time Colorado became a state in 1876, the Sterling area was still little more than a cluster of homesteads. In 1880 homesteader Minos C. King traveled to Nebraska and offered <strong>Union Pacific Railroad</strong> (UP) officials an eighty-acre right-of-way as long as the UP promised to put up a depot and roundhouse in the Sterling area. In 1881 the UP finished a line between LaSalle (near present-day Greeley) and <strong>Julesburg.</strong> That year, King filed the original plat for the town of Sterling. He eventually had to move the plat less than a mile to the southeast in order to have it along the UP route, but doing so ensured the town’s future. Sterling incorporated in 1884.</p> <p>In 1887 Logan County was carved from Weld County. It was named after former Union general and Republican politician John A. Logan, who had died the previous year. Also in 1887, the Chicago, Burlington &amp; Quincy Railroad (CB&amp;Q) completed a line from Cheyenne, Wyoming to Holdredge, Nebraska that passed through Sterling, further guaranteeing the town’s continued prosperity as a rail hub. By 1890 Sterling had a population of 540.</p> <p>Though it may have been the largest, Sterling was hardly the only Logan County community to develop during this time. According to the 1890 US Census of Agriculture, “settlers flocked” to Logan County to take advantage of unusually wet years in 1885, 1886, and 1887, and they “were fairly successful in raising crops.” The communities they built included Merino, first settled as “Buffalo” in the early 1870s; Crook, established in 1881 along the Union Pacific and home to several ranchers and a druggist by 1887; Iliff, platted in 1887 and so busy with cattle-shipping that its saloon was converted into a land and loan office; and Atwood, founded in 1885 by Victor Wilson and other farmers from Abilene, Kansas. By 1890 the county population had grown to 3,070. By then there were more than a dozen irrigation ditches in the county, supporting staple crops of alfalfa and other forage plants as well as small crops of potatoes, corn, and other garden vegetables.</p> <p>By 1900 Logan County had just 200 more people than it did in 1890, but unprecedented growth came over the next decade thanks to the <a href="/article/sugar-beet-industry"><strong>sugar beet industry</strong></a>.</p> <h2>Sugar Beets and New Arrivals</h2> <p>The sugar beet boom of the early twentieth century changed the agricultural and social landscape of Colorado, and as one of several counties that hosted a beet processing plant, Logan County was in the heart of the state’s beet country. In 1905 the Sterling Sugar Company purchased machinery from a defunct beet processing plant in Michigan and shipped it to Sterling, where it built a factory of its own. In exchange for building the factory, Sterling Sugar secured commitments from local farmers to expand sugar beet acreage, and the industry was off and running. The Great Western Sugar Company bought Sterling Sugar that same year, adding the Sterling factory to the many other sugar plants it operated across the Colorado plains. In 1911 the completion of the North Sterling Reservoir increased the water supply for the new cash crop, which had taken Colorado by storm after the turn of the century. In 1899 there were barely 1,000 acres of sugar beets in the entire state, but by 1910 the beet crop in Logan County alone covered 5,352 acres.</p> <p>By 1929 the Colorado sugar beet crop covered 209,835 acres, and Logan County’s acreage increased to 14,623. Raising and harvesting sugar beets required hard manual work, and over time Colorado’s beet farmers recruited a variety of immigrant laborers to work the fields. The first major group was Germans from Russia, many of whom moved to Colorado between the late nineteenth century and the beginning of World War I.</p> <p>After spending a few years working in the fields, many German Russian immigrants transitioned to farm ownership. One notable example from Logan County is the Breidenbach family, who began planting beets for the Sterling factory in 1905. Another was Henry Debus, a German who moved his family from Russia to the United States during the 1890s. Debus and his wife Maria labored on beet farms in Michigan before buying land in Logan County in 1925 and starting their own <a href="/article/debus-farm"><strong>beet farm</strong></a>.</p> <p>As more German Russians transitioned to property ownership, beet companies began recruiting Mexican immigrants to work the fields. An estimated 45,000 Mexican individuals moved to Colorado between 1900 and 1930, many of whom were fleeing the violence of the Mexican Revolution (1910–20). Unlike their German predecessors, however, Mexican workers were treated as a permanent laboring underclass and so did not have the same opportunities to own farms. In Logan County and elsewhere, Mexican laborers and their families lived in itinerant poverty, mostly in shacks and other poorly furnished dwellings near the fields. Nonetheless, they were the driving force behind the wealth that the sugar industry brought to Sterling and other towns in northeast Colorado.</p> <p>In 1985 the <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/great-western-sugar-company"><strong>Great Western Sugar Company</strong></a> went bankrupt and closed the Sterling factory, bringing an end to a major agricultural chapter on the Colorado plains. But many families, like the Breidenbachs, continued to raise sugar beets along with staple crops such as corn and alfalfa.</p> <h2>Agricultural Changes</h2> <p>The sugar beet industry was just one of several broad agricultural trends that affected Logan County during the twentieth century. Another was the advent of combines, water pumps, and other farm machinery. In combination with the use of fertilizers, pesticides, and other “inputs,” mechanization allowed for larger farms and encouraged the consolidation of farmland by those who could afford to invest in the new machines and other products.</p> <p>Agriculture in Logan County mirrored these national trends. For instance, by 1944 it was tractors, not horses, that helped Henry Debus’s son, Henry, Jr., become one of the most successful sugar beet farmers in the county. Meanwhile, county agricultural statistics from 1950 and 1982 tell the story of farm consolidation: the amount of farmland changed little over that period, but the average farm size increased from 741 acres to 1,180 acres, and the number of farms dropped from 1,482 to 908.</p> <p>With fossil fuel-powered pumps, Logan County farmers could now pump groundwater in places where it had previously been unreachable. This technology helped county farmers expand irrigated cropland by 112,028 acres between 1950 and 1978. Another irrigation technology that saw increased use over that period was <strong>center-pivot irrigation</strong>, in which a metal arm outfitted with wheels and sprinklers is mechanically driven around a central well. Today on the Breidenbach farm, center-pivot irrigation now helps irrigate 5,000 acres of cropland.</p> <h2>Today</h2> <p>Today, farm consolidation continues in Logan County, as it does elsewhere. The number of farms dropped from 1,035 to 891 between 2007 and 2012, while the average farm size increased from 1,094 acres to 1,234 acres. The county remains one of the state’s most agriculturally productive. The total value of its agricultural products exceeded $560 million in 2012 and was the fourth-highest of all sixty-four Colorado counties.</p> <p>Beyond agriculture, major employers in the county include the 2,500-inmate Sterling Correctional Facility, the largest prison in the Colorado system, as well as the Sterling Ethanol plant, a number of shopping centers, Industrial Welding Services, and Banner Health, which operates two campuses that together employ more than 1,000. In 2015 Tallgrass Energy opened an oil pipeline from Weld County to Sterling, but Logan County is also moving into the renewable energy market, with 527 wind turbines that generate a total of more than 550 megawatts of power.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-author--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-author.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-author.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-author"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-author">Author</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-author"><a href="/author/encyclopedia-staff" hreflang="und">Encyclopedia Staff</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-keyword--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-keyword.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-keyword.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-keyword field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-keyword"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-keyword">Keywords</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/logan-county" hreflang="en">logan county</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/sterling" hreflang="en">Sterling</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/logan-county-history" hreflang="en">logan county history</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/great-plains" hreflang="en">Great Plains</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/agriculture" hreflang="en">agriculture</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/sugar-beets" hreflang="en">sugar beets</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/sugar-beet-industry" hreflang="en">sugar beet industry</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links--inline.html.twig * links--node.html.twig * links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-references-html--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-references-html.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-references-html.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-references-html field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-references-html"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-references-html">References</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-references-html"><p>Susan Davis, “<a href="https://www.thefencepost.com/news/sterling-sugar-factory-works-80th-campaign/">Sterling sugar factory works 80th campaign</a>,” <em>The Fence Post</em>, December 31, 2007.</p> <p>Tim and Kris Hoehn, “<a href="https://www.historycolorado.org/sites/default/files/files/OAHP/NRSR/5LO565.pdf">Debus Farm</a>,” Colorado State Register of Historic Places nomination form, 2005.</p> <p>“<a href="https://history.fcgov.com/archive/ethnic/mex-immigration.php">Immigration</a>,” Fort Collins History Connection, n.d.</p> <p>Don Lilleboe, “<a href="https://www.agweek.com/sugarbeet/features/believers-in-strip-till-the-breidenbachs-of-ne-colorado">Believers in Strip Till: The Breidenbachs of N.E. Colorado</a>,” <em>Sugarbeet Grower</em>, September 1, 2011.</p> <p>Logan County Economic Development Corporation, “<a href="https://sterling-logan.com/community/economic-profile/">Economic Profile</a>,” 2016.</p> <p>Carl McWilliams, “<a href="https://www.nps.gov/nr/feature/places/pdfs/13000592.pdf">Downtown Sterling Historic District</a>,” US Department of the Interior, National Park Service Form 10-900 (Denver: History Colorado, 2013).</p> <p>Carl McWilliams, “<a href="https://www.historycolorado.org/sites/default/files/files/OAHP/NRSR/5LO902.pdf">Pantall Elementary School</a>,” US Department of the Interior, National Park Service Form 10-900 (Denver: History Colorado, 2015).</p> <p>Carol Drake Mehls and Steven F. Mehls, “<a href="https://www.historycolorado.org/sites/default/files/media/documents/2018/612.pdf">Weld County, Colorado Historic Agricultural Context</a>,” (Denver: History Colorado, 1988-2006).</p> <p>Kent Swedlund, “<a href="https://www.historycolorado.org/sites/default/files/files/OAHP/NRSR/5LO623.pdf">Wells Rock House</a>,” Colorado State Register of Historic Places nomination form, 2007.</p> <p>Dan Turner, “<a href="https://abandonat.com/sterling-sugar/">Great Western Sugar Mill, Sterling, CO</a>,” <em>Substreet</em> (blog post), n.d.</p> <p>US Department of Agriculture, “<a href="https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/AgCensus/2012/Online_Resources/County_Profiles/">2012 Census of Agriculture County Profile: Logan County Colorado</a>,” National Agricultural Statistics Service.</p> <p>US Department of Agriculture, “<a href="http://agcensus.mannlib.cornell.edu/AgCensus/censusParts.do?year=1890">Colorado, Contd.</a>,” US Census of Agriculture (1890).</p> <p>US Department of Agriculture, “<a href="https://usda.library.cornell.edu/">Reports by states with statistics for counties California – D.C.</a>,” US Census of Agriculture, Vol. 6, Part 1 (1910).</p> <p>US Department of Agriculture, “<a href="https://usda.library.cornell.edu/">Colorado-Arizona</a>,” US Census of Agriculture, Vol. 2, Part 3 (1930).</p> <p>US Department of Agriculture, “<a href="https://usda.library.cornell.edu/">Colorado-Wyoming: Chapter B – Statistics for Counties</a>,” US Census of Agriculture, Vol. 1, Part 29 (1950).</p> <p>US Department of Agriculture, “<a href="http://agcensus.mannlib.cornell.edu/AgCensus/getVolumeOnePart.do?year=1982&amp;part_id=6&amp;number=6&amp;title=Colorado">Colorado</a>,” US Census of Agriculture, Vol. 1, Part 6 (1982).</p> <p>Dale Wells, <em>The Logan County Ledger</em>, ed. Nell Brown Propst (Logan County Historical Society, 1978).</p> <p>Elliott West, <em>The Contested Plains: Indians, Goldseekers, and the Rush to Colorado </em>(Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1998).</p> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-additional-information-htm--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-additional-information-htm field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-additional-information-htm">Additional Information</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"><p>“<a href="https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/cgi-bin/colorado?a=d&amp;d=SDE19000302.2.3&amp;srpos=16&amp;e=-------en-20-LOA%2cSDE-1-byDA-txt-txIN-sugar+beet-------0-">A Beet Sugar Factory: A Pertinent Communication Citing Reasons Why Sterling Should Secure One</a>,” <em>The Sterling Democrat</em>, March 2, 1900 (Colorado Historic Newspaper Collection).</p> <p>Candy Hamilton, <em>Footprints in the Sugar: A History of the Great Western Sugar Company </em>(Ontario, OR: Hamilton Bates, 2009).</p> <p><a href="https://www.colorado.gov/logan">Logan County</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.sterlingcolo.com/">Sterling</a></p> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> Thu, 29 Sep 2016 21:57:45 +0000 yongli 1893 at http://coloradoencyclopedia.org