1901 Historical Sketch, Berthoud, Larimer County, Colorado Transcribed by Marta Norton February 23, 2000 The Berthoud Bulletin Newspaper Saturday, September 7, 1901; Page 1. The History of Berthoud, Larimer County, Colorado Little Thompson The Rich Valley that Surround the Town of Berthoud. Old Times - Putting in Water Works - Organizing of the Town - Milling and Elevator Facilities - Growth Owing to Improved Means of Farming and Intelligent Farmers. (The following is from The Fort Collins Express "Industrial Edition," issued in 1892, and is so well to the point we thought best to see it for The Bulletin's "Pioneer Edition.") The Little Thompson valley received its settlers in 1860; they were transients who came in to raise a little hay, and but a few stayed. Among those who did remain after the first year were Louis Cross and Major Kerr, but both of these gentlemen have been gathered in by the great Reaper. The Overland Stage Line kept a station along the creek for the exchange of horses and gathering of hay and other need of the company, but the early history of the little valley like its later prosperity, is very closely cemented to the larger Thompson. The Little Thompson is not a very large stream and most of the water it furnished was very soon taken charge of by the owners of stock ranches and farms lying just inside the hills or at the point where the stream passes out to the plains. The Cary Culver and Lawrence Stock farms are almost as well known as any in the west, and there are others about them owned by capitalists of Boulder and Arapahoe Counties that will some day be as famous as there. When Colorado Central Railroad was built in 1877 the station was named Berthoud in honor of E.L. Berthoud, chief engineer of the road, and station house and a section house added to the burg which had formerly consisted of Mr. Cross' farm building and a public school. In 1876 Peter Turner moved to the land lying on the bluff just north of the bottom. He and his two boys the set to work to prepare the land for cultivation. There was much talk of ditches to be constructed from the Big Thompson to cover the country lying between the two steams, and Mr. Turner and his boys selected a site as near the coming road as possible and one that would be surely under the new ditch. There was not a house on the bluff at that time, and only one habitation, a dug out, in the neighborhood. Water was carried from the Little Thompson, or, in drier times, from the Big Thompson. Little was done or could be done, until the completion of the Handy and Home Supply canals early in the eighties. Then in 1884, the present site of the town was platted, and the railway station was moved up. Soon after the Colorado Milling & Elevator Company erected a large elevator. This gave the farmers of the section an opportunity to ship all their products without crossing the Big Thompson bottom, which was sometimes in an almost impassable condition. With the increase of business a neat little town speedily sprung up and stepped into a large trade. A Great Section. The natural resources of the county around the station are great, situated as it is in the midst of the largest wheat growing section in the state, and the one claimed to be the best in the county. Immense crops of wheat come to be speedily the rule, as the class of men that had settled on the farms were away above average. Intelligence on the farm is as much at a premium as in any other calling. Good water was one of the first anxieties of the residents, and in 1877 a pipe was laid to a lake about a mile and three quarters north of town and all residences supplied. A force was obtained for fire purposes sufficient to protect any building in town. In the spring of the following year it was found that the population had increased to such a number as to warrant incorporation. The agitation led to the organization being perfected during the summer; on September 15, 1885, the first town board met to consider the affairs of the Bailiwick of Berthoud. F.I. Davis was mayor and the trusties were Peter Turner, L.H. Kelly, F.A. Crane, John Y. Munson, M.A. Rowen and Andrew Fairbairn. A. Fairbairn was elected clerk and L.H. Kelly treasurer. At this first meeting propositions were presented for buying a hose cart and for the purchase of the system of water supply. The purchases were made as soon as the town taxes were in hand and thus, at the very start, all the modern improvements were at hand for the citizens. Farmers Mill The large Farmers' Mill has always been an immense advantage. By reason of its presence the farmers have invariably received the highest market price for their grain, and have been able to sell at times when at no other place was there any such prospect. This of course owing to the rivalry between the mill and the Colorado Milling & Elevator Company's offers, but the farmers have reaped the advantage. Schools In schools, Berthoud has always been abreast of the progress in the country, which is and always has been well advanced, in educational facilities. Hardly was the town started when building was commenced on the lot set apart for the high school, and so large was the structure made that the district has not yet outgrown it. Intelligence Has Advantage Let the visitor to the Little Thompson Valley go along the road past the fields and converse for a time with their owners and he will be convinced that the intelligent farmer has as much advantage in this world as the intelligent professional man. Ten years ago the land was a waste, or when cultivated was done so carelessly as to be detrimental to both the owner and the soil. Now pleasant lanes lined with large cottonwood trees, large and roomy farm houses sitting back in groves and orchards - a smiling land dimpled with happy homes. Better yet there is no indication that the valley is in danger of a backward step. The careful farmer seems never to reach the point where further progress in his march is not possible. His land may yield thirty bushels this year, but he thinks he can make it do better next and in many cases he does. Think of a tract of over one hundred acres that averages thirty- five bushels, and a sixty acre tract which yields fifty bushels per acre, and then imagine a farmer who believes he can beat even that, then you will form an estimate of what the brainy go-ahead agriculturists of the Little Thompson are like. The forgoing was written of Berthoud and vicinity in 1892, but since then we have advanced. The town has put in a complete drainage and sewer system. The water is the very best. The mills, elevators, stores and shops are right up to date. Excellent schools and churches. The streets are wide and clean, there are shade and fruit trees in abundance, and each street has its stone walks. The farms are being divided into smaller tracts and better farming is the result. Fruit raising has become popular and very profitable. There is an abundance of water for irrigation purposes. The farmers of this district fattened 55,000 head of lambs last season for the eastern markets. The citizens of town and country are well-to-do and progressive. The culture of sugar beets is a new enterprise and apparently will be a very profitable one for the farmer. Location of Berthoud, 54 miles north of Denver, on the Colorado & Southern Railway, in Larimer County. Six miles from the mountains. Prices of town and farm property are yet very reasonable, but advances are being made rapidly in all directions. In the following columns we are pleased to give the pictures and personal sketches of a number of the people who assisted in making this beautiful and prosperous county what it is. NOTE - You can find these sketches in the Larimer County Archives page. Under 1901 Berthoud Bio's. =================================================== Contributed for use by the USGenWeb Archive Project (http://www.usgenweb.org) and by the COGenWeb Archive Project USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. 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