Fort Collins, Colorado

Fort Collins, situated on the Cache la Poudre River, is the largest city and county seat of Larimer County, Colorado. It is a large college town (home to Colorado State University) in the north central region of the state, along what is known as the Colorado Front Range. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 118,652.

History

Fort Collins was founded as a military outpost of the United States Army in 1864. A previous encampment, known as Camp Collins, on the Cache La Poudre River near present-day Laporte, was destroyed by a flood in June 1864. Afterwards, the commander of the fort wrote to Colonel Collins at Fort Laramie, suggesting that a site several miles further down the Poudre would make a good location for the fort. The fort never had walls.

Related Topics:
United States Army - 1864 - Camp Collins - Cache La Poudre River - Laporte - Fort Laramie

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Settlers began arriving in the vicinity of the fort nearly immediately. The fort was decommissioned in 1868 and the original fort site is now the location of the present downtown of the city. The town was formally incorporated in 1873. For more information see the Fort Collins Public Library's local historical archives. http://library.ci.fort-collins.co.us/

Related Topics:
1868 - Fort Collins Public Library

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