History Rebel

Fort Collins is notable for a variety of reasons but did you know that one of them is a cow? Mama Cow, to be exact.

In 1954 the State Board of Agriculture arranged for the purchase of family farms boarded by South College Ave, West Drake Road, South Shields and West Prospect Road and a new Dairy Farm was constructed there. As the town continued to grow, the dairy was surrounded by houses and the residents were unhappy with the sounds and smells coming from the farm. A herd of 140 cows was relocated to an area adjacent to the CSU veterinary hospital, where they would remain until 1989 when the State Board would suspend dairy operations.

That herd left us the legacy of Mama Cow. She achieved a world record of producing 334,248 gallons of milk over the course of 16 years. She died in 1967 and was buried on site of the dairy.

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Dr. Nora Rice-Miller was born in Illinois in 1867 and moved to Fort Collins in 1893 where she taught 6th and 7th grade at The Franklin School. She eventually married Dr. Charles Miller, who was one of the earliest settlers in Fort Collins and served as the county coroner.

In those times, only single women or widowers could be teachers. Once married, it was custom for women to become mothers and manage their households.

Sadly, Dr. Miller died of a heart attack on 1902 and Nora had 2 small children with no means of support. She had only had a high school education, but she applied and was admitted to Michigan Medical School (which was very unusual for the time). She spent 2 years there and then received her medical degree from Colorado Medical School.

Female doctors were largely distrusted, so her practice was largely maternity and pediatric care. She later moved to Southern Colorado where she was the only physician in Baca County. She is thought to be the first female physician in Fort Collins. She died at the age of 81 of heart failure, leaving an amazing legacy and forging a path for women for generations to come. Her grave stone reads “Probably the first woman physician in Fort Collins”.

📷Fort Collins History Connection

Colorado State University’s “beer-in” in 1968 where students protested the prohibition era laws in Fort Collins

While the rest of the country ended prohibition in the 1930s, the city of Fort Collins held out for an additional 36 years. Under the city’s laws, you could only sell 3.2 beer inside city limits. This forced people to travel outside of city limits to purchase and consume beers with higher ABV and liquor. As you can imagine, this created a whole other set of issues, the creation of “the Jungle” between Fort Collins and Wellington, but perhaps most prominently, drinking and driving. Within city limits, creative businessmen would sell liquor in drugstores under the guise of “medicinal purposes” which created a booming bootlegging business.

Prohibition in Fort Collins came to an end in the late 1960s and we all know what that led to… thanks to Odell Brewing and Coopersmith’s for kicking off in the 1980s, they helped Fort Collins become one of the leading craft brewing destinations in the country. Cheers! 🍻

📸Colorado Public Radio

Sugar Beet Factory, “The Jungle” in between Fort Collins and Wellington - circa 1915.

At the turn of the century, saloons were on every corner in Fort Collins, there was an increase in crime, men were staggering around the streets, and finally, the death of James Shaw was the last straw. This man, after a night at the saloon, lay down on the sidewalk and froze to death. Thus, prohibition in Fort Collins began and would effectively last until 1969.

So where did people go to quench their thirst? The answer, The Jungle. An area north of town where there were numerous dives, liquor flowed freely and crime ran rampant.

📸Library of Congress Fort Collins, CO

The legend of the missing treasure along Highway 287 in Fort Collins is said to be a myth, but the story is neat none the less 😎. Happy Sunday!

Ever wondered why the Taco Bell on College and Prospect in Fort Collins looks a little different than the rest?

Built in 1930 by Richard Mawson, owner of Mawson Lumber he built a Spanish, Mediterranean style home for his family to live in. They lived there until 1943.

After the Mawson’s moved, Dr. James Wickersham, an optometrist lived and set up his practice in the home.

In 1972, a Taco Bell was built at 1538 S. College Ave. Due to the popularity, plans for expansion and addition of a drive thru were necessary.

The original plan was the raise the Mawson home and the Taco Bell would expand, however, the city of Fort Collins fought against that plan. They called Taco Bell Corporate, convinced them that it was a Spanish style home so there would be no reason why they should tear down the real thing and build a fake one.

Finally in 1993, the Taco Bell that sat next to the Mawson house for 21 years was demolished. Employees got to participate by throwing bricks and trash can lids through the windows before it was torn down.

The city renovated the home. They added an addition in back for the kitchen and they converted the bathroom window to the drive thru window.

It was the first Taco Bell to ever be a placed inside a residence.

Does anybody remember the original Taco Bell?

Colorado Hauntings 👻

The Brown Palace is said to have a few resident ghosts. One of the most prominent resides in Room 904. It is said to be haunted by former resident, Louise Crawford Hill, a Denver socialite in the 1900s. In the 1930s, the top floors of the Brown Palace were rented out as apartments to wealthy Denver citizens. Hill is said to have become a recluse after her husband died. She resided in room 904 from 1940-1955. It is said, she died of a broken heart.

In later years, the Brown Palace was undergoing a renovation when the switchboard was receiving calls from room 904 - but that was impossible because it was unoccupied during the construction. Tour guides told patrons of the suspicious calls, but when they stopped taking about it, the calls stopped....

Some Fort Collins Facts for your Tuesday. Cheers! 🍻

Murder Monday:

Nearly 22 years ago, one of the most notorious murders in Colorado history shook the city of Boulder.

Personally, this one still hits home for me. I grew up near Boulder, was the exact same age as JonBenét when she died and one of my childhood friends was in the pageant circuit with her. My husband grew up in Boulder and apart of Boy Scouts and was in the Boulder Christmas parade with her just the week before. Although I was young, I still vividly remember hearing about this on the news and as a young girl, not knowing who hurt her, terrified me. This murder remains unsolved and I hope someday JonBenét gets the justice she deserves.

Do you remember where you were when you first heard about this case?

Christmas Trees, Tunnels & Vaults... Oh My!

Murder Monday!

63 years ago this week, 23 year old Jack Gilbert Graham became a mass murderer.