History of Larimer County, Colorado (Classic Reprint)

Preface hear the tread of Pioneers, of Nations yet to be; The first low wash of waves, where soon shall roll a human sea. Whittier. SOME books, it is said, need no explanation. This one does. I undertook the preparation of it with misgivings concerning my ability to tell the story of the rise and progress of Larimer County as it should be told. Now that it is done, I fain would ask the indulgence of those into whose hands the book may fall, especially the critically disposed, because of its imperfections. It would be presumptuous to claim that a book covering the County could be entirely free from errors, but I hope it will serve the purpose of preserving for the use of some future historian a comparatively correct record of the events, incidents and circumstances of the early days in this portion of the Great American Desert. I can assure the reader that much care has been taken in its preparation and, as far as possible, dates, incidents and circumstances have been obtained from public reports, official records and other reliable sources. Until a few months ago I had had no thought of entering upon the undertaking myself, but had long harbored the hope that some one would take up the task of collating and compiling a history of Larimer County and carry it to completion. I knew it should be done before the Pioneers, those who had laid the foundations broad and deep, for the blessings we now enjoy, had all been numbered with those who have passed on to their eternal reward; for they would carry with them personal recollections of events and incidents that reports and records might be searched for in vain. My hopes failed of realization. No one came forward to do the work. At last I was persuaded to undertake the task, and this book is the result. Possibly it contains that which should have been left out, and omitted things that should have been inserted. The
(Typographical errors above are due to OCR software and don't occur in the book.)