Fort Collins History
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Fort Collins in 1875
Fort Collins was founded in 1864 as a United States Army outpost.
It’s predecessor Camp Collins, was located on the Cache La Poudre River, near present-day Laporte and was established to protect travelers of the Overland Trail and the Overland mail route.
In 1864 a flood destroyed the camp and the encampment was relocated several miles downstream and was renamed Fort Collins. The original fort site is adjacent to the present historic “Old Town” portion of the city.
The first school and church opened in 1866, and the town was platted in 1867. The civilian population of Fort Collins, led by local businessman Joseph Mason, led an effort to relocate the county seat to Fort Collins from LaPorte, and they were successful in 1868. Fort Collins was incorporated as a town in 1873.
Below you’ll find a documentary about the town of Fort Collins, Colorado-produced and narrated by Brett Goldstein.
Contributed by Vic Goodman (209 Articles)
Vic is the Editor-in-Chief for the Directory of Fort Collins. When he's not working on the directory or the blog you'll likely find him working in the garden, RVing or camping.