1906 Map of Fort Collins

About this map

The Colorado and Southern R R defines the industrial backbone of this northern Colorado landscape, linking the burgeoning city of Fort Collins with surrounding quarrying and agricultural outposts. The grid of the city is already well-established, anchored by the Colorado State Agricultural College and a sophisticated network of irrigation reservoirs like Terry Lake and Lindenmeier Lake. This early water management system, branching from the Cache La Poudre River, illustrates the engineering required to sustain high-plains farming. To the west, the terrain rises sharply into the foothills, where the Empire Mine and the settlement of Stout mark the era's reliance on mineral and stone extraction. The presence of numerous numbered reservoirs and named glades such as Hook and Moore Glade reveals a territory in the midst of rapid transformation from open range to a structured, resource-driven economy.