1908 Map of Fort Collins

About this map

Fort Collins serves as the industrial and academic hub in this early 20th-century landscape, dominated by the campus of the Colorado State Agricultural College and an intricate network of irrigation engineering. The Cache La Poudre River winds from the mountains of the Colorado National Forest into a valley transformed by human design, where massive efforts like the Larimer and Weld Canal and the Larimer and Weld Reservoir dictate the agricultural potential of the plains. To the west, the foothills rise sharply, featuring landmarks such as Horsetooth and the Empire Mine. Small settlements like Wellington, Laporte, and Bellvue are connected by branches of the Southern RR, illustrating a period when rail transport and water rights were the primary drivers of growth in Larimer County.