by Lesley Drayton, Curator, Fort Collins Local History Archive
What was newsworthy in Fort Collins one hundred years ago? Well, you can find out by visiting the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection! This amazing site has thousands of scanned newspapers from around the state dating from 1859 to 1923, and the best part is they’re all keyword searchable! That’s enough to make this archivist tear up with joy.
One can spend countless hours perusing four historic Fort Collins newspapers: the Fort Collins Standard, Express, Courier, and Weekly Courier. I thought it would be fun to see what was going on in Fort Collins on this date a century ago; the closest I could get to today’s date in the weekly paper was November 10, 1910.
The paper was full of election news, and a fun story:
The City of Fort Collins fostered the gambling spirit in town by holding a public auction of unopened, unclaimed parcels. Some bidders were luckier than others; one unfortunate man “paid a fat price for a fat telescope found it to contain old rags and dirty ties,” while “one tall individual drew a case of juvenile suspenders.” Another fellow nabbed a mystery box containing baby shoes. According to the Weekly Courier, “he was a bachelor.”
Of course, the ads in the paper are always entertaining. Here’s a great one from Patterson Pharmacy:
And here is a photo from the Local History Archive of the interior of Patterson Pharmacy where Fort Collins residents from 1910 could purchase their Snow Liniment.
And what paper would be complete without at least one scandal?
What pieces from today’s new do you think people might find interesting one hundred years from now?
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