Research Guides: Poudre River Web Guide: History

History Websites

Colorado water history is an important part of understanding current ideas and conditions of the river.

1883 Fort Collins Water Works
Animated History of the Cache la Poudre Area
Other videos on the same page, provided by the Cache la Poudre National Heritage Area
Fort Collins History Connection
Some history on the naming of the Cache la Poudre River
Greeley's Water History
A timeline of water usage in Greeley, beginning in 1830, by the City of Greeley
Historic Preservation, City of Fort Collins
Includes a variety of historic preservation efforts, such as a video of the Great Western Sugar Factory flume and bridge. Also see the Local History page under the Historic Places tab for a number of reports.
Historical Context of Water Law for the Cache la Poudre River Basin
History of Agricultural and Urban Water Use in Fort Collins
A website by the Public and Environmental History Center at Colorado State University
A History of Fort Collins: Eyewitness to Fort Collins Development
This video, produced by Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Colorado State University, discusses Fort Collins' planned growth in the mid-20th century. It includes a 1970 video promoting recreational development along the river followed by talks by several experts on the area's planning history.
National Register of Historic Places: Great Western Sugar Company flume and bridge
Poudre Valley River Trust
This website, created for a class by college students, uses archival sources to explore how recreational development along the river has impacted surrounding areas.

Historical Collections

Colorado State University, Water Resources Archive

CSU has an extensive Water Resources Archive housed in Morgan Library on the main Fort Collins campus. Use the collection finding aids linked below to figure out what historical resources you would like to see, then come visit! Some collections have been partially digitized and links to those files can be found in the finding aids. For additional research assistance, contact us!