Fort Collins Public Library Local History Archive

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Sunday evening at the Coy Farm
Sunday evening at the Coy Farm

Researching Your Genealogy

Updated 7/24/2008 (PDF format/176K)

Main Library

The Fort Collins Public Library provides books on Colorado and Fort Collins history in the Non-Fiction and Reference Areas of the library. The Microfilm Area contains reels of newspapers, cemetery records, and other miscellaneous genealogical information. These areas are open the regular library hours and the Reference Desk will provide assistance. The following resources for local genealogical research are available in these areas:

Microfilm--Includes:

  • City Directories  for most years from 1902-1976 that are indexed alphabetically by business, name, and street address. Generally include occupations of both spouses and names of children. Directories for 1976 to past year are in the Archive. 1902, 1904, and 1906 City Directories are on-line.


  • FortCollins Newspapers  for years 1874 and 1878-present. The Coloradoan   newspaper Card Index from 1980-1987 and Microfiche Index for 1977-1979 are in Microfilm Area. The Triangle Review  Card Index for papers dating from 1973-1979 and other local newspaper Card Index for years 1874-1909 and 1975-1979 are in Local History Archive. Some early indexes are on-line; and The Colorado Newspaper Digitization Project now has early Fort Collins newspapers online.


  • Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps  that primarily depict the Old Town and early residential areas of Fort Collins during the years of 1886, 1891, 1901, 1906, 1909, 1925, and 1940. The maps are online.


  • Colorado Census  for 1870, 1880, 1885, 1900, 1910, and only the Larimer County Census for 1920.


  • Daughters of the American Revolution  and other family and institutional records; index to this information in microfilm drawer.


  • The Wellington Sun  newspaper from 1906-1988; the book Excerpts from the Wellington Sun  on Reference Shelf can be used for index.


  • Fort Collins' Grandview and Roselawn Cemeteries' Records  that list name, age, date of burial, location of burial plot, and name of funeral director on-line and in book form (978.868 Cemeteries).
Local History Books--Five books provide major information on Fort Collins' families: Fort Collins Yesterdays,  Ranch Histories of Livermore and Vicinity  (978.868 Non-Fiction), and the three Larimer County history books ( History of Larimer County  1911, 1985, and 1987 on Non-Fiction, Oversize, and Reference Shelves 978.8).

Local History Archive Finding Aids--Indexes to vertical files in the Archive.

History and Architecture Database--This on-line database contains genealogical information on Fort Collins and Larimer County residents. Internet access is available at the computer work stations in the Main and Harmony Libraries and from any computer connected to the internet.

Local History Archive

The Fort Collins Museum Local History Archive is responsible for collecting, preserving, and disseminating historical information relating to Fort Collins and Larimer County. The Archive is open Tuesday - Friday 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, Saturday 10:00 am - Noon and 12:30 pm to 5:00 pm, and Sunday Noon to 5:00 pm. Researchers are welcome to use the resources of the Local History Archive during open hours, provided due care is taken to ensure the preservation of these materials. The following resources are non-circulating, and must only be used in the Archive unless stated otherwise:

Oral History Transcripts--Approximately 300 verbatim transcripts of interviews available for check-out and listed on the library's computer system. Topics include historical events, experiences of early pioneers and current residents, and Larimer County community histories. Excerpts from some interviews on Local Events and World War II are now on-line.

Historic Photograph Collections--Date from 1860s-present and include Larimer County and Fort Collins' businesses, residences, events, street scenes, families, and individuals. Order Forms for the photographs are on-line.

Biographical and Subject Files--Provide index on files of newspaper clippings, pamphlets, brochures, and other documents pertaining to the history of Fort Collins, Larimer County, and the state of Colorado.

Telephone Directories--Earliest phone directories are on-line and 1955-present are in archive.

Farm and Rural Directories--Include personal and real property values, legal description of property, rural route number, wife's name, and occupation.

Historical Maps--Provide information on land ownership, boundaries, road and railroad routes, population statistics, agriculture, storm drainage, subdivision plats, etc. There are maps from 1914, 1915, 1940, 1956, 1959, 1968, and 1975 that detail property ownership of Larimer County farm land, and Fort Collins residential property ownership maps from 1894 and 1929.

Colorado Books and Magazines--Include out of print and limited editions of books and periodicals pertaining to Colorado and Larimer County history. Of particular interest to genealogists are the 1969-1990 periodicals of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia.

Obituary/Anniversary Files--Obituary file contains copy of every obituary in The Coloradoan   newspaper from 1977-present. Obituaries before 1977 must be searched for in the microfilmed newspapers. Some obituary information is included in the biographical summaries of the People Database. Also the Coloradoan newspaper database includes articles and obituaries from 1999-present. The Anniversary file contains a copy of every anniversary in The Coloradoan   from 1977-1987.

Yearbooks--Include CSU, and Fort Collins, Poudre, Centennial, Heritage, and Rocky Mountain High School yearbooks. Dates are from 1895-present, depending on the school.

Tax Assessor Records--Include partial collection of Larimer County tax records dating from the 1940s to the 1970s with information and photographs of the property. Patrons need address of property and legal location (township, range, section, and parcel number) to access these records. To access the Tax Assessor photographs that we now have on-line, click on the Photo Search Option in the Database. Enter your street address in Keyword and then select Tax Assessor Records from All Collections.

Historic Building Surveys and Contexts--Provide historical and architectural data on various residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural buildings in Fort Collins. Often include title chains of the buildings, as well as biographical information on the owners.

Services

The Local History Archive staff assists local patrons researching primary source materials in the archive. The Local History Archive staff provides services to out-of-town patrons. Copies of biographical information included in the Obituary/Anniversary Files, Biographical Files, or the five major Larimer County History books will be sent upon request. The staff does not perform research on microfilm. The cost for each copy is $.10 with a $2.00 minimum charge; requests will be processed on a time available basis. Phone or mail requests for information not included in the 2 files or 5 books will be referred to the Larimer County Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 9502, Fort Collins, 80525-9502. You may also access the Larimer County GenWeb site for information on Larimer County cemeteries, maps, and towns. Additionally your library will process Interlibrary Loan requests for obituaries on microfilm and history books from the Fort Collins Public Library. Please contact your library for the ILL request form.

Other Local History Sources

The Larimer County Administration Building, 200 W. Oak, Fort Collins, 80521 (970-498-7000) retains the following records: Marriage records from 1865; Land records; Military discharge papers; and Mining records. Probate records from 1878 and Judicial records are at the District Court, 201 Laporte.

Birth/Death Records are available from Vital Statistics, 1525 Blue Spruce, Fort Collins, 80524 (970-498-6774). The records begin in 1900 but are incomplete until late 1920s. Cost is $12 for first copy of each search request; additional copies of each search request are $6 if they are requested on that same date. This service is also provided for a smaller fee by the Colorado Department of Health, Vital Records Section, 4210 East 11th Ave., Room 100, Denver, CO 80220-3786 (970-331-4890). Additionally, they have Colorado Marriage and Divorce Indexes on-line.

LDS Family History Center, 600 E. Swallow, Fort Collins (970-226-5999) provides a large collection of genealogical resources on microfilm, microfiche, and computer.

Donations

The Local History Archive welcomes donations of material and photographs that are essential to the development of the collection. Additionally, copies of material and photos in personal collections can be made by the Local History Archivist and returned to the owner. Please contact the Local History Archive (970-221-6688) if you have information, photos, city directories, yearbooks, etc. which you would like to donate.