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The object of an environmental assessment is to determine the
various uses of the land. There are few maps that document the
use of the land; therefore one must do indirect research by
finding out who lived on the property and how they used the
property.
STEP 1: LOOK AT MAPS.
The Library has only two types of "land use maps": (1)
Sanborn Insurance Maps which date only from 1886-1940 on microfilm
and online.
Check to see if your property is within the boundaries of these
maps--Fort Collins' boundaries in 1940 were the Poudre River on
the north, Riverside Ave. on the east, Laurel St. on the south,
and Shields St. on the West. The 1940 map also includes 2 new
additions-- the one north and west of City Park and the addition
south of Laurel to Prospect St. along College Ave. Any
properties outside this area will not be on the Sanborn maps! (2)
Maps that detail property ownership of all the Larimer County
farm land in 1914, 1915, 1940, 1956, 1959, 1968, and 1975; and Fort Collins residential
property ownership maps from 1894 and 1929 are in the Local History Archive. These
may assist you in finding the owner of your property. The library
does have aerial photographs but few aerial maps.
The USGS maps of the Fort Collins Area are available by asking the Reference
Desk for assistance.
STEP 2: LOOK AT CITY DIRECTORIES AND FARM/RURAL DIRECTORIES TO DETERMINE THE
RESIDENTS/OWNERS OF YOUR PROPERTY. The city directories from
1902-1976 are on microfilm and the Reference
Desk can assist you in obtaining the reels. A 1902, 1904, and 1906 City Directory database is on-line. There is not
a city directory available for every year. For those directories that are not on-line, you can trace the
property's residents and use by using the "Numerical Street
and Avenue" section which lists the properties by street
location. Not every city directory has this section, so then you
will need to use the section which lists the occupants of
residences/businesses by name. You can trace back through the
last person/business you have listed on the property. If your
property was not on a street, then it may be listed in the Rural
Route section of the City Directory. However, you will need a
name of a resident of the property to trace in the rural section
of the Directory. The rural section does not include addresses, only the Rural Route
number. However, the 1939, 1947, and 1959 Farm and Rural
Directories include personal and real property values, legal description of property,
rural route number, wife's name, and occupation. Make a list of property uses and
residents/owners by year.
STEP 3: LOOK UP INFORMATION ON YOUR ADDRESSES IN THE HISTORY
AND ARCHITECTURE DATABASE.
This on-line database provides photographs and information on
properties and their owners. Building Records and Permits are in the Records Search. Internet access is available at
computer work stations in the Harmony and Main libraries or from
any computer with internet connection.
STEP 4: LOOK UP INFORMATION ON YOUR LIST OF
INDIVIDUALS AND BUSINESSES IN THE LARIMER COUNTY HISTORY BOOKS.
There are four local history books which can provide significant
information: Fort Collins Yesterdays
(978.868 Non-Fiction) and its index which is a separate book
filed with the history; History of Larimer County
1911 (978.8 Non-Fiction, Oversize, and Reference) and its
index which is a separate book filed with the history; History
of Larimer County Volumes I: 1985 and II: 1860s-1987 (978.8 Non-Fiction, Oversize, and Reference--please note that there
are 2 indexes in these two volumes: a Surname and General Index).
STEP 5: LOOK UP INFORMATION IN THE FOLLOWING RESOURCES
LOCATED IN THE LOCAL HISTORY ARCHIVE:
Tax Assessor Records: There is a partial
collection of the Larimer County tax records which date from
1948-1970s. These records provide building construction dates,
floor plans, and a photograph. You need to know the township,
range, quarter section, and a parcel number of your property in
order to access these records. Some of these records are
available on-line. Click on Photo
Search Option. Enter your street address in Keyword and select
Tax Assessor Records from All Collections. Additionally there is an online exhibit of rural tax assessor records at Larimer County Farms and Ranches.
Historic
Photograph Collection: There may be
photographs of the owners/residents of your property and its
buildings. Order
Forms for photographs are on-line.
Biographical and Subject Files:
This is an index of files in the archive that contain newspaper clippings, manuscripts,
reports, etc. about various properties and individuals. Much of
the information in these files has already been summarized in the
local history books. Additionally, biographical summaries from some files are in the People Database.
Newspaper Index: Local History volunteers are
currently indexing the early Fort Collins' newspapers and have
completed the index for 1874 and 1878-1909 and 1975-1979. This
index may lead you to additional newspaper information on the
owners or uses of your property. Some of these indexes are now on-line. Microfilmed Fort Collins'
newspapers of 1874 and 1878-present and the Coloradoan newspaper index from
1977-1987 are in the Main Library Reference Area. Also see The Colorado Newspaper Digitization Project for early Fort Collins newspapers online.
Building Permits and Records: In the archive there is a Fort
Collins Building Permit Record Book from January 1920-December 1949. The archive also has a vertical file of miscellaneous building records from 1878-1956 that have been copied from the newspaper. All of these records
are available in our on-line database.
Historic Building Surveys and Contexts:
There are many surveys of historic buildings available in the
Local History Archive. Some are available on the Non-Fiction Shelf
for check-out, and are cataloged by neighborhood or street. These
surveys provide you with construction date, photograph,
architectural description, historical significance, and
determination of eligibility for the National Register of
Historic Places. Some of this information has been entered in the Buildings Database. There is also a list of buildings that are Local Landmarks, or listed on the State or National Register of Historic Places.
Oral History Transcripts: There are
approximately 300 verbatim transcripts of interviews with Larimer
County residents which can be checked out. These are cataloged on
the library's catalog by individual and subject. Ask the Reference
Librarian to retrieve the interview for you. There are also many
interviews which have not been cataloged, but are available for
research by the interviewee's name. We may have an interview of
your property owner! Excerpts from some interviews on Local Events and World War II are on-line.
Other Local History Sources
The offices of Tax Assessor and County
Clerk and Recorder in the Larimer
County Administration Building (200 W. Oak, Fort Collins, 80521,
970-498-7000) provide information on tax assessments (the
Assessor's office) and deeds, mortgages, and sales (the Clerk's
office) that pertain to a property from the 1860s-present. These
will reveal who owned the property and for how long, how much the
property cost, and can give valuable information about the owner
of the deeds that have been filed on the property. Deeds are
indexed by the names of the seller (grantor) and the buyer
(grantee), so start with the most recent owner and transaction
and work back through the years. When trying to determine the
year a building was erected, there are a number of clues to look
for. For example, a sizable increase in price from one
transaction to the next suggests that there was some capital
improvement on the land. Also, a large increase in the property
taxes assessed suggests that some major improvement took place.
Additionally, wills, probate records, and court litigation which
pertain to the property may be available in the District Court
office, second floor of the Courthouse, 201 Laporte.
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