Tour 3: Colorado State University

In 1870, the Territorial Legislature passed a bill that created the Colorado Agricultural College, now known as Colorado State University. The signing of this bill by the Territorial Governor, Edward McCook, built on a national piece of legislation passed by the U.S. Congress and signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862 to provide grants of public land to establish colleges. Unfortunately, no funding was allotted to the group of appointed trustees to purchase and manage the property, erect buildings, establish governance, and build buildings. The future of Colorado State did not look promising during the nine years after the passing of the bill to establish an agricultural college in Fort Collins to the time the school enrolled its first five students.

The citizens of Fort Collins, however, took things into their own hands. In 1871, Robert Dazell deeded 30 acres of land for a college site, and in 1872 the Larimer County Land Improvement Company contributed another 80 acres. In 1874, the Territorial Legislative Assembly finally allocated $1,000 to aid in constructing college buildings, and even that sum required the college trustees to come up with a matching amount. Again it was local folks, businesses, and organizations such as the Grange that gathered those matching funds. Citizens also plowed and seeded 20 acres of wheat, followed by the building of a 16-foot-by-24-foot red brick structure known as the "Claim Shanty." These efforts helped to inspire further work towards the school for farmers’ sons and daughters, while proving the good faith on the part of those who wanted a college in Fort Collins. The cornerstone for the first official building, Old Main, was set July 27, 1878, with the opening of the Colorado Agricultural College taking place in the fall of 1879.

Interested in learning more about Colorado State University's history? Please see "The Story of Colorado State University" on CSU's website.

Innovation in the Water: Ralph Parshall and the Parshall Flume

In the drylands of the plains of Colorado, a place where water is as valuable as gold, a device is needed to accurately measure a farmer's legal share of water. The Parshall flume, invented by Ralph L. Parshall at Colorado State University's hydrology lab in 1921, does just that.

The Parshall flume measures water flow in an open channel (such as an irrigation canal) by narrowing the channel to a fixed size. Measuring the water pressure before and after the water passes through the opening determines the rate of flow. The Parshall flume became the standard water measuring device used throughout the world.

It is difficult to overstate the significance of the contribution of Colorado State University to the life and economy of Fort Collins and the rest of the world. Parshall graduated from CSU in 1904 and later served on the faculty. He developed the flume during his 35-year career with the USDA's Office of Irrigation Investigations, stationed at CSU. You can find out more about Ralph Parshall and his flume in this online exhibit in the Water Resources Archive at CSU.