Blog

“Food is Ammunition–Don’t Waste It” Part 1: Food Rationing in WWI and WWII

Apr 12, 2021

In this article the basic differences in food rationing in the United States for World War I vs. World War II are explored.

Brief History of the Town of Cornish, Weld County, Colorado

Mar 8, 2021

The Cornish railroad station was established in 1910 along the Pleasant Valley Branch of the Union Pacific Railroad, named after a civil engineer for the railroad. Though a town plat was filed in 1911, development of Cornish didn’t get started until the first business, Miller Mercantile Co., opened in 1913.

The Importance of Pets

Feb 8, 2021

Greeley residents now, and in times past, seem to have an equal interest in and attachment to the animals, or pets, that share their homes. The Greeley Tribune of Greeley’s early years mentions pets in competitions, as problems, and as trends.

In the Beginning, There Was Music

Jan 11, 2021

In 1870, when Greeley was hardly settled and the Union Colony was young, life was not easy. However, there is plenty of archival evidence that the Colonists worked hard to provide a rich cultural life from the very beginning. As it turns out, music flourished here as soon as the Colonists arrived.

Early Greeley Doctor Threatened for Administering Novel Treatment

Dec 14, 2020

Albums written and compiled by Dr. John A. Weaver, Sr., a prominent figure in early Greeley’s history, contain priceless memoires and memories about health concerns, novel treatments, and escalating tensions in Greeley in the late 1800s.

School in a Tent, “Devil’s Dung”, and Social Distancing: Prairie Style PPE

Nov 9, 2020

Educational institutions especially are experiencing budget angst as teachers and administrators craft new models for in-person and remote learning, and terms like “learning pods” and “cohorts” have entered our vocabulary. This brought to mind some stories about how residents in the drylands of Weld County coped with social distances, educating children, staying healthy, and practicing good hygiene.

Time FLU By: Quarantined in Greeley & Weld County at Home, In Jail, In Pullman Cars and In Sororities

Oct 12, 2020

As COVID-19 remains in the crosshairs of politics, the economy, and our personal lives, the Stay at Home and Safer at Home mandates are all too familiar. In the case of infectious diseases, these same restrictions applied in the 19th and 20th centuries, but were simply called “Quarantine.” Let’s take a peek at quarantine rules and enforcement in Greeley and Weld County in the “olden days.”

“Pistol Packin’ Mama” Popular, but in Short Supply in Greeley in 1943 – ‘44

Sep 16, 2020

Recent articles in the Greeley Tribune have underscored the importance of music to calm and uplift people’s spirits. In 2020, Pandora and other online apps make it easy to access favorite musical genres, but this wasn’t the case for Greeley’s music lovers in 1943.

A Cautionary Tale ~ Part 3

May 6, 2020

On January 6, 1919, four-year-old Ralph E. Waldo, Jr. remembered running up and down the aisle in a “theater,” but most likely it was a mortuary. At the end of the aisle Ralph stopped numerous times to peer into the casket holding the remains of his mother, Alfa Frances Warton Waldo, and his stillborn baby brother. The impact of the 1918 influenza epidemic lingers in the annals of Waldo family history.

A Cautionary Tale ~ Part 2

Apr 29, 2020

Earlier this month, a friend sent a photo of a lone gravestone in an abandoned cemetery near Briggsdale. The inscription on the stone piqued my interest, as I wondered if Catherine was a victim of the 1918 flu epidemic.