Historic Agricultural Context, Weld County, Colorado

Western Historical Studies, Inc.; Mehls, Carol; Mehls, Steven

From introduction: "Weld County, Colorado, is one of the most agriculturally productive counties within the state of Colorado. Its importance as an agricul-tural region dates to the 1860s when astute cattlemen took advantage of the open rangelands for their stock. The farmers of the 1870s utilized the soil of Weld County and a boom resulted. As their numbers increased, farmers looked to the areas away from the irrigation systems as an available source of land. Despite the Panic of 1893, farming and stock raising continued in Weld County followed by a new boom in the early twentieth century. In part, this twentieth-century dryland boom was the result of the rapid acceptance of sugar beets as a cash crop. Factors fueling the new boom included improved dryland farming techniques and World War I, which created unprecedented markets for agricultural commodities. Unfortunately, the years between World War I and World War II were poor for agriculture nationwide and Weld County was not immune. World War II fueled new markets and since that time, despite periodic downturns, agriculture has remained a mainstay in the county. This historic context covers the period 1860-1940. Because of its large land mass and good soil, Weld County has been primarily an agricultural county. Towns such as Greeley, Ft. Lupton, Windsor and doz-ens of others exist, but Weld County is not considered an urban area. The towns are closely tied to County agricultural fortunes for their success or failure. That situation is changing somewhat in the 1970s but many of the new industries in the county remain closely related to agriculture. Weld County is the third largest county in the State. It was one of the original seventeen counties in the 1861 Colorado Territory, and was named in honor of Lucius L. Weld, the first territorial secretary of Colorado. The county is comprised of 4,033 square miles or 2,574,080 acres. The county is L-shaped. The northern edge is 72 miles across and thirty-five miles long at the southern border. The county is three times the size of Rhode Island. The present size and shape of the county reflects a reduction of almost two-thirds from its original size. In 1887 and again in 1889, portions of Weld County were used to form Logan, Washington and Morgan counties. The county seat for Weld County is in Greeley, the major urban center and cultural center with the University of Northern Colorado." Funding was provided in part by a Historic Preservation Fund grant administered by the Colorado State Historic Preservation Office and the State, Tribal, and Local Plans and Grants Division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Historic Agricultural Context, Weld County, Colorado

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