Thursday, March 17, 2011

Some History of Fountain from 1887

History of El Paso County: Fountain and Fountain Valley
Excerpts of an article published in the Republic on Dec 30, 1887, authored by G.N.C.  Copy courtesy of the Pioneer Museum

Mr. J.C. Woodbury, the county commissioner for 20 consecutive years, resides south of Fountain and possesses several thousand acres of land, 300 acres under cultivation.  He has 700 head of cattle and 100 horses, and a fine orchard with over 1000 trees.

Colonel C.W. Haynes is the proprietor of Charter Oak Ranch, formerly known as the Jack Brown ranch.  This valuable ranch property includes 400 acres of meadow which cuts about 700 tons of hay annually. Besides cattle, Mr. Haynes is a horse fancier and has a large number of blooded colts.

Messrs. Jacob and David Cell are successful ranchmen with good homes and finely laid out orchards.

Three miles north of Fountain is the fine ranch of E.A. Smith, which has a good house and excellent barns.  Besides ranching, he is an attorney.

Four miles south of Fountain lived Benjamin Hall, an old settler and rancher who raised excellent crops of hay, corn and alfalfa.

The ranch of Chauncey Callaway comprises 2500 acres and is situated about ¾ mile east of Fountain village.  Four hundred acres are cultivated and the remainder is pasturage for cattle.  He cut over 100 tons of corn feed this past season, and added a large barn.

Another old-timer, living a mile north of Fountain, is William Sweetland.  His 1500 acre ranch includes a 100 acre meadow, farm buildings, a 600 fruit tree orchard, cattle and horses.  His ranch contains the ruins of an old Indian fort, with cement walls 80 feet square and 6 feet high.
 
Mrs. Lock has an excellent ranch of 1400 acres which she handles admirably.  Two hundred acres are a fine meadow and one hundred are under cultivation.  There is a young orchard, cattle and horses, and her hay, corn and oats are heard to beat. 

James Neff has a small but valuable area of land just out of town limits consisting of 14 acres devoted to 100 fruit trees, with some alfalfa and a few acres of vegetables, including cabbage.  He sells these for several hundred dollars annually.   

Among the enterprising stockmen, the Overtons own 5000 sheep, besides many cattle and horses.  They raise their own hay and grain annually.

Mr. Corbin, a pioneer, has a ranch of 2000 acres with about 74 acres under cultivation.  Corn and alfalfa are raised, and an orchard has been planted.  He has 75 head of cattle and 125 horses.

Another Colorado pioneer, Isaac Hutchins, has a pleasant home and surrounding which join Fountain.

O.S. Loomis owns 2500 acres of land, 125 under cultivation, and a fine orchard with over 700 trees, 300 of which bear fruit.  Last season he gathered 100 bushels of apples.

In the 1918 publication History of Colorado Illustrated by Wilbur Fiske Stone we learn more about David Cell:

David L. Cell was born in Wheeling, Ohio, February 16, 1853, a son of Jacob and Sarah E. Cell. In 1856 the father removed with his family to Missouri, and there David acquired a public school education.  He was afterward employed as a farm hand until 1872, when he made his way to Colorado Springs and there worked for an uncle, D. W. Cell, for five years. He subsequently purchased his present ranch of two hundred acres. In 1874 Mr. Cell was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Dean, of Missouri, and to them have been born four children. Joseph, born January 3, 1875, wedded Katharine Gee, from whom he afterward secured a legal separation. They had one child, Blanche. Martha, born July 22, 1878, was married to Silas King and they had two children, Roland and Leona. Gertrude, born May 26, 1881, hecame the wife of Arthur Pettingill, who was killed in a railroad wreck on the Santa Fe. She afterward became the wife of Joe Laurence and resides in Alberta, Canada. Amanda, born May 22, 1883, is the wife of William Higby, of Pueblo, who is a railroad engineer on the Santa Fe, and they have one child, Rose.

Mr. Cell is a member of the Woodmen of the World, Camp No. 230, of Fountain. His political allegiance is given the democratic party.  His farm makes full claim upon his time. 

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