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Upon returning to the Cache la Poudre valley, Mason purchased a 160 acre tract of land from a Native
American woman who was the recent widow of a man named Gangros. The land was located on the south side of the river a little over a mile northwest of present-day Fort Collins. In 1862, the governor
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In June 1864, a flood destroyed the nearby Army camp called Camp
Collins. When Lt. James Hannah and his men were looking for safer ground on which to relocate the camp, they encountered Mason, who suggested they relocate on land near his property. He suggested that this ground would be high enough
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Once the camp was moved to its new location, Mason and Major Asaph Allen built the first store, called Old Grout, in 1865. It was a two-story concrete sutler's store built on the south edge of the camp, and Mason was appointed as the sutler, or store keeper for the camp. Mason and his partner, Mr.
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In 1861 in Denver, Mason took part in a duel with a
Frenchman over a Native American woman. The Frenchman fainted before either party could draw their weapon, so no shots were fired. It is not known what became of the woman, but she did not end up with Mason. The woman's name was Mary Polzell
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along the river adjacent to his property in 1864. After
Colorado became a territory in 1861, Mason was appointed to the first board of county commissioners. He became prominent in politics and business in Fort Collins after the founding of the town in 1867, and served in several official posts,
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Joseph Mason was born Joseph
Messier on a farm near Montreal, Canada, January 28, 1840. He was the youngest child in a family of 10 He attended school in both Montreal and Sherbrooke before immigrating to the United States at the age of 15. After moving to the New England region of the United
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which was traveling west to explore the headwaters of the
Yellowstone River, but Mason left the expedition, before it was complete, in the winter of 1859-1860 while they were wintering over in Deer Creek Station in central Wyoming. From there, Mason traveled south to
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On
February 9, 1881, Mason was kicked in the head by one of his horses. Local doctors removed 62 pieces of skull fragment from the wound, but could not save him. On February 11, 1881, Mason died of his wounds. He is buried in Grand View Cemetery in Fort Collins.
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Sherwood, also supplied horses to the army camp. When the post office was located in the sutler's store, Mason was also appointed as the first postmaster to the camp. In 1877, President Hayes reappointed Mason as postmaster but Mason resigned the office in 1879.
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In 1868, Mason was instrumental in getting the county seat of
Larimer County to Fort Collins from Laporte. Once the county seat was moved to Fort Collins, the courthouse was located on the second floor of the Old Grout sutler's store building.
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Mason married Luella M. Blake, the daughter of George G. Blake on July 3, 1870. The couple had two children who survived to adulthood, Minnie Luella Mason and Albert J. Mason, and one child, Lizzie C. Mason, that died in early infancy.
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In 1871, Mason was elected
Sheriff of Larimer County. He was reelected to the position in 1873. During his time as sheriff, Mason arrested noted criminal Happy Jack, but he subsequently escaped custody.
112:, (January 28, 1840 – February 1881) was an explorer, business man, law man, and early settler of the Colorado Territory He is best known as the "Father of Fort Collins, Colorado".
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to be safe from flooding and would allow a good vantage point for spotting impending attacks from hostile Native
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In 1872, Mason purchased the Lindell flour mill from Elizabeth Auntie Stone and Henry C. Peterson.
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in present-day north Fort Collins, and he played in an instrumental role in persuading the
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Joseph Mason donated 50 acres of land to help build Colorado State University.
404:"Local History Archive Time Line 1860s - City of Fort Collins, Colorado"
343:"Colorado History: Joseph Mason made his mark as a Fort Collins pioneer"
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After spending a year in Mississippi, in early 1859, Mason travelled to
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385:"Businesses in Early Fort Collins | FC Historical Society"
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in the 1860s. Mason settled a large tract of land along the
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Mason Street in Fort Collins is named for Joseph Mason.
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Minnie Luella Mason, Albert J. Mason, Lizzie C. Mason
366:"joseph mason's historic farm fort collins colorado"
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Homesteader in Larimer County, Colorado in the 1860s
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261:"Joseph Mason is the father of Fort Collins"
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304:"Biographies in Larimer County Colorado"
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259:Udell, Erin (June 20, 2015).
177:Contributions to Fort Collins
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115:Mason was an early white
121:Larimer County, Colorado
86:Fort Collins, Colorado
65:Fort Collins, Colorado
125:Cache la Poudre River
433:History of Colorado
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158:Raynolds Expedition
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171:John Evans
84:Father of
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100:Children
138:Sheriff
92:Spouse
220:Death
67:, US
54:Died
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