Jacob Flowers
Encyclopedia
Jacob Flowers was an early white 19th century settler in Larimer County, Colorado
. He was the founder of the town of Bellvue
northwest of Fort Collins
.
, Flowers owned and operated three river boats along the Ohio River
carrying passengers between Marietta, Ohio
and St. Louis, Missouri
. After two his boats were destroyed in a sudden storm, he took the remaining boat and sailed down the Ohio to St. Louis, then up the Missouri River
to Kansas City, Kansas
, where he settled with his family in Wyandotte (now part of Kansas City). In 1873 he organized the Wyandotte Colony, a party of settlers, and led them west to the Colorado Territory
to settle at the Union Colony
at Greeley
, which had been founded three years early as a religiously
-oriented agricultural cooperative.
Flowers was not contented at the Union Colony, however, and he relocated later that year upstream on the Cache la Poudre River
to just west of Fort Collins, in an area just west of the Dakota Hogback
known as Pleasant Valley. The valley had been settled by white homesteaders starting in 1860, and the area just south of the town near Stout
(under present-day Horsetooth Reservoir
) was the location of stone quarries
developed by the Union Pacific Railroad
. Flowers established and platted the town of Bellvue in the valley. In 1880, Flowers founded a general store in Bellvue to cater to the quarry workers and their families. He built a one-story sandstone
building to house a general store. The building, which still stands, later became the local meeting of the Grange in the 20th century and today is known as the "Bellvue Grange". On June 24, 1884, he opened the first post office in Bellvue at his store. Flowers also built a horse racing
track and grandstand for community gathers, dog and pony show
s, and traveling medicine show
s. He developed and garden and raised pig
s for unfortunate families of quarry workers, a generosity that earned him the name "Uncle Jacob" in the local press during his lifetime.
He also surveyed a road through the foothills west of Bellvue south of Rist Canyon. The road was widely used for passage along the south bank of the Poudre River, as well as to access the timber
in the foothills. The road was eventually extended over Lulu Pass and became known as the Flowers Road. It fell into disuse after the construction of present-day State Highway 14
through the Poudre Canyon
. The road is sporadically marked as a foot trail through the foothills in the Roosevelt National Forest
.
Larimer County, Colorado
Larimer County is the seventh most populous and the ninth most extensive of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county is located at the northern end of the Front Range, at the edge of the Colorado Eastern Plains along the border with Wyoming...
. He was the founder of the town of Bellvue
Bellvue, Colorado
Bellvue is an unincorporated town and U.S. Post Office in Larimer County, Colorado. It is a small agricultural community located in Pleasant Valley, a narrow valley just northwest of Fort Collins near the mouth of the Poudre Canyon between the Dakota Hogback ridge and the foothills of the Rocky...
northwest of Fort Collins
Fort Collins, Colorado
Fort Collins is a Home Rule Municipality situated on the Cache La Poudre River along the Colorado Front Range, and is the county seat and most populous city of Larimer County, Colorado, United States. Fort Collins is located north of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. With a 2010 census...
.
Biography
Prior to the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Flowers owned and operated three river boats along the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
carrying passengers between Marietta, Ohio
Marietta, Ohio
Marietta is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Ohio, United States. During 1788, pioneers to the Ohio Country established Marietta as the first permanent American settlement of the new United States in the Northwest Territory. Marietta is located in southeastern Ohio at the mouth...
and St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. After two his boats were destroyed in a sudden storm, he took the remaining boat and sailed down the Ohio to St. Louis, then up the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
to Kansas City, Kansas
Kansas City, Kansas
Kansas City is the third-largest city in the state of Kansas and is the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the third largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The city is part of a consolidated city-county government known as the "Unified...
, where he settled with his family in Wyandotte (now part of Kansas City). In 1873 he organized the Wyandotte Colony, a party of settlers, and led them west to the Colorado Territory
Colorado Territory
The Territory of Colorado was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 28, 1861, until August 1, 1876, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Colorado....
to settle at the Union Colony
Union Colony of Colorado
The Union Colony of Colorado was a 19th century U.S. private enterprise formed to promote agricultural settlement in the South Platte River valley in the Colorado Territory...
at Greeley
Greeley, Colorado
The City of Greeley is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Weld County, Colorado, United States. Greeley is located in the region known as Northern Colorado. Greeley is situated north-northeast of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. According to the...
, which had been founded three years early as a religiously
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
-oriented agricultural cooperative.
Flowers was not contented at the Union Colony, however, and he relocated later that year upstream on the Cache la Poudre River
Cache La Poudre River
The Cache la Poudre River is in the state of Colorado in the United States.Its headwaters are in the Front Range in Larimer County, in the northern part of Rocky Mountain National Park. The river descends eastward in the mountains through the Roosevelt National Forest in Poudre Canyon...
to just west of Fort Collins, in an area just west of the Dakota Hogback
Dakota Hogback
The Dakota Hogback is a long hogback ridge at the eastern fringe of the Rocky Mountains that extends north-south from southern Wyoming through Colorado and into northern New Mexico in the United States. The ridge is prominently visible as the first line of foothills along the edge of the Great Plains...
known as Pleasant Valley. The valley had been settled by white homesteaders starting in 1860, and the area just south of the town near Stout
Stout, Colorado
Stout is a former town in southern Larimer County, Colorado in the United States. The town was located in foothills southwest of Fort Collins, just west of the Dakota Hogback. It was established in the 1880s as a camp for workers at the nearby stone quarries in the area...
(under present-day Horsetooth Reservoir
Horsetooth Reservoir
Horsetooth Reservoir is a large reservoir in southern Larimer County, Colorado just west of the city of Fort Collins, Colorado. The reservoir sits in the foothills above the town on the western side of the Dakota Hogback, which contains the reservoir along its eastern side...
) was the location of stone quarries
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
developed by the Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
. Flowers established and platted the town of Bellvue in the valley. In 1880, Flowers founded a general store in Bellvue to cater to the quarry workers and their families. He built a one-story sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
building to house a general store. The building, which still stands, later became the local meeting of the Grange in the 20th century and today is known as the "Bellvue Grange". On June 24, 1884, he opened the first post office in Bellvue at his store. Flowers also built a horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
track and grandstand for community gathers, dog and pony show
Dog and pony show
Dog and pony show is a colloquial term previously used in the United States in the late-19th and early-20th centuries to refer to small traveling circuses that toured through small towns and rural areas...
s, and traveling medicine show
Medicine show
Medicine shows were traveling horse and wagon teams which peddled "miracle cure" medications and other products between various entertainment acts. Their precise origins unknown, medicine shows were common in the 19th century United States...
s. He developed and garden and raised pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
s for unfortunate families of quarry workers, a generosity that earned him the name "Uncle Jacob" in the local press during his lifetime.
He also surveyed a road through the foothills west of Bellvue south of Rist Canyon. The road was widely used for passage along the south bank of the Poudre River, as well as to access the timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
in the foothills. The road was eventually extended over Lulu Pass and became known as the Flowers Road. It fell into disuse after the construction of present-day State Highway 14
Colorado State Highway 14
State Highway 14 in the U.S. state of Colorado is an east–west state highway approximately long. One of the longest state highways in Colorado, it traverses four counties along the northern edge of the state, spanning a geography from the continental divide in the Rocky Mountains to the...
through the Poudre Canyon
Poudre Canyon
The Poudre Canyon is a narrow verdant canyon, approximately 40 mi long, on the upper Cache la Poudre River in Larimer County, Colorado in the United States...
. The road is sporadically marked as a foot trail through the foothills in the Roosevelt National Forest
Roosevelt National Forest
The Roosevelt National Forest is a National Forest located in north central Colorado. It is contiguous with the Colorado State Forest as well as the Arapaho National Forest...
.