(Cheyenne, Wyo.)—Fort Collins—Loveland—Longmont—Lafayette—Denver; US 87. Wyoming Line to Denver, 98.8 miles. Oil-processed road. Colorado & Southern Ry. parallels route. Good accommodations.

Between the Wyoming Line and Denver the highway skirts the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, traversing in turn a dry range country, the irrigated valleys of the Cache la Poudre and South Platte Rivers, and the northern Colorado coal fields.

US 87 crosses the WYOMING LINE, 0 miles, 13 miles south of Cheyenne, Wyoming (see Wyoming Guide).

This region is the southern extremity of the Wyoming highlands, with brown rolling hills broken occasionally by rocky outcroppings weathered into fantastic shapes. Herds of white-faced cattle graze along the highway, which passes (L) a group of WARREN RANCH BUILDINGS, 0.6 miles, a part of the estate of Senator Francis E. Warren of Wyoming (1844-1929), one of the most important ranch properties in the West, lying both in Colorado and Wyoming.

At 3.3 miles is the junction with a dirt road.

Left on this road to the NATURAL FORT (open on application to foreman of Warren Ranch), 15 miles, an exceptionally large outcrop of gray sandstone characteristic of the region. Rain and almost constant winds have carved in it a deep recess, 30 feet wide and 80 feet long, protected on all aides by massive walls, forming a natural corral. The eastern slope is protected by rough broken terrain; on the west are heavy growths of underbrush along the creek. The natural breastworks on both the northern and southern sides of the formation have been leveled by souvenir hunters.

Here, in 1831, a battle was fought between the Crow and the Blackfeet, both driven from their usual hunting grounds by a long drought that sent the buffalo southward from the Yellowstone country. The Crow, led by their famous mulatto chief, Jim Beckwourth, and aided by a number of white trappers, inflicted a crushing defeat upon their ancient enemies. Tales are told of many other Indian battles here; of freighters seeking protection; of immigrant trains "holed-up" to avoid Indians and white outlaws; of fierce battles fought until the gray walls were stained crimson; and of bandit gangs who hid their loot in its recesses and defied the law.

The road traverses a sparsely settled region to WELLINGTON, 22.3 miles (5,000 alt, 533 pop.), a supply point for the surrounding agricultural territory. The town experienced a brief oil boom in 1924 when wells were drilled in the vicinity.

The highway crosses BOX ELDER VALLEY, one of the first agricultural districts in the State. Many of the frame farmhouses along the route were built in the 1880's. The rich bottom lands produce large crops of sugar beets, hay, and grains; on the higher levels pasturing and turkey raising are important sources of income.

At 27.8 miles is the junction with a dirt road.

Right on this rough road to the LINDENMEIR SITE, 22.9 miles, where valuable archeological discoveries have been made. The area is licensed for digging, and unauthorized searching is forbidden. Investigations have been conducted since 1935 by the Smithsonian Institution. Artifacts were first uncovered in 1926, chiefly spear- and arrow-heads, believed to be 20,000 years old by archeologists. It is hoped to find remains of the prehistoric Folsom Man (see The People), who achieved great skill in fashioning stone implements of war.

TERRY LAKE (R), 30.2 miles, enlarged to provide additional storage of water diverted from the Cache la Poudre River, contains at its maximum 400,000,000 cubic feet of water, almost all of which is used for irrigating the valley. The discovery in 1919 that red clover produced heavy crops in the alkali soil, led to the reclamation of much marshy and alkalized land previously uncultivated.

At 30.5 miles is the junction with a graveled road.

Left on this road to a CHERRY CANNING FACTORY (open 9-5 daily during canning season), 0.6 miles. The juice, known locally as cherry cider, is also marketed. During the season wayside stands sell the juice by the drink and in gallon lots.

THE GREAT WESTERN BEET SUGAR FACTORY (open 9-4 daily on application), 2 miles, the largest plant of its kind in the district, has a daily beet-slicing capacity of 3,100 tons.

At 31.7 miles is the junction with US 287 (see Tour 13A), which unites with US 87 for 1.8 miles.

The route crosses the EATON DITCH, 32.6 miles, an irrigation canal with the second oldest legally established water right in the State. The water laws of Colorado differ materially from those of Eastern States in that riparian rights are not recognized; based upon the principle of appropriation, rights depend upon the date of application of the water to beneficial use. The Eaton Ditch dates from April 1, 1864. On the southern side of the ditch (L) are the fields of INVERNESS FARM, laid out by Phillips Lariviere in 1860, the first patented land in the Fort Collins district. The highway crosses the CACHE LA POUDRE RIVER, 33.2 miles, just above the dam that furnishes power for (L) the FORT COLLINS MUNICIPAL LIGHT PLANT. This river once ran high but now so much water is diverted for irrigation that the level is often low.

In FORT COLLINS, 33.5 miles (5,100 alt., 11,489 pop.) (see Fort Collins), is the junction with State 14 (see Tour 2).

The highway crosses a rich agricultural district devoted to apple and cherry orchards, sugar beets, and small grain; livestock graze in large numbers on the foothills. Although comparatively few sheep are raised in this section of Colorado, hundreds of thousands are shipped in from adjoining States each fall to be fattened here in the Fort Collins winter-feeding district, which extends approximately 40 miles from north to south, and 30 miles from east to west. A center of extensive winter feeding as early as 1880, it today (1940) receives annual shipments of 340,000 head from the semiarid ranges of Colorado, Wyoming, Texas, and Utah. The lambs, ranging from five to seven months old, are bought by the feeder at market prices, unloaded at the "docks," placed in yards, and fed for a period ranging from three to five months. The process of fattening is gradual. The animals are usually started on "third cutting" alfalfa, which approximates the diet to which they have been accustomed. This is followed with richer foods, including ensilage, cottonseed meal, beet pulp, molasses, and corn.

The feeder as a rule cannot contract in advance for feed needed during the season. Wet snows, rain, and cold weather often bring loss of weight and many deaths among the lambs. Transportation charges from the range to the feeding lots, as well as the cost of subsequent shipping to Missouri River points, are included in the price the feeder pays for his stock. The letters FPR that appear after lamb quotations mean "freight paid to the river." After the fattened stock reaches the river yards, the feeder's profit or loss depends upon the market.

HORSETOOTH MOUNTAIN (R), 36 miles, a sharply pointed foothill capped with two rock upthrusts, is easily distinguished by the great white "A" painted on its face by students of the Colorado State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (see Fort Collins).

South and west of Horsetooth looms the northern section of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. On clear days the mountains appear to be but a short distance away, although they are separated from the highway by 20 miles of plains and foothills. FOSSIL CREEK, 38.1 miles, is a tiny trickle of water, along whose banks have been found many fossilized remains of small prehistoric fish. The highway traverses the Loveland cherry-growing district; straight rows of small green trees stretch for miles in every direction. In early spring the orchard-covered hills are a vast billowing cloud of pinkish-white blossoms; in fall they are almost black with the heavy ripe fruit.

LOVELAND, 46 miles (4,982 alt., 5,506 pop.) (see Tour 3), is at the junction with US 34 (see Tour 3).

South of Loveland orchards give way to the fields of sugar beets, grain, and hay that surround CAMPION, 49.6 miles. The CAMPION ACADEMY, a parochial boarding school maintained by the Seventh Day Adventist Church, has an enrollment of 100 students.

Left from Campion on State 60, a graveled road, is JOHNSTOWN, 9.4 miles (4,820 alt., 767 pop.), and MILLIKEN, 13 miles (4,760 alt., 483 pop.), adjoining towns largely supported by THE GREAT WESTERN BEET SUGAR REFINERY (open 9-4 week-days on application). This plant receives molasses from all company factories; here it is put through the Barium process for the final extraction of sugar crystals; this is said to be the only refinery in the world so equipped.

BERTHOUD, 53 miles (5,240 alt., 811 pop.), named for Captain Edward L. Berthoud, Civil War officer and pioneer railroad construction engineer, is the oldest community in the Little Thompson Valley; the surrounding country produces sugar beets, potatoes, and grains.

At 54.1 miles is the junction with State 56.

Right on this road to the BERTHOUD OIL FIELD, 3 miles, where a few wells on the western slope of a long hogback are producing.

The route passes through an intensively cultivated hill country dominated (R) by the great mass of Longs Peak. The farms are comparatively old, and most of the frame houses are surrounded by tall cottonwoods.

At 62.4 miles is the junction with State 66 (see Tour 4).

LONGMONT, 63.9 miles (5,000 ait., 6,029 pop.), was founded about 1870 by the Chicago-Colorado Colony Company, which purchased virgin land, divided it into small tracts, and induced farmers to settle here. The town's name is a combination of the name of the discoverer of Longs Peak, Major Stephen H. Long, and the French term for mountain. The community is the center of a prosperous sugar beet, vegetable, and small grain area, and its largest industrial establishments are the GREAT WESTERN BEET SUGAR FACTORY (open 9-4 daily by permission), with a daily beet-slicing capacity of 3,100 tons, and a CANNING PLANT (open 9-5 daily), which processes peas, corn, tomatoes, and beans.

SUNSET PARK, one of four municipal recreational grounds, contains a free swimming pool and 9-hole golf course (greens fee 50¢). At 4th and Kimbark Sts. stands the FIRST ORE MILL, brought into Boulder County in 1859 and used in the workings at Gold Hill (see Tour 6). This crude mortar-type mill consists of a granite block with a large cavity to hold the ore and an outlet for the pulverized rock.

At 64.6 miles is the junction with the Burlington road.

Right on this road to the junction with an unmarked dirt road, 5 miles; L here 0.1 miles to the RYSSBY SCHOOL, a modern building on the site of the log cabin school of the old Ryssby settlement. The RYSSBY LUTHERAN CHURCH, 1 mile, a small graystone structure built in 1882, is the only remaining landmark of a colony founded in 1872 by a group from Ryssby parish in the province of Smaland, Sweden. These settlers had little money; crop after crop failed, first because there was no water, and again because there was too much, and finally because of a grasshopper plague. Largely due to the influence of the church through the years of trial, the Swedish colonists remained closely knit, retaining the language, dress, and customs of the Old Country.

Christmas was a gala occasion here, and for a week in advance there was much butchering, baking, and brewing. On Christmas Eve the scrubbed floors were strewn with pine needles, pine boughs were hung in the windows, and hand-dipped candles provided light. The tree was decorated with paper birds, butterflies, and flowers, and strung with popcorn and cranberries. Kaffe Kalas was served in the evening. This meal, starting with fruit suppa, a soup made of raisins, prunes, apples, and tapioca, was followed by a variety of sausages, cheese, and coffee. Church services were held early the next morning with the colonists in new finery. Then came a bountiful Christmas dinner of sausages, spareribs, lut fisk (a white fish with sauce), head cheese, many kinds of bread, pan kaka (a sort of custard), wines, and ale.

In late years the Swedish group has been absorbed into neighboring American communities, and the festivals have been abandoned. The church is open only one day a year, for the Mid-year Festival on the Sunday nearest June 24, when Swedish services are held. The Ryssby Record Book, dating from January 3, 1878, and written in Swedish, has been presented to the State Historical Society, Denver.

At 71.5 miles is the junction with a dirt road.

Left on this road is ERIE, 3 miles (5,000 alt., 930 pop.), near the center of a productive lignite coal field. Here is the State Mine, with more than 20 miles of underground workings. The New Morrison and the Puritan are also large producers.

LAFAYETTE, 75.9 miles (5,176 alt., 1,842 pop.), is a coal town reflecting the declining prosperity of that industry. During a strike of miners in 1927, Lafayette was the center of agitation in the northern field, and strikers and strike-breakers clashed frequently here.

Left from Lafayette on an unimproved road to SERENE, 5 miles, another coal camp clustered about the COLUMBINE MINE (visitors admitted only by pass from Denver office). During the labor strike of 1927, this mine, which supplied coal to the Burlington Railroad, remained in operation, although it was picketed daily. On November 21, 1927, pickets were met by State police, who forbade trespassing on company property. In the dispute that ensued, the police fired into the crowd, killing five persons and seriously wounding many others.

The tragedy was followed by a reorganization of the company, during which Miss Josephine Roche, later Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, obtained control. A new labor policy was adopted with the recognition of the United Mine Workers of America. The company's policy, directed by Miss Roche and her advisers, enabled the union to gain a foothold in the Colorado fields, which are now completely organized.