Early History of the Cherokee Meadows Area
An area map from 1899!
In the April, 2025 article in this Forum, it was mentioned that Cherokee Meadows neighborhood resides approximately within the boundaries of Sections 05 and 06 of Township 10, Range 71 and Sections 01 and 02 of Township 10, Range 72. The west side of Cherokee Meadows is within Section 35, Township 11, Range 72.
This location information helps orient us when looking at the map image below – this map is from 1899! The map is titled “Larimer County, Colorado, 1899” and is available online through the Ft. Collins History Collection:
https://fchc.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/hm/id/780
Cherokee Meadows is nearby the area labelled “Alford” and “St. Cloud” is to the northwest. The book, “Ranch Histories of Livermore and Vicinity 1884-1956” (copyright 1993 by the Livermore Women’s Club) describes:
“What was known as the ALFORD DISTRICT lay between Livermore on the south and St. Cloud on the north. It was watered by three branches of Rabbit Creek, which headed in the hills several miles to the west and northwest, and was and still is an excellent stock country….The first settlers in this district were N.C. Alford, William Calloway and Jacob Cornelison, who during the winter of 1861-62 camped on Meadow Creek, twelve miles north of Livermore.”
“Other early settlers were H.A. Keach, who located on North Rabbit Creek in 1882……W. W. Lowery on Meadow Creek; E. R. Salisbury on the Alford place or what is now the lower BRACKENBURY place….”
“The Alford Post Office was established about this time, or around 1882-3…The location was changed and the second post office was about one half mile west and up the creek from the ranch house where Robert Fullerton’s now live, on the lower BRACKENBURY ranch.” (Note: the former lower Brackenbury Ranch is just south of the intersection of CR 80C and 82E, along the North Fork of Rabbit Creek.)
“The LOWERY RANCH consisted of several sections of grassland and hay meadows that are now part of the R. A. BRACKENBURY RANCH in Livermore (Cherokee Park district). Mr. W. W. Lowery, an ex-infantry man who had actually come to Colorado for his health, lived on a small creek, (now called Lowery Creek somewhere between the Post Office of Alford and Cherokee Hill.”
Next month - more to come about the early residents and activities in and around Meadow Creek, Alford and St. Cloud. Please reply if you have information to add or see any inaccuracies written here.
Credits: The quoted text above was taken from “Ranch Histories of Livermore and Vicinity 1884-1956, A Reprinting of the Larimer County Stockgrowers Assn” By Livermore Woman’s Club, 1993, pages 43-45.