ARCHIVED  July 1, 1997

Chicago colonists helped build Longmont

By

LONGMONT — When Longmont began as the Chicago Colony in 1871, it was settled by a group of business people from Chicago and by people who wanted to tame the Wild West with farms and ranches.

Unlike most Western towns, the mix of business and farming was established from the very beginning, and even though Longmont has emerged as a high-tech community, the early farming, ranching, banking and real estate businesses remain strong in its economy today.

The roots of Longmont were firmly planted by a group of influential businessmen in Chicago who decided to create a colony on the Western frontier…

Christopher Wood
Christopher Wood is editor and publisher of BizWest, a regional business journal covering Boulder, Broomfield, Larimer and Weld counties. Wood co-founded the Northern Colorado Business Report in 1995 and served as publisher of the Boulder County Business Report until the two publications were merged to form BizWest in 2014. From 1990 to 1995, Wood served as reporter and managing editor of the Denver Business Journal. He is a Marine Corps veteran and a graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder. He has won numerous awards from the Colorado Press Association, Society of Professional Journalists and the Alliance of Area Business Publishers.
Categories: ARCHIVED Industry News
Sign up for BizWest Daily Alerts
Closing in 8 seconds...