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<br />THE BIRTH OF COLORADO-BIG THOMPSON
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<br />Democratic legislator; Thomas A. Nixon, County Attorney of Weld
<br />County; and the writer, active in other water development efforts,
<br />attorney for several irrigation companies, active in rehabilitating
<br />the GreeleyPoudre system, and one of the attorneys for Colorado
<br />in the Wyoming vs. Colorado case then being tried in the United
<br />States Supreme Court.
<br />Eager representatives from the Poudre, Thompson, St. Vrain
<br />and the whole South Platte lower valley filled the courtroom at this
<br />valley-wide meeting. In addition to the committee members speak-
<br />ing in favor of the project, other leaders in water development such
<br />as Dave Roach, Charles Evans, Charles A. Lory, Engineers L. L.
<br />Stimson, Burgis G. Coy, E. B. House, and State Engineer M. C.
<br />Hinderlider gave verbal encouragement. We urged a survey as a
<br />first step.
<br />After two follow-up meetings held at Greeley on August 27
<br />and September 6, a general committee of various community leaders
<br />was set up, comprised of: Charles Hansen of Greeley, Chairman;
<br />];~red Norcross, Greeley, secretary; Moses E. Smith, Ault; William
<br />A. Carlson, Greeley; D. R. Pulliam, Loveland; Burgis Coy and
<br />Charles A. Lory, Fort Collins; J. M. Dille, Port Morgan; Robert J.
<br />Wright, Sterling; C. M. Rolfson, Julesburg; and W. E. Letford
<br />and T. M. Callahan, Longmont. These men became directors of the'
<br />Northern Colorado Water Users Association, the mutual company
<br />formed to promote the" Grand Lake Project."
<br />In order to arouse interest in the project we began giving talks.
<br />I spoke before the Eaton Rotary Club on August 13, and at the
<br />Fort Collins Rotary Club, September 23. Norcross, Carlson, Dr.
<br />Lory, Coy, Wright and Stimson talked at other places. The Greeley
<br />Tribune, through news articles and editorials, led in spreading the
<br />word. Newspapers in Ft. Collins, Loveland, Longmont, Ft. Morgan
<br />and Sterling caught the torch and kept the flame high. Later
<br />speakers in the campaign were N. R. McCrery of the Great 'Western
<br />Sug'ar Company, Engineer R. L. 'l'ipton aud Mills Bunger of the
<br />Heclamation Bureau.
<br />It was important to start an initial survey before winter
<br />weather came to timberline, so the Weld County Commissioners
<br />quickly voted $2,500.00 for that purpose. The Greeley Chamber of
<br />Commerce added $500.00 in two allotments.
<br />Upon our solicitation, the Larimer County Board of County
<br />Commissioners agreed to put in $700.00, the legality of such action
<br />having been approved by T. J. Warren, then County Attorney.
<br />From the start we had the cooperation of State Engineer M. C.
<br />Hinderlider, who, at our request, assigned to us an expert on stream
<br />supplies, his special deputy, R. L. Tipton. Mr. Tipton's prospectus
<br />and his encouraging engineering report were completed in Decem-
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