Another Name for Paradise: A Journey through the History and Nature of Northern Colorado, Second Edition

Another Name for Paradise:

A Journey through the History and Nature

of Northern Colorado, Second Edition

By

James C. Hess

SMASHWORDS EDITION

*****

PUBLISHED BY:

James C. Hess on SMASHWORDS

Another Name for Paradise:

A Journey through the History and Nature

of Northern Colorado, Second Edition

Copyright 2017 James C. Hess

All Rights Reserved

*****

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only, and may not be re-sold or given away. If you would like to share this book, please purchase an additional copy for each intended recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the work of the writer.

*****

Table of Contents

Introduction to the Second Edition

Foreword

Introduction

Essays

Mitakuye Oyasin

Niinowoohut: Bobcat Ridge Natural Area, City of Fort Collins, Larimer County

Paa: Horsetooth Mountain Park, Larimer County

Ho’e (ni): Devil’s Backbone Open Space, Larimer County

Tiienoyiyikwinut: Lory State Park, Larimer County

Peta: Bingham Hill Cemetery

Afterword

References

Historical Notes

The Colorado Territory

The State of Colorado

The Homestead Act of 1862

Animal and Bird Notes

Butterfly Notes

Flower Notes

Grass Notes

Indigenous People Notes

Reptile Notes

Shrub and Tree Notes

Personal Notes

Biography

*****

For my father and mother,

Daniel and Jane

*****

Another Name for Paradise:

A Journey through the History and Nature

of Northern Colorado, Second Edition

*****

Introduction to the Second Edition

As almost anyone who has attempted to write anything of substance will likely attest the process of writing is at once challenging and frustrating.

The basic challenge comes of finding the right words to communicate information successfully. (It is an undertaking which some compare to giving birth because it is a demanding, labor-intensive pursuit known to involve crying, screaming, and the use of language not appropriate in most circumstances and settings. As anyone who has given birth and attempted writing anything of substance will counter, however, there tends to be more emotional outbursts involved in the process of writing, and there is no sedative appropriate or strong enough for the often painful nature of the writing process.)

The frustration where the process of writing is concerned comes when the carefully selected words are carved into stone (figuratively-speaking, that is), and the final product is sent into the world; the humble scribe then awaits praise and accolades for a job - presumably - well done.

Of course, this is the ideal, and rarely the result. Instead of honor and award heaped upon the ink-stained wretch, who gave almost everything they had to offer into their work, an unpleasant discovery is made (more often than not by a perceptive individual who believes themselves helpful in identifying such concerns): An omission, a deficiency, a glaring error, or a very embarrassing mistake which somehow eluded the writer as they painstakingly examined their work prior to publication for the very thing revealed.

The response to such revelations by the writer may take one of several forms:

The first is to strike a noticeably defensive posture and mutter something about being rushed to meet an otherwise arbitrary deadline, and that such demands caused the aforementioned issues to result.

The second response is the admitting to evidence of shortcoming and failure in these matters - thereby implicitly suggesting a lack of ability, skill, and talent on the part of the writer.

The third is to make light of the perceived incompetence on the part of the writer by congratulating the astute reader on their discovery: Oh! You found that, did you? Good for you, nice to know - thanks much for bringing that to my attention. (Then, before any more can be said on the matter, the writer makes a hasty exit, to lick their wounds - presumably figurative and not literal.)

The fourth response to such matters is a sublime means of providing justification for a subsequent edition of the work produced because the writer - rather seasoned by this time - knows, that despite efforts otherwise, there will be omissions, deficiencies, errors, and mistakes that slip through the otherwise exacting review process. Sometimes, when such a revision is decreed, an element of honesty is included in the declaration of purpose: Revised edition.

The reason for this edition is two-fold: To address the aforementioned omissions, deficiencies, errors, and mistakes (which were identified by well-intended readers, whose perceptive efforts remain appreciated despite grumblings on the part of this humble scribe as response), and to improve content where appropriate to make the information current and relevant.

One more thing regarding the previous edition and this edition: Shorty after the first edition was published the State of Colorado was ravaged by a flood. Roughly one-third of the state was directly affected by the damage inflicted by several days of rain, and the rest of the state was also substantially impacted by the destruction and ruin which occurred because of the demand put on emergency services that included fire, police, and medical, along with the needs of those displaced when their properties were heavily damaged or destroyed.

When it was decided that another edition should result consideration was given regarding areas affected by the flooding, and whether or not to include or exclude them in the second edition owing to accessibility.

In the end it was decided that the original content should remain as-is because, despite the forces of nature and the capability of these forces to change the landscapes, terrains, and geographies of the Centennial State, Colorado remains, now and forever, Colorado.

Back to top.

*****

Foreword

The work contained is, at best, modest in scope. No claims are made that the information presented is authoritative or definitive. Undeniably accomplished, educated, and more knowledgeable individuals recognized with accolade and award for their literary works and encyclopedic mental resources have produced far more substantial tomes, and to many I owe a debt that cannot be repaid for all the information provided and knowledge imparted through acts of generosity without equal as I literally made my way back and forth across the state, and as I came to appreciate what the state has to offer in the form of their formidable writings.

The material presented is a humble effort to make a worthwhile contribution to the body of work about Colorado that exists, and, in part, to serve as a thank you to all those who came before, providing inspiration and motivation through their action, word, and deed to document and record what constitutes the State of Colorado.

Back to top.

*****

Introduction

I cannot say with certainty when I came to love the place that I call home: The 38th addition to the Union, the Centennial State, Colorado. I can, however, cite many reasons for why: Colorado has been and is home to the famous and the infamous, the renown and the acclaimed, the award-winning and the honored, the despised and the favored, and the profound and the profane.

Colorado has provided inspiration and motivation for artists and writers, painters and filmmakers, business tycoons and entrepreneurs, leaders and liars, politicians and con artists - among others.

And it is a wonderful and wondrous place of light and sound at once mysterious and magnificent, savage and pastoral, defined by and recognized for the landscapes and the land, the geological and the geographical, the people and the cultures, the legends, the myths and the mysteries manifested as a tapestry known otherwise as History and Nature - all of which stand as testament to what makes Colorado Colorado.

By legal definition the State of Colorado encompasses 66,624,000 acres, measures 280 miles north to south, 380 miles east to west, includes over 50 mountain peaks with elevations of more than 14,000 feet above sea level, and counts among its iconic treasures and resources national forests, national parks, national monuments, state parks, and open spaces.

As I realized my love of the place that I choose to call home I also realized how little, relatively-speaking, I knew about it. The acceptance of the deficiency on my part was equally embarrassing and humbling, and I resolved silently to correct it simply: I undertook a regiment of reading articles and books about the state, visited some of the places which Colorado is renowned for, took photographs of this location and that locale, and became a familiar face at bookstores and libraries where I laboriously amassed a body of knowledge and painstakingly gathered information that impressed some, intimidated others, and confused more than a few because they did not know or understand my reasoning for doing so. (I take the reference to Don Quixote and tilting at windmills as a complaint, even though it may have been intended otherwise.)

Then, seated among bulging file folders, dog-eared index cards, worn sticky notes, freckled note pads, and sun-bleached and rain-mottled notebooks containing blurred notes smeared by the elements and my sweat expended in pursuit of this undertaking, I decided on a different path when it came to what I could do with all the information and knowledge accumulated: Because I wanted to know Colorado I decided I needed to know it first-hand.

After more than a few miles walked, hiked, biked, and traveled on snowshoes, I came to a certain conclusion: Colorado is another name for ‘Paradise’.

The essays included are not intended as all-encompassing. They are samples of what the State of Colorado has to offer, what attracted and still attracts so many: Opportunity, possibility, and the ability to embrace and realize the seemingly impossible perhaps not found elsewhere: Paradise.

Back to top.

*****

Essays

Mitakuye Oyasin

For some New Year’s Day is a day of resolve and resolution. A resolve not to drink as much on New Year’s Eve when it comes around again because of the probable after-effects involving headaches, an aversion to bright light and sound, and a less-than pleasant feeling brought on by indulgence and excess. Or, perhaps, a resolution to lose weight, get into shape physically; learn a new skill, or language, and forgo the sins and omissions committed the year before without consideration or thought to the consequences.

I do not make New Year’s Resolutions because I consider them weak and insincere attempts at promises that tend to go unfulfilled. My preference is to compile lists comprised of realistic goals and pursuits, and realize pleasure and satisfaction as one item after another is completed.

For me New Year’s Day comes as a day of quiet, when I can contemplate the past, present, and future: In the past year goals were set and accomplished; in the forthcoming year goals will be set and pursued; in the future other goals and plans gather, each to be pursued and, presumably, realized.

Because I am not inclined toward heavy drinking and excess the night before the New Year is greeted early. On one occasion I arose just after dawn, delighted in the discovery of a fresh layer of snow, and realized the opportunity to go snowshoeing awaited.

Although the first rule of outdoor activities is DON’T GO ALONE, patience is not a virtue for me in such matters, and I admit I tend to violate it frequently in my pursuit of adventure and experience. [1]

The first day of the New Year was no exception. I donned appropriate clothing, gathered my snowshoes, selected a small notepad, a pen, and a workhorse camera I have owned for many years, and made my way to a place where snowshoeing is appropriate: In the best of circumstances the unpaved road leading into a series of valleys is hard-packed and pock-marked with punishing ruts and teeth-jarring potholes created by naturally-occurring erosion. Due to neglect and disuse some portions of the road have