Fort Collins Public Library Local History Archive

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The Online Digital Archive represents a small but significant selection of historical materials, records, and photographs located in the Fort Collins Local History Archive. These materials have been selected for digitization based on their fragile condition and limited accessibility. Additionally members of the public have donated their personal digitized projects for public use.

The other extensive in-house collections are available only in the Local History Archive.

Old Fort Collins, 1865

Image of Old Fort, 1865
Fort Collins was founded as a military fort in 1864 and incorporated as a town in 1873.


Museum and Library Partnership Creates New Home for Local History Archive

The Local History Archive has moved to the Fort Collins Museum at 200 Mathews Street. The archive's new hours are:

Tuesday - Friday, 10 am-5 pm
Saturday, 10 am-12 pm and 12:30-5 pm
Sunday, 12 pm-5 pm

Contact Us


Project Description

The Archive Access Initiative is a cooperative project developed by the Fort Collins Public Library, the Fort Collins Museum, and the Historic Midtown Neighborhood of Fort Collins, Colorado. This on-line archive project is funded in part by a 1997-98 grant from the Library Services and Construction Act administered by the Colorado State Library. The project is supported by donations from the Friends of the Library, Doris and Jim Greenacre Foundation, Fort Collins Posse of the Westerners, Livermore Women's Club, the Fort Collins Historical Society, and volunteers working to preserve and interpret the significant features and memories of our past. The project consultants are Bill Thorson, Mark Grigsby, Todd Massey, Robi Sen, and G. Hussain Chinoy. Special image scanning software and hardware was provided by Hewlett Packard's Home Imaging Division (Greeley, Colorado). The Fort Collins History and Architecture Database was designed and donated by Jeff Bridges, a resident of the Historic Midtown Neighborhood.

The archive is responsible for collecting, preserving, and disseminating historical information relating to Fort Collins and Larimer County. The archive's resources are non-circulating, and must only be used in the archive unless stated otherwise. There are specific rules governing collection use.