Berthoud Weekly Surveyor June 27, 2013 Page 5
A LOOK AT BERTHOUD
The historical society and Mark French are interested in obtaining and copying old photos from Berthoud’s past. Please contact Mark at 532-2147 if you have any photos you would like to share.
Fremont Curtis built homes in Berthoud at turn of century F
remont Curtis was a house builder in Berthoud in the 1890s and early 1900s. Curtis maintained his carpentry shop on East Mountain Avenue in a Surveyor building that Columnist had been moved to the new town site from the Little Thompson river bottom when Berthoud was relocated in the winter of 1883-84. In the 1890s Mark Curtis and anFrench other carpenter named Warren Mills competed for business in Berthoud where there was more than enough work for both men to make a living by constructing residential dwellings and business buildings in the town and the sur-
rounding area. Fremont “S.F.” Curtis was born in 1856. The date of his arrival in the Berthoud is unknown, but in 1894 The Berthoud Bulletin reported that the building where Curtis operated a carpentry shop on East Mountain Avenue was being considered for the location of a creamery. The newspaper also noted, “his work was been tested upon nearly every house of any note that has been built in this place since he came here ... He has established a reputation for good work and we need not say that he will give satisfaction for his work.” In 1899 Curtis was employed by Dr. D.W. McCarty to build a two-room medical office at 338 Massachusetts Ave. McCarty, who maintained an office in the rear of the Foresman & McCarty drugstore on Third Street. that he operated with his partner Harley Foresman, soon added rooms to the back of the building that is still standing. The new office, which was built at a cost of
$1,000, was convenient for McCarty because it was only a few steps down the street from his living quarters at the Grandview Hotel (present-day City Apartments). That year Curtis also built homes in the countryside for Fred Bein, Charles Meining, Leonard Kelly and a farmer named Dyer who lived three miles northeast of Berthoud. In 1899 Curtis also constructed a home on North Fifth Street in Berthoud for local wagon maker Sam Lutener. Lutener’s wagon shop was located at the northeast corner of Second Street and Mountain Avenue. The year 1900 found Curtis in the employment of J.W. Preston who hired him to build a large machine shop at the southwest corner of the intersection of Second Street and Mountain Avenue. Preston also hired Curtis to construct his personal residence at 649 Fifth St. In November 1900 The Berthoud Bulletin observed, “J.W. Preston’s family is now nicely settled in the new home corner
Photo courtesy of Berthoud Historical Society
Fremont Curtis built the home at the southwest corner of Fifth Street and Turner Avenue for J.W. Preston in 1900. That year Curtis also constructed a machine shop for Preston at the southwest corner of Second Street and Mountain Avenue.
of 5th street and Turner avenue. The house is a frame one, two-story, containing eight rooms, and was erected at a cost of about $1,000, S.F. Curtis being the contractor. The interior is very conveniently planned, and the exterior has a pleasing appearance.” In 1901 Curtis built a barn at the Robert Kahler farm in the Sunnyside district northeast of Berthoud and a 14x18-foot addition to the Harley Foresman house at 526 Fifth St. In June of that year Curtis and a partner by the name of J.S. Ray developed a brickyard on the 10-acre tract where Curtis lived at the north end of
Larimer Health Dept. vaccinating for measles Special to the Surveyor In response to the confirmation of two cases of measles in Denver, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) is supplying extra MMR vaccine (measles, mumps, rubella) to county health departments as part of a public health response to control the spread of the disease. “With a second case of measles with fairly wide exposure, there could be additional cases that could spread to and within our communities,” said Nancy Tippin, RN, supervisor of the Larimer County Health Department’s Immunization Program. “Measles can be prevented by the MMR vaccine. This is an important time to check your immunization records to be sure you and your family are up-to-date and protected.” MMR vaccines will be available at the health department’s immunization clinics in Loveland and Fort Collins. Vaccine is available for
Berthoud. On June 4, 1902, Curtis died at the age of 45. While the cause of his death is unknown, it is certain that he left behind his 33-year-old wife, Mary, and four young children. Curtis was undoubtedly responsible for the construction of more buildings in Berthoud and the surrounding rural area than the local newspaper ever chronicled. The Bein, Meining, Lutener and Preston dwellings still stand as testament to his craftsmanship and a life cut short for reasons unknown. adults and children who do not have a history of having had measles or two doses of MMR. Most people born before 1957 are considered immune. Cost of the vaccine is $20 regardless of insurance status during this time, and payment will be required at the time of service, but no one will be turned away if unable to pay the full price. You can also receive MMR from your primary care provider; check with your doctor for cost and availability. Measles virus is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by a virus that spreads when a person sneezes or coughs. It can cause complications including pneumonia and encephalitis (brain inflammation). In unvaccinated pregnant women, measles also can cause miscarriage or premature birth. Symptoms include: Fever, cough, runny nose, red, watery eyes, and a rash that usually begins two to four days after the onset of other symptoms and starts on a person’s face at the hairline and then spreads downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet. Measles is still common in other countries, and the potential still exists for outbreaks in the U.S. For information about the Larimer County Health Department’s Immunization Program, including hours and locations, visit www.larimer.org/health. For more information about measles: CO-HELP at 1-877-462-2911 or 303-389-1687, www.cdc.gov/measles.