Page 2 Berthoud Weekly Surveyor July 4, 2013
A LOOK AT BERTHOUD
Flour mill was early Berthoud landmark
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or many years the flour mill that was located on Mountain Avenue near the Colorado Southern Railroad tracks was the town’s most prominent landmark. Constructed in 1888, the mill and the large grain elevators that served it provided Berthoud Surveyor with its largest Columnist industry and employer. The photograph that accompanies this article, taken in the 1910s from the intersection of Third Street and Mountain Avenue, shows the mill as it existed that year. The description Mark of the mill that French follows appeared in the Fort Collins Courier in January 1894. “The main shaft is in the basement, and the power for driving the machinery is generated by the large 125 horse power Atlas engine and two 70 horse power boilers. The engine room is also supplied
POLICEFILES
Roving DUI checkpoints The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office and the Larimer County DUI Task Force will be conducting roving DUI checkpoints this Wednesday, July 3. In addition, increased patrols will be added throughout the long holiday weekend. The checkpoints are part of the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) Checkpoint Colorado campaign and The Heat is On. The time and location of checkpoints are not released in advance. The goals of the checkpoints are to decrease the number of impaired drivers on Colorado roadways, educate the public regarding the dangers of drinking and driving, and to prevent alcohol-related traffic fatalities. According to CDOT, each year more than 26,000 people are arrested for DUI and nearly 150 people are killed in alcohol-related traffic crashes – representing more than one-third of
You can take the girl out of the country but you can’t take the country out of the girl This is the sixth in a series of poems depicting Berthoud’s 125 Years Celebration 2013. By Virginia Huppe The Surveyor I remember … to me … There it stood, like a skyscraper maybe a queen’s tower or a lighthouse All I knew was … It was my playhouse “in the round.” Dad told me the earliest American silos built 1873 were ground pits lined with straw. Later they were made of wood and rectangular, then redwood, longleaf and white pine, cedar and Douglas fir, metal too, variety of forms, boxes, square, octagonal, and later were concrete cylinders like ours. “Remember” he said, “land costs money, the sky is free.” So the silos were built in a cylinder. By 1917, there were an estimated 400,000 silos in the United States.
Words of Wisdom Morals and moralizing are two entirely different things and are always found in entirely different people. Don Herold (1889—1966)
WEATHER Thursday 95/60 Mostly sunny Friday 90/58 Partly cloudy Saturday 89/60 Partly cloudy Sunday 86/60 Partly cloudy Monday 87/60 Partly cloudy Source: WeatherBug
with a Stillwater heater and Blake pump. Mr. B.H. Sexton, the engineer, presides over this portion of the plant and keeps everything in most excellent order. “The first or grinding floor is supplied with seven double stands of rollers 7x12 inches, of the Nordyke & Marmon make, and one bran and two flour packers. Elevators run from the basement to the top floor, the boots of the elevator being in the basement where the wheat is dampened before being carried to the upper part of the mill. “On the second floor are to be found four purifiers, four scalpers, one milling separator, and one Eureka scouring machine. There are also three flour bins and one each for bran and shorts, besides four dampening bins which extend to the third floor. “On the third floor are a Cransom scouring machine, a Brush finishing machine, nine reels and four more scalpers, a duster and a dust room. There are also three Cyclone dust catchers connected with the purifier. “The process of transforming the wheat into flour is somewhat intricate and it is impossible for us to give more than a brief description of the roller process. The wheat is first brought to the elevator by a conveyor of the Dutton make, and during
Colorado’s total motor-ehicle fatalities. Drug-impaired driving is also a serious problem, with 16 percent of fatalities (2006-2010) involving drivers who tested positive for drugs. On average a DUI can cost more than $10,270 dollars in court fees, insurance premiums, alcohol education classes, the loss of your license and, in some cases, an ignition interlock that has to be installed in your car. In addition to the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office, the Larimer County DUI Task Force includes Fort Collins Police Services, Loveland Police Department, Colorado State University Police Department and the Colorado State Patrol. If you plan on drinking or using drugs, please make alternate plans for transportation. Remember, if you drink and drive or take drugs and drive, you will be arrested. Tuesday, June 25 A 25-year-old Berthoud woman was arrested and charged with a DUI in the 1500 block of Fourth Street. Berthoud police received a call regarding a man and woman having a verbal disagreement in the 100 block of Indiana Avenue. A caller reported someone at the back door of a business at Sixth Street and Mountain Avenue. An officer checked Through the years … hundreds, thousands knocked down by their land owners as they were discarded. Yes, a disappearing “artifact.” The farmers tower … “But dad, what does the word ‘silo’ mean? Why is it round?” “The term ‘silo’ comes from the Latin word ‘silus’ which means, ‘cellar.’ Think about it,” he said.
the course of its passage is weighed on an automatic scale. It arrives at the basement where it is cleaned and dampened, then conveyed to the third floor where it is treated and then back to the first where it goes through the rolls, then elevated again and separated. It is conducted to the flour bins and then down to the packers on the first floor. “The elevator which lies 100 feet north of the mill has a capacity of 140,000 bushels. It also has a room for storing, screening and mill for cleaning alfalfa seed. Between the mill and the elevator is a store room and also a double roll mill for the grinding of feed of all kinds. They also manufacture corn meal and graham flour. The machinery which is all of the very best was furnished by Nordyke & Marmon Co. and Indianapolis, Ind. On the outside of the mill is a sidetrack from the railroad and the cars thus running outside the mill render the task of loading and unloading and easy one. The wheat that is received from the farmers is weighed on the large sales on the east side of the elevator. “The total length of the mill and elevator is probably 300 feet and the width about 40. Extending around it all is a platform for the convenience of the farmers in loading and unloading. The the building and it was secure. Wednesday, June 26 The theft and forgery of a check was reported. Two people arguing was reported in the 900 block of Mountain Avenue. A caller reported a Rottweiler trying to get into a neighbor’s yard in the 200 block of E. Michigan Avenue. The caller was concerned because there is a dog in that yard. A barking dog was reported in the 900 block of Fourth Street. Thursday, June 27 A woman pulled off the side of the road to try to catch an injured hawk at E. Highway 56 and Weld County Road 3. A raptor rescue organization was contacted and came to the scene. A bag with photos was left outside Berthoud Drug on May 27. An attempt has been made to find the owner. A caller reported that she sold a car on craigslist and thinks the buyer is a fraud. A man was walking his dog in the 200 block of Second Street when another dog attacked his dog. The owner of the second dog then verbally harassed the caller. A citation was issued. Friday, June 28 “Dad, why did our Holstein cows eat this stuff?” “Silage has been used for feed for colts, horses, mules, lambs, and hogs, it has been most commonly used as feed for dairy cattle which are dependent on forage to keep their milk flow. The acceptance of silage as an alternative to hay and grain as feed for dairy cattle was attributable to several
“Farmers observed cylindrical shaped silos withstood high winds better, round because of monumental value, minimize the land needed for the storage building, and less likely to give in to the elements of fire. The first concrete silo built in 1907 by Smith Co. Concrete was more expensive due to the material it was constructed of, outcome more durable.” You ask, “What were silos used for on the farm? What was its purpose?” It was a an air-tight storage structure for grain or silages, usually corn, chopped and placed inside. Air particles in the corn caused fermentation until all the air was expended. Because the silage was stored in an air tight container, further fermentation was prevented, this preserved the silage. A silo provided food when there was no food to graze due to snow on the ground.
Courtesy photo
The concrete silo still remains in good condition standing on the Huppe Farm west of Berthoud, built about 1912.
Photo courtesy of the Berthoud Historical Society
The flour mill located at the intersection of the railroad tracks and Mountain Avenue in Berthoud was a local landmark from the 1880s to the 1960s. The mill was razed in 1966. capacity of the mill 325 sacks in 24 hours, or something more than 150 barrels. The manual output is approximately 100,000 sacks, and when running full time, eleven men are employed to attend to all of the work. The main brands of flour manufactured are the celebrated “Farmers’ Pride,” “Silver State,” “Ground Patent,” and “Blue Ribbon.” The building is heated
by steam and to guard against fire, water pipes with hoses attached, extend to the top of the building. Barrels of water are also kept on each floor and every precaution taken to guard against loss by the cruel flames.” Berthoud’s landmark flour mill was razed in 1966 after standing vacant for many years.
An 18-year-old Berthoud man was arrested based on a warrant charging unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. Two very drunk people called the police station to say they were assaulted but then were not cooperative regarding their location. Berthoud police checked but were unable to locate the callers. A theft was reported in the 800 block of Gentlewind Way. The items were returned and no charges were filed. A stray German shepherd was reported at First Street and E. County Road 10. A caller reported a chronic problem with a vehicle driving very loudly and waking up people every day in the 500 block of Redwood Circle. A bike was stolen from a home in the 500 block of Redwood Circle.
ment, violation of a protection order and domestic violence in the 100 block of Indiana Avenue.
Saturday, June 29 An unattended death was reported in the 400 block of Michigan Avenue. A barking dog was reported in the 1000 block of Seventh Street. A set of keys was found in S. Eighth Street and Spartan Avenue. Berthoud police received a report of an assault in the 400 block of Lake Avenue. A report of a disturbance led to the arrest of a 40-year-old Berthoud man who was charged with false imprisonfactors. Because silage was more nutritious than dry feed, cows responded with higher milk production. Farm labor needs were reduced by the use of a silo to store feed rather than the hay mow, and ensilage was a more concentrated form of nutrients than hay and grain.” “The tower silo” has become a feature in what Americans see as the traditional farmstead.
Sunday, June 30 A motor-vehicle accident resulted in the issuance of a summons to a 53-yearold Berthoud man who was charged with no proof of insurance. A caller reported that a neighbor had left his trailer unattended in front of her house in the 300 block of S. Eighth Street. Monday, July 1 An argument was reported between a tenant and landlord in the 300 block of E. Iowa Avenue. A caller reported a motorcycle speeding through the area in the 300 block of E. Iowa Avenue. The following persons received citations: Benjamin Fell, parking violation; James Clements, dog at large, not under control; Judy A. Foy, speeding; Sundara Didde, speeding; Keturah McGee, speeding; Paul Justus, no proof of insurance; Steve Lewis, domestic violence, false imprisonment, violation of protective order; Brandon Jessiman, failure to appear, failure to comply out of Larimer County; Kristina Layne, DUI Eight traffic warnings and 53 code violations were issued. Then Dad said with a tear in his eye, “each silo boldly marked where a farmer lived his life and earned his living. Silos were often the first, and sometimes only, indications that someone was farming beyond the next rise on the prairie.” Or the silo could have been a “playhouse” for a little girl on the Huppe farm when each year it was emptied an cleaned out for the next harvest of corn.