Strauss CAbin &
council tree
Strauss Cabin and Council Tree are part of an ethnohistorical site complex, significant because of the peaceful contemporaneous occupation of the area by Euramerican settlers and the Northern Arapahoe. Council Tree and Strauss Cabin are located roughly between Fort Collins and Timnath, in Northern Colorado and fall within the Cache La Poudre River National Heritage Area.
This site is part of a Poudre Heritage Alliance initiative and serves to introduce people to the sites, their significance to the local area, and to their place in the wider historical context of Colorado History.
Although this research project has located and used many sources, both academic and anecdotal, we continue to find new breadcrumbs to follow in our search for a more complete picture of the past. This site will be updated with material as we find it. If you have information on the sites, people or events mentioned in our research or questions, please get in touch via the Contact page.
This site is part of a Poudre Heritage Alliance initiative and serves to introduce people to the sites, their significance to the local area, and to their place in the wider historical context of Colorado History.
Although this research project has located and used many sources, both academic and anecdotal, we continue to find new breadcrumbs to follow in our search for a more complete picture of the past. This site will be updated with material as we find it. If you have information on the sites, people or events mentioned in our research or questions, please get in touch via the Contact page.
Arapahoe perspective on Council TreeThe old, gnarled cottonwood formerly stood between the UP Railway Line, I-25 and pasture land to the west. It was exceptionally old for a cottonwood, some claimed 120 years or more. The tree is now gone, but the reason it was important remains. Over the years, many groups of people to whom the location and meaning of the tree have been important have sought to conserve the area. Some of the people are the descendants of the Northern Arapahoe of the area, but there are also others who have, for various reasons, found this area important and meaningful.
|
Strauss CabinGeorge Strauss was no fool, he held firmly to the German sensibilities he was raised with. When he was forced out of his first homestead in the Upper Poudre Valley by floods, the American-born entrepreneur headed back to the bountiful lands of the lower Poudre between present day Fort Collins and Timnath. He settled in the area in 1860 and by 1864, he completed construction of his log cabin. This is the story of his relationship with the northern Arapaho, the land he worked, and the river that would eventually claim his life.
|
Who Was the arapahoe man known as Friday?The peaceful man of the Northern Arapahoe reportedly never earned his 'Chief' rank in traditional battle...but his considerable abilities and steadfastness to his values ensured that he left an indelible mark on the Poudre Valley and its people. The Arapahoe gained a reputation as a peaceful people among the Euroamerican settlers. Sadly, that goodwill didn't extend to government consideration when granting reservation land to Native American groups. This is one story of Friday and other Northern Arapahoe of the Poudre Valley.
|
