History of Glacier View Tour | Red Feather Historical Society

The Red Feather Historic Society took a tour of historic Glacier View on August 21, 2013, led by Lucille Schmitt and her daughter Cynthia Squarcia. Lucille and her family have been long term residents of Glacier View since the 1970’s when they lived in the LOX house and leased the Currie Ranch from the Development company who had purchased the ranch. Don Schmitt ran his own cattle on the ranch and Lucille was the first On-Site sales person for the new Glacier View Meadows. The Glacier View Sales office was moved from the LOX to the building where Western Ridge is now. After the building was further remodeled a restaurant and sales office coexisted for a number of years.

HISTORY OF GLACIER VIEW TOUR COMMENTS

Paula and Hugh Collins:

We found the history of land ownership very interesting and the location of the original Red Feather Road. We had never noticed the Adams cemetery at McNey hill, nor the grave marker across from Batterson’s barn. The old homestead houses that were still standing were fun to locate and see. The personal stories of those who lived in the area while growing up were delightful!

Marilyn Wilmoth:

Most of it was new to me. I knew Don Weixelman and other investors had developed it, but didn’t know about homesteads being bought up. Knew of Adams cemetery but didn’t know where the town of Adams had been. Didn’t know that the old homestead cabins still existed.

Dolores Williams:

I appreciated the giving way the two leaders told us everything they could remember so we could share in the development of Glacier View by the same investors who accumulated the properties so they could be divided into lots so we can enjoy the impressive outdoors available in Colorado without owning a whole ranch. I am familiar with the development of Crystal Lakes and Red Feather Lakes, but was unaware that the same hardy, adventurous folks came before us through great hardships.

Ed & Winnie Hanson:

We were interested in the location of Adams and the fact that the settlers keep moving the school house to be near the home of the children attending. The visit to the Adams Cemetery reveled one of the oldest stones of William W. Sloan born in 1813 and died in 1880. Many grave markers were made of wood and are now gone. The story of the cattle being branding at the Bush Homestead corral was so vivid.

Fred & Shirley Delano:

Shirley and I, from Kansas, are part-time residents in GVM for 3-4 months of the year. Learning the area history and immersion in the community is very important to us. We have visited the area each year since 1999 and owners since 2011. We would say that all of the information we experienced on the tour was in some way new and very informative. We knew the ‘legal’ and contractual history of the area development. We did not know the original settlement history.

We have acquired and read most of the books about the area, including “Those Crazy Pioneers”. The printed information, both fictional and factual, gives us a mental image. The tour allowed this image of the area and its history to come alive by personally seeing and hearing the history from those who lived the history. The tour allowed us to meet Lucille Schmitt, daughter Cid, and Diana Lustick. Likely we would not have had this opportunity if not for the tour.

By seeing and hearing the history of the old homes, the wagon tracks of the stage coach and homesteaders’ trail from Ft Collins, the ranchers’ split-rail cattle branding corrals, the Adams Ghost town, and the Adams cemetery, the tour provided an appreciation of the contribution the early homesteaders made to the Community we now know as GVM.

The dirt floored, non-modern log cabins preserved within our GVM Community reminded us life was not easy during the early years of forming a community. The wagon ruts remind us how the community has shrunken in spatial area with our network of all-weather roads. The comments by the tour leaders and other “old timers” tell of the reliance on neighbors and community then as we witness it today. Imagine how much progress we have made and how so much has changed. The pioneers of our community depended on each other and community was very important to them.

PHOTOS FROM THE TOUR:

Start of tour in the Glacier View Meadows Associations community room. Lucille Schmitt talking to the Red Feather Historical Society tour participants.

First stop on tour was the Ayres Homestead. Theodore Ayers settled here in1908 where he and his wife with 6 children built their home. The water for the cabin came from a spring which was piped directly through the kitchen. The long neglected cabin housed many critters when Keith and Thelma Jackson lovingly restored it and made it their home for many years. It is presently owned by the Biglers who did a super job of matching the original cabin with a large addition. — First stop on tour was the Ayers Homestead. Theodore Ayers settled here in1908 where he and his wife with 6 children built their home. The water for the cabin came from a spring which was piped directly through the kitchen. The long neglected cabin housed many critters when Keith and Thelma Jackson lovingly restored it and made it their home for many years. It is presently owned by the Biglers who did a super job of matching the original cabin with a large addition.

Ike Morrison acquired the patent for the property to build his cabin in the 1870s. It is believed that the Morrison’s had 6 children who enjoyed the companionship of many homestead families. Morrison was know as “Butcher Knife Ike because of the very long knife, he carried in it’s scabbard hanging from his waist.

Site of the Bush Homestead where Bert and Alta Bush homesteaded in 1912-13 where they raised milk cows and chickens with their 3 sons. They grew lots of potatoes in the draw south from the house. The family left the homestead in 1948 when Clarence Curry bought it.

Site of the Batterson Barn owned by Judd and Linda Adams. More info at https://redfeatherhistoricalsociety.org/local-histories/batterson-ranch/ — Site of the Batterson Barn owned by Judd and Linda Adams. More info on the RFHS Batterson Ranch history page.

Solomon Batterson Ranch and Stage Station: National Register of Historic Places “Rural Historic Landscape” sign.

Lucille Schmitt telling the history of the Glacier View building once on the Curry Ranch now Western Ridge Restaurant owned and operated by Cheryl Franz.

Out buildings once on the Curry Ranch now at Western Ridge Restaurant & Resort.

Adams Cemetery Adams, Colorado, was never a real town as we think of them, so it can’t be called a ghost town. It is interesting that a man whose first name isn’t known and who didn’t like the country, ad his last name given to the post office, a school and a cemetery. In December of 1880, William Sloan, along with one of his sons and helpers, were cutting poles for fencing when a tree they were working on fell and killed Mr. Sloan. His was the first burial at Adams Cemetery, and the most prominent headstone marks the grave of him and his wife, Martha. The cemetery site is about 300 yards to the left of Red Feather Lakes Road, about one-quarter mile after you top McNey Hill. The cemetery is maintained by the relatives of the Sloan family. — Adams Cemetery
Adams, Colorado, was never a real town as we think of them, so it can’t be called a ghost town. It is interesting that a man whose first name isn’t known and who didn’t like the country, ad his last name given to the post office, a school and a cemetery. In December of 1880, William Sloan, along with one of his sons and helpers, were cutting poles for fencing when a tree they were working on fell and killed Mr. Sloan. His was the first burial at Adams Cemetery, and the most prominent headstone marks the grave of him and his wife, Martha. The cemetery site is about 300 yards to the left of Red Feather Lakes Road, about one-quarter mile after you top McNey Hill. The cemetery is maintained by the relatives of the Sloan family.