PHILLIPS COUNTY

Colorado

 

STATE HERALD, Holyoke, Phillips, Colorado

J.H. Painter, Editor and Publisher

 

10 Jul 1908, Friday, Vol. 21 - No. 50

Page One

 

PHILLIPS COUNTY

 

 Phillips County was formerly a part of Weld County and the county seat of our earliest settlers was Greeley 150 miles away, while the would-be homesteader filed at Denver.

 

 When Weld County was divided, in March 1887, the eastern part was called Logan County   with Sterling as the county seat. Logan County was afterward divided in March 1889 and  part of the eastern portion was called Phillips County with Holyoke for the county seat.

 

 Phillips County lies between north latitude 49 deg. 44 min. 21.18 sec. on the north and    40 deg. 26 min. 5.44 sec. on the south and west longitude 102 deg. 39 min. 28.02 sec.  on the west and 102 deg. 2 min. 58.53 sec. on the east.   Holyoke is 40 deg. 34 min. 47.22 sec. north latitude and 102 deg. 17 min. 47.76 sec.  west longitude.  A degree of latitude at Holyoke is 68.994 miles long and a degree of longitude 52.6   miles.

 

 Phillips County is 32 miles long and 21 miles wide with an area of 672 square miles.  The altitude of the eastern part of the county is 3,500 above sea level while the   western is 4,100 feet above the sea, or 600 feet higher than the eastern portion, making  a rise of over 19 feet per mile.

 

 The altitude of Holyoke is 3,734 feet, Haxtun 4,062.  Although Sterling is only 76 feet higher than Holyoke the highest point of land between here and Sterling is 4,500 feet above the sea or 766 feet higher than Holyoke.  The lay of the land is what is generally called a level surface except in the  southeastern part where the sand hills are situated.

 

 The magnesia which we use for plastering sod houses, is composed of small shells from   the size of a pea down to nothing. It is found at almost any depth.

 

 The Frenchman rises in Logan County and extends across our county from west to east    but does not become a flowing stream until it enters Nebraska.   There are no bullfrogs or fish in this county except those which were brought in by man.

 

 The underground water of this county is not one great lake as is generally supposed,   but consists of different water levels.   The bottom of the wells in the Haxtun country are a hundred feet above the top of the standpipe at Holyoke.   The depth of the wells vary from 72 feet in the eastern part to 200 feet in the west.

 

  S.C. Evans, the first settler, pre-empted on the sw quarter of 12-3-43 in June 1885.   He put down the first dug well in the county on the nw quarter of 19-8-43 in 1886. It as 150 feet deep. Mr. Evans still farms this land.

 

 Our first county superintendent was Oscar Trego.

 

 Holyoke was started at 1 p.m. Wednesday September 21, 1887 when George E. Clark bought   the first lot where C.M. Mowry’s hardware store is now situated for $1,400.  The B. & M. well at Holyoke was put down in September 1887. It has a six inch casing,  57 feet of water, and a capacity of 85,000 gallons per day. It is 187 feet deep.

 

  he first newspaper published at Holyoke was the Logan County News, the first number of   which was issued August 9th 1887 in a little sod shanty near the Gordon house with B.F.  Williams as editor.

 

  The State Herald was founded September 10, 1887 in a little shack southwest of the stock   yards, with C.W. Painter and W.N. Jordan as editors.  Afterwards the State Herald and the News were combined with J.H. Painter as editor and   proprietor.

 

 The first child born in this county was Glendora Fair. She was born May 24, 1886 on section 18-8-43.

 

  School district 78, the first district in the county was organized December 15 1886   with Anna Larkins as its first teacher. It included all of township 7-44 and had 44   scholars.

 

 Phillips County High School was voted for in November 1900. It was organized February 22, 1901 with Prof. O.E. Jackson as its first principal and I think you will agree    with me that our high school is a credit to this county.

 

 

 -- Paper read by J.B. Worley at the 8th grade graduating exercises June 12 1908.

 

1908 Phillips County Story

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Last updated December 2018