Welcome!

My family came to what is now Boulder, Colorado, arriving when Boulder was three months old. My Great-great-grandfather was Carson W. Arbuthnot and with him, he brought his four sons and a son-in-law. Since a little child I have loved the history of this beautiful mountain area, the legacy's of the Natives who were here when my family arrived, and the way our community has grown to what it is today. My blog is dedicated to seeking evidence of all that happened. The good, the bad and the ugly, I will share the evidence of what I find.

I also share Boulder County and Colorado History through entertaining storytelling. Dressed as one of my early Boulder County ancestors, I will make you laugh, smile and sometimes cry as I share the stories of the people who came before us and who established these communities that we enjoy today. Please visit my storytelling and events pages for information on performances.

Welcome to my blog, I hope you enjoy your time here.

Sincerely,
Donlyn Arbuthnot

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

February 20, 1942 Diary

Friday, 51st Day - 314 Days to Follow

Written by Margie Arbuthnot

2 degrees above at 7 A.M.
This has been a real nice day and have been 2 lazy.
Hemmed some tea towels this P.M.
Temp at 8 P.M. is 22 degrees above.

More about George Arbuthnot's home after Nels Anderson purchased it.

In order to move to California, George Arbuthnot (Margie's brother-in-law) sold his house, barn and land along Niwot Rd to a Swedish farmer, Nels Anderson.  Nels had come from Minnesota to establish a cattle ranch.  Nels had a big dream and had brought with him the forms to build a concrete silo. Silos here in the west were built with curved bricks that fit perfectly together to make the round silo.  Nels established his ranch with the purchase of George's one story home, barn and land.  

Nels brought Holstein cattle to the ranch and established a national register for Holsteins, which he kept up to date his entire life. He made many improvements on the farm.  He not only built two silos, but also a Swedish style barn.  These were the first concrete silos to be built west of the Mississippi.  The Colorado state University had heard of these form and what Nels had built.  They convinced Nels to donate the forms to him so that they could help other farmers build concrete silos.  Today, these silos and Nel's unique barn are on the National Register for Historic Places.  Old red brick silos can still be seen in Boulder County, as well as many concrete silos that we have Nels Anderson to thank.

Thank you to Ernie Anderson for sharing the Anderson family photos.

Nels Anderson
The home on the left was what George had built, along with the barn in the middle.
On the right is the Swedish barn and the two concrete silos.

Nels Anderson farm 1943
Nels made many improvements to the home.

Anderson Barn and Silos as they appear today.



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Thank you for your comment. It will be reviewed for approval to appear on our blog. Thank you for taking time to read our posts. -- Donlyn