The History of Logan County

Logan County was formed by an act of the Colorado State Legislature on February 25, 1887. The County was formerly a part of Weld County and citizens from the eastern part of the state were required to travel to Greeley, the county seat to conduct official business. Citizens petitioned the state legislature to form the new county. Later on, Philips and Sedgwick Counties were created from the original Logan County.

Serving on the first Board of County Commissioners for Logan County were: Henry Schneider, D. B. Morgan and Jacob Furry. Governor Alba B. Adams appointed the men and also appointed W. S. Hadfield several months later to fill a vacancy created by the death of Commissioner Furry. Other officials appointed to oversee the new Logan County were W. F. Kiester, Clerk and Recorder; M. H. Smith, Treasurer; H. T. Sutherland, County Assessor; John Tobin, Sheriff; T. L. Watson, County Judge; Dr. David Beach, Coroner; J. J. Cheairs, Surveyor; and Oscar Trego, County Superintendent of Schools.

Construction on the present Logan County Courthouse was begun in 1908. J. J. Huddard of Denver was retained as architect to design the new Courthouse. Construction was completed in 1910 by Sterling contractors Kaepernik and Jenkins.

The white-pressed brick and white stone trimming cost approximately $100,000 and on Saturday, March 5, 1910 it is estimated that 6,000 persons participated in the formal opening ceremony for the eloquent new structure. Emerson Warren, C. M. Morris and J. O. Shay were Commissioners at the time of the Courthouse construction.

Dedication ceremonies were held on March 5, 1910 with approximately 6,000 persons in attendance.

 

1983 Courthouse Restoration

In 1983 the Board of County Commissioners negotiated the restoration of the Courthouse Rotunda which was highlighted by:

• Restoration of rotunda columns, decorative ceiling trim painting, woodwork, walls and floors. Every effort was made to utilize original colors and painting techniques.
• Original Fire Hoses were recovered and restored and hang in the rotunda of each floor. They are now non-operative and are for decorative purposes only.
• Replacement of the Stained Glass in the ceiling of the rotunda and installation of backlighting. The original stained glass was reportedly broken by a roll of falling roofing material during repair work many years ago.
• Placement of Eugene Carara Oil Paintings in the basement rotunda area. Individual paintings were purchased by private citizens and then donated to Logan County to keep the work together. Each painting is symbolic of an historically important event or location to the people of northeastern Colorado.
• Duplication and placement of the original courthouse blueprints in the first and second floor rotunda areas.

Donations in the amount of $17,600 aided in the restoration and a Sterling Founder’s Day celebration was held in the rotunda area of the Courthouse on November 10, 1984.

For further reading on Logan County History, recommended are: “A History of Logan County” by Emma Rose Conklin and “The Logan County Ledger” by Dale “Bud” Wells.

Image Gallery

The gallery below contains old pictures of the courthouse, including one during its actual construction, and pictures of Eugene Carara’s oil paintings which hang in the basement rotunda area of the courthouse.