Ansel Watrous

Ansel Watrous
County Clerk of Calumet County, Wisconsin
In office
January 1, 1865 – January 1, 1867
Preceded byJ. Urmhoefer
Succeeded byJ. H. Cook
Sheriff of Calumet County, Wisconsin
In office
January 1, 1861 – January 1, 1863
Preceded byNorman Breed
Succeeded byDaniel Lee
Personal details
Born(1835-11-01)November 1, 1835
Conklin, New York, U.S.
DiedAugust 5, 1927(1927-08-05) (aged 91)
Fort Collins, Colorado, U.S.
Resting placeGrandview Cemetery, Fort Collins
Spouses
  • Florelle Thompson
    ​
    (died 1916)​
  • Helen L. Thompson
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1917⁠–⁠1927)​
Relatives
Professionnewspaper editor, historian

Ansel Watrous (November 1, 1835 – August 5, 1927) was an American newspaper publisher of the Fort Collins Courier and a historian.[1] Born in New York, nine-year old Watrous moved with his family to Wisconsin and lived there six years until his father died of cholera. The family moved back east and Watrous was an apprentice carpenter, before returning to Wisconsin where he married and worked in construction, retail, and politics until he settled in Colorado in 1878.

A longtime resident of Fort Collins, Colorado, Watrous was a newspaper publisher, editor, and journalist. He is noted for History of Larimer County, Colorado (1911), the first comprehensive published history of the county.[1] In retirement, he worked as a justice of the peace and continued to write articles for the newspaper.

A Forest Service campground in the Poudre Canyon in the Roosevelt National Forest northwest of Fort Collins is named for him.[2]

  1. ^ a b Jessen, Kenneth (March 2, 2019). "Ansel Watrous served as a pioneer newspaperman and Larimer County historian". Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  2. ^ "Coloradoan: Features and Classifieds - Ansel Watrous Campground". Fort Collins Coloradoan. June 25, 1967. p. 15. Retrieved March 18, 2024.