Picture


​Our tours are structured  based on the customer's level of interest in history and their time schedules. We offer three options. Please refer to our tour tiers below and choose what's right for you.
 Military Years Tours
* Captain: 2 hours, $30, 2 site visits (van travel and minimal walking)
* Colonel: 3 hours, $35, 3 site visits (van travel and minimal walking)

Early Settlement Tours
* 160-Acre: 2 hours, $30, 2 site visits (van and minimal walking)
* 320-Acre: 3 hours, $35, 3 site visits (van and minimal walking)​
Tour Details
  • Based on the tier you choose, our tours are comprised of approximately 50% van travel and 50% standing, light walking and sitting.
  • Please note access to only one bathroom facility will be available during both tours.
  • Our transportation unfortunately is NOT wheelchair accessible, so please plan accordingly.
  • Only service dogs are permitted on our tours.
  • Gift cards - interested in purchasing a gift card? Click on any of our "booking" tabs to purchase the gift of education!
  • Cancellations - all sales are final and we do not offer refunds.

​What to Bring
  • Comfortable footwear. On the walking part of the tours there are some dirt trails, so please be mindful of your footing.
  • Water. Staying hydrated is important and temperatures can be quite high (we will also have a container of water in the van).
  • Insect repellent. It is infrequent, but in case we encounter mosquitoes, it is good to have it on your person.​​​ ​

Fort Collins, Colorado

Early Settlement/Town Beginnings Tour
We offer 2 and 3-hour tours, Wed., Fri., and Sun., | Starting at $30.00/adults (discounts for children, seniors and veterans)
Writing in 1884 from Pine Ridge Agency in Dakota Territory, former trapper and guide Antoine Janis described the place where he and his Lakota wife, First Elk Woman, spent their winter and spring seasons. 
“I thought then that the [Cache la] Poudre valley was the loveliest spot on earth, and think so yet.”  Permanent Euro-American settlement began here in 1859 and slowly over the ensuing years the population increased.  The U.S. Army, serving a protective role for civilians, drew still more settlers.  After the military abandoned the area in 1866 the colony town of Fort Collins took shape and was later incorporated in 1873.

This tour tells the fascinating story of some the earliest settlers in the Cache la Poudre River valley, how they came to be associated with the founding of the fledgling community of Fort Collins, and where the settlement occurred along the Poudre corridor.
Where to Meet: Parking lot at the entrance to Watson Lake State Wildlife Area. Located ~1 mile west of Vern's Place on Risk Canyon Rd. (closest address to site: 4900 Rist Canyon Rd., Laporte, CO 80521)

Fort Collins, Colorado

 The Military Years Tour
We offer 2 and 3-hour tours, Tues., Thurs., and Sat., | Starting at $30.00/ adults (discounts for children, seniors and veterans)
While the Civil War raged in the East, the U.S. Army continued to grapple with its oldest foe, the American Indians, in the West.  Along the Oregon route in Wyoming in early 1862, Native American tribesmen, disturbed by the increasing presence of Euro-Americans and perhaps emboldened by a spatially dispersed enemy, stepped up their resistance.  As a result, the mails as well as many wagon trains were detoured to a new road south.
​
This tour outlines the military presence in the Cache la Poudre River valley and its significance to the Indian Wars and westward migration movement.  Learn too, about Army life on the frontier and how this remote outpost named Camp Collins spawned the later foundation of its namesake town.
Where to Meet: Parking lot at the entrance to Watson Lake State Wildlife Area. Located ~1 mile west of Vern's Place on Rist Canyon Rd. (closest address to site: 4900 Risk Canyon Rd., Laporte, CO 80521)