Strauss Cabin
Strauss Cabin, Fort Collins, Larimer county.
Strauss Cabin is located at the east end of Horsetooth Road on the shore of Cache la Poudre
River. The Cabin and the surrounding area belong to Fort Collins City Parks.
The architectural style of the Strauss Cabin is unique in Colorado. The two-story log construction
reflects a design built in Kentucky and Indiana in the 1800s. The original log cabin was built
by George Strauss in 1864. He used hand-hewn pine logs joined in dove-tail corners, a technique
requiring great skill and patience. The inside walls were white-washed. The first addition was
made from wood planking. The second addition was constructed from native Colorado sandstone
after Strauss' death.
George Robert Strauss was one of the earliest settlers of the Cache la Poudre Valley, arriving in
May of 1860. He moved from the Kentucky and Indiana territories where he was raised. Strauss
settled on this site and farmed a 9-acre vegetable garden. He sold his vegetables in Laporte.
The vegetables were transported to market on the
Overland Trail.
In the Spring of the 1864 the Poudre River flooded and caused extensive damage to his vegetable
garden. Strauss did not take this warning seriously and remained living there. Forty years later,
the river flooded again. Strauss, then 73, became trapped against a fence and was stranded
all night. James Strong, a neighbor, rescued him the following morning, but George Strauss
died of exposure that day.
Located just north of the Strauss Cabin was the Arapaho Council Tree. The areas surrounding
this large cottonwood tree were popular camping grounds for the Arapaho tribes to hold council.
