Larimer County scrapes old cabin and trees where eagles perch

The Coloradoan

The Strang Cabin as it appeared in 2002 soon after it was burned in an arson fire. The cabin and surrounding trees have been removed as Larimer County prepares to mine gravel on the site.

Just as one person’s historic landmark is another person’s eyesore, one person’s prime bird-watching spot is a government entity’s safety hazard.

Last week, crews cleared remnants of the historic Strang homestead from a site southwest of the corner of Strauss Cabin and Horsetooth roads. The land is owned by Larimer County, which has a gravel quarry and crushing operation on the 160-acre property.

Scraped from the site were remains of a cabin started by Scottish emigrant James Strang in approximately 1890 along with a few dilapidated outbuildings. Still standing on the site are two silage silos.

Recalling the recent uproar over the demolition of a pair of silos on Woodward’s corporate campus in Fort Collins, the county decided to not take them down, at least not yet, said Todd Juergens, director of Larimer County Road and Bridge.

Silos stand tall above the Strang gravel pit along Strauss Cabin Road. A cabin, built in 1890 by James Strang, has been leveled in the same area.

The other buildings clearly were worn out and hazardous, he said. The cabin was regularly broken into despite a tall fence that surrounded it.

“You couldn’t keep people out of there,” Juergens said. “There was evidence of partying in there, evidence of drug use.”

It was only a matter of time before someone was injured on the site, he said.

Also removed were tall, dead trees that stood next to the cabin. The loss of the trees has brought the most flack to county officials.

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The trees were favorite perching places of birds, especially a pair of bald eagles that frequent Arapaho Bend Natural Area on the other side of Strauss Cabin Road.

Fort Collins resident Bill Miller, who enjoyed seeing and photographing the eagles, said taking out the trees was an outrage and only made the area “less beautiful and interesting.”

Juergens said Colorado Parks and Wildlife surveyed the property and determined the tree and buildings did not contain raptor nests or bats.

The trees had been dead for at least 20 years, he said. Thier roots were rotten; a strong wind could have brought them down at any time.

Eagles perch on an old tree next to Strang cabin. The tree and cabin were recently cleared by Larimer County, which owes the site.

The cabin was heavily damaged by an arson fire in 2002 and was repeatedly vandalized. Its roof collapsed a little more each year and the interior was charred and rotting away through exposure to weather.

In 2011, Juergens’ predecessor sought grant funding to do a historical survey of the cabin to determine its significance. But the county commissioners were reluctant to offer matching funds during a time of tight budgets.

There was a lot of history in those unwanted structures. The Strang family was prominent in the early days of Larimer County agriculture.

Pioneer George Strauss died in the cabin in 1904 after spending the night pinned to a fence during a flood on the Poudre River. The ruins of Strauss’ cabin stands northeast of the intersection.

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The county plans to move its quarry and crushing work onto that piece of its property. A berm was built along the edge of the property to shield the view and noise of an admittedly industrial operation.

The county maintains hundreds of miles of dirt roads, so it needs the material. Mining is expected to be done on the property for 10 to 15 more years, Juergens said.

Time marches on. And as it does, it continues to take a toll on the past and, yes, excellent resting places for birds.

Kevin Duggan is a Coloradoan senior reporter covering local government. Follow him on Twitter, @coloradoan_dugg and on Facebook at Coloradoan Kevin Duggan.