The Greeley tribune., 1909-12-30

conceived the idea of a new town in
the great wilderness OF the west
they had no vague or uncertain no.
tions as to the purposes Ior which
the town should stand.
MIR. Meeker said. "Individuals may
rise or fall, may live or die. property
may be lost or gained, but the col
ony, as whole. will prosper, and
the spot on which we labor, so long
rs the world stands. viii be n cen
ter OF intelligence and activity.
To the end that intelligence might
expand and keep pace with our ma
terial growth, our schools have been
organized and carried on from the
first, and our public library has n
root deep in the past which perhaps
few remember.
There were various movements to-
ward starting II public library in
the early days of the colony. 1t was
the intention of the founders that
money from the sale OF certain town
lots should be used for erecung a
school house and n public library.
But the money had to be usel or
enlarging the ditch and the school
waited, while the library never was
built. move was made to run a
lottery scheme by which some $50
OO0 could be obtained for library
but our people would have none of
II.
The writer's first recollection of
books for the use of the general
public in Greeley is of set of en-
cyclopedias which belonged to the
town II | mistake not, and which
were given an honorable position in
Manstields drug store which stood
about where Mack's grocery now
stands. Why they We're not put in
the new school building into which
we proudly moved in 1878. | do not
know.
To Capt. David Boyd we owe our
first little group of books for public
use. He was a member of the school
board which purchased some $500
worth OF books in the year 1913 or
80 with money obtained from the
sale of lots belonging to the district,
and If my recollection serves, he
selected the books.
As my memory runs back over
the few shelves in the tower room of
the Meeker school building, ! am i'm
pressed with the rare literary taste
Capt. Boyd's vigorous personality,
finely trained intellect and sturdy
manliness made an impression on the
youth of those early days. He not
only gave time and money to the
cause OF education but he gave him
self He not only gave us Tennyson
and Carlyle to read. but he read
them with us.
II fa sNtt n1 hp
school building, had charge OF the
the little bunch of students that
used the books in the reading room
remember the original character and
keen mind OF this first Greeley Ii
brarian.
THE present Greeley public Ii
brary is the outgrowth OF move
ment which had It's origin in the
Greeley law class early in the sum
mer OF 1885. At the call OF this
class a public meeting was held at
the court house on the evening OF
June 13. 1885, at which meeting
the subject of public library was
thoroughly discussed and commit
tee on organization appointed, with
J. NJ. Wallace as chairman II
Vuote Iipu tHe uIbt tutdloSut iaSu'u
by the libraryD Subscriptions were
opened with the understanding that
they were to be paid in when $4,000
had been subscribed,
Judge Wallace subscribed 500
himself and gave the use OF two
rooms in the First National Bank
block for one year. A stock com
pany was formed with stock at $40
share. each share to entitle the
holder to free use OF the library.
THO $4,000 was easily secured and
the library established. On Sep
tember a committee was appointed
to select books and have general
oversight OF the library. This COM
mittee consisted OF Fred +. Smith.
A. X. Packard. Mary NJ. Gallup, My
ra II. Spear and A. b. Copeland,
Fred f. Smith had then been
resident OF Greeley for about five
years. He was a man of the best
literary training and as he was about
to go east on business he was given
the task OF purchasing the books
for the new library. and we'll he full
filled his task
1t is impossible to estimate the
good that any strong man does In
community. but 1t would be dini-
cult to overestimate the good which
Fred Smith did for culture in Gree
ley. During his long residence here
he was an active member of our IL
brary board his broad literary
knowledge was always Mt the serv-
Ice OF the librarian in the selection
of books, and many young men ana