Berthoud - From River Bottom to Bluff

In 1877, after the Colorado Central Railroad laid tracks through the Little Thompson Valley, a fledgling burg called Berthoud came to life. Because trains hauling cargoes of wheat out of Berthoud labored mightily to ascend the grade to level ground, the community was forced to move. In the winter of 1883–84, the settlement of Berthoud was shifted one mile from its original location on the Little Thompson river bottom to Peter Turner’s homestead on the bluff. Author Mark French uncovers the fascinating history of Berthoud, Colorado, beginning with Native Americans and pre-railroad travelers through the Little Thompson Valley, continuing with the hard work of hearty homesteaders who made the original river bottom settlement a bustling agricultural center and capturing the spirit of a community that developed the town after it was relocated to the bluff.