Moreover, the territorial legislature had designated the site of the Colorado Agricultural College to be in Fort Collins in 1870, although no money had been allocated for structures.
The success of the Greeley Colony, which was intended by its founder Nathan Meeker as a religiously-oriented utopian community, prompted its officers to expand the enterprise, although without quite the degree of religious idealism of the first effort.
Unlike the existing town plat, which was roughly parallel to the along the old Overland Stage road along the Poudre, the new lands would be oriented towards the compass.
The colony invited anyone to join "who is possessed of a good moral character" by purchasing a certificate ranging in price from 50 to US$250.
The colony specifically issued an appeal for a "good country newspaper, hardware store, bank, as well as farmers and other "industrious people."