A Fort Collins pioneer has been further inked into Colorado history.
“Auntie” Elizabeth Stone — an enterprising pioneer woman known for her contributions to early Fort Collins — will be inducted into the Colorado Business Hall of Fame next month as part of this year’s six-member class of business leaders from the past and present.
Stone, who was originally from Connecticut, moved to what is now Fort Collins with her second husband, Judge Lewis Stone, in 1864. They built the first civilian dwelling at Camp Collins — an Army outpost commissioned in 1862 to protect the Overland Trail. The building served as both their cabin and a mess hall for the camp’s officers.
Two years later, when Judge Stone died and Camp Collins was abandoned, Auntie Stone stayed to help build Fort Collins. She opened the doors of her cabin and mess hall to the public as Fort Collins’ first hotel and, later, for use as Fort Collins’ first school. Stone also had a hand in the area’s first brickyard and flour mill.
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