Original handwritten diary, 1886-1887

Amelia Buss was born near Rome, New York on September 16, 1834. In 1866, Amelia and her family left their Boonville, New York home and traveled west by train, river steamer, and finally by wagon trail, settling in Fort Collins, Colorado with her husband George and daughter Varah. Amelia died in Fort Collins on May 14, 1884. The diary is a detailed account of her travels, and her first year in Fort Collins. Included is the original diary as well as transcripts made by her family in the 1960s. The diary has been published in the book Women's Personal Narratives, edited by Leonore Hoffmann and Margo Culley, (1985), as well as for a paper presentation by Susan H. Armitage (1976), and a history created by the Timnath Columbine Historical Society (1995). Copies of these three publications are also included. The diary was donated by Arthur Bates, grandnephew of Amelia Buss, in 1975.