Community Organizations Collection

The organizations contained within the collection are all based in or related to Colorado State University (CSU) and the surrounding Fort Collins area. Many originated at the University while others were founded elsewhere and had chapters established in Fort Collins.

The Civic Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1949 by university professor Will Schwartz and performed in Fort Collins High School, now the University Center for the Arts.

The Colorado Commission for UNESCO was established circa 1947, to support humanitarian development and educational support. It is a member of the larger UNESCO group, the United Nations' Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organizations.

The Colorado Mountain Club (CMC) was founded in 1912 by James G. Rogers, a Denver attorney responsible in part for the founding of the first national park in Colorado. The CMC is dedicated to the preservation and enjoyment of Colorado's natural beauty.

The Community Canning Center of Fort Collins was established in 1915 at the Colorado Agricultural College's Home Economics Annex building in partnership with School District 5 and the State Board of Vocational Education.

The Fort Collins Camera Club was founded in 1947 for students and faculty at Colorado A & M.

Fort Collins established its Chamber of Commerce in 1904 to advocate for business growth and the regional economy in the Northern Colorado area.

The Fort Collins Writer's Club began in 1931 as a small meeting in the home of a local resident of Fort Collins, and included Dr. Alfred Westfall of Colorado State College (CSC) in its original membership.

The League of Women Voters was created in 1920 after the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution was passed, allowing American women to exercise their right to vote.

The Monte Vista Hog Grower's Association incorporated at the suggestion of Dr. George H. Glover, a veterinarian and professor at Colorado Agricultural College (CAC). The association sought to end the epidemic of hog cholera experienced in southern Colorado at the time and was the first unified effort to do so in the country.

The Orpheum Theatre in Fort Collins opened on November 21, 1907. In 1914 the name was changed to Empress Theatre. In 1927 the theatre was renamed America Theatre. The building is currently the Comedy Fort, a venue for comedy.

The Rocky Mountain Council on Inter-American Affairs is a sub-council of the National Council of Inter-American Affairs, which began after President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order in 1941. The Rocky Mountain division was in operation by 1943, and helped with the larger organization's goals of countering the Italian and Nazi-supplied propaganda in Latin America. These goals also sought to facilitate cooperation in economic and commercial areas between the Americas.

The Rocky Mountain Peace Conference consisted of young men and women in the Rocky Mountain region opposed to the American involvement in World War II. The second annual meeting took place in Boulder, Colorado, in 1940.

The area now known as Fort Collins became a city in 1873. The Social Service Bureau of Fort Collins began in the 1930s as a response to the hardships experienced during the Great Depression. The Bureau supplied clothing, food, and supplies to families in Fort Collins during colder winter months.

The Women's Association at CSU began at Colorado Agricultural College in 1910. By 1927, Carrie R. Lory (wife of CAC president Charles Lory) helped formally establish the organization to raise funds for female students. The Women's Association helps the Fort Collins and CSU communities with scholarships and social services.