The approximately four block district was the site of Camp Collins, a military post established in 1864.  When the soldiers departed in 1867, the future of Fort Collins was in question, but the town was selected as the location for the Colorado Agricultural College in 1870.  In 1878, the arrival of rail service between Cheyenne and Denver ushered in an era of prosperity, and the district continued to develop as a commercial center for northern Colorado’s vast agricultural area.