DAR members commemorate marker placed at the border in 1917

Colorado DAR Daughters, representing the chapters that installed the large Overland Stage and Express granite marker at the Colorado-Wyoming border, gathered at the site Oct. 13. Three DAR chapters formed in 1908 — the Jacques Laramie chapter of Cheyenne, Wyo., the Cache la Poudre chapter of Fort Collins and Centennial chapter of Loveland — commissioned and placed the marker.

When the marker was dedicated on July 4, 1917, it was a beautiful, sunny Colorado day. But the recent gathering was quite different, and the hardy Colorado Daughters stood out by the marker in snow, rain and wind. Afterwards they adjourned to Livermore to warm up and discuss future activities.

The Overland Stage and Express marker commemorates the place where the Overland Stage Line crossed the Colorado-Wyoming boundary on its way to the West. In the mid 1860s, the line was a vast empire operating 3,145 miles of stage coach and freight lines. Ben Holladay’s line had some 15,000 employees, 20,000 wagons and 150,000 draft animals. In 1866 Holiday sold out to Wells Fargo. Eventually the railroad came to the West, and the line was abandoned in 1868.

The idea for the gathering came from Jeny Stoesz, Regent of the Jacques Laramie chapter in Cheyenne and Karol Harding, Regent of the Cache la Poudre chapter in Fort Collins. Elaine Grabin represented the Centennial Chapter from Greeley.