| The courts in Weld County since territorial days provide a glimpse into the good, bad and the ugly as cases unfolded in the assorted courtrooms. Through the years courtroom drama has been the source of anger, fear and joy. We invite you to look with us at milestones that have marked the county's history.
The courts in Weld County since territorial days provide a glimpse into the good, bad and the ugly as cases unfolded in the assorted courtrooms. Through the years courtroom drama has been the source of anger, fear and joy. We invite you to look with us at milestones that have marked the county's history.
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 An Evans resident was shot and killed December 14, 1888, and the man who allegedly killed him was hanged from a tree near the Weld County Court House in Greeley on December 29, 1888 – the only hanging ever to occur in Greeley. The story of W.D. French. |
| The 1955 Airplane Bombing: Curiously, the biggest murder case in the history of Weld County did not occur in Weld County; it happened in the sky several thousand feet above. Nor was the criminal case prosecuted in Weld County; it was tried in Denver District Court. However, the people and places of Weld County played an important role in the case. A case summary by Andrew J. Field, author of “Mainliner Denver: The Bombing of Flight 629.” |
| Court House attic home of recently discovered hidden treasure: Water has played a pivotal role in Weld County since pre-statehood days. Many senior water rights in the area pre-date Colorado’s1976 statehood. Controversies regarding water were prevalent even when senior water rights were being established more than a century ago. Original documentation of one such dispute that was filed in court on June 29, 1871, was an important day for C.W. Matteson and R.E. Dickerson. The complaint was filed by Nathan C. Meeker who, with Horace Greeley, conceived the idea of starting a utopian agricultural colony-- Union Colony-- which is present day Greeley. |
| On Dec. 14, 1961, Weld County was changed forever after a school bus accident southeast of Evans in which 20 children were killed and another 16 were injured. The bus accident is among the deadliest traffic accidents in Colorado history. The bus driver was charged with manslaughter and later was found “not guilty” in a jury trial. As a result of this accident, federal legislation was passed by Congress requiring the drivers of certain commercial vehicles, including school buses, to stop, look, and listen for a train at all railroad tracks prior to crossing the tracks. |
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