Charles Hansen
In 1902, Charles Hansen, a young newspaperman, came to Greeley, CO, ready to make his mark. In a town of 3,000 people and four newspapers, Hansen was hired as a part-time reporter/editor at the Greeley Tribune.
Hansen left Greeley for a few months for some special writing jobs on the Western Slope, where he met Ed Taylor, an attorney who had become involved in a project that would bring water from the Western Slope to the Eastern plains.
Hansen returned to Greeley and purchased the weekly Weld County Republican, which he consolidated with two other small weekly papers and started a daily newspaper called the Greeley Republican. During the next 40 years, Hansen served as the publisher of the Greeley Daily Tribune and Greeley Republican, where he upgraded the presses and other equipment and moved the offices to a modern building at 714 8th Street.
Hansen served as president of the Greeley Tribune Republican Publishing Co. and the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District during his tenure.
In addition to his success in the newspaper business, Hansen’s name was also placed in local history because he brought water to the plains of Colorado. As early as 1915, Hansen helped prepare for a 30-mile tunnel that would run under the mountains from the western side of the Rockies to the eastern side.
Hansen made several trips to Washington, D.C. to secure the legislation needed for this project. It became the Colorado-Big Thompson Water Diversion Project. When the project was finished, it helped Greeley, Weld County, and all of northern Colorado become agricultural examples for the world. In 1956, a portion of the canal that carries water across the mouth of the Big Thompson River was renamed Charles Hansen in honor of his efforts to promote the project.
Hansen left Greeley for a few months for some special writing jobs on the Western Slope, where he met Ed Taylor, an attorney who had become involved in a project that would bring water from the Western Slope to the Eastern plains.
Hansen returned to Greeley and purchased the weekly Weld County Republican, which he consolidated with two other small weekly papers and started a daily newspaper called the Greeley Republican. During the next 40 years, Hansen served as the publisher of the Greeley Daily Tribune and Greeley Republican, where he upgraded the presses and other equipment and moved the offices to a modern building at 714 8th Street.
Hansen served as president of the Greeley Tribune Republican Publishing Co. and the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District during his tenure.
In addition to his success in the newspaper business, Hansen’s name was also placed in local history because he brought water to the plains of Colorado. As early as 1915, Hansen helped prepare for a 30-mile tunnel that would run under the mountains from the western side of the Rockies to the eastern side.
Hansen made several trips to Washington, D.C. to secure the legislation needed for this project. It became the Colorado-Big Thompson Water Diversion Project. When the project was finished, it helped Greeley, Weld County, and all of northern Colorado become agricultural examples for the world. In 1956, a portion of the canal that carries water across the mouth of the Big Thompson River was renamed Charles Hansen in honor of his efforts to promote the project.