Daniel A. Camfield was born in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1860. He came to Greeley in 1878 to farm, and shortly after purchasing his own 160 acres began studying water supply and irrigation. As a result, he became involved with the promotion of Laramie-Poudre Reservoirs & Irrigation Company, particularly concerning its diversion tunnel  project. By 1911, Camfield and his associates that completed 500 miles of irrigation ditches and constructed numerous reservoirs resulting in the redemption of 425,000 acres of farm and range land. The total cost of these projects, while amounting to $17,000,000, resulted in a land value increase from $2.50 an acre to $75 or even $100 per acre, thus adding $60,000,000 to Colorado’s wealth in agricultural land. Camfield also owned a number of mountain reservoirs with a total capacity of 3,600,000,000 cubic feet of water (84,000 acre feet), sufficient to irrigate 125,000 acres.

In addition to his involvement in irrigation, Camfield was an astute businessman and established and owned The Camfield Hotel in Greeley. He was also president of City National Bank in Greeley.

 

Citations:

-Ansel Watrous. History of Larimer County Colorado. The Old Army Press, 1911. pp. 346-347.