Designated Landmarks
Carlson-Wallace Property
10662 Pike Road
Landmark Designation: 1997
Construction Date: 1910
Architectural Style: Farmstead
The Carlson-Wallace farmstead is located at the southern edge of Longmont.
It is comprised of a farmhouse, a garage, a barn, a shed, a chicken coop and
an equipment storage building.
According to Boulder County Assessor's records, this property's farmhouse
was built in 1910, a date that seems reasonable given the house's Classic
Cottage style and physical condition. In 1919 this eighty acre farm was
purchased by Carl and Bertha Carlson. Born in Denmark in February 1880, Carl
immigrated to the United States just after the turn of the century; by 1902
he had arrived in Colorado. Bertha was born in Norway circa 1881, and she
too immigrated to Colorado with her family circa 1900. Married about 1905,
Carl and Bertha established a farm near Mead, Colorado. Living on their farm
near Mead until 1919, and then on this farm, the Carlsons raised four children:
Cora, Torvil, Frederick and Charles. On this farm the Carlsons raised sugar
beets, corn, barley, and alfalfa. The family also maintained a herd of feed
cattle.
Carl Carlson died in August 1944 at age 64. Bertha died a decade later in
1954. Carlson was regarded as one of Boulder County's most successful immigrant
farmers. When he arrived from Denmark in 1902, he had little money and few
possessions, but at the time of this death, Carlson owned nearly 900 acres
of prime farmland all located south of Longmont. This eight acre parcel, though,
was known as the "home place" and this was where the Carlson made
their home. After Carl's Death, the farm was operated by his son Frederick
Carlson and his wife Evelyn.
In the early 1960s, the Carlson family sold the farm to Don Ida. IN the 1970s,
Ida and his business partner R.F. Wallace established a commercial tree farm
here. An avid hot air balloonist, Ida died in a well-publicized hot air balloon
accident in 1983. Don's nephew, Robert Ida, also became involved in operating
the tree farm which eventually included land on both sides of Highway 287.
John (Kiki) Wallace, son of R.F. Wallace, has renovated the farmhouse.
Reference
1997-2