The Janis Cabin
Antoine Janis first appeared on the Fort Collins scene before Fort Collins existed. In 1844, Janis traveled west from his home in Missouri and staked a claim along the Cache La Poudre River near Laporte. Not until 1859 did Janis and his wife First Elk Woman reside on the 160-acre homestead and construct their log home. Janis was a trader, guide, and interpreter. In 1878, Janis chose to relocate with his wife, a Sioux Indian, to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. He sold the cabin and land for $4,500. He died in Pine Ridge in 1890.
The Janis cabin came to rest in Library Park through the efforts of the Indian Relic Hobby Club. In 1938, the Club rescued the soon to be torn down cabin and relocated it to Library Park. The cabin became the impetus for the idea of a community museum and in 1941, the Pioneer Museum opened with the cabin rebuilt nearby.
The cabin is thought to be the first permanent residential structure built in Larimer County.
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