1950 Census
According to the 1950 federal census, 174 people lived in Federal Heights in the spring of 1950. (Click on this link to see the alphabetical list of Federal Heights residents.) Enumeration District 1-25 included the original quarter section of Federal Heights which had been incorporated in 1940. The 1950 census had 20 questions and was the last census that enumerators visited most households with large multi-family census sheets. During later censuses, households received enumeration forms in the mail and mailed them back to the Census Bureau.
The 1950 Federal Heights census taker was 56-year-old Jared L. Brush of Brighton. Brush was the son of a two-time Colorado Lieutenant Governor for whom the town of Brush, Colorado was named. Mr. Brush completed the census in five days – April 16-20.
According to the census, 84 of the 174 (48%) of the residents were native born Coloradans, 80 were born in 23 different states, and 10 residents were born in foreign countries. Three residents were World War I veterans, 13 were World War II veterans, and one resident went on to serve in Vietnam. The residents worked various jobs in various industries: railroad, truck driver, mechanic, café worker, cement worker, mining engineer, steel worker, cab driver, proof reader, gas attendant, electric welder, carpenter, bookkeeper, artist, baker, upholstery cutter, furniture salesman, painter, rancher, mechanic, carpenter, and foreman. One resident worked at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal.
To view the handwritten census for Federal Heights, go to
https://1950census.archives.gov/search/?state=CO&county=Adams&ed=1-25#.Y9ln9YKpzyo.link
and click on Population Schedules.
The form on the left is called the Portfolio Control Label. When the enumerator was done querying the people and farms in the enumeration district, he or she placed completed population schedules, agricultural schedules, maps, and other administrative materials inside this envelope and returned them to the Crew Leader. If the enumerator made the serious mistake of accidentally losing the portfolio, the Portfolio Control Label served as a “postage due” mailing label to the appropriate Census District Office.
This label also served as an operational checklist for Field Office verification of completed work and for Washington Office verification of coding and key punch activities for statistical compilations.
When the population schedules were microfilmed by the Bureau of the Census in 1952, the Portfolio Control Label was normally the first page of the records for each enumeration district.