Minutes For Past Meetings

Eagle County Historical Society

Board Meeting

June 3, 2021

Present: Kathy Heicher, Janice Tonz, Willy Powell, Marion Laughlin, Joanne Cermak, Sandy Van Campen, Betty Roy

New Business

Museum-The museum opened Memorial Day Weekend and will be opened in June Fridays through Monday 10:00 to 3:00 p.m. A new single day donation record was set over the weekend ($150.00) thanks to two generous visitors. A new banner was placed on the side of the barn advertising the museum. The Mount of the Holy Cross Exhibit was set up in the new bakery case given to ECHS by Dakota Craftsman of Vail. The display case it replaced was removed and donated to Red Cliff. Prior to opening, Kathy, Marion, Jaci, and Lynn rearranged some displays and continue to strategize on improving museum exhibits. New artifacts include a framed town of Gypsum original plat and framed Mount of the Holy Cross stamps and envelope. Left over rocks and arrowheads from the Visitors Center shop that belonged to ECHS merchandise inventory were discovered and will be now located in the museum for docents to sell. Also on sale in the museum are raffle tickets for the Underground Railroad Quilt.

Caboose Improvements-Discussion concerning the condition of the caboose continued. Kathy has been in contact with the town regarding ownership, making sure museum out buildings are covered by insurance. Willy priced costs for replacing the broken caboose windows with Alpine Glass- plexiglass $3705, tempered glass $4423 and lexan $6445. Costs are high since the window panes are thicker than usual. Each material had its pros and cons but after discussing, it was recommended that plexiglass had strength and lower cost. Willy made a motion to go with the plexiglass and it passed unanimously. Other caboose related issues discussed were the type of paint used for trains and volunteer interest in doing the painting.

Continuing Business

Book Sales-Sandy made arrangements to sell ECHS books at the ‘Art on Broadway’ event, June 11. The event lasts from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. and Sandy and Marion will meet at the museum to organize setting up the booth at 3:30.

Borah Journals-ECHS is soliciting volunteers to help in transcribing the journals. Matthew has been working on this project and could use some volunteers. Please contact Matthew at the Eagle Library if you are able to help out. Borah Journal donors (the McDaniels) will visit Eagle July 12-17.

New Photo Donations-Two ranching families, the Schlutter family and the Shyrack family, have recently donated photos of Brush Creek history circa 1920.

Mark your calendars-

Horn Ranch Hike, Friday, June 11

History Presentation and book sales for teacher sorority, Tuesday, June 15 and Wednesday, June 16

Vail Board of Realtors history class, Monday, July 19

Horn Ranch Hike, Friday, September 17

The next ECHS board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, July 1.

Eagle County Historical Society

April 1, 2021  online

Present: Kathy Heicher, Janice Tonz, Willy Powell, Marion Laughlin, Joanne Cermak, Lynn Albers, Jaci Spuhler, Laura Thompson, Betty Roy

New Business

Blacksmith Shop-The blacksmith shop roof has been completed. Thanks go out to Nancy Powell, who helped ECHS receive a Board of Realtors’ grant, and Horizon Roofing, who discounted the cost. Next steps to making the blacksmith shop more usable for exhibits are sealing off air gaps, improving lighting, replacing the chicken wire with plexiglass or a half-wall, and placing interpretive signage. Perhaps the ‘still’ will find its home there.

The only outdoor cosmetic improvement left is the caboose. Kathy was in contact with Rod from the Rio Grande Modeling and Historic Society who expressed interest in helping out with the project. A fresh paint job, replacement of a broken window with lexan, and interpretive signage are in the plan.

Museum 2021-Most area historical societies are opening their museums on a limited basis. The Visitor Center tentatively will be open Thursday through Monday 10:00 t0 3:00. The town of Eagle has indicated it is okay to open the ‘out’ buildings- Avon store, blacksmith shop and caboose, but they will probably only be open during museum hours since the responsibility for opening and closing them remains with the docents. Most docents are interested in working this summer as long as safety restrictions are in place-required masks, one way traffic, hand sanitizer, etc. The board decided to open the museum for Memorial Weekend as a trial run. If it goes well, it is likely the museum can be opened when the Visitors Center is opened. Janice will peruse the historic photos to choose a picture for a new sign for the barn indicating the museum is opened. The current sign says ‘open daily’ and that will no longer be the case. Marion will show Lynn how to use Sign-up Genius to create a fair system for scheduling docents.

Continuing Business

Brush Creek Book-Delivery is imminent on the reprinted A Cup of Cold, Clear Water. Laura will contact the Vail Daily to schedule ads announcing its sale, and notices will go out to ECHS members and Facebook.

Volunteers for Borah Journals-ECHS is asking for volunteers to help transcribe the Borah Journals. The journals contain 1200 pages of the handwritten notes of Jake Borah. Matthew has been working on this project and would like the help of as many as four volunteers. Please contact Matthew at the Eagle library if you are able to help out.

Quilt Raffle-ECHS is also looking for a volunteer to help organize a fund raising raffle or silent auction for the Underground Railroad quilt donated by the High Altitude Quilt Guild. A safe way to display the beautiful quilt and display locations around the county need to be decided. Bette will contact the Horse Rescue organization for advice on holding a silent auction.

Pay Pal Readers-Bette received 3 PayPal credit card readers. Bette, Sandy and Janice will be able to use credit cards to sell books at ECHS events and hikes.

The next ECHS board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, May 6.

Eagle County Historical Society

Minutes, March 4, 2021 online

Present: Kathy Heicher, Janice Tonz, Willy Powell, Marion Laughlin, Sandy Van Campen, Joanne Cermak, Lynn Albers, Jaci Spuhler, Laura Thompson

New Business

Museum Season- The upcoming museum season was discussed. The Visitor Center status is still uncertain and ECHS would need to comply with the town’s comfort level during COVID. The Visitor Center has seen low turn out this winter and visitors are still not allowed into the building. Kathy will ask the Four Rivers museum group members what is happening at their museums this summer. Since docents would need to enforce any restrictions, Lynn emailed them about their comfort level working at the museum during this summer. Some indicated they are ready to go ahead. Holding specially scheduled visits, rather than having a regular weekly schedule was discussed again and determined that it is still too early to make any decision.

The new Leadville bakery cabinet is scheduled to be delivered on Sunday, March 14. It’s location in the museum has yet to be determined and it was suggested an exhibit for the case be planned first. The board will visit the museum when the weather warms up to make some decisions.

New Grant-ECHS received a grant from the town of Eagle. Several uses for the money were discussed- a new banner, a yet undefined event, or improvements to the caboose.

History Hikes-The Land Trust is starting to schedule activities which will include the history hikes.

Cultural Heritage Preservation- Lynn is participating with the Town of Vail on a committee formulating objectives for the plan to honor and preserve the areas cultural heritage. Plans include green certification and possible interpretive signs. The Town of Avon is also promoting the area’s cultural heritage. Interpretive signs for the town are now being designed by their graphic artist.

Continuing Business

Blacksmith Shop Roof-The Blacksmith shop will be receiving a new roof in March. The contract was awarded to Verizon roofing, the same company that replaced the roof on the Avon store. Forty percent of the $5200 contract has been given to the contractor.

Caboose-The last outdoor cosmetic project at the museum will be improvements to the caboose. The board discussed its condition and what it would take to improve its appearance. Damage to the window was determined a priority and Willy will check into the cost of replacing the broken glass with Lexan. Since the caboose cannot be sand blasted, rust would need to be wire brushed before painting. Kathy will look into a front range group that may be interested in volunteering its services. The caboose is popular with kids and railroad buffs. Other improvements, such as interpretive signs, were discussed.

Brush Creek Book-The book A Cup of Cold, Clear Water is at the printers. It will include rewritten acknowledgements and a photo by Steve Taylor as the new cover. Everything else remains the same as in the 2008 digitized version. ECHS ordered 500 books at an estimated cost of $2,698, and the books will retail at $20.00. Frost Creek has committed to the purchase of 75 additional books. Laura will work on an ad campaign for the book. Perhaps a Zoom talk or museum event can be offered when the book comes out.

The history of Gypsum that Kathy is writing for the town of will be out mid-summer.

Quilt Raffle-The board discussed how to raffle off the underground railroad quilt made by the High Altitude Quilt Guild. Since ECHS is a registered charitable organization there is no need for a raffle license. The benefits of an in person versus an online raffle were discussed.

PayPal vs Square-Betty spoke of the advantages and disadvantages of each device. It was decided that PayPal meets ECHS needs better than Square. Betty will order two new reader upgrades. The card readers are necessary so that books can be available for sale at history hikes and other events.

The next ECHS board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 1.

Eagle County Historical Society

Minutes, February 4, 2021

 

Present: Kathy Heicher, Janice Tonz, Marion Laughlin, Sandy Van Campen, Joanne Cermak, Lynn Albers, Jaci Spuhler, Laura Thompson

New Business

Gore Range Name Change – The Eagle County commissioners asked for ECHS input on a request by Summit County commissioners to change the name of the Gore Range to “Nuchu Range,” honoring the Utes. The board discussed the proposal and the reasons that Summit County offered for requesting the name change. Summit officials indicated the current name is objectionable because it honors an Irish baronet who was known for his extravagant hunting trips to Colorado, and excessive slaughtering wildlife for sport. Summit officials also stated that Ute tribal leadership supported the renaming to Nuchu Range, which means Ute Range.

The discussion of this topic by the ECHS board and non-board participants included the topics of keeping history in context, and the challenges of re-naming everything “Gore” in Eagle County (Gore Creek, Black Gore Creek, Gore Range, Gore Pass, etc.) When voicing individual opinions, every Board member was against re-naming the Gore Range at this time. However, most stipulated that if the name had to be changed, “Nuchu Range” was an acceptable name. Among the three non-Board meeting participants, two opposed the name change. Lynn supported the name change, offering thoughtful input about the role of the Utes in local history, but questioning the spelling of “Nuchu.”

Kathy will send a letter to the county commissioners indicating the ECHS Board is not in favor of changing the name of the Gore Range.

Museum-Lynn informed the board that a map cabinet was donated to the ECHS museum by the town of Vail. Sean Koening and Leonard Sandoval delivered and installed the cabinet/work table. It formerly resided at the TOV public works office. Thank you Sean and Leonard and TOV!

The antique bakery case from Leadville donated to the museum by Deb Hines will be delivered at the end of February or early March.

Lynn will contact the docents to get input about their comfort level in working at the museum during the summer. Though unlikely the museum will be opened, there may be some private or special events. Days and times the visitor center will be open during summer season is still uncertain.

Penny Machine-Annie Colby has offered to collect the penny machine revenues from the airport each month. Kathy will accompany Annie to make the collection this month and establish the procedure with airport employees.

Continuing Business

Eagle County Gives Wrap-up-Janice reported on a successful Colorado Gives Day. Donations to nonprofits increased across the state including ECHS. The Eagle County Gives promotions committee met to discuss ways the program might be improved next year, such as charging a fee for membership. ECHS contributes to the promotional efforts by participating in planning meetings, providing press releases, distributing posters and emails to members, and manning the Eagle roundabout Honk and Wave. ECHS’s Honk and Wave participants received a shout out for wearing historic hats.

ECHS Books-Helen Dice’s A Cup of Cold, Clear Water is being reprinted with a new, colorful cover, Steve Taylor’s photo of the Coulter cabin on west Brush Creek.

Kathy continues work on the Gypsum history book.

Grants-Kathy submitted a follow-up report for the Colorado Humanities relief grant that helped to pay operating expenses during Covid-19. She also completed an application for a Vail Realtor’s Board grant for a new roof on the blacksmith shop.

Membership-Marion sent membership invoices to local government organizations.

City Market Rewards-Members are encouraged to sign up for the City Market awards program and select ECHS to receive City Market quarterly rewards checks.

The next regularly scheduled ECHS board meeting will be Thursday, March 4.

Eagle County Historical Society

January 7, 2021 Online

Present: Kathy Heicher, Janice Tonz, Willy Powell, Marion Laughlin, Sandy Van Campen, Joanne Cermak, Lynn Albers, Jaci Spuhler

New Business

Final Budget-The board reviewed the adjusted final budget that was approved last month. Improvements to the blacksmith shop were discussed including a new roof, new lights, interior plexiglass windows, and additional exhibits. There are currently no plans for  reopening the museum this summer.

Rewards Program-Eagle County Historical Society is enrolled in the City Market Rewards program. Enrolling in this program and selecting ECHS as your favorite non-profit means every time you use your loyalty card, a percentage of your purchase is allocated to ECHS. It is a small source of income for ECHS and preferences can be changed at any time. Marion will send out an email encouraging members to sign up for this program.

Gypsum History Book-Kathy is hard at work on the Gypsum history book. It is hoped that ECHS can hold a small kick off event for the book when it is published. ECHS will sell the books.

Book Reprinting-The printer is proceeding with the reprint of the book A Cup of Cold, Clear Water by Helen Dice. The cover will be changed to a color photo and acknowledgements rewritten.

New Artifacts-ECHS has obtained the Brush Creek Demonstration Club Cook Book, circa 1947. An exhibit featuring historical cook books was suggested.

Continuing Business

Penny Machine-The Penny Machine has been finally moved to the airport. Money from the machine is scheduled to be picked up at 9:00 a.m. every third Wednesday. ECHS is looking for a volunteer to take over this job, it takes only about 20 minutes.

Donation Quilt-ECHS is still contemplating how to best raffle off the quilt donated by the High Altitude Quilt Guild. The quilt has an underground railroad theme reminiscent of historic quilts of the 1800s. The traditional blocks are rumored to have helped escaped black slaves find their way to freedom. Ways to safely display and advertise the quilt, and raffle options were discussed.

Christmas Book Sale-The pre-Christmas book sale was a success with many books sold. The advertised sale helped sell books by mail, ‘porch sales’ at Sandy’s, and at the Nearly Everything Store and the Bookworm. Betty is still researching the ‘Square’ credit card tool so the books can be more easily sold at events.

Tenement Museum Program-The virtual Tenement Museum Program on December 17 was a huge success. Co-sponsored by ECHS and the EVLD, the program reached 40 viewers and gained positive feedback. Other virtual programs by other historic organizations, History Colorado and the Molly Brown House, were discussed.

Wreaths Across America-As a project by the local DAR chapter, wreaths were placed at the headstones of Eagle County veterans in the Minturn, Eagle and Gypsum cemeteries on December 19. ECHS supported this effort with a $250 donation. Compiling a list of veterans is ongoing.

Dates to Remember

Wednesday, January 20, 6:00 p.m.-NEA Big Reads virtual presentation on botanist Alice Eastwood hosted by Betty Ford Alpine Garden

Thursday, February 4, 8:15 a.m.-Next regularly scheduled ECHS board meeting

Eagle County Historical Society

 Thursday, November 5, 2020

Present: Kathy Heicher, Janice Tonz, Marion Laughlin, Joanne Cermak, Sandy Van Campen, Betty Roy, Lynn Albers

New Business

Colorado Gives Day-Colorado Gives Day is December 8. ECHS is reminding members to schedule donations. Kathy has arranged for a news release and will put a post on Facebook, and Marion will email ECHS members. The rally, typically held on Monday evening before the event, will be held this year virtually. Several board members volunteered to participate in the the Honk and Wave event at the Eagle roundabout on Tuesday morning at 8:30. Other volunteer opportunities are available including writing thank you notes to donors.

Revenues-The town of Avon engaged Kathy in developing interpretive signs for the town and paid ECHS for the completed work. The signs have yet to be placed. Along with some private donations, ECHS also received income from the history hikes held in association with Eagle County Open Space and Walking Mountains. The town of Eagle awarded ECHS a community program sponsorship for this year, and ECHS applied for one for next year as well.

A Christmas book sale was discussed, perhaps during the Second Friday Art Walk event. Betty will be trained to use the PayPal Square along with Sandy. Sandy will order a few copies of the book Memories of George Decker; local Burns ranchers are mentioned in the book. Plans to provide a local venue for book order pick-up is in the works, saving delivery charges. A possible location for a Friday/Saturday pick-up is the Visitors’ Center. Betty will look into the possibility of placing books at City Market and the airport.

Women’s Suffrage Program-Kathy is looking into the possibility of holding a Women’s Suffrage zoom program to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of women’s’ vote. She will contact the speakers’ bureau at the Women’s History Museum in Denver.

Continuing Business

ECHS Budget-Kathy and Willy will meet this week to work on the budget. Items to include are re-roofing the Blacksmith building, shelving for storing exhibits and re-printing the Dice book, A Cup of Cold Clear Water. A motion was made and passed to  reprint 500 books. A few minor changes to update acknowledgements may be made. Painting and repairs to the caboose were discussed. Repainting the whole caboose may not be possible at this time, but perhaps work on repainting the Rio Grande logo, repairing cracked windows and addressing rust spots can be considered.

Museum-The museum has been closed up for the winter. The Orkin man has been given a key to the Avon Store and will visit it whenever he addresses the barn.

Miscellaneous-

NEA Big Read- Based on the determination that the chosen book, Lab Girl, did not meet ECHS’s mission of promoting the county’s local history, it was decided not to form an ECHS book club. ECHS supports the project, encouraging members to participate in the program through other established book clubs. ECHS will advertise the Big Read program on its Facebook page and Marion will email members with information about the project.

Wreaths Across America-The local DAR organization is participating in the National Wreaths Across America program, laying Christmas wreaths at the grave sites of local veterans in the Minturn, Gypsum and Eagle cemeteries. ECHS will email members asking for names of deceased veterans buried in the cemeteries to create a comprehensive list. Wreaths will be placed at graves on December 18 and a brief ceremony held at each cemetery on December 19. A motion was made and passed to donate $250 to the project for the purchasing of wreaths.

The next ECHS board meeting is scheduled for December 3.

 

Eagle County Historical Society

Board Meeting

 Thursday, October 1, 2020

Present: Kathy Heicher, Janice Tonz, Sandy Van Campen, Willy Powell, Joanne Cermak, Lynn Albers, Marion Laughlin

New Business

Museum-Summer 2020 improvement projects for the museum barn have been completed. Plans for announcing the completed work include e-mail notices to members and posts on the website and on Facebook. An ad in the Vail daily was suggested. Hopefully, a special Open House can be held in the spring for members and donors.

Dakota Craftsman has offered ECHS some antique display cases, an old Leadville bakery counter and a tall, skinny shelf. Owner Deb Hines will deliver in April after ski season.

New Artifacts-The Eagle County Clerk’s office recently donated two 1883 wood and glass ballot boxes to ECHS, along with the county’s first Voter Abstract Ledger. The large canvas record book details the results of local elections 1884 through 1924 and will be archived at the Eagle Public Library. ECHS Archivist Jaci Spuhler spent hours cleaning the boxes and researching the history of the National Ballot Box. In response to an election corruption scandal, the locking wood frame containing a glass dome and requiring three keys to open was designed.

Also archived at the library are records from the original Eagle and Gypsum hydroelectric power plants donated by Ed Grange.

Other new artifacts acquired were John Holland’s spurs and an old phonograph from the Skyland Resort at Lake Charles. The phonograph sports bullet holes. Shirley Holland of Greeley and Pauline Bowles donated the items.

Weekly Children’s History Stories-Kathy has agreed to write weekly children’s history stories for the Vail Daily in exchange for future ECHS ads.

Minturn History Walks-Kathy was contacted by Minturn’s events manager who proposed history walks in coordination with next summer’s Farmers’ Markets. Last December, ECHS participated in history walks durning the Winter Market, but the winter event has been canceled for this year. Board members were interested as long as the weekend dates could be negotiated.

Continuing Business

Traveling Exhibits-Eagle County local history exhibits are set up at the Eagle Public Library and at the county building. The library display is about Eagle’s First Pandemic: The Spanish Flu, and the county building display features the antique clothing of Myrtle Nottingham donated by her granddaughter Charlynn Williams. Other ‘keeping history alive’ projects were discuss, such as a video of the museum and a ranching display at the town hall.

Penny Machine-ECHS has been waiting for word on when the Penny Machine can be moved to the airport. It is critical that it gets moved before Thanksgiving when the airport gets busy with ski traffic. Kathy will contact Kathy Chandler Henry for help with determining a delivery date.

Budget Planning-Willy and Kathy will meet to put together a proposed budget for this year. Specific projects for the year include the reprinting of the Dice book, A Cup of Cold Clear Water. Frost Creek has requested 100 copies.

Gypsum 110 Anniversary-Next year will be Gypsum’s 110th anniversary. Kathy has been hired to write a history book about Gypsum. The possibility of a cemetery tour was discussed for next summer.

Save the Date

Walking Mountain Ranger Brown hikes Saturday, October 3 and Friday October 9.

The next ECHS board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, November 5.

Eagle County Historical Society

Board Meeting

 Thursday, September 3, 2020

Present: Kathy Heicher, Janice Tonz, Sandy Van Campen, Willy Powell, Joanne Cermak, Lynn Albers, Marion Laughlin, Betty Roy

New Business

Museum-Burgard Construction replaced the outside balcony and installed galvanized metal on the bottom rungs of the siding where needed. A motion was passed to authorize payment.

The board reviewed painting samples for the barn and decided on white paint and burnt siena trim.

Lynn reported that the company Cleanup! cleaned the museum and Avon Store as a community service project, charging only for expenses. Lynn will acknowledge their work publicly with a letter to the Vail Daily. She also reported on a recent visit by Orkin. The company visits the barn every other month and will add the Avon Store to its work. Betty will contact Orkin for a better understanding of the billing.

The Avon Store has been having some issues with lighting. Willy will contact electrician Mike Koenen to take a look at it.

Lynn suggested two possible new exhibits, one featuring Mount of the Holy Cross and the other history of the county’s Hispanic population.It was suggested next year’s budget include money allocated for the development of new displays.

Historic election boxes from the county were recently donated to the museum.

New Programs-Lynn informed the board that the local DAR organization is working on developing a new program, Wreaths Across America. The program places wreaths on veteran graves on National Wreath Day, December 14. She is looking for information on the names of veterans in area cemeteries. She was referred to Pat Hammond, the county’s Veterans’ Services Director. Additionally, the Vail Public Library and Colorado Mountain College received a Big Read grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. The book selected for a community read was the memoir Lab Girl by Hope Jahren. Activities associated with this program will be forthcoming from VPL.

Visitors Center-Betty reported that the Visitors Center will be closing in September.

Gypsum History Book-Kathy has been given a contract to write a book on the town of Gypsum’s history.

Continuing Business

School Programs-ECHS will not be visiting schools with the History Take-Out programs this year due to COVID, schools can checkout the program kits, $150 for two weeks. Betty will develop protocol for check out procedures.

Membership Drive-Marion has begun work on membership for the 2020-2021 year.

Traveling Exhibits-Keeping local history alive during COVID, local history displays are being developed for cases at the county building and the Eagle library. Kathy requested photos and text be sent to her so they can be printed and mounted. Another project under consideration is a history video about the museum.

Save the Date

Eagle River Watershed Council Hike at Sweetwater Lake-Wednesday, September 16

Horn Ranch Hike-September 17, 18 or 19 (date not certain). Participants must register and the hike is limited to 10 participants each day.

Eagle County Historical Society

Board Meeting

 Thursday, August 6, 2020

Present: Kathy Heicher, Janice Tonz, Sandy Van Campen, Willy Powell, Joanne Cermak, Lynn Albers, Jaci Spuhler, Betty Roy

New Business

Colorado Humanities Cares Relief Grant-ECHS received $2,688 from the CC Cares Relief grant, designed to help non-profits with operating expenses during COVID-19 closures. It will cover operating expenses between now and October 31.

Museum-Willy met with the building inspector to determine what was necessary for repairs to the damaged balcony and stairs. It was determined that the top floor was close enough to an existing exit not to warrant the outside stairs as a safety measure. That determined, the board discussed options for the door opening. The board was in favor of replacing the balcony but not the stairs. Larry McKinzie presented plans for the balcony as required for the building permit. A motion was made and passed to proceed with the balcony as recommended by Larry.

The barn is also in need of galvanized metal on the bottom few rungs of the barn siding to protect it from snow and sprinklers. This installation would need to happen before painting the barn. The board agreed on white paint and colored trim. Any possible fall event would need to wait until after the painting of the barn is completed.

Lynn arranged for professional cleaners to clean the barn on August 14.

Lynn showed the board a selection of small ‘easels’ Vail Public Library will donate to ECHS. These easels can be used for various displays.

Keeping Local History Alive During COVID19-Kathy requested that the planned traveling exhibits for the county building and the library be completed by September 1. Photo requests and captioning should be submitted to Kathy so she can send them off to Costco and Old Gypsum Printers.

City Market Rewards Program-Betty reported on the City Market rewards program. ECHS would receive money from City Market for dollars spent at the store. It is easy to sign up online and information on the program will be emailed to ECHS members.

Information Items

Colorado Gives-ECHS is all up to date with Colorado Gives requirements. Janice attended a Zoom meeting to discuss Colorado Gives promotion. Alternatives for the kick off rally, usually held at the Maya Restaurant in Avon, were discussed. Kathy will continue to help with press releases prior to the date and ECHS will again have a presence at the round-about on the morning of Colorado Gives Day.

History Bingo-Kathy and Janice meet with Robin Thompson, an up valley fund raiser, to discuss the possibilities of a history Bingo activity. It was determined this might be a better winter time project.

Avon Interpretive Signs-Various interpretive signs of historical photos regarding Avon will be scattered around the town. It has been suggested that the Judy Yoder bust be relocated from the Eagle Library to Avon. Judy was instrumental in establishing the Eagle Valley Library District.

Trail Gulch/Brush Creek-Hike-ECHS will partner with Walking Mountains on the Open Space hike. ECHS receives compensation from the county for the hikes and associated research.

Information Center-The Information center was opened on July third and will remain open until September. Visitors are met outside on the porch. Hours are Wednesday through Sunday, 10:00 t0 3:00. WiFi is available.

Save the Date

Eagle River Watershed Council Hike at Sweetwater Lake-Wednesday, September16

Horn Ranch Hike-September 17, 18 or 19 (date not certain). Participants must register and the hike is limited to 10 participants each day.

Eagle County Historical Society

   Thursday, July 2, 2020

 

Present: Kathy Heicher,Janice Tonz, Marion Laughlin, Sandy Van Campen, Willy Powell, Joanne Cermak, Lynn Albers, Jaci Spuhler, Betty Roy

New Business

Museum

Barn Improvements-AG Roofing is nearing completion on the barn roof installment. Snow guard and gutters are all that remains to be done. It was determined that the outside stairway could not be saved and demolition began, but met with some delay. Willy asked structural engineer Shawn Kerrigan to evaluate the project which will likely be wood stringers and metal treads. After completion painting and adding metal sheeting around the bottom of the building to protect it from the sprinklers can began. Various color choices were discussed but no decisions were made. The board discussed changing the main museum entrance to the front side of the building, making the museum more inviting to passing motorists and improving accessibility. Food for thought.

Lynn contacted the company Clean Up for a proposal on professional deep cleaning sevice for the museum interior. They were amenable to working with ECHS on costs and could be available mid-July. A motion was made to accept Clean Up’s proposal for cleaning the museum this year. Lynn will get in contact with them.

The Eagle County Library District would like to remove a bronze bust of Judy Yoder, one of the driving forces in the creation of the library district, and has offered it to the museum. The board discussed where the bust might be placed. Since Ms. Yoder was at one time the mayor of Avon, the Avon Store was a possibility. It was suggested that it might be appreciated at a position in the town of Avon. Kathy will contact the town to see if they might be interested.

Since this looks like a zero revenue year, the board was instructed to think about a possible fund raising event at the museum, perhaps a members only tour, a Zoom or Facebook Live tour, or a yard sale.

Keeping Local History Alive During COVID19—Kathy continues with her history blog available on the ECHS website and traveling exhibits are in the works. Sandy and Marion are planning a display of Myrtle Nottingham clothing, grandmother of ECHS member Charlene Williams, to be displayed at the county building.

A Bingo History game was suggested. The game could be used as a fund raiser or as a fun free activity. Participants would find various places of historical interest in Eagle County. More thought is needed as to how this would look and will be discussed again at future board meetings.

The possibility of a Zoom history presentation was mentioned.

Informational Items

Colorado Gives- Betty reported financials for Colorado Gives Day, scheduled for December 12, have been updated through May.

Eagle Visitor Center-EVC plans to open July 3 through September 13, Wednesday through Sunday, 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at reduced capacity. Guests will be served sitting on the porch or through an opened Dutch door. ECHS is considering an outdoor exhibit on the porch.

Colorado Humanities Cares Relief Grant-Kathy applied for a $3,800 grant designed to help non-profits with operating expenses during COVID-19 closures.

Nimon-Walker Awards Program-The Nimon-Walker Awards program has been cancelled for 2020. Discussion have been taking place about rescheduling in 2021 or perhaps a virtual event.

Next board meeting August 6, 2020

Save the Date

Brush Creek Ranch History Hike with Eagle County Open Space- July 25

Eagle River Watershed Council Hike at Sweetwater Lake-Wednesday, September 16

Horn Ranch Hike-Thursday, September 17 and Saturday, September 19. Participants limited to 10 each day.

Eagle County Historical Society Board Meeting via Zoom

  Thursday, May 7, 2020

Present: Kathy Heicher, Janice Tonz, Marion Laughlin, Sandy Van Campen, Willy Powell, Laura Thompson, Joanne Cermak, Lynn Albers, Jaci Spuhler, Betty Roy

New Business

Visitor Center-Kathy talked with the Eagle town manager about plans for the Visitors Information Center this year. The VIC will be closed May and June, with the summer remaining uncertain. ECHS would like to meet with the town board before any decisions are made about a VIC summer opening to inform them about the background of the VIC building and of the visitors center’s importance to the museum’s operations.

Barn Roof Replacement-Willy reported on status of the roof replacement project. ECHS obtained 3 bids and awarded the project to AG Roofing. An agreement was signed and the company is ready to proceed when the materials arrive and the building permit acquired which will be in about two weeks. The company will demo the existing roof, place plywood and protective covering and top with metal matching the Avon Store roof. Snow fence and gutters will be placed above the side door. Plastic sheeting needs to be placed over items upstairs to protect artifacts. ECHS received the county’s pledge of $15,000, the town has requested its pledge of $5,000 be held until later in the year as revenue has been greatly impacted this spring.

The board also discussed the improvement of the outside staircase at the museum. Willy will check with the building inspector to determine what is required. A metal replacement was proposed. ECHS will look into applying for a grant to help with this project.

Alpine Bank Grant-Two hundred and fifty dollars was awarded to ECHS to help with children’s educational programs.

Continuing Business

Museum-Opening the museum this summer remains uncertain. It will be closed in May and June. The museum may have difficulty complying with CDPH requirements if opened. Private scheduled tours might be an option. Lynn will compose a letter to the docents informing them of the situation and ask if any docent would be willing to volunteer with the annual display case cleaning or has interest in leading any private tours that might be scheduled. This year might be a good opportunity do some clearing out and to work on upgrading and creating displays.

Keeping Local History Alive-Since ECHS’ mission is to educate residents and visitors about Eagle County’s history, the board discussed how that goal could be met during this strange year. Kathy’s blog Hindsight posts on the website and on Facebook and tells about some early county pioneers. Some virtual programs, like a virtual tour of the museum were discussed. Partnering with the Vail Daily to publish some historical articles was mentioned. Engaging the public with invitations to send in pictures of historical site around town or to publish a photo of an old item, asking people to submit what they think it might be and revealing the answer in the next week’s edition. An Eagle Ranch history bike tour was also suggested as a future fund raising event.

The next ECHS board meeting is scheduled for June 4.

Save the Date

Nimon-Walker Award Program-Originally scheduled for Sunday, May 17, has been cancelled with a possible rescheduling in late summer or fall.

Horn Ranch Hike-Friday, May 29 and Saturday, May 30. A day was added since the hikes will be limited to a maximum of 10 participants.

Eagle River Watershed Council Hike at Sweetwater Lake-Wednesday, September 16

Horn Ranch Hike-Thursday, September 17 and Saturday, September 19. Participants limited to 10 each day.

In 1934 the Eagle Garden Club declared the Petunia to be the Eagle Town Flower. Watch for more info on this topic in Kathy’s blog!

   Eagle County Historical Society

    Board Meeting Minutes

  Thursday, February 6, 2020

Present: Kathy Heicher, Willie Powell, Janice Tonz, Sandy Van Campen, Joanne Cermak, Lynn Albers

New Business

Visitor Center-Eagle Events Coordinator Brian Hall met with the board. New to the position, Brian shared his vision for the town’s events and expressed his desire to work with ECHS. He  talked about the status of the Visitor Information Center which will no longer sell merchandise, but will move toward a more experience based concept that would include exhibits and activities. ECHS could maintain a rotating exhibit case at the visitor center, and participate in town events creating more exposure for local residents to ECHS and the museum.

ECHS Book Sales-The changes at the visitor center means finding new sale locations for ECHS books. Sandy created a display of available books at the visitor center and advertising where they can be purchased. Currently, they are being sold at The Nearly Everything Store, The Bookworm, Catch and on the ECHS website.

Barn Roof Replacement-ECHS raised $9,531.04 through its recent Raise the Roof campaign making it possible to proceed with plans to move ahead with the reroofing of  the museum. Janice made a motion to proceed with the barn roof replacement in 2020, including the blacksmith shop roof and repairs. Sandy seconded the motion and it was passed. Willy will update bids and schedule roofers to begin before the museum opens in the spring.

Future Fundraisers-To continue raising money for the new roof, future possible fundraising ideas were discussed. It was suggested that the Toy Barn could be located at local businesses to collect donations. Possible activities discussed included partnering an event with Vail Jazz on the history of jazz; taking advantage of the Westin Hotel non-profit program ‘we care, we share’ where a percentage of proceeds from the Westin Spa and Maya Restaurant go to ECHS; holding another History Happy Hour at the Bonfire Brewery. In 2021, the town of Gypsum will celebrate its 110th anniversary, a good time for another Gypsum cemetery Tour.

Continuing Business

Museum Administrator-Lynn Albers will continue as museum administrator this year. She attended the meeting to clarify job responsibilities, which include scheduling docents. The board continues to search for a general administrator.

Past Perfect-Past Perfect has arrived and Jaci and Marion are working with this new program.

Save the Date

Vail Mountain School Ute Program-Tuesday, February 11

Ranger Brown Trail Snowshoe Hike with Walking Mountains-Saturday, February 22, backup day Sunday, February 23

Possible Future History/Bike Tour in Eagle Ranch???-TBA

Eagle County Historical Society

Monday, 5 August 2019

8:15 a.m. Museum in Eagle

Present:  Kathy Heicher, Willy Powell, Sandy Van Campen, Marion Laughlin, Laura Chiapetta Thompson, Jaci Spuhler, Lynn Albers

New Business:

Monthly Board of Directors meeting date changed to first Thursday at 8:15 a.m.  September meeting will be at Fulford; bring lunch & be prepared for hike.

Museum roof capital improvement project:  Kathy and ECHS grant writer, Ellie Caryl, submitted the El Pomar capital improvement grant.  (Generally, Ellie targets large foundations for capital improvement projects.)  Justin Petersmeyer was very helpful for the financial components.  A $10,000 request (made by Kathy) is on the discussion docket for Eagle County Commissioners.  The TOE needs an annual report and Willy has requested a meeting with TOE Manager.  Kathy will check with John Buchholz re: matching grant possibility.  Lynn will check with VPL senior staff and VPL Friends of the Library re: donation.  Webmaster Mick Bird will add a “Raise the Roof” fundraiser button to the ECHS website.  Lynn is looking into adding a Raise the Roof feature to the CO Gives website.

Capital campaign marketing strategy:  Laura suggested the end date goal for $ being 2020 or 2021.  Five components need to be addressed & clarified:  message, audience, approach, budget, tracking of success.  Laura also suggested a campaign meeting inviting local philanthropists and creating a top 20 list of people to invite.  Another approach is to collaborate with other nonprofits, such as Betty Ford Alpine Gardens (BFAG) or Walking Mountains.  Jaci proffered that “small donations add up” and Laura suggested a Bowl-A-Thon.

Matthew Mickelsen, EVLD Local History Librarian, received a $2500 grant for a book scanner.  He will begin scanning the fragile Alfred Borah journals (dated 1880s & 1890s).  The journals were a donation from the Borah family.

ECHS discussed moving the penny press machine to the Eagle County Regional Airport.  The large ECHS photo exhibit on the new second floor is being well received.

The old computers at the barn museum will be recycled.  WiFi is available at the museum via the Visitor Center.  The museum needs a small table for an old accounts register that belonged to the Hozas; this will be added to the Avon Store exhibit.

Vail Valley Anglers has been parking large commercial vehicles in the parking area and they are blocking traffic.  The board suggests posting signs that read:  No Rafting Parking.  Four Rivers Historical Alliance may need a fiscal agent.

Ongoing Business:

Marion is working on the membership drive; mid-August is her goal for sending out letters.  She requested the current budget, as towns need budget information by mid-August.  Marion suggested expanding community/business memberships to banks.  She also stated we have very few business memberships.  Laura recommended separate letters for $ requests for memberships and capital projects.

The CO Gives website has been updated for 2019; tweaking is still occurring.  Kathy notes that CO Gives programs & its website are effective for fundraising.  The upgraded PastPerfect database has been launched, but it is not yet public.  Marion mentioned this may be ca. $3000 expense.  There is a database of the buildings in Eagle and the board feels EVLD should house this resource.  A hard copy is located in the History Department of the Eagle Library.

Approximately 2000 to 2500 people viewed the Ute Exhibit at CMC Edwards campus (mid-May to mid-July).

Demolition of the Hahnewald Barn (built ca. 1905) in Avon is imminent.

As of yet, there is no replacement for ECHS Vice-President position vacated by Cindy Jones.  Lynn Albers gave her written resignation notice as ECHS administrator effective 15 September 2019 (or museum closing date if after Sep 15).

Mark Your Calendars:

W Aug 7           VBR Eagle County history class

TH Aug 15        ECHS, BFAG & VPL collaboration; Eagle County’s Long History of Ranching &                                 Agriculture lecture

SU Sep 8          Camp Hale history hike with Walking Mountains

SA Dec 14        Minturn history tour