Kevin's Guide

Fort Vasquez

This post represents the first in a series. To help publicize the smaller, but no less valuable museums & heritage sites across Colorado and nearby states, I'll arrange to visit and offer the reader a different perspective from a brochure...if you'd like me to visit yours, just send me an email - I'll try submitting these for publication in local newspapers, etc., too.

Fort Vasquez, first established in 1835 at the height of the beaver trade in the west, sits conveniently on the median in the middle of US 85 at Platteville, CO. Behind the small museum is a full-size replica of this simple adobe-walled fort, where Indians and mountain men traded hides for other necessities. Abandoned in the early 1840's, in the 1860's it was used as a stage-stop for the Overland Trail, and the US Army used the site as a base for operations against the plains Indians.

 In 1936, the WPA completed this replica, using some existing bricks and partial remains of the walls. Often, with early settlements, it's hard to verify locations (nearby Fort Jackson's location is unknown). However, between 1968 and 1970, a major excavation was performed by CSU archaeologists, uncovering over 4,000 original artifacts, and verifying the wall dimensions, locations & types of rooms. Now, it is both a historic site & museum, maintained by the Colorado Historical Society.

The museum has a number of artifacts & replicas related to the trapping & fur trade era, as well as regional Indian tribes, plus new books, some with good discounts. The friendly and informative host, Museum Director Gregory Light, says they've adopted a "trading post" practice of bartering - so you can have fun negotiating the price of most anything sold in the store! A number of interesting videos are available for viewing on demand, and the facility houses a good collection of source materials, article copies, etc., related to the fort and the surrounding region.  

A Family Heritage Dance is held annually (6-7-2009 is the next one) as a fundraiser, with pre-1840 garb highly encourage, but not required. They'd like to turn this into a quarterly affair - so if your business can sponsor the dance, call Greg at the museum!

Summer hours are 9-4.30 Daily; Winter: Wed-Sun 9-4.30. 13412 Highway 85, Platteville, CO 80651. Phone is 970-785-2832; call ahead to arrange your large group visits & class tours.

Soul of a People

Ok, for those who only believe what's on TV or in the movies, we now have a TV movie for you. It's called Soul of a People, produced by Spark Media and funded by NEH & a few of the states. It airs this spring on Showtime/Smithsonian, and there is a companion book, by David A. Taylor (see WSJ review). It's more from the perspective of the writers in the FWP, but should help popularize the books. Meanwhile, the American Library Association is funding a variety of programs through libraries around the nation to increase the impact of the documentary. We hope these organizations will support our vision and efforts to restart and renew this famous program...

Ecological Intelligence

I watched Bill Moyer's Journal segment on Ecological Intelligence, by Daniel Goleman, last night. Here's someone who understands what free market really means: a market is not going to allocate resources correctly if buyers don't understand all costs, not just the immediate cash cost, of any product. If I know how long your product is designed to last, that changes my perception of its value. If I know what chemicals you put in my drinking water to make it, that changes my cost perception. Fortunately, the author points out that we now have information sources, such as GoodGuide.com, to help level the free market power distribution between consumers and producers. Neat thing - companies actually are responding. People's values, when we get together and express them, really do make a difference...

Good Day,

Kevin

Heritage Books!

We need your book donations for our new nonprofit book store - see the  Heritage Book Store page for information on making a donation!

I've always wanted to create a history book store; this concept is a bit broader, and is really a fundraiser and promotion device at the same time. The idea is to help us reach our primary audience, those folks who love the arts, nature and history, through our mutual interest in books of this type. I'd like to combine the book store with a museum later in a physical location.

In the short run, we need to build inventory through donations - see the book drive page linked above. Donors can purchase books at our below-market, fixed prices ($5 paper, $10 HC)! We'll sell via email list and mail-order, initially. I'm donating most of my collection to start, and I'll post that list shortly.

I'll also be dropping off a Book Drive flyer. If you wish to distribute flyers, or help collect books in your area, please contact me anytime.

Kevin

Summer's here!

Boy, it seemed like a long time, didn't it? I've been remiss in blogging, but now that I can get around the state, maybe outside, too, perhaps I can fulfill my goals for this blog.

As for Project updates, here's the latest. I've got about five local organizations in Colorado seriously reviewing our invitation to become a Partner - hope to have a few commitments by next month. It's certainly tough in this economy, so I've loosened the upfront financial requirement. Some counties have county-wide organizations, such as a historical society, tourism group, or library. Where they don't, it's hard to get a local group thinking county-wide, and strangely enough, many local folks don't really see the potential ROI in promoting their own heritage - to some, it seems only of interest to them...however, I do think the single County Partner approach is a good solution.

I am planning to present at Anne Bell's Teaching With Primary Sources institute in July, which should offer some good feedback on our usefulness to educators. Based on Anne's input, I've modified our layout for each county, so we now have a section for student works, as well as an official County Guide section.

This summer, look for my own museum/site reviews to appear here. If you want us to review your site, let me know!

Take care,
Kevin