Museums report lower numbers at annual meeting


MONTE VISTA— The Monte Vista Historical Society held its annual meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 3 at Nino’s. As reported by board member Peg Schall, the summer’s wildfires likely played a role in deterring folks from visiting the San Luis valley, resulting in lower numbers of folks stopping at the Monte Vista History Center and Transportation of the West Museum this summer.
There were 64 visitors between the two museums this summer, which is about 10 shy from the previous year. The decline in visitors could also have been from the museum’s limited days and hours, added Schall. The center and transportation museum are open only two days a week from Memorial Day through Labor Day.   
But several noteworthy events occurred before the museums even opened.
This past spring, employees from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services discovered a box of historical items from the early 1900s that had been cached west of Monte Vista by the old lime kilns. “The box had been boosted up a fairly steep hill and hidden away in kind of a cave,” Schall said. The box contained items such as clothing, magazines and a schoolbook. A student at Colorado College in Colorado Springs is researching the items to determine their history and why the box may have been hidden. “The goal is to identify the items and then put them on display in cases at the Rio Grande County Museum in Del Norte.”
The museum has not yet heard the outcome of the research but one theory is that the Spanish Flu may have prompted the box owner’s family to suddenly leave the Valley. “It’s real curious why someone wanted to keep this stuff and why they stashed the box where they did, which we may never know,” Schall said. The Monte Vista and Rio Grande County museums assisted in the research by providing information connected to the names of people written on some of the items.
Historical society board members also worked for the second season on better organizing the documentation system in place for old photos that have been donated over the years. The project dates back to Monte Vista’s centennial celebration in 1986. “A number of photos and artifacts had been collected for that event, and we had the bright idea to make photo albums,” Schall said.  “Since then we’ve accumulated upwards of 4,500 photographs and documents, which are in albums in the history center.” The goal is to have the photos, accession log and card file jive so that information is easier to find.  Photos are arranged by subject matter and categories---like schools, businesses and events. The museum’s table of contents and newly organized system has already helped numerous families find information about their history. One family in particular discovered information about their grandfather’s murder.
Four albums contain unique photos by O.T. Davis, a professional photographer who worked for railroad and insurance companies around the turn of the century. “He took photos documenting the building of the standard gauge railroad line over La Veta Pass,” Schall said, “and lots of shots of boiler explosions on the old steam locomotives and scenery from various locations throughout the valley.”
Earlier this year, the historical society was recognized for an artifact submitted to History Colorado that was judged among 10 of 2017’s most significant artifacts. The submission was letterhead stationary showing the never-built Wagon Wheel Gap dam that had been slated at one time for a narrow area around Cottonwood Creek between South Fork and Creede. “The road, river and railroad go through this little gap, and on each side are tall mountains,” Schall said, which made the location a consideration for a dam and reservoir. “But some of the farmers weren’t in favor of the project for reasons that would have an impact on irrigation and their water rights and the project died.”
The board also reported that the newly formed History Undiscovered Group (HUG) will be meeting periodically to discuss collaborations between the Valley and surrounding area’s historical societies and museums. Folks who attended the first meeting included museum directors, historical society members, forest service employees and more. “Historical societies seem to struggle to keep going and find volunteers,” Schall said. “We came together to see how we can combine our efforts as a way of promoting heritage tourism and work together to know more about what each other is doing.” Anyone interested in history and heritage tourism is welcome to attend HUG meetings. Contact Peg Schall with the Monte Vista Historical Society for more information.
The historical society has taken on a rather big project to update the book Bridge to Yesterday, which was written by local resident Emma Riggenbach for Monte Vista’s 1986 centennial celebration. “The book began with the formation of Monte Vista and provides history, comments and family stories up to the end of WWII,” Schall said. Several board members are researching historical documents and old newspaper articles to update the book to present time. “This is an immensely long project, and we don’t know how it’s going to come out … It seems like an effort we should make.”
The book is out of print but can be read in Carnegie Library or purchased online at Amazon.com.
Historical playing cards created for Monte Vista’s 125th birthday celebration in 2011 are also still available for purchase through the historical society and at the Monte Vista Chamber of Commerce. “The cards have 54 different historic photographs on the face of each card with a date and little description of the scene,” Schall said. “On the back is a photo of what Monte Vista used to look like.” The cards are $10 a deck, and the money goes toward more historical society projects.
In April, students from Monte Vista High School helped clean the historical center before it opened for the summer season. “We have a standing request that the school sends a group of students to us to help us clean the building before we open,” Schall said. The cleanup presents an opportunity to talk about Monte Vista’s history with the students and bring awareness to the center as a resource for things like school projects.
The historical society thanked the city of Monte Vista for donating $400 toward the $770 cost for replacing the awning at the transportation museum. A big thanks goes to Carnegie Public Library for assistance with visitors over the summer and Robert Vance and the public work crew for chopping down weeds at the back door of the Transportation Museum— and to volunteers and board members who help the historical society’s ongoing efforts: Kay Campbell, Laurie Ellithorpe, Tami Fassett, Wanda Hawman, Norma Valdez and Peg Schall.


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