Historical Commission Corner
In this month's Commission Corner, we present a vintage photo of original Superior recently donated to the Commission by local historian Anne Dyni as part of a collection. In this photo, we see a snowy day in an industrial mine camp during the 1930s. The children appearing in the photo are Genvieve and Denzil Acklin, and are typical camp children out enjoying a recent snowfall. According to Denzil, their family moved around 1932 to Superior from coal mining country in Illinois in their Model A Ford. Acklin senior took a job in the industrial mine, and their family lived in the mining camp close by.
 Photo from Superior Historical Museum, Anne Dyni collection
Several interesting objects are in the background. Notice the box cars on the tracks. When the time came to load with coal, its brakes were released and the cars rolled down to the mine tipple to be loaded with fuel. At the far right is the shower room where miners could wash up after their shift and rid themselves of the nasty coal dust that accumulated after a hard day in the mine.
What about that car? Explained in writing on the back of the picture, “Ben Kupfner couldn’t get any farther – had to stay there for a while. About two feet of snow.”
Denzil and Genny lived in the camp until the mine closed in 1945. They were both involved in the creation of the Superior Historical Commission. Genny is honored with a tree planted in her memory in front of the Superior Town Hall. Denzil received a Square Nail award for historic preservation for his work on the Commission. The paint scheme on Mrs. Acklin’s house was the pattern we used on the Superior Historical Museum.
Denzil Acklin in 2018, courtesy of Karen Waligorski
Commission News
Your Superior Historical Commission continues to prepare the bungalow in Grasso Park for the new museum. The interior was painted recently and we're working towards setting up the building to look like a museum.
The historic photo display in the Community Center was taken down, but the display case of historical artifacts is still there for your viewing pleasure.
We welcome Bob McCool as our liaison to the Board of Trustees. It is always good to have a representative of Original Town on our Commission.
Did You Know That:
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George Balderston, a doctor in Telluride, earned a spot in Ripley’s Believe it or Not by performing a self-appendectomy in 1949? He wanted to show he was not a poor surgeon by doing so and he was back tending to patients the next day.
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Colorado has 75% of the United States' land area with an altitude of more than 10,000 feet?
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Leadville has the highest elevation of any incorporated city in the United States at 10,053 feet?
The Historical Commission currently has three vacancies, so applications are welcome. For more information, contact Jennifer Garner, town staff, at 303-499-3675, Larry Dorsey, commission chair, at 303-499-1969 or click on the button below to apply.
Text by Larry Dorsey, proofed by Dorothy Mahan.
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