Historical Commission Corner
The Historical Commission has received numerous wonderful donations from friends of the Historical Museum. We will highlight a few of them in this issue and bring you up to date on other important developments.
Why would a horse wear a collar?
Have you ever heard of a horse collar? Well, now we have one in the museum collection donated by Lars Morales (pictured here) that proves there was such a thing. Back in the day, when horses were the motive power at the head of farm equipment, freight wagons, and fire engines, for example, a collar was part of the harness apparatus that enabled a draft horse to pull the equipment effectively. The collar went around the horse’s neck and was attached to the harness and reins.
The photo below is an image of the Boulder Fire Department’s equipment circa 1911-1912 and the horses that pulled it. In this picture, we see the collars on the horses in action. The numbers refer to Station 1, 2, and 3 along with each horse’s name. Photo courtesy of Carnegie Library for Local History, Boulder.
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How Do You Operate this Machine?
Another unique addition to our collection is a Princess sewing machine. Treadle-operated sewing machines were common and we have one on display at the museum.
However, what makes this diminutive newcomer unique are its small size and that it operates by a hand crank. This fact begs the question, how can the operator feed the cloth into the needle while operating the crank? We assume our predecessors possessed a unique dexterity. Our new acquisition was donated by Andrea Barela.
Here are some other thoughtful people who have donated historic items:
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William Wells: an Olympia typewriter that types in cursive (how unique!) and two adding machines.
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Deb Yeats: an undated, but quite old, Boulder telephone directory that includes Superior and surrounding towns.
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Olivia Houck and Pamela Hiivila: a wash basin and pitcher and other ancillary pieces for use at a washstand before indoor running water.
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Jerry Pyle: a coal-burning cook stove. This piece will assume a prominent place in the kitchen of the rebuilt Historical Museum.
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Historical Commission Happenings
The interim Museum in Grasso Park will be open again on Nov. 4 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Come see these recent additions firsthand.
The canceled evening program, “History of the Arapaho People in the Superior Area” will be rescheduled for some time in November. We apologize for the postponement, due to our speaker being unexpectedly detained in Wyoming.
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Did You Know That:
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On October 19, 1996, the Earth Liberation Front set fire to the Vail Mountain ski resort causing $12 million in damage?
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Fremont Pass between Copper Mountain and Leadville was named for explorer John C. Fremont, the “Pathfinder of the West,” and first Republican presidential candidate in 1856.
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A narrow-gauge train making its way across the wind-blown expanse of South Park actually travelled a good distance off the rails on solid, snow packed ground? The ice between the rails was so thick and compacted the locomotive simply left the rails, the engineer stopping before meeting up with a huge haystack.
Written by Larry Dorsey, proofed by Dorothy Mahan.
For more information about the Historical Commission and its activities, contact Commission Liaison Jennifer Garner at 303-499-3675, Commission Chair Larry Dorsey at 303-499-1969, or just click on the “Historical Commission Info” button below.
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