Telluride Museum: End of Summer Update & Upcoming Events!

03 Aug Telluride Museum: End of Summer Update & Upcoming Events!

The following is a note from the Telluride Museum family. 

Go here for more about the Telluride Museum.

“I can get a better grasp of what is going on in the world from one good Washington dinner party than from all the background information NBC piles on my desk.” – Barbara Walters

As we begin to enter the last stretch of summer, we find that while it has been a full, busy season, there is still much more to go!

Our Historical Walking Tours with Ashley Boling, HARC Tours, and Lone Tree Cemetery Tours will continue to inform and entertain for the next couple of months, as will our Hike Into History programs – our next hike is slated for August 20th with Matt Steen.

And just as we introduced a little something new with our much-acclaimed Telluride Dog Museum, our next event – August 5th’s Tour De Tommyknocker – is also a new and exciting endeavor.

Finally, the pièce de résistance, we welcome the return of dining together to celebrate our collective history with The Telluride Dinner Party (which you might remember as Feasting on History). This private event will no doubt be an absolutely lovely evening of food, friends, and memorable moments reflecting on 50 years of the Telluride Ski Area, in keeping with the theme of the year and our newest annual exhibit.

If you are interested in attending, please contact the Museum or reserve your ticket here. After all, as Barbara Walters put it so succinctly above, dinner parties are a wonderful way to reconnect with our world and all of its many happenings in one place. We are thrilled to be able to bring this evening together for our treasured members, friends, and supporters. We very much hope to see you there!

Until our next newsletter, stay dry out there in this lovely monsoon season that we have been blessed with, and stop on by up at 201 N Fir Street to say Hello! before this wonderful summer comes to an end!

Sincerely,

Your Museum Family

Tour De Tommyknocker!
Aug 5th at 5pm
Meets at the Museum

Hop on your bikes and head over to the museum with a teammate for an evening of challenges, fun, costumes, lots of pedaling, and beer! Welcome to the Tour De Tommyknocker, our newest brainchild inspired by the likes of the Tour De France, tommyknocker folklore, The Amazing Race, and our town’s mutual love of getting weird together!

We will be biking our way through history beginning at the Telluride Historical Museum before winding our way to Telluride Brewing Company in Lawson Hill, with tons of games, jousts, riddles, and other demented field games along the way. Festivities begin at 5pm in our amphi-theatre, so get into costume, get on your bikes, and we’ll see you there!

Tickets are $25 and include the cost of a free drink, games participation, and just a plain ol’ good time. Teams of 2 can register here in advance or on the day of the event.

HARC Walking Tour
Aug 12th at 10am
Meets at the Museum
FREE TOUR!

Come and explore Telluride’s built environment while learning about the importance of historic preservation to the town!

Lone Tree Cemetery Tour

Aug 19th at 1pm
Meet at the West Entrance Gate
$15 for Non Members/$10 for Members

Follow along with the Museum for a unique look into Telluride history and the iconic people who lived, worked, and were buried here.

Advance sign up is required. Please call (970) 728-3344 to register to attend this tour.

Hike Into History

Aug 20th at 9am
$20 Non Members/ $15 for Members
Ophir Loop Area with Matt Steen

Join local guide and geology expert Matt Steen on a Hike into History along the route of the Ophir Loop section of the Rio Grande Southern. See the remains of the once-thriving RGS Depot and railroad bridges in the Ophir and Ilium areas. Additionally, Matt will share his knowledge on local geology, avalanche patterns, and more! Please bring water, snacks, and rain/sun protection.

Advance sign up is required. Please call (970) 728-3344 or click here to register to attend this tour.

Walking Tours with Ashley Boling

Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1pm
All summer long!
$15 for Non Members/$10 for Members

Hear the tales and see the sights on this lively tour about town. Join longtime local, performer, and community historian, Ashley Boling, as he recounts the people and events that make Telluride’s history unique.

Meet the Museum Staff!

This month’s Meet the Museum Staff features lovely Laurie of the Front Desk! Her warm and calming presence is one we are always privileged to know and look forward to seeing when she is at work. Read on to get to know yet another of our beloved and valued museum staff!

How long have you been with the Telluride Historical Museum?

I have been working at the museum in the front desk capacity for two years. However, I have enjoyed participating in the “hikes into history” and other events for at least nine years.

What excites you about history, and our local history in particular?

Understanding the evolution of historical events as well as past choices and immigration patterns in history can give us much insight and perspective into the world around us. I am constantly amazed at how paying attention to history can show us the impact the past has had on our existence today. If we are really attuned, perhaps we can make a difference in our progression into the future. I am in awe of the people who came before us in Telluride and the surrounding area and always excited to learn stories of their strength, courageousness, ingenuity, and often, their foresight.

Who is your favorite Telluride historical figure and why?

There are so many amazing, courageous and colorful characters in Telluride history that it is difficult to choose a favorite. The history of Dr. Anna Brown, who traveled to Telluride in 1894, at the age of 26, just out of medical school fascinates me. Delivering babies, treating people with diseases of the time, gun shot wounds, smoke inhalation, and avalanche related injuries led to an extremely busy practice. It had to take a toll physically and emotionally and just demonstrates her strength and resilience to continue to do what was best for her patients with the knowledge she had. Besides her busy practice, she was appointed the county health officer in 1900, and in 1918, set up protocols and created and implemented legal orders to help stop the spread of influenza. I admire how she made a difference in her community for over 25 years.

What has been your favorite museum memory?

My favorite museum memory would have to be a category of situations/memories. I love it when visitors ask me questions about different aspects of Telluride history because then I have to dig a bit deeper or find the answers from the wonderful staff of the museum. That keeps me constantly learning about the rich history of Telluride. For example, after the hospital (the museum today) closed, what did the town do for a medical clinic before the med center opened in 1978? I will find out and get back to you!!

If you could only take one meal and one drink with you to a desert island for the rest of your days, what would you take?

If only allowed one meal, I would take a Caesar salad and the coffee my husband makes for me in the mornings with soy vanilla cream and dark chocolate. That should sustain me for awhile!