JUNE 2018 Museletter IGNITE your curiosity. DISCOVER your story. Broadmoor Hotel, March 12, 1939 From the collections of the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum The Broadmoor Hotel celebrates its 100th anniversary this month
CHARLES BANKS: CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER AND FEARLESS ADVOCATE FOR EQUALITY IN COLORADO SPRINGS June 2018 marks the 153rd anniversary of Juneteenth, the oldest known celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the Civil War was over and that the enslaved were now free. Despite President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation effective January 1, 1863, minimal Union troops in Texas meant Lincoln’s Executive Order was not obeyed. Two and a half years later, initial shock turned into jubilation for the approximately 250,000 enslaved people in Texas. Seeking to reunify with family members who had been cruelly separated, former enslaved people were on the move. Over the next several decades, approximately 6 million African Americans moved out of the south, to the north and the west in what became known as the Great Migration. For many families the journey was often not one but several successive migrations over a number of years. John and Jenny Rhodes lived in Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma and finally Georgia before settling in Colorado Springs in 1915. Both John and Jenny’s parents were enslaved. John taught himself to read and write and eventually gained employment as the first black brakeman on the Rock Island Railroad. Jenny took in laundry, cared for their four children and graciously opened their home at 745 North Pine Street every summer to many visiting family members, friends, and recent African American migrants to Colorado Springs. Seeking political, social and economic equality, African Americans organized a Colorado Springs branch of the NAACP at Payne Chapel in August 1918. Reverend A. Wayman Ward, pastor of the church became the first president. Throughout the 1930s, NAACP members Kimbal Stroud Goffman and Charles Banks were two of the most outspoken local activists working to eliminate segregation. The pair worked to organize Blacks and Hispanics into a coordinated political unit in order to combat discrimination and increase political and economic opportunity. Charles Banks Spanish American War, 1908 Charles Banks was born February 27, 1880 in Buffalo, West Virginia. A veteran of the Spanish American War, Charles Banks served proudly with the all black, Company B of the 24th Indiana Volunteers. After his honorable discharge from the U.S. Army, Banks moved to Colorado Springs in 1905. He was President of the Colorado Springs branch of the NAACP for five years in the 1940s. Charles Banks worked tirelessly to promote equality and oppose racial segregation and discrimination. He worked as a page in the Colorado State House in the 1930s and used his personal contact with State Senator Edwin Johnson to urge enactment of the1935 Colorado Civil Rights Amendment. As a veteran himself, Charles Banks grew increasingly appalled by the mistreatment of African American soldiers who had served in World War II.
In 1947, he organized a campaign of peaceful, nonviolent sit-ins at local businesses in violation of the 1935 Colorado Civil Rights Law. In Colorado Springs, African Americans were denied accommodations at local hotels and restaurants among other places. At George’s Hamburgers on South Tejon Street directly across from the Courthouse (now the CSPM), blacks could only order food to go. Several residents remember being denied service at the Walgreen’s lunch counter or having their food so heavily salted it was inedible. Lawsuits backed by the local NAACP under the leadership of Charles Banks were filed in October and November 1947 to challenge illegal racial discrimination. These measures proved successful with several businesses forced to pay fines and court costs for their illegal discrimination. From 1905 until his death on September 11, 1976, Charles Banks gained a reputation as a Civil Rights leader and a fearless advocate for equality. To learn more about Charles Banks and the Great Migration, please visit the Museum’s permanent exhibit: Anyplace North and West Payne Chapel A.M.E. Church Colorado Springs 1872-1967 MUSELETTER JUNE 2018| PG 3
UPCOMING EVENTS Colorado Farm and Art Market (CFAM) Every Wednesday, now through October 13th, (3:00 pm to 7:00 pm) Food Truck Tuesdays June & July 2018 Every Tuesday, now through October 30 (11:00 am to 1:30 pm) Every Tuesday on the museum’s west lawn, 12 local food trucks will be serving delicious lunches, snacks and desserts! Prices range from approximately $7$15, depending on the truck and item. Enjoy your lunch, then come inside for a free Windows Into History tour at 1 pm! Community event, no RSVP required Children’s History Hour: Flower Power Wednesday, June 20 and Saturday, June 30 (10:30 am to 11:30 am) Families are invited to the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum for a history adventure on the third Wednesday and last Saturday of each month! Children ages 3-6 will enjoy story time, a family-friendly exhibit tour, and crafts and activities. We explore a new theme each month! Reservations Required - $3 suggested donation, free for members Weekend Warm-Up Fridays, June 15, 22 and 29, and July 6 and 13 (2:00 pm to 4:00 pm) Drop in for an interactive history experience for the whole family! Enjoy a 30 minute craft, experiment, or fun activity highlighting regional history and leave with ideas for local adventures that will IGNITE your curiosity all weekend long! $3 suggested donation, free for members Story of Us Walking Tour Saturday, July 14, 10:00 am to 11:30 am The Story of Us shares stories that broaden our understanding of who we are as a community. Through discovery of the physical landscape, we can learn about the people, places and events that make our region unique. As we explore the downtown corridor on foot we’ll go back in time to understand how neighborhoods, businesses, climate and transportation have shaped our region. Where do you fit in? Walking tours start at the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum and end at the intersection of Tejon and Boulder Streets. Guests are encouraged to park in the City Administration Parking Garage (Colorado & Nevada). Parking is only $1 all day. Advanced Registration Required – Online Registration (click here) $5 general admission, $3 members Windows Into History Tours Every Tuesday at 1:00 pm, Friday at 11:00 am and Saturday at 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm Free, 45-minute guided exploration of the museum. Just drop in - no reservations required! Please RSVP for these events at: www.cspm.org/rsvp-for-an-event or call 719-385-5990 MUSELETTER JUNE 2018 | PG 4
MUSEUM STORE Gifts Artisans Jewelry Books The Museum Store has joined with the Colorado Springs Utilities to sell the book “It’s How We’re All Connected, ” by Jerry Forte with Margaret Radford ($15.00). This book gives a historic account of how our utilities company came to be and how it continues its mission. A portion of the net proceeds from each book will benefit Project COPE (Citizens’ Option to Provide Energy), which provides utilities bill assistance for customers facing emergency situations. For $9.00, kids can hone their knowledge of our city with “Colorado Springs Activity Book” by Nancy Soderstrom. It’s full of local trivia, puzzles and games, and activity tips for a fun summer! Store Hours Tuesday – Saturday, 10:00 am – 4:45 pm CSPM members receive a 10% discount at the museum store! Partner Spotlight MUSELETTER JUNE 2018 | PG 5
MUSEUM SPOTLIGHT! VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH Deanna Spear CSPM is happy to introduce Deanna Speer as Volunteer of the Month for June! Deanna is a dedicated archives volunteer who is working diligently to transcribe the museum’s Bozick WWI journal. She began volunteering in the archives two years ago. She appreciates the museum’s role in preserving the history of our Deanna has had the opportunity to deepen her understanding of regional history through her work in the archives. community, explaining, “I think that it is important to record history and have a secure place for it to be stored.” Deanna has had the opportunity to deepen her understanding of regional history through her work in the archives. For example, while volunteering she learned that on August 13, 1859 Rufus Cable named The Garden of the Gods. When not at the museum, Deanna enjoys needlepoint, knitting, sewing and embroidery. “I have a lifelong enchantment with needlework,” she said. She also enjoys gardening and spending time with her four daughters and ten grandchildren. MUSELETTER JUNE 2018 | PG 6
The Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum is honored to have been named to both The Gazette and the Colorado Springs Independent’s Best of Awards! In 2017, CSPM was named by the Colorado Springs Independent’s readers as the Best Museum, and Gazette readers named The Story of Us the Best Exhibit and CSPM as the Silver Award winner in Best Museum. The board members, volunteers and staff would like to thank all of you for making this possible through your voting, and more importantly, you continued support and advocacy! Thank you! We could not do it without you! MUSELETTER JUNE 2018 | PG 7
CSPM HAPPENINGS Bill Nelson Presentation CSPM Board Chair Jennifer Malenky and Matt Mayberry present Bill Nelson, (l-r) outgoing Board Chair with a photograph in honor of his dedicated service Lemonade Local children operate a Lemonade Stand every Tuesday in June at Food Truck Tuesdays to benefit CASA of the Pikes Peak Region and CSPM in collaboration with StandAid.org and Colorado Springs Utilities Lucky Herzberger Award Alycia Williams, Kellen DeAlba receive the 2018 Lucky Herzberger Award from Matt Mayberry and Leah Davis Witherow at CSPM’s Annual Luncheon MUSELETTER JUNE 2018| PG 8
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