Museletter IGNITE your curiosity. DISCOVER your story. NOVEMBER 2019 Native American Heritage Month Ute Pass dedication ceremony, August 1912
Baskets & Pottery in Cultural Crossroads Celebrating Sally and Rose Coolidge, ca. 1913 National Native American Heritage Month BY: Leah Davis Witherow, Curator of History November is National Native American Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the contributions of American Indians and to encourage an interest in and understanding of the centrality of American Indian cultures in American History. Native American Heritage Month officially commenced in 1990 when President George H.W. Bush approved a joint resolution from Congress, following earlier week-long celebrations held during President Ronald Reagan’s administration. However, American Indians had been advocating for a formal commemoration since the early twentieth century. Dr. Arthur Caswell Parker, Cattaraugus Seneca, Director of the Museum of Arts and Science in Rochester, New York, convinced the Boy Scouts of America from 19121915 to set aside a day for “the first Americans.” In 1914, Reverend Red Fox James, Blackfeet, took a 4,000 mile horseback trek across the country to Washington D.C., advocating for the observation of a National American Indian Day. MUSELETTER NOVEMBER 2019| PG 2
In 1915, the annual Congress of the American Indian Association directed their President, Reverend Sherman Coolidge, Arapaho, to issue a proclamation declaring the second Saturday every May as “American Indian Day.” In 1923, Sherman Coolidge along with his wife Grace, and daughters Sally and Rose moved to Colorado Springs. Reverend Coolidge was an author, scholar and served as Canon of the Cathedral of St. John in the Wilderness in Denver, Colorado. The CSPM is proud to be the repository for the manuscripts and artifacts of Reverend Coolidge and his family. Reverend Sherman Coolidge, ca. 1925 This November as we commemorate Native American Heritage Month, we encourage the public to visit the CSPM’s Cultural Crossroads exhibit. For millennia, the vast stretch of land between the Platte and Arkansas Rivers and east of the Rocky Mountains has been a Cultural Crossroads. Award winning Historian Elliot West has written, “White Pioneers who moved onto the plains east to west believed they were leaving the old country for the new. They had it exactly backward. Before the first human habitation on the eastern seaboard… plainsmen had fashioned flourishing economies… Different peoples lived with shifting resources – sometimes abundant, often scarce…reaching much farther to trade for more. The region’s deep history was a continuing, dazzling improvisation… ” Forty-nine tribes have cultural affiliations to Colorado. The Pikes Peak Region is the traditional homeland of the Ute, while among others the Cheyenne, Arapaho, Comanche, Kiowa and Apache have also lived here – and more importantly, continue to do so. Historically, the Ute claimed the mountains to the west but for generations joined their Plains Indian neighbors in hunting bison and game on the wild grasses to the east. With extensive contact and occasional conflict over shared resources, American Indians absorbed and transmitted the cultural influences of their neighbors. As a result, Plains, Plateau, Great Basin, and Southwestern tribes transferred traditions and technologies as they traded goods. There are over 135 striking examples of American Indian beadwork, clothing, baskets, and other materials in the Cultural Crossroads exhibit. RESHAPING HISTORY In May 2020, the current Cultural Crossroads gallery will close in preparation for a brand new exhibit installation that promises to dramatically reshape our understanding of Pikes Regional History. The new exhibit will fill the entire third floor north gallery (with the exception of the Helen Hunt Jackson House) and is tentatively titled: 2020 Cultural Crossroads. Stay tuned for more details on this exciting project over the next year! MUSELETTER NOVEMBER 2019| PG 3
In commemoration of NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH, take time to visit these exhibits: Cultural Crossroads For millennia, the vast stretch of land between the Platte and Arkansas Rivers and east of the Rock Mountains has been a Cultural Crossroads. American Indians are a part of living cultures. Native people in Colorado are actively preserving their languages, traditions and history. Cultural Crossroads features striking examples of American Indian bead work, clothing, baskets, and other materials representing over 30 nations. This exhibit illustrates the ongoing creativity, innovation and adaptation of native peoples in a region noted for being a Cultural Crossroads. [Dis]information: American Indians Through the Lens of Roland Reed The museum is proud to present [Dis]Information: American Indians Through the Lens of Roland Reed. The exhibit includes dozens of pictorialist photographs of American Indians taken by Roland Reed in the early twentieth century. Reed saw himself as both an artist and an ethnographer; his images are strikingly beautiful but deeply problematic. Reed constructed romantic scenes that situated American Indians in an imagined past versus contemporary reality. The exhibit encourages visitors to examine the role “retrospective photography” plays in shaping our understanding of American Indians. To accomplish this goal, the CSPM is honored to work with Gregg Deal, Pyramid Lake Paiute, an extraordinary artist whose work challenges misconceptions of indigenous people and asks viewers to reexamine stereotypes. [Dis]Information includes original artwork and commentary by Gregg Deal in addition to contemporary American Indian photographs alongside historic images that celebrate the power and beauty of photography while challenging the assumptions of viewers. The exhibit runs through March 28, 2020. MUSELETTER NOVEMBER 2019| PG 4
UPCOMING EVENTS CHILDREN’S HISTORY HOUR: HARVEST TIME! Wednesday, November 20 & Saturday, November 30 10:30 – 11:30am Explore the history of farming in the Pikes Peak region, and craft. Children ages 3-6, RSVP required FALL FAMILY FUN DAYS Tuesday, November 26 & Wednesday, November 27 10:00 am – 5:00 pm Explore our regional history exhibits, complete a family-friendly scavenger hunt, and “Trade at Bent’s Fort” interactive children’s gallery. FREE guided tours at 11am or 1 pm both days. No RSVP necessary. Learn more about our events or RSVP on our website: www.cspm.org/rsvp-for-an-event MUSELETTER NOVEMBER 2019| PG 5
DID YOU KNOW? By Leah Davis Witherow, Curator of History Story of Us: USS Colorado At 12:35 p.m. on March 22, 1921, Mrs. Ruth Melville of Denver, daughter of Colorado Senator S.D. Nicholson, smashed a bottle of muddy Colorado River water against the USS Colorado BB-45 to officially launch the $27,000,000 battleship into the water at Camden, New Jersey. This was the third namesake ship for the state of Colorado, and it was from this ship that in 1961 the spare helm and an accompanying plaque were presented on “Navy Day” to the City of Colorado Springs by Rear Admiral J.F. Jelley Jr., and Rear Admiral G.R. Luker. Both men served aboard the USS Colorado BB-45. The Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum is deeply proud to preserve and share these important pieces of American History on permanent display in our Story of Us exhibit. EMERGENCY STEERING STATION USS COLORADO APRIL 4, 1944
Formally commissioned on August 30, 1923, the motto of the USS Colorado BB-45 was Vigilans Adsis or Ever Alert. On her maiden voyage she sailed to Portsmouth, England; Cherbourg, France; Villefranche, France; Naples, Italy and Gibraltar before returning to New York in February 1924. From 1924-1941 the USS Colorado operated as part of the Battle Fleet in the Pacific. She aided relief efforts after the 1933 Long Beach, California earthquake and participated in the search for Amelia Earhart in 1937. Based in Pearl Harbor in 1941, the USS Colorado participated in exercises in the Pacific before departing in September of that year for renovation and over-haul in Bremerton, Washington. When the Japanese launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7, 1941, the USS Colorado was docked at the Puget Sound Naval Yard. The battleship was ordered to immediately begin patrolling the west coast of the United States. During World War II, the USS Colorado and its crew earned 10 Battle Stars on the Asiatic-Pacific Area Service Ribbon in 204 combat days. The ship traveled 161,879 miles from 1942-1945 and fired over 60,000 rounds or nearly 7,000 tons of ammunition. The USS Colorado crew is credited with shooting down 11 enemy aircraft. Unfortunately, the ship suffered significant damage in battle: 22 hits from a hidden enemy battery on shore at Tinian, summer of 1944; direct hit from a Japanese kamikaze plane, November 27, 1944; and enemy shell fire in the Lingayen Gulf, January 9, 1945. All told, the USS Colorado lost 77 men, 338 wounded, and six missing in action. The ship was in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1946 when the Japanese Instrument of Surrender was signed aboard the Battleship Missouri, officially ending World War II. By September 20, the warweary men aboard the USS Colorado left Tokyo Bay for Oahu, Hawaii and then made their way home to San Francisco. From November 1, 1945 to January 31, 1946, the USS Colorado made five “Magic Carpet” trips to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, bringing thousands of grateful American soldiers, sailors and Marines home from war. The USS Colorado was placed on reserve and out of commission in January 1947. The once mighty battleship was sold for scrap on July 23, 1959 for a mere $611,777.77. Thankfully, artifacts from the USS Colorado have been preserved in several repositories throughout the State of Colorado and elsewhere. In 1947, Governor William Knous proclaimed the University Memorial Center at the University of Colorado, Boulder as the official state memorial to those who died in war, “to preserve our democratic freedoms.” During WWII, the U.S. Navy’s Japanese Language School was relocated from Berkeley, California to the University of Colorado. At its peak, the language school taught 600 students. The 125 instructors were primarily women born in the United States of Japanese descent. The Veterans Lounge at the UC Boulder houses the ship’s bell, the original helm, and the “Sunday Flag” from the USS Colorado BB-45. A model of the ship made by members of the USS Colorado Alumni Association is also on display there. A USS Colorado Memorial bench rests on the grounds of the Colorado State Capitol, placed there by members of the University of Colorado Naval Alumni Association. An elaborate silver tea set from the USS Colorado is now part of the historic collection at the Colorado Governor’s Mansion. The $5,000 silver service was given to the second USS Colorado in 1908, before being passed on to USS Colorado BB-45 in 1922. At the 1908 ceremony, Colorado Attorney General Dickson remarked, “As representatives of the state of Colorado we have journeyed many miles to pay our respects to our namesake. This magnificent cruiser is named for Colorado. In presenting to you this silver service I trust that as often as you use it you will be reminded of the pride which her people will ever take in the efficiency and success of the Colorado.” Captain E. B. Underwood, commander of the ship accepted the service on behalf of the officers and men, and replied that he had never been an advocate of “free silver” until he beheld the service presented. This November as we pause to commemorate Veteran’s Day, we take great pride in the historic service of the USS Colorado BB-45, and wish all aboard the fourth USS Colorado, a Virginia-class nuclear powered attack submarine now in service: “Safe voyage, Fair weather and Following seas!” MUSELETTER NOVEMBER 2019| PG 7
Why Support the CSPM ? Thanks to our public-private partnership with the City of Colorado Springs, the CSPM is a free admission museum. But, we still need individuals to help us accomplish our mission in building a lasting connection to the Pikes Peak region by preserving and sharing our cultural history. During this time of giving, we hope you will consider donating to the CSPM and help connect more than 110,000 annual visitors with our innovative exhibits, dynamic programming and preservation of our object and archival collection. There are many ways to help the CSPM connect our community with its history: • Donate easily online at : www.CSPM.org • Support the Give! Campaign by contributing to the CSPM (Click here) • Join the Clock Tower Society by making a multi-year commitment beginning at $1,000 annually! (Click here) • Become a Volunteer: (Click here) For more information on how you can become a vital part of CSPM’s success, please contact Diane Barber Stine, Development Director: (719) 385-5633 or Diane.Stine@coloradosprings.gov MUSELETTER NOVEMBER 2019| PG 8
MUSEUM STORE Holiday Shopping at the Museum Store Shop holiday items available from local artists and vendors, in addition to a wonderful array of books on the history of the Pikes Peak region! All proceeds from the Museum Store support the work of the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum. PARTNER SPOTLIGHT MUSELETTER NOVEMBER 2019| PG 9
VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH Owen Gerbig This October the museum launched our first annual Night at the Museum. We were overwhelmed by the response as over 1,300 guests filled the old courthouse dressed in fun, fantastical, and even historical costumes. One of the event-goers shared in a survey, “This was a fantastic event! The historical actors were amazing. We especially liked Tesla!” 15 volunteers took on the project to research a local historical figure and develop a costume and script to present at the event. Owen Gerbig, 7th grader at Manitou Middle School and first year Junior Docent, chose to portray Nikola Tesla. He applied to be a Junior Docent last summer because the museum is one of his favorite places to visit and he thought “it would be so cool to present the content instead of just reading it or just looking at it.” In his portrayal of Tesla, Owen brought history to life. Surrounded by museum guests he shared his character’s story and demonstrated how the Tesla Coil works. We are thrilled to recognize Owen as the November Volunteer of the Month! Owen has a passion for teaching and learning and shared that the Night at the Museum was his favorite experience engaging museum guests. He also loved the process of researching Tesla’s life and was excited to learn that the builder of Tesla’s lab was also responsible of building the church his family attends, First Congregational Church. When not exploring his passion for history and learning, Owen enjoys reading, cooking, camping, and spending time with family and friends. Owen presenting to young students. Thank you to Owen and all of the wonderful volunteers that made Night at the Museum a success! MUSELETTER NOVEMBER 2019| PG 10
MUSEUM SPOTLIGHT CSPM Receives Two CS Indy “2019 Best of the Springs” Awards CSPM is honored to be recognized with two gold awards in CS Indy’s “2019 Best of the Springs” campaign by their readers! The categories are for “Best Museum” and “Best Food Truck Rally.” We want to thank the key members for this success—our staff, volunteers, and board members. Your hard work and commitment to CSPM helped us in being “Best of Colorado Springs!” CSPM Wins Award On October 23, 2019 at the Historic Preservation Alliance’s annual award gala, the museum was honored with the organization’s Champions in Preservation Award. Our record-setting attendance, re-accreditation, completion of the exterior renovation project, and CSPM’s leadership of the sesquicentennial celebration were all mentioned among the recent accomplishments. Thank you to our staff, volunteers, committee members and board for all you do to make the CSPM such a valuable community asset! Congratulations Laurel & Meeks Congratulations to our own board member, Laurel Prud’homme and her service dog, Meeks who received the Community Hero Award at VisitCOS’s Annual Tourism Industry Awards celebration on October 18, 2019. The award is given to a member of the tourism industry who serves the community through volunteer activities outside of their work environment. In addition to her service as board member and chair of the marketing committee of the museum, Laurel is a volunteer puppy raiser for Canine Companions for Independence, an organization which provides highly trained dogs to recipients free of charge. She is currently raising Meeks, a yellow lab who accompanies her to museum meetings and events as part of his training to become a service dog. MUSELETTER NOVEMBER 2019| PG 11
CSPM HAPPENINGS First Annual Night at the Museum October 12, 2019 is a success! MUSELETTER NOVEMBER 2019| PG 12 MUSELETTER AUGUST 2019| PG 9 Connect with CSPM!
Matt Mayberry, Museum Director & Anna Cordova, City of CS Lead Archaeologist participated in a panel discussion with RMPBS’ Colorado Experience documentary about Glen Eyrie Castle and our and our Evidence: Finding the Facts About General William Jackson Palmer exhibit Bringing history to life for Manitou Middle School students on their October field trip to the CSPM. Igniting curiosity during book reading at Children’s History Hour on October 16, 2019 Volunteers take a field trip to Garden of the Gods Visitor & Nature Center November 5, 2019 Food Truck Tuesdays 2019 was a great success! WWW.CSPM.ORG
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