Museletter IGNITE your curiosity. DISCOVER your story. OCTOBER 2018 New Exhibit Opening - October 27, 2018
New Exhibit Opening | October 27, 2018 CSPM is thrilled to unveil A Home of One’s Own: the Life of Helen Hunt Jackson on Saturday, October 27. Years in the making, the new exhibit will allow visitors to deeply engage with Jackson’s extensive literary legacy and her pivotal advocacy on behalf of American Indians while understanding the role that Colorado Springs played in shaping both her career and personal life. And for the first time, we will be sharing extensive interpretation of the descendants of the Jackson Family and their important contributions to our regional and national history. Helen Hunt Jackson, ca. 1875 CSPM Collection. There were several motivating factors to reimagine/reinvent our interpretation of the Helen Hunt Jackson home. After observing museum guests examining the home and its contents, we realized most visitors believe the house is a facsimile or model, rather than the real thing and few left the exhibit area understanding why Helen Hunt Jackson is a an important figure in American History. Additionally, Jackson Family descendants continue to generously donate artifacts to our collection and we are proud to share them with the public. Finally, as scholars reassess Helen Hunt Jackson’s literary career and advocacy work, we can use new ways of thinking to connect visitors with her legacy. Of note, the three rooms of the HHJ home permanently installed on the museum’s third floor will not be changing, but the interpretive space around them will. However, during the exhibit construction process, CSPM collections staff took the opportunity to clean, catalog and photograph the thousands of objects and books inside the home. We have also worked to ensure the ongoing preservation of the structure and its Helen Hunt Jackson & unidentified friend. CSPM Collection. MUSELETTER OCTOBER 2018| PG 2
contents by placing inert polyester film as a buffer between artifacts and shelves, furniture, floors etc. Fragile artifacts in need of conservation received extensive treatment by trained conservators to ensure their stability during exhibition. To maximize interpretative space adjacent to the HHJ house in the third floor north gallery, we purchased new exhibit cases and in some instances, built our own custom-fit vitrines. Of note is the specially constructed quilt case which will display the beautiful Jackson Family Log Cabin style Crazy Quilt. The quilt will be mounted with magnets and rest on a very slight angle to minimize damage that can occur when textiles are exhibited. Along with the vast collection of artifacts inside the house, new cases will display photographs, dishware, objects, manuscripts and ephemera that visitors can view “up close.” To ensure museum guests do not miss an opportunity to visit the HHJ home, a new entrance to the gallery will be opened. The locked glass door to the former District Court Library and the office of the Court Reporter will be removed and new lighting and signage will guide visitors to enter the exhibit space intentionally, versus approaching it through the north gallery. A new interactive touchscreen using the Story of Us format will display digital content including documents, photographs, artifacts and audio-visual materials so visitors can “dig deeper” into the story of Helen Hunt Jackson and the Jackson Family if they are interested. Alice Stewart Hill Watercolor, ca. 1880, Courtesty of William S. Jackson Family. CSPM Collection. Jackson Family Dishware, unknown date. Courtesy of Jean Jackson Emery & Family. CSPM Collection. As the Helen Hunt Jackson home and its contents reveal, Jackson surrounded herself with an eclectic variety of objects that signify her enduring curiosity with history, culture and the natural world – with bits of each reflected in her poems, essays and books. By focusing on key objects and key stories, our new exhibit will examine Jackson’s life, work, friendships, influences and family. Interior of the home of Helen Hunt Jackson, ca. 1880. CSPM Collection. A Home of One’s Own: the Life of Helen Hunt Jackson opens on Saturday, October 27 and will provide a revealing glimpse into one of Colorado Springs’ most interesting residents and a woman who remains an important figure in American History. MUSELETTER OCTOBER 2018| PG 3
UPCOMING EVENTS October & November 2018 Children’s History Hour: Can You Dig It? Wednesday, October 17 10:30 - 11:30 am Families are invited to CSPM 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. A new theme is explored each month! RSVP. Cool Science Festival - Family Fun Workshop: City of Sunshine Saturday, October 20 2:00 - 3:00 pm Families are invited to explore our city’s relationship with health and disease. Learn how the “City of Sunshine” drew, and continues to draw, people from all over the country as a healthful resort town. Consider the messages we sent locally and nationally to attract health seekers eager to be cured of tuberculosis. Make your own sputum cup and sample the “Rare, Raw, and Rye” diet prescribed to TB patients. For kids 6 & older. Space limited to 30. RSVP required. New Exhibit Opening: A Home of One’s Own: The Life of Helen Hunt Jackson Saturday, October 27 10:00 am CSPM is excited to announce the opening of its newest permanent exhibit: A Home of One’s Own: The Life of Helen Hunt Jackson. By focusing on key objects in the Jackson Collection our new exhibit will examine her life, work, friendships, influences and family. It will combine an interactive digital display of documents, objects and photographs with a fresh interpretation of her story placed in the gallery outside of the three rooms of the original Jackson House. A Home of One’s Own: The Life of Helen Hunt Jackson will provide a revealing glimpse into one of Colorado Springs’ most interesting residents. Halloween History Hunt Saturday, October 27 10:00 am - 2:00 pm Don your Halloween costume and have fun in the museum while on a Halloween History Hunt, hear spooky stories, make Halloween crafts and participate in the season’s activities! RSVP required, $3 Suggested Donation per Child, Free for Members. Lecture Series: The Coming Man from Canton: Chinese Experiences in Montana, 1862-1943 Saturday, November 3 2:00 - 3:00 pm Using archaeology and historical documents, the story of the Chinese in Montana’s development is coming more into focus. As many stories go in the American West, the successes of the Chinese in Montana come also with the dark stories of racial stereotyping, racial injustice, and the collapse of their community through restrictive federal immigration laws. RSVP Required. Program presented by Author, Christopher Merritt MUSELETTER OCTOBER 2018 | PG 4
Book Talk & Signing: Valley of the Shadow: An Account of American POWs of the Japanese Saturday, November 10 10:30 - 11:30 am In honor of Veterans Day CSPM is honored to welcome Whitney Galbraith, self-publisher of his father’s POW memoir Valley of the Shadow. Galbraith will explore first-person accounts of World War II to deepen our understanding of how POWs survived their captivity physically, mentally, and morally. Presented by Author, Whitney Galbraith. RSVP required. Ongoing Events & Exhibits... Food Truck Tuesdays Every Tuesday, now through October 30 | 11:00 am - 1:30 pm League of Wives: Vietnam’s POW/MIA Allies & Advocates League of Wives: Vietnam’s POW/MIA Allies & Advocates tells the story of the military wives who founded the organization that would later become the National League of POW/ MIA Families. This traveling exhibit from The Dole Institute of Politics features documents, artifacts, oral histories, and multimedia, as well as local stories and artifacts collected by the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum that reveal the powerful grassroots movement in Colorado Springs during the Vietnam Era. The League of Wives: Vietnam’s POW/ MIA Allies & Advocates will be on exhibit at CSPM through December 29, 2018. Programming made possible by funding from Harlan and Alice Ann Ochs of Colorado Springs, in honor of Larry Ochs. The Story of Us: The Pikes Peak Region from A – Z The Story of Us is an ongoing exhibit lets users to explore the history and geography of the region using 21st Century technology. Open a letter from A – Z and learn about the people, places and events that make our region unique. Navigate dynamic maps that allow you to go back in time to understand how neighborhoods, businesses, climate, and transportation have shaped our community. Where do you fit in? Come and discover your place in local history through The Story of Us! Bent’s Fort - Interactive Children’s Gallery CSPM’s Children’s Gallery exhibit, Beads, Blankets and Buffalo: Trade at Bent’s Fort, gives children, ages 2-10 an interactive, hands-on experience of a “day in the life” at Bent’s Fort. Bent’s Fort was a multicultural place of trade and exchange along the Santa Fe Trail in the 1830s and 1840s. In the exhibit, children can explore a carpenter’s shop, trade counter, kitchen, tipi and a Santa Fe Trail wagon! MUSEUM HOURS: OPEN TUES-SAT 10:00 am - 5:00 pm RSVP: www.cspm.org/rsvp-for-an-event or 719-385-5990 MUSELETTER OCTOBER 2018 | PG 5
Did you know the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum has a thriving School Field Trip Program? Each year the museum welcomes over 5,000 students who participate in both guided and selfguided programs. For visiting Kindergarten and 1st graders, the Children’s History Hour program is offered. In small groups, these students enjoy thematic story time, craft, and age-appropriate tours. They also learn through play in our “Beads, Blankets and Buffalo: Trade at Bent’s Fort” children’s interactive exhibit. The museum’s primary audience is 2nd through 4th graders who participate in CSPM’s Colorado Academic Standards aligned program called Hands on History. In this program, a team of 15 dedicated volunteers have been trained to lead 25-minute interactive stations. In the Trailblazers station, students work together to build a timeline of regional history with photographs and artifacts. In the Cultural Crossroads exhibit, they participate in a silent bead trade activity to explore how trade and interactions between different tribes and nations influenced the region. CSPM’s Amazing Race program, High School students use inquiry skills to draw connections between concepts and themes to get clues for challenges throughout the museum. With all CSPM program offerings, the goal is fun and engagement, and to build on the content and skills regional educators focus on in the classroom. Consistent, positive feedback is received from visiting groups, “The museum brings history to life!” Teachers frequently comment that the program content supports their work in school, “Every single topic and standard from third-grade social studies gets discussed. EVERYTHING! It was wonderful.” Perhaps the greatest outcome of school visits is the stewardship and love of history instilled in young people. On any given day at the front desk, a visiting family will share that they only came because their 3rd grader had such a wonderful time on a field trip and wanted to bring the whole family! In addition to CSPM’s thriving exhibits and program offerings, much of the increased visitation is due the excitement of local school children. They cannot wait to come back and take their families on a tour. Do you know an educator? Please share CSPM’s School Programs website where they can learn more about the FREE Field Trip offerings. The museum also offers a bus transportation fund that schools can apply for when scheduling their field trips. Learn more >> www.cspm.org/school-groups MUSELETTER OCTOBER 2018 | PG 6
MUSEUM SPOTLIGHT! Patrick Casey Volunteer Of The Month The museum would like to recognize Patrick Casey as the October Volunteer of the Month. Patrick has volunteered as both an adult tour docent and school program guide during the past four years. He is a native to the region and can trace his ancestry back to early homesteaders. When asked why he volunteers, Patrick shared, “My mother instilled a sense of history in me, and CSPM has given me a place to expand, refine and clarify that sense of space and family.” In considering his fascination with history, he remarked, “I especially like the flow of time, the then and now and the here and there, in addition to my memories of things and places, versus what is here and now.” Patrick is always eager to learn more and has become our “go to” volunteer to fill last minute requests and openings. His passion, flexibility, and enthusiasm have made him a vital asset to our program offerings. His favorite experience as a volunteer is connecting with our guests, “One day on an adult tour I was in the Division 1 Courtroom speaking. A woman asked if I knew who had done the restoration work when CSPM moved into the building. She turned and pointed to a man standing a couple of feet away and said, ‘It was my husband, Tony Wells.’ He was the owner of Western Services and the company that did much of the work when the building was restored so CSPM could occupy the building. I had a very interesting talk with Mr. Wells.” When not volunteering, Patrick enjoys taking his 1961 Pontiac to car shows, exploring the eclectic food scene in Colorado Springs with his wife Deb and friends, and relaxing at home. Thank you for your dedicated service, Patrick! MUSEUM STORE ON SALE NOW: Whitney H. Galbraith’s book “Valley of the Shadow” buy before his November 10th Lecture at CSPM: So Far From Home: the American POW Experience in WWII Redux. Book for sale and signing available at lecture. Hardcover is $36 Soft cover $25 Bring in the Fall Season with gorgeous Raku Leaves! Created by local artisan Maggie Quinn, $20 each. CSPM members receive a 10% discount! PARTNER SPOTLIGHT MUSELETTER OCTOBER 2018 | PG 7
CSPM HAPPENINGS DIG! DAY – Saturday, October 8 Families enjoyed a day full of archaeology, mining, geology, and paleontology learning activities. Community partners presented educational booths throughout the museum, along with the Museum’s hands-on activities like: Sort the soil, balance the dinosaur egg and more in the DIG! Carnival Room Learn about DIRT with a Soil Scientist Excavating in DIG pits Examine fossils and make your own Learn about archaeology in the Pikes Peak region Make dinosaur feet and origami crafts MUSELETTER OCTOBER 2018 | PG 8
A BIG THANK YOU goes out to our AWESOME partners: Colorado Springs TOPS Colorado College University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Laura Craven (MLRA Soil Survey Leader) Pikes Peak Chapter of the Colorado Archaeological Society MUSELETTER OCTOBER 2018 | PG 9
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