vol. 5 | June 25, 2020
"History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again." - Maya Angelou
 
Welcome to the fifth edition of "History at Home." These are historic times indeed, with critical new chapters of history being written locally, across the nation, and around the world as humanity faces the historical evils of racism and violence with increased fervor. Aspen Historical Society is committed to our work of preserving and sharing local history with a renewed focus on the importance of telling the full story. While we're not exactly sure today what our clear path is to doing better, we continue to believe that lessons from the past will help bring about productive change for a future defined by diversity, justice, and freedom for all people. We are listening and know there is work to be done to share the complete history of this special valley and the invaluable contributions of all those who have tread its ground. We plan to face the future by prioritizing inclusion, education, empathy, and action.
 
This issue highlights important histories, recent stories, and yes, as usual, activities and insights for exploring the past, from anywhere. 
 
Though our outdoor guided tours have resumed and we hope to open our museums within the next few weeks, we plan to continue this email digest for as long as it seems useful. Thank you for reading, and thank you for your continued commitment to local history.
 
We'd love to hear from you, too! Please share your #historyathome moments on social media and tag @historyaspen.
RESOURCES: talk about the past
As our nation bears witness to societal transformations, organizations and individuals are committing to be a part of the change. This work often begins with self-reflection that confronts racial inequity in the past and in the present. To support these efforts and encourage essential dialogues, the National Museum of African American History and Culture created an online portal, " Talking About Race ," which provides "tools and guidance to empower your journey and inspire conversation."
FILM SHORTS: watch Suffrage stories
The Vote on PBS
2020 marks the centennial anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which granted some women the right to vote. The PBS program American Experience is producing a series of digital shorts called The Vote , which narrates "the dramatic culmination story of the hard-fought campaign waged by American women for the right to vote." Watch one of the shorts below about Ida B. Wells, a journalist who exposed racial violence and advocated for suffrage for black women. Click here to view the entire library or to learn more about the Women's Suffrage Movement in America.
FROM FRIENDS: learn from anywhere
Recommended Learning List
Not Just Another List: Staff Picks for Racial Justice was curated by the staff at History Colorado in an effort to help audiences "contextualize, process, and learn from this historic moment." The anti-racist suggestions for people of all ages include poetry, fiction, non-fiction, a podcast, and more.
The African American Cultural Heritage Fund
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is home to the African American Cultural Heritage Fund , with a mission " to draw attention to the remarkable stories that evoke centuries of African American activism and achievement, and to tell our nation’s full history." The organization's work was featured in a June 8, 2020 Architectural Digest article titled  "When Architecture and Racial Justice Intersect," which explores "the urgency and import of  protecting African American historic places ."
CO Protest History in Pictures
The Denver Public Library department of Genealogy, African American & Western History Resources compiled this gallery of images featuring Colorado protests, from women's rights to international affairs and beyond.

Locally, the AHS online archives features several images of memorable protests, ranging from a boycott of Colorado's 1972 Winter Olympics bid to environmental and rapid growth concerns and more.
QUARANTINE STORIES: record COVID life
We need your help to capture history in the making! AHS is partnering with Aspen Public Radio on a community-sourced oral history project called  Quarantine Stories: Recording History  to capture history as it happens during the COVID-19 crisis. Community members in the Roaring Fork Valley are invited to  submit recorded stories, interviews, and reflections about their experience of the pandemic to be cataloged in a publicly accessible library by APR and archived for posterity by AHS. For details about the background of the project, read Andrew Travers' story in The Aspen Times .

Click  here  for more information and to submit a recording.

Click here to listen to several of the submissions thus far in the NEW listening library.

Below are a few excerpts from stories sent in by Amanda Martinez's sixth grade class (pictured below) from Carbondale Middle School, all addressed to "Dear Future Historian":

"I am writing to you now to help you understand what has been happening in our time now. We are having a virus called COVID-19, which stands for Coronavirus and the year it was found, which is 2019...I want you guys to know everything that I wish I knew before this happened."  Zack B.
 
"Due to COVID-19, my family has not been able to see each other. I know it may sound like, 'Well, that’s not a big deal. You could Facetime or Zoom with them.' But, what has really been hard is my great-grandma had a stroke that took her to the hospital… We were not able to see her… About two weeks after my grandma came home, she passed away. That is when I realized how much we depend on human-to-human contact to make us feel better in hard times.” Jenna O.
 
"Before all this, life was awesome...You could go outside and smell the rain coming down and feel the grass on your face. You could go outside with no worry, go to birthday parties and go to parks. But now, everything has changed... We are not allowed to be close and I am an expert at not being able to get close to people. It is really hard. My goal is not to scare you but to inform you and educate you on what COVID-19 is and how it came upon us. I want you to know, when you look back on this pandemic as a mark in history...that life was not the same before this virus." Jenny V.
 
"...But this stupid pandemic has also shown me what I took for granted: school. I never thought I’d ever say that, but here I am, saying it. I realize that waking up at 6:30 in the morning is worth it, so thank you, stupid pandemic. You have taught me something that I will remember for the rest of my life."  Masamo S.
Quar stories Martinez class
ARMCHAIR ADVENTURES: visit from home
Holden/Marolt Mining & Ranching Museum  

Get a bird's-eye view of the area that was once the largest industrial complex in the history of Pitkin County! The Holden/Marolt Mining & Ranching Museum is housed in the only remaining building on the historical Holden Lixiviation Plant site. From mining to ranching to railways, the unique museum explores the industrial and agricultural history of the upper Roaring Fork Valley. Aspen Historical Society manages and interprets the site in a decades-long partnership with the City of Aspen. In 2017, the historical Zupancis cabin, barn, and outbuilding were moved to the property from downtown Aspen.

Thanks to  Bryan May Architecture  for donating the drone footage.
Holden/Marolt Museum Summer Update & Free Admission Program

Thanks to generous sponsors  Alpine Bank  and  Miners Building Hardware,  AHS is thrilled to again offer free admission for Holden/Marolt visitors who use alternate transportation to visit the trailside attraction. Click  here  for more information about the museum and the free-admission program! 
ARCHIVEASPEN.ORG: explore online
Aspen High School Yearbooks
The AHS Collection includes a selection of Aspen High School yearbooks that are viewable on our online archiv e s ! While a handful of years are missing, the collection shows the progression of the publication, dubbed "The Silver Queen" in the first annual edition in 1909 and "Simply Aspen" in the most recent copy from 2010. Browse the PDF versions by year to find local relatives, friends, and more!
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

"...Archives and museum collections require maintenance and money — despite the COVID-19 pandemic."

This story that aired on NPR's Morning Edition yesterday (June 24, 2020) explores the challenges (and opportunities) that museums face in order to adequately care for and preserve physical artifacts.
Koko Bayer's Street Art
Koko Bayer, granddaughter of Aspen's beloved Bauhaus artist Herbert Bayer, is a renowned street artist who decorates the Denver area with colorful and poignant "wheatpaste" murals, some of which incorporate Herbert's recognizable designs. Every June, Koko, a transgender woman, creates a print to celebrate Pride month. This year, Koko's hope hearts pay homage to the Pride Flag. Follow Koko on Instagram to see more of her work.

In his latest column for The Aspen Times , contributor Tim Willoughby explores the role of churches in early Aspen, from inter-faith collaborations to the female parishioners who gave their time, talents, and treasures to support shared causes and entertain the community.
Stay tuned for more History at Home...
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