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Fort Garland Museum Newsletter - June 1st, 2019

June 1, 2019

From Land to Hand: Fiber Arts Festival
22 June Saturday / 9 am - 5 pm
23 June Sunday / 9 am - 1 pm
Join us for two days of all things fiber, from "sheep to shawl." Learn about the tradition of sheep ranching and the new industry of hemp fiber production, and see works by fiber artists of the San Luis Valley. Throughout the day you'll see demonstrations by artists who'll share their skills and their love of the craft, as well as have the opportunity to attend classes to learn technique. At a marketplace, vendors will sell supplies for your own projects and some of the region's most beautiful fiber work. Food carts with a wide selection of cuisine will be on site, along with local musicians playing throughout both days. There will also be a wooly petting zoo, where children can meet the animals that so many fibers come from. It's guaranteed to be a weekend full of all the wonderful things the fiber industry in the San Luis Valley has to offer!

8 June Saturday / 12 pm


New Skills Class: Needle Felted Sheep


Needle felting is a process that entangles fibers to create fabrics and3D objects. In this class, we'll learn to feedle felt a shepe, using only wool and some sharp barbed needle. We'll talk about how to build a solid structure of needle felt, the colors of sheep, and there will be some different breed-specific wools for attendants to use to make a little soft scupture (or an ornament for your Christmas tree) of your favorite breed. Students take home a handmade sheep, a set of felting needles, an a list of resources for further learning. This class is best suited for ages 13 and up. 

12 June Wednesday / 6 pm


"Enslavement & Lafayette Head's 1865 Indian Census" with Virginia Sanchez


Please join us for another installment of our Borderlands of Southern Colorado Lecture Series with Virginia Sanchez.


In this talk, Sánchez will discuss the system of legal and illegal trade as a system of survival on the frontier. Legal and illegal trade expeditions created economic opportunities for both cultures. She will introduce some southern Colorado’s traders and their licenses, a recorded trade route from Colorado, and documented trade locations. She will also discuss the types of treatment captive indigenous slaves received as documented by oral histories and historical memories. She introduces Agent Lafayette Head’s 1865 Indian Census, but examines its data from an alternate perspective.


Virginia Sanchez is an independent historian, research, and author, and a member of the Colorado Historical Society, the Colorado Society of Hispanic Genealogy, the Huerfano County Historical Society, and the New Mexico Historical Society. Her work has appeared in journals including Colorado History, the New Mexico Genealogist, and more. In 2008 she was recognized by the Hispanic Annual Salute for her contribution to the Hispanic community in the area of history.


This presentation is sponsored by Colorado State University-Pueblo and the Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area.

15 June Saturday / 9 am


​New Skills Class: Dying Wool in the Microwave


Acid dyes are used on wool (and all other fibers from animals), silk, and nylon. In this class, we'll learn the basics of using acid dyes, using a microwave to heat-set the dyes. We will completely cover studio safety, choosing and mixing dyes, how to make them wash fast, and how to finish up dyed articles. Everybody will take home samples, written guidelines, and a list of supply sources. Students should wear clothes they don't mind getting dye on, and closed-toed shoes, as well as bring a pair of kitchen-type rubbr gloves. All other minimum safety equipment will be provided. This class is for ages 13 and up (or ages 10 and up with a registered adult. 

The Fiber Studio now Open


​The Fiber Studio is open for the summer season. Come spin up some lovely threads on our spinning wheels or weave a beautiful scarf on our many looms. For just $10.00 a day you can work on any project you’d like. Spinning wheels and ridged heddle looms are available to rent as well.

Call Kelley at 719-379-3512 for more information.Fort Garland looking for "New Skills" InstructorsDo you have a special skill or talent you would like to share? We are looking for instructors in anything from fiber arts, to flint napping, to cooking and canning - the possibilities are endless! Apply here to teach your class!

Museum Store Spotlight


Photos and Postcards: "With the Spirit of the Wild Horse" by Judy BarnesSee these beautiful photographs and cards in the museum store this month!


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Teresa de Jesus Vigil book signing

June 21, 2021
Have a taste of the historic Hispanic homeland in San Luis Valley through the new book Teresa de Jesus Vigil: Herbalist, Storyteller, Poet at her book signing at Rawlings Library, 100 Abriendo Ave, Pueblo, on June 23, 6 pm and at Fort Garland Museum and Cultural Center on July 10, 1:30 pm.Teresa Vigil will give a short presentation on herbs and read from her book published by Vanishing Horizons. Her cultural perspective and life-long medical experiences make her presentations compelling.Teresa [...]

The Best Places to Explore Along Colorado's New Scenic Byways

June 12, 2021
An historic mining structure near Creede. Photo by Terri Cook ​Article originally published in 5280 article by Terri Cook​"The Scenic Highway of Legends and Silver Thread, which were recently added to the National Scenic Byway system, celebrate southern Colorado's stunning landscapes and rich history.Call it the stuff of legend: Colorado’s scenery is so spectacular that the U.S. Department of Transportation recently added two of the state’s roadways to the America&rs [...]

Solstice in Center, Colorado

June 10, 2021
Downtown Colorado, Inc. (DCI) and the Town of Center are pleased to announce the Solstice in Center, a creative event to engage and invite makers, artists, restaurants, and community members to celebrate the changing of season, the creative spirit, and envision the future of Downtown Center.​The Solstice in Center event will kick off at 12 Noon on June 19 and will feature a dynamic lineup of San Luis Valley creatives. Some of the entertainment includes “Colorado’s Best Latin U [...]

Rio Grande County Museum Newsletter

June 4, 2021
Attached is a PDF of the Rio Grande County Museum Newsletter for June and July 2021.Featured articles and updates include:​The Annual Art ShowWorld Ward II ExhibitArt Show with Amanda BlackLyndsie FerrellHigh Valley Community StudentsVolunteersSummer Programs and EXhibitsInterviews from the Past​ rgcm-2021-june-newsletter.pdfFile Size: 484 kbFile Type: pdfDownload File [...]

In a small village in southern Colorado, architect Ronald Rael makes an earthy return

May 30, 2021
Original article from the Rocky Mountain PBS​by Kate PerdoniPosted May 27, 2021“People like us are not Native American enough. And we’re not American enough. And we’re not Mexican enough,” Rael said. “And so we walk this strange line of trying to decipher our identities. And we express them in different ways.”​Watch the video [...]

Drought and Newcomers Threaten Southern Colorado's Traditional Water Systems

May 30, 2021
Original post by Rocky Mountain PBSPosted May 25th, 2021by Kate Perdoni​Junita Martinez, a resident of the small village of San Francisco [in Southern Colorado], hopes educating the next generation of parciantes will help sustain water rights and the acequia tradition. Here, irrigation canals dug by hand almost 200 years ago are still used — but nature decides how much water they have to work with.​Water Is Life - "We're a land and water based people. I am [...]

Restored locomotive 168 to return to same tracks it traveled in 1880s

May 30, 2021
Original article published in the Valley CourierMay 24, 2021​To train buffs around the world, it’s an unprecedented historic moment. For the first time ever, a steam locomotive from the 1880s has been completely restored and will run on the exact same tracks it originally did from 1883-1938. The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad , owned jointly by the states of Colorado and New Mexico, has completed this historic project and will unveil the remarkably restored engine No. 168 at t [...]

Part 2 - the LeRoy Brothers in San Luis Valley

April 24, 2021
Contributed photo Billy LeRoy and his brother Sam Potter were buried in unmarked graves in the Del Norte Cemetery. Only one headstone remains today. by Lyndsie Ferrell from the Del Norte ProspectorNow, Billy LeRoy was not your typical looking criminal. The young highwayman was known for dressing on the up-scale side and one of his most infamous traits that kept lawmen guessing who he was, was his size four shoe.At many of the locations where LeRoy held up a train or stagecoach, lawmen would find [...]

Part 1 -A look at Del Norte’s rough and tumble past: The LeRoy Brothers

April 24, 2021
Image courtesy The Newberry Library. https://www.newberry.org by Lyndsie Ferrell with the Del Norte ProspectorThe San Luis Valley has a rich history dating back to the early 1800s thanks to the many characters that lived rough and tumble lives in the great West. Lawlessness was a way of life for many in those early days and like the song by Jim Croce, “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” the San Luis Valley had a bad, bad LeRoy of its own.According to accounts provided by the Rio Grande County Mu [...]

A historic San Luis Valley locomotive will tug passengers again thanks to a coal lot of love

April 19, 2021
Photo credit: John McEvoy Special to The Colorado Sun ​"Experts from across the country converged to restore Engine 168 for the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad straddling the Colorado-New Mexico border.When Engine 168 chugs away from the station here in late June with about 60 passengers ensconced in four refurbished 19th century train cars, it will be the culmination of years of dreams, historic preservation work and an investment of nearly $4 million.  And perhaps less visible [...]
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