The stories of pioneers and immigrants to Florence and the region will be shared by members of the Florence Historical Archive on five Sundays, beginning July 11 and continuing every second Sunday through November at the Bell Tower Cultural Center, 201 E. Second St. in Florence. Two separate topics will be presented at each program, with accompanying power point of historical photos, maps and documents.
Presentations scheduled on July 11 are titled “Our Earliest Residents and the Hardscrabble Settlement” and “Patterns of Immigration to Colorado and Fremont County,” by presenters Sylvia Andrews and Martie LaCasse. A question and answer period will follow this and subsequent programs in the series. Programs in the series are scheduled to begin at 3 p.m.
“Voices from the Archive” is the 2021 research theme of the Florence Historical Archive. Each year, the Archive Board selects a theme, with members researching sub-topics on that theme. This year Archive members attempted to unearth hidden jewels within the Archive collection that reflect the lives of our early settlers and of individuals from the immigrant groups that have added to the rich tapestry of local culture. They used diaries, letters, newspaper articles, photos and the recall of descendants to piece together personal histories that bring forward the voices of pioneers and immigrant families. If you are an enthusiast of local history or have family history in this area, you will enjoy this series of programs.
Additional topics in the series are “Innovative Farmer, Jesse Frazer, and his original Abstract and The Weight of Water; Ditch Development and its Pioneers” on August 8; “The Reminisces and Legacy of Edwin Biehl Lobach,” plus “Early Land Claims in the Eastern Fremont County” on September 12; “Yugoslavian, and other Eastern European Groups and their Cultures,” “Family Truck Farms of Brewster,” and “How the Village was Formed,” demonstrated in a “Jigsaw Puzzle Map” on October 10; and finally on November 14, “The Business that Jack Built; The Jack Family and their Florence Businesses,” and “Concrete and Lower Beaver Creek.”
The Archive presents these program in cooperation with the Bell Tower Cultural Center. Refreshments will be served following each program. Admission for Bell Tower Members $4; non-members $5. Proceeds benefit both the Archive and the Bell Tower. Free informational handouts will be available at each event or by request at the Archive.
A companion exhibit of photos, articles, and maps will be on display at the Archive Exhibit Hall. Admission is free during Archive hours (10 a.m. - 1 p.m., Monday, Wednesday through Friday) and by appointment. The Archive is located in Suite H of the Florence Municipal Building, 600 W. Third St. (Colo. 115). Entrance and parking is off the Washington Street parking lot on the east side of the building.