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January 2017


Castle Rock Historical Society 
and Museum

Admission is Always FREE!!

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Keep up to date on CRHSM happenings at www.castlerockhistoricalsociety.org
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The first quarter CRHSM membership renewal reminders are going out soon.  Please consider renewing your membership.  Being a member gets you discounts for paid events and helps support the Historical Society and the Museum.

And........ if you're not already, please consider becoming a member!!!!!!

What year is this photo?

Send us your old photos of Castle Rock and we'll feature them in the newsletters.  We really like getting photos we may have never seen before.

January's  Presentation Program


Jan. 12, 2016
Refreshments at 6:45 pm, Presentation at 7:00 pm
Philip S. Miller Library
100 S. Wilcox St. Castle Rock, CO  80104


Please join us on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017 for a presentation by Ed Weising.  He will speak about humorous hoaxes, sleazy scams & scurrilous schemes in Colorado history. In this entertaining presentation, you will learn about the crazy things that people believed that bilked them out of their life’s savings during the early years of Colorado.  Hoaxes and scams were prevalent during the 19th century including the great “diamond hoax” and "McGinty," the petrified man.

For more information contact the
Castle Rock Museum 303-814-3164, 
museum@castlerockhistoricalsociety.org, www.castlerockhistoricalsociety.org. 

January's Calendar

  • Jan. 12, 2017  - Presentation by Ed Weising about hoaxes, scams and schemes in Colorado history.
Visit www.castlerockhistoricalsociety.org for more information on upcoming presentations and exhibits at the museum.

Upcoming............
  • Feb. 9, 2017 - Monthly presentation

2017 Events 

The Monthly presentations will continue on the 2nd Thursday of the Month.  In addition, we will have several special events.  This is what we have planned so far.

March 18, 2017 - Denver Bus Tour; Presented by Denver History Tours, this six hour bus tour (with a bathroom) looks at the city from its beginnings until WWI, telling you many tales, contrasting the past with the present, getting you a mile high, letting you know the fiascoes and the follies, the romance, the drama and the rumors and more.

April 2017 - WWI exhibit at the Castle Rock Museum opens.

May 4, 2017 - Grand Opening of the Briscoe Medical Building;  
The CRHSM helped name the new building and create a permanent display at the building about Mary Briscoe who was a county nurse in the late 1930's. 

May 6, 2017 - 2nd Annual Tea; Come enjoy tea, scones, music and more for our 2nd Annual Tea.  The location is not set in stone yet, so stay tuned.

May 20, 2017 - 8th Annual Trolley Tour;  Step back in time for a tour around Castle Rock featuring the Craig and Gould neighborhood and it's many splendid rhyolite homes.

June 2017 - Tour of the local Rhyolite Quarries

June - Sept. 2017 - Walking Tours of Downtown Castle Rock; The fourth Saturday of the month, we will conduct a walking tour starting at the Courtyard at 3rd and Perry at 10:30am.

Aug. 2017 - Ice Cream Social at the Castle Rock Museum.

Fall 2017 - 20th Anniversary of the Castle Rock Museum; The museum will be 20 years old in 2017, so let's honor this achievement with a big celebration. 

Oct. 2017 - Cemetery Tours:  Yes, we will be touring either both or at least one of the local cemeteries.

November 2017 - Hayrides;  Look forward to a quiet, traffic free trip around Lowell Ranch (CALF).
History Corner
 

Ever wonder where the streets in Castle Rock got their names.


In April of 1874, within days of winning the election to become the new county seat for realigned Douglas County, a Town Plat was created for Castle Rock and the first six streets were named.  The Plat was filed on April 25, 1874 by Jeremiah Gould, Philip P. Wilcox, John H. Craig, and J.D. McIntyre, Deputy County Surveyor. 
The initial plot of 120 acres was donated by Jeremiah Gould from his 1869 homestead preemption. Streets were laid out and given the following names by this commission of Founding Fathers:  Elbert, Jerry, Wilcox, Perry, Castle, & Front streets.

Every month in 2017 we will tell you about the street names and the people in who's honor the street in named.
 

"The Rock"


Before we start with street names, we should tell the story of how "The Rock" got it's name.  Back in 1843 John Fremont and his party saw the rock and called it "Pound Cake Rock" in an attempt to minimize and laugh about the lack of game and their hunger pains.  However, it was David Kellogg in 1858 who first called it "Castle Rock".  In his diary he says, "At the bend of Plum Creek stands a large flat-topped round rock resting on a pyramid-shaped base.  It is an isolated part of the original rock formation, the softer part below being worn away.  We fire our guns and christen the place 'Castle Rock', thinking we are the first to give it a name."

Jerry Street


Jerry Street - was named in honor of Jeremiah Gould, whose donation of 120 acres comprised the original plat of Castle Rock.  Gould was born in Providence, RI on Nov. 23, 1837. His parents died when he was very young so he was raised by an uncle.  He joined the 3rd R.I. Regiment in 1864 during the Civil War, then he came west in 1866 with a wagon train.  On that trip he met Melissa Hensley whom he married in 1867.  He settled in Castle Rock eventually buying 160 acres of land, via the Homestead Act, at the foot of Castle Rock in 1869.  He built the first cabin in the area which came to be called uncle Jerry's Cabin.  Melissa passed away in January 1874.  Jeremiah then married Minnie T. Schaffer of Denver that same year - she was 16 and he was 36.  As mentioned before, Gould donated 120 acres for the establishment of the Town of Castle Rock.  He was one of the signers on the original Plat for the town and was even a signer on the contract for the Denver & Rio Grande Train Depot which is now the Castle Rock Museum.  Jeremiah and Minnie moved to Denver in 1889, built and then managed the Narragansett Hotel until his death on Feb. 7, 1903. Minnie lived until 1942.  Jeremiah had no children with either of his wives.
 

Artifact of the Month - 

The above map is a copy of the original Town Plat filed on April 25, 1874.  This copy is hanging in the Castle Rock Museum.

- Museum Exhibits

Artifacts Needed......

2017 is the 100th anniversary of the United States involvement in World War I.  The museum will have a special exhibit in commemoration of the anniversary.  If you have any artifacts from World War I and would like to loan them to the museum, please let us know.

- Historic Marker Walk

Several years ago the CRHSM installed 20 markers on historic buildings in Castle Rock.  The markers are special because they have a QR code on each plaque and after you scan the QR code with a QR reader on your phone or tablet you will receive all the historic information about the building.  

Stop in at the Castle Rock Museum to pick up a brochure directing you to all the markers in town.  If you visit all 20 markers, stop in at the Museum again to get a personalized certificate to help brag to all of your friends.


If you're a business that would like to join the program please contact the CRHSM at musuem@castlerockhistoricalsociety.org or 303-814-3164.

-  Thank Yous

Thank you to Rhonda Beck for her presentation about the history of
Union Station in Denver.

Volunteers

Thank you to Jerry and Mary Persall for providing refreshments for the December presentation.

Please let us know if you would like to sign up to bring refreshments for future months in 2017.

- THE 5 W's

Do you recognize this building?

 

Who?
What?
Where?
When?
Why?

Last Month's Photo

Victoria's House

420 Jerry Street

This house is one of the earliest residences in the Castle Rock downtown area.  It was bulit in 1889 out of local rhyolite by John and Emma Lofe who sold it to Charles Palm, who in turn sold it to Andrew and Hedvig Anderson, the parents of Victoria Anderson.  Victoria was born in Douglas County in 1889 and spent her life in the area.  She married Milton Hannold in 1910 and had one son, Milton Jr.  After her husband was killed in an accident, she went on to be a prominent lady in Castle Rock.  She inherited the house from her parents and was living in it when she remarried and had two more children.  Her new husband, Thorwald Christensen of Denmark was a leader in Douglas County civic affairs for more than 50 years, including being a member of the fire department and serving as Mayor in 1913.  The house is now the office of the Chamber of Commerce and is a national landmark.

New Books in the Gift Shop:

"Mingled Blessings"
by Staci McCormack


About our own Castle Rock Star Lighting

Help support CRHSM while you do your shopping!


When you shop on Amazon go to   smile.amazon.com  and the CRHSM will receive a
donation from Amazon  It's the easiest way to help support us.

Recycle - Save those aluminum cans!! 

The museum collects and recycles aluminum cans to raise money for matching grants. Bring those cans to the museum and use the green container next to the bathroom. Aluminum cans only please. Anything else will be removed by the recycling company. Help the environment and raise a little money for the museum.
Many thanks to those who have already contributed!

Castle Rock Historical Society Board

The Castle Rock Historical Society Board meets the first Monday of each month.  All Historical Society members are welcome to attend.

President - Jerry Persall
Vice President - Dorothy Kelly
Secretary -  Lynette McNairy
Treasurer - Jim Allamian 
Education - Guy Mordeaux
Asst. Sec. - Suzie Perry

Events - Claudia Belmessieri
Mission: The Castle Rock Historical Society operates the Castle Rock museum, celebrates, educates, and brings together people interested in the preservation of the heritage of the Castle Rock, Colorado area.
Support the Castle Rock Historical Society. Join as a member, make a donation, or sell an item on eBay.

Like us on Facebook

Association of Northern Front Range Museums
 

Opportunities to Volunteer and Contribute

You know we need you!! Thank you to those who help with hands, time and money. Whatever your skill is, it can help the community in your historical little town of Castle Rock.
To find out how you can help email museum@castlerockhistoricalsociety.org.


Castle Rock Museum Hours
Wed. - Fri  12:00p.m. to 5:00p.m.
Sat. 11:00a.m. to 4:00p.m.
Copyright © 2017 Castle Rock Historical Society and Museum, All rights reserved.


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