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Coal Creek School was approved and added to the Rio Blanco County Historical Register, January 2014. Also, the Rio Blanco Rural School Research Committee, led by Janet Clark, was approved for a historical preservation assessment grant which served to begin the process of historic preservation!
As this is the first rural school in Rio Blanco County still standing on its original site, the goal to be on the State and National Register and approved for restoration was very important. August 2014, word was received that the Coal Creek School was approved on the State and National Register! Fundraising for historical preservation has been in full swing since that time. One of the first fundraisers was a Rural School Box Social and Dance! at the Buford Rural School. $1800 was raised from the dessert auction toward the preservation. See photos here: Dessert Box Social and Dance Others fundraisers have taken place to move toward meeting the first phase matching grant from Historic Colorado. Phase 1 goal was $44,243.00 To date, this has been reached. Community citizens along with the town and county and all those who love history have been very supportive of this ongoing preservation project. Bids for construction were opened March 14, 2016. In April, MM-Eight Construction was awarded the contract with construction on the exterior to be completed summer 2016. Donations for Phase 2 to renovate the interior began immediately. This phase is still in progress and the race is on to complete the renovation in time for the school’s 125th birthday fall of 2017. The Heritage Culture Center Committee and Heritage Tourism Task Force has completed a comprehensive strategic plan for 2016-17, after four months of discussions and collaboration. This accomplishment is largely due to the invaluable guidance of a CHAMP mentor, Constance DeVereaux, who spent three days in Meeker in July educating the committee on strategic planning – helping them re-formulate their mission statement and learn how to document their goals and objectives. Then, she provided follow up suggestions and assistance until the 22 page document was satisfactorily completed.
CHAMP is a state funded program underneath Colorado Tourism, an acronym for Cultural Heritage Agritourism Mentor Program. As part of the Colorado Tourism Office’s efforts to raise awareness of and appreciation for cultural, heritage and agricultural assets statewide, the Heritage and Agritourism Program initiated a peer-assistance and training program for farms and ranches, businesses, museums, attractions and organizations that want to improve or expand their own cultural, heritage tourism or Agritourism attractions. Highly qualified professionals apply to the program to become mentors along with non-profit organizations who need assistance. In the fall of 2014, the Rio Blanco County Historical Society discussed the possibility of becoming involved in heritage tourism. Everyone had become painfully aware of the economic downturn and the toll it was having on our communities and it was pointed out that heritage tourism was the #1 economic driver for Colorado. What if the historical society could play a role in, not only stepping up our efforts to educate our own citizens on our rich history, but also share it in a way that would bring more tourism to our area? It was shortly thereafter, an inquiry was made to the CHAMP program to possibly assist in this concept. Immediate communication with the program followed but it wasn’t until January 2015 that a formal application was finalized with a business plan that included the newly acquired Old West Heritage Culture Center. On April 23, the committee was notified their application had been approved by the CHAMP Selection Committee. Conference calls and emails followed on how best to match the needs here with a mentor and Dr. Constance DeVereaux, a professor at Colorado State University in Fort Collins was chosen. Constance has worked as an arts management consultant, arts advocate, and researcher. She is an international expert in arts and cultural policy and served as a Fulbright Senior Specialist in both policy and management at universities in Finland, South Africa, and Romania. She created the arts management master’s program at Claremont Graduate University and the arts management minor at Northern Arizona University, and is the former director of the arts administration program at Shenandoah University. She lectures internationally on arts management and policy topics and is a frequent presenter at international conferences. During her time with the Heritage Culture Center Committee and the Heritage Tourism Task Force in the three days of workshops in Meeker, she utilized her wealth of information to help them begin to structure a documented strategic plan that will serve them as they grow and continue to energetically promote heritage tourism in Rio Blanco County. History Camp Thursdays in July
Did you know that Rocky Mountain National Park is 100 years old this year? Did you know that Dinosaur National Monument is 100 years old as well? Did you know that if you visit both of them this summer you can check out lots of fun little towns and great things to see and do in between?
It’s taken a century to create this journey of a lifetime from one national park to the other, but you can make it in as little as 2-3 days or stretch it out 2-3 weeks! Rio Blanco County carries many memories of box socials and dances in the rural schools from days gone by. August 30, 2014 will be a comeback of those fun days. Hosted at the Buford Rural School with music by Dave Main and friends plus square dance calling by Dan Seely, this stands to be another event to remember!
In addition to all the fun festivities including free hamburgers and hotdogs, Bryce Purkey will be auctioneer for the Dessert Box Social. The proceeds from the desserts will go toward the historic preservation of the Coal Creek School. Everyone welcome! Bring a dessert or be prepared to bid on a dessert, or both! Most of all, come prepared to have a good time! Date: Thursdays – July 10, 17, 24, 31 – 2014
Time: 1:00-3:00 p.m. Location: White River Museum Format: Family Learning Experience · Downtown Historic Walking Tour – Businesses of the Past – July 10 IOOF Building (Mountain Valley Bank), Hugus Building (Wendells), Neal Building (Meeker Drug) · Wilderness Day – Learning our Wilderness’ Past & Present – July 17 · Homestead Day – Lifestyle of Early Homesteaders – July 24 · Rural School Day – Reliving ‘One Room School’ Days – July 31 We’ve all heard about the 3 R’s – Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic but the 4th R is for Romance! Now, you can hear some fun romance stories of the early rural school teachers.
These tenacious women took on the duties of educating kids in a time when the job of a teacher went far beyond simply ensuring kids knew the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic. They were given all age kids, from around the designated areas in a time that often required them to board with area families, arrive at school early to start the fire, or even prepare a warm meal for students. They were in charge of everything from social gatherings, to school performances, to walking students home. The teachers came from across the United States with the lure of up to $100 per month salary compared to an average $75 they were getting in some eastern states. Communities would get together, decide they needed a teacher and send for one, and young women would pack up everything for what sometimes was an extremely long trip via train and covered wagon to their remote destinations in our county. What they perhaps knew was that they would be a great attraction to the single men in the area and the courting stories are as much a part of the history as the journey itself. Take for instance the story of the start of the Rangely School in 1888. With the lure of land and, young men and families settled the area. C.P. Hill had his surrounding neighbors decided they needed a school for their children, and that, of course, would require a teacher. Caroline Blakeslee’s journey west from Massachusetts began in 1887, but time left her in Iowa working as a dressmaker that year. When she saw an ad for a position in Meeker, she and her cousin headed west via train to Glenwood. They traveled by stagecoach to Grand Junction before taking the freight wagon owned and operated by Mr. Hill to Rangely. The school was under construction when she began teaching and she filed a claim on the land. She had to prove up the land and when doing that needed a ride to Meeker to fill out the final paperwork. There is a story on the trip that clearly involves the courtship. The next story is of a Lime Kiln teacher, Eleanor Kugler, who grew up in Missouri and attended a teacher’s college there. When she and a fellow teacher heard of the money to be made and the idea of teaching only ten to twelve students as opposed to their present class size of thirty-eight, they ventured west to Colorado looking for job opportunities. Eleanor took a job in Routt County at the Dunston School on Williams Fork. She was prepared to go back to Missouri when she completed her term but heard of a school starting in the summer on Lime Kiln. She took the job in May of 1928, and the schoolhouse was on land donated by Jack Service. She was an attraction for men in the area, and so another romance story begins. This story took Ella away from Lime Kiln for a couple of years but the hard times the country was facing brought her back to the area and she continued teaching in 1933. Yet another story does not include a romance that evolved from the teaching position but rather the position enabled Sally Sheridan the ability to work while she waited. She taught in the Coal Creek School. Sally, of course, grew up in Meeker on the Bar Seven Ranch, not far from the school. She attended Denver University before coming back to teach. It was a time when men were leaving for war and she was pestered in her horseback journey to and from school by her brother Jim Sheridan, who would hide and jump out to scare the horse she was on. She endured the spooking of her horse along with the wait of her high school sweetheart as he went off to war. In 1920, Rio Blanco School, a frame structured sided with white clapboard, was built by Pete Cook and Orin T. Morrow. It was located at the SW corner of Piceance Road and Hwy 13. It later became jointly funded by Garfield County and Rio Blanco County. At times, Rio Blanco School and Petrolite School shared the school year (4 1/2 months at each school).
The school closed in 1941. Sometime after that the building was moved to a local ranch. The Rio Blanco County Historical Society has had the *3R’s Committee compiling information about our rural schools for the past few years. They have successfully accumulated photos and history, exact locations and stories from those who attended. With this information, they are compiling brochures for self-guided tours throughout the county and signage for each location. Recently, the Fairfield Trust and the Rio Blanco County donated funds to make these goals come to pass. *Rio Blanco County Rural School Research Committee Members: Martha Cole Marge Rogers Janet Clark Artie Parr Sally Eatherton Ellen Reichert The signage has been purchased and is in the process of being placed in all the correct locations. NEW brochures, including the Coal Creek School Loop is available at the White River Museum! The exciting exhibition, beginning February 14, 2014 at Museum of the West in Grand Junction, tells the story of our historical treasures on the Western Slope.
RBCHS is proud to be represented in this event. Our exhibit is the first one to the left as you enter the exhibition room. In spite of the cold and snow, an excellent group gathered at Kilowatt Korner in Meeker on Sunday afternoon, January 5, for the Rio Blanco County Historical Society Annual Meeting. After a delightful luncheon of hot soups, homemade breads, salads and desserts, the annual meeting proceeded with President, Ellene Meece, presenting the 2013 annual report via power point with lots of photos and impressive accomplishments and stats, which included being debt free going into the New Year! This hard earned feat was enthusiastically applauded by the members. Other accomplishments included: maintaining the White River Museum, being open seven days a week year round (except for three holidays), attracting a growing group of volunteers who were acknowledged with an Appreciation Open House in November, continuing upgrades to the museum to protect artifacts and attract more visitors, videoing numerous oral history interviews, expanding historical education for the public through three historical presentations (Pioneer Women of RBC, Stories of the Parish and Homesteaders of RBC), partnering with MACC to bring an Abraham Lincoln re-enactor as a cultural historical event for the community and schools and partnering with ERBM Recreation Center to provide a successful History Camp this past summer for our children. The Committee Reports covered Milk Creek Battlefield Park Committee (Members: Joe Sullivan, Steve Wix, Tom Allen, Tony Weiss, Trudy Burri and Gayle Rogers) with Joe Sullivan present to add some history to how this venture began and its progress to date;
Rural Schools Research Committee (Martha Cole, Marge Rogers, Janet Clark, Ellen Reichert, Artie Parr, Sally Eatherton) recognized for completing five years of research, creating tour loops for 37 rural schools in Rio Blanco County, developing signage at each site with valued assistance from the County, publishing and distributing professional with these tours, adding information to the RBCHS website, adding Coal Creek School to the County Historic Register and beginning the preservation process for the first school in Rio Blanco County that is still standing on its original location. Ellene Meece presented a plaque to three members who were present, with a collage of the brochures, appreciation text and photo of the committee. The Website Archiving Computer Committee reported the purchase of a new camera to digitally archive our collections and a new website to feature these collections, education programs, historic sites and dedicated space for each of the rural schools with maps, information and stories. The community events RBCHS participated this past year were Range Call with a booth, Bank Robbery Re-enactment and tour to Milk Creek, Community Appreciation Day booth, RBC County Fair with an education exhibit that took grand prize, Meeker Sheep Dog Classic with a booth selling books and homemade bread and the Mountain Valley Bank Fall Festival with a Bake Sale and the organization’s famous root beer floats. The annual visitors this year to the White River Museum were 3,145 with 1,021 of those being students. The election of officers and board members were voted by acclamation and the new board for 2014 is: President – Ellene Meece, Vice President – Gayle Rogers, Secretary – Sue Hicken, Treasurer – Trudy Burri, Re-elected Board Member – Patty Anderson and Newly Elected Board Member – Chad Shepherd. The remaining board members are: Joe Sullivan, Tony Weiss, Hallie Blunt and Chris Uphoff. RBCHS thanks Sparky Pappas for her many years of being on the board and for her continued support on committees and activities into the future. Finally, the 2014 Goals were presented with the overall goal to be the #1 Asset in our county and region. The organization plans to do this by adding the White River Museum complex to the registered historic sites, adding educational kiosks to Milk Creek Battlefield Park, digitally archiving our collections with photos and stories for the new website, editing and archiving our video oral history that has been captured, initiating themed tours and events to the museum, completing the next Lighting and Exhibit Project – Phase 3/Room 6, developing Heritage Tourism (the #1 economic driver in Colorado) by acquiring the adjoining 3000 sq foot building to our property (old mortuary) for historical presentations and research center and participating in the Heritage Rendezvous, a Western Slope event, with an exhibit of our story of Milk Creek Battlefield Park (February 14-May 3) at the Museum of the West in Grand Junction. The final slide in the presentation said, “Thank You for joining us in this journey in 2014!” We invite the community to come along with us as well. We offer several membership levels and each one adds an appreciated support. Our new category this year is BUSINESS PATRON for only $100 annual membership with acknowledgement on our website and a one-time newspaper acknowledgement. Any donations, volunteer involvement, event participation helps us continue to be an organization dedicated to impacting the success of the Rio Blanco County – and our legacy. |
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February 2026
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