History Colorado - Final Week

Hello,
I can't believe that today is my last day at the History Colorado Center. I've learned so much over the last month and I've had so much fun.

This week we celebrated Colorado Day, the 140th anniversary of Colorado's admittance to the Union. It was amazing! About 2,100 people came to the museum on Monday. We had performing pigs, cheerleaders, alpacas, artists, a real living bull snake and of course a birthday cake. I spent time handing out water, talking to vendors, and manning the general store in an exhibit called Keota, where kids an exchange eggs from the barn for coins and see what they could have bought in 1925. I also got to go inside of the Colorado State Capitol for the first time when we delivered some provisions for the celebrations over there.

 

 

 

I've been continuing my work on the online exhibit La Gente, which is nearly complete. The digital badges that students can earn at different levels (plains, foothills and 14ers) should go live pretty soon. Here's the link if you want to see it: http://exhibits.historycolorado.org/lagente/lagente_home.html

Also, here are the exhibit sketches I've been writing about for a while now:



 

 

 

It has been an absolute joy to be here at the History Colorado Center for the last month. I've enjoyed every moment of it, from researching early Hispanic Coloradans, to drawing exhibit plans, to manning the general store in Keota. Everyone here has been so supportive and kind, from teaching me how to use the microfilm machines in the library to answering my random questions about clause 11 of the Dawes Act. I will never forget my time here at History Colorado. It has influenced me in ways that I can't seem to put into words.


Lastly, I'd like to say thank you to History Colorado and the Smithsonian Latino Center for giving me this wonderful opportunity.

Con mucho cariño,

Ilse Maria Meiler