History in our own backyard

Upcoming Events:
​
Thursday, June 22, 7:00 p.m., An Insider's Peek into Cherokee Castle with Meg Anderson and John Lake, Roxborough Park Community Center, 6237 Roxborough Dr.

Cherokee Ranch and Castle, located 30 miles south of Denver, includes land that originally belonged to two separate homesteads in the late 1890s:  the Flower Homestead and the Blunt Homestead.  The Johnson Family moved from the East and purchased the Flower Homestead in 1924 and build the 1450s Scottish-style Castle.  They sold the property to Tweet Kimball in 1954.  Tweet purchased adjacent land that had been the Blunt Homestead and renamed both pieces of land Cherokee Ranch, which today includes 3,400 acres and is protected through a Conservation Easement with Douglas County.

Join us for the insider’s peek into the life and times of the Castle and it’s unusual occupants!  Meg Anderson, Tweet’s very own caterer and John Lake, Tweet’s very own butler, will be recounting countless stories from these treasured halls! Joined by Kathy Peterson, we are in for a fun and fascinating romp through time and people.  Pictures, memorable and intriguing tales not often told are awaiting all who join us.  See how the Great Hall was furnished during the Johnson’s life and then the Kimball era and the stories about the parties and the food.

Join us for a fun and informative evening and help us raise funds for our project to stabilize and preserve the historic landmark kiln structure.  The suggested donation of $10/adult will go to the Kiln Restoration Fund. Donations to RAHS are tax deductible.

​Please register below or email us at roxhistory@msn.com.

Membership reminder:
Become a member of RAHS and you'll assist in bringing information about history in our own backyard to others. Please consider renewing your membership if you are already a member! Annual memberships begin on January 1 of each year and remain active until the following December 31. Individual annual memberships are $15, family annual memberships are $20, lifetime memberships are $100 and business/corporate annual memberships are $50.

*Donations are always appreciated to help defray program costs.

Roxborough Intermediate School Students Host Silica Kiln Fundraisers
Some of our local elementary school children are held two fundraisers to help with our efforts to stabilize the Silica Kiln! These go-getters raised $350 from these events in May. Thanks for your support!

2017 Events
We're planning our events for 2017 -- here's some of what we're working on. Dates and times may change so check back for more details!
August, Kiln fundraiser TBD
Fall, Highline Canal history
Date TBD - Active Minds - Historic Women of Denver

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:

The Arcadia Publishing Company announced that the book Roxborough is here! The Roxborough Area Historical Society was chosen as the organization to launch the history book.
 
Longtime Roxborough Park residents and co-authors Flo Tonelli and Char Nauman spent months collecting information and images to recount Roxborough’s historical past. Both are founding members of the Roxborough Area Historical Society. 

ROXBOROUGH  receives Metro recognition. Char Nauman and Flo Tonelli’s book ROXBOROUGH was listed as a Denver POST’s Local Best Sellers in the August 21, 2016 edition. ROXBOROUGH placed third in the Paperback Nonfiction section. You can purchase Flo and Char’s popular book by emailing roxhistory@msn.com or pick up a copy at the P.A.S.S. store in the Roxborough Market Place. 

Flo and Char will be available at future events to speak about the book and Roxborough’s history. Watch for local postings about when these events will take place. 

2017 Past Events
Thursday, January 26, Annual Meeting and special guest "Thomas Jefferson presenter, Jack Van Ens
Friday, March 3, Memory Lane Fundraiser
Thursday, April 27, Guest Speaker Jill Tietjen, author ofHer Story: A Timeline of the Women Who Changed America
Saturday, May 6, Miksch-Helmer cabin and Lamb Spring Archaeological Preserve site tour
​
2016 Past Events
Thursday, January 28, Annual Meeting and special guest "Abe Lincoln" presenter, John Voehl
​Thursday, March 17, In the Beginning, Jim Weglarz, Larry Schlupp, Tim Weber, and Blake Graham
Saturday, May 14, Lamb Spring/Miksch-Helmer cabin tour
Saturday, June 18, Slocum Cabin tour
Saturday, July 16, Miksch-Helmer Cabin tour
​Saturday, August 13, Fly'n B picnic
Saturday, September 24, Riverside Cemetery field trip
Thursday, October 20, Ghost Stories with Shaun Boyd
Saturday, November 12, Audubon Nature Center field trip

2015 Past Events
Thursday, January 29, Annual Meeting and Guest Speaker Jack Warner on "Lamb Spring"
Wednesday, March 18, History of Lockheed Martin with Ralph Dergance
Thursday, April 23, Buffalo Bill Experience with "Gunny" Jeff Norman
Friday, July 17, Melanie Grothe on Mountain Jeannie
Saturday, August 22, Tour of Miksch-Helmer cabin and Lamb Spring
Thursday, September 24, Exploring Douglas County History with the Castle Rock Writers
Thursday, October 22, Roxborough Geology with Roxborough State Park Naturalist Roger Dowell

2014 Past Events
Thursday, January 30, Annual Meeting and Guest Speaker Jeff Broome
Saturday April 12, Living on the Rocks, Guest Speaker Archaeologist Todd McMahon
Saturday May 3, Tour of HISTORY COLORADO CENTER
Friday, June 27, History of Douglas County Law Enforcement 1859-2014, Guest speaker Attila Denes
Saturday, July 19, Miksch-Helmer Cabin Tour
Saturday, August 2, Palmer Lake historical bus tour and ice cream social with the Palmer lake Historical Society
Saturday, September 20, Miksch-Helmer Cabin Tour
Tuesday, September 23, Margaret Coel, "My Journey with the Arapahos Through History and Mystery"
Thursday, October 23, Author Gail Beaton, Historical Women of Colorado

2013 Past Events
Past events:
Saturday August 24, 2013 Clean-up and Tour of the Miksch-Helmer Cabin - Members Only
Saturday, September 14, 2013 Tour of the Miksch-Helmer Cabin
Saturday, September 28, 2013 Tour of the Miksch-Helmer Cabin
Saturday, September 21, 2013 - Field Trip to visit the Larkspur Historical Society's Crull - Hammond Cabin