History in our own backyard

 Upcoming Events:
Kassler tour for RAHS members only, Thursday, September 27, 10:00 a.m.
A Benefit of RAHS Membership - An experience you won’t forget
The Roxborough Area Historical Society is offering a visit to Kassler, Colorado for members only on Thursday, September 27 at 10 a.m. Don’t recognize the name of this little settlement? It’s right in our own backyard! You’ve driven, hiked, biked, or walked through the middle of the once thriving Kassler community on your way through Waterton Canyon.
On this tour you will hear the story of the folks who lived in the little town on the South Platte River and learn how clean water was supplied to Denver residents for decades.    
Denver Water Department’s, Holly Geist, will take a very limited number of RAHS members on a walk through Kassler. Holly will explain how large sand beds were used to clean water before releasing it for use by Denver’s residents. Two historical company buildings and the superintendent’s home are filled with memories of those early workers and their families.

Register today by email to roxhistory@msn.com or make your reservation below.  This tour is limited to the first 20 RAHS members who sign up. RAHS will place any additional names on a waiting list. Register early! 

​2018 Events
We're planning more events for 2018 -- Check back for more details!
Dates TBD -
Highline Canal tour

​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.

**This will be the last year we offer Lifetime Memberships for $100.00.  Prices for Annual Membership will increase in January 2019.  In an effort to raise the necessary matching funds for the Silica Kiln Preservation Project, we will be offering a special this year.  For $200.00, those interested will receive a Silica Brick and be grandfathered into our Lifetime Membership Program at $100.00 (before the prices increase in 2019).  

Images of America: Roxborough
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. 

Thank You!  We Reached Our Goal to Save the Silica Kiln!

On behalf of the Silica Kiln, the Roxborough Area Historical Society wants to thank each and every one of the individuals and families of Roxborough; Douglas County Libraries; Northwest Economic Development Corporation; Sterling Ranch; RE/MAX Edge; Eagle Home Mortgage; Hasson Financial, Inc.; Roxborough Park Foundation and the Art Committee; Charter Financial Services (Memory Lane); Subway; Domino's; Safeway; Garlic Knot; Historic Douglas County, Inc.; West Metro Fire Station #15; Seven Stones Chatfield Cemetery; Roxborough Liquors; Cardel Homes; our fantastic Elementary School Students; and so very many others who contributed money & their time to reach the goal of raising the necessary matching funds for the $102,543.00 grant from The State Historical Fund.
 
A very special thank you goes out to Art Tonelli, Susie Trumble and Colorado Preservation, Inc. who carried the torch for years, tenaciously and tirelessly working behind the scenes to research & preserve the history, submit the grants (multiple years) and coordinate with all the necessary entities to make this happen.
 
To obtain the grant, The State Historical Fund required a 15% match of $18,096.00, as a community partnership commitment. In 2018-2019, we will use this first grant to stabilize the kiln and additional funds will continue to be raised to add safety enclosures, pathways and educational signage for visitors to enjoy and learn about the history and significance of the Kiln.
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For those of you who may not know, one of the area's main industries was the Silicated Brick Company that produced distinctive white bricks. The bricks were made with sand excavated from the nearby hogback to the south and west of the kiln that contained feldspar deposits mixed with calcium silicates. The kiln burned limestone into lime which was added to silica sand.  The bricks were not baked, but cured by a process using high pressure steam. The Kiln site was designated as a Douglas County Historical Landmark on August 22, 2007. The small community named Silica located in the area supported the miners and brickyard workers. There was even a narrow gauge rail spur, the Silica Branch, of the Colorado and Southern Railway (formerly the Denver South Park & Pacific) which was used to transport the bricks.

You may still make a donation to our kiln stabilization project through PayPal below.

2018 Past Events
Friday, January 26, Annual Meeting and Presentation "An Evening with Mary Lincoln"
Saturday, February 24, Silent Auction for the Silica Brick Kiln: Wine, Chocolate and Roses
Thursday, April 19, An Evening with J.v.L. Bell, Author of The Lucky Hat Mine
Saturday, May 5, Lamb Spring/Miksch-Helmer cabin tour
Thursday, August 23, Civil War presentation with Brent Brown 

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
​Thursday, June 22, An Insider's Peek into Cherokee Castle with Meg Anderson and John Lake
Saturday, August 19, Silica Kiln History and Fundraiser
Saturday, October 28, High Line Canal History and Nature Walk
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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