Chautauqua a win-win for Boulder
by Silvia Pettem
Ever since 1898, Boulder residents and visitors have participated in events at Boulder's Chautauqua, now in its 125th year. But the national, cultural, and educational movement is not unique to Boulder. It grew out of nineteenth-century camp meetings in New York state and provided classes, oratory, music, and entertainment to isolated communities.
In its early days, there were at least 150 of these gatherings all over the country. So, how did Chautauqua, initially a summer resort, find its way to Boulder? A longtime Chautauqua secretary once stated that the Boulder location was chosen after a committee of leading Texas educators "set out like knights of old in the search for the Holy Grail." They thought Boulder was "the loveliest little city in America." Also, its summers were cooler than at home.
Boulder voters quickly approved a bond issue to buy seventy-five acres of land, then leased the land to what at first was called the Texas-Colorado Chautauqua. Contractors then scrambled to build the dining hall and auditorium, as opening day was scheduled for July 4, 1898. Carpenters finished the auditorium's framing on June 22.
Then, with only twelve days to go, 75 men worked around the clock to complete the walls, roof, towers, stage, and benches. A reporter called the construction "the fastest work ever known in Boulder." On opening day, flags waved and bands played.
Many of the guests came by train and stayed all summer. That first year, they slept in tents. In the evenings, a lively pace of orators, entertainers, and musicians performed on stage. These performers "rode the circuit," traveling by train to gatherings in other parts of the country. In the daytime, families were kept busy with burro rides, railroad excursions, and hikes in the mountains.
Boulder's location is unique, but the Chautauqua name is not. The Iroquois word has multiple meanings, including “a bag tied in the middle” or “two moccasins tied together." It describes the shape of Chautauqua Lake, in southwest New York, at the site of the movement's first (and ongoing) location.
In 125 years, the Chautauqua Auditorium has seen an array of speakers, magicians and animal shows, colorful dancers, persuasive actors, and nearly every kind of singer and musician imaginable. Classical music has come back in style, and the films that started the first year have never stopped. The site was a win-win situation for everyone, even the Texans.
Silvia Pettem can be reached at silviapettem.com