From the Trail
Jon Hatch
From the Trail #50, Dad and Son!

Another perfectly good day wasted on the Colorado River with ma Bird!

From the Trail #50, Dad and Son!

On the Corner

On the Corner Vol. 12 Issue 2/3, Q2+Q3 2018

On the Corner Vol. 12 Issue 2/3, Q2+Q3 2018

House became home for the Carlsons

By Silvia Pettem

In 1949, three years after Vivian and Carroll Carlson were married, the young couple purchased a brand-new house on Baseline Road in the Interurban Park subdivision. Now, almost seven decades later, Vivian still calls it home.

The neighborhood had been platted years earlier, in 1908, when the “Interurban” railroad first ran through the University of Colorado and then south on what today is South Broadway. The commuter trains continued to operate until 1926.

For the next two decades, the subdivided land between part of Park Avenue (now Baseline Road) and Green Mountain Cemetery was rural and sparsely settled. When the Carlsons’ moved in, the population of Boulder was just under 20,000. But post-World War II growth would quickly usher in big changes... READ THE NEWSLETTER

On the Corner Vol. 12 Issue 1, Q1 2018

On the Corner Vol. 12 Issue 1, Q1 2018

Haertling and Wagener, architects who shaped Boulder, both buried at Green Mountain Cemetery

By Carol Taylor

A stroll through Green Mountain Cemetery is a contemplation on the many personalities in history who contributed to Boulder. Standing out are two innovators, Charles Haertling and Hobart Wagener, architects who shaped Boulder’s built environment and created an inventory of striking mid-century modern structures.

Both men were born in the 1920s, both had Midwestern roots, both served in the U.S. Navy and both moved to Boulder in the 1950s. In addition, they both worked for Boulder architect James Hunter before starting their own practices.

Each architect left an impressive body of award-winning designs, many of which are now city landmarks, including residences, churches and public buildings. All the while they both raised families and served the community in civic and philanthropic organizations… READ THE NEWSLETTER

On the Corner Vol. 11 Issue 4, Q4 2017

On the Corner Vol. 11 Issue 4, Q4 2017

Chautauqua turns 120: From teachers’ retreat to National Historic Landmark

By Carol Taylor

It was quite a prize when Boulder landed the Chautauqua, 120 years ago, in the early months of 1898. Several other towns vied for the teachers’ retreat planned by the Texas Board of Regents, but Boulder officials impressed them with spectacular mountain scenery on a narrow gauge railroad trip.

The Texans chose a Chautauqua for their program, because the American Chautauqua movement was in full force. From the 1890s-1920s literally thousands of Chautauquas popped up all over the country as education and entertainment for the masses, featuring lifelong learning, oration and the arts.

Boulder agreed to provide the land and an auditorium as well as a dining hall for the new Texas-Colorado Chautauqua. The challenge was how to pay for this exciting amenity.

Boulder was a small town of about 6,000 residents, with a fledgling University and a collection of small businesses, but no cash for such a large project. A bond election could raise the funds to purchase the Batchelder

Ranch and other necessities, officials decided. With some hearty encouragement at the polls, the bond passed overwhelmingly in a municipal election in April of 1898. READ THE NEWSLETTER

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On the Corner Vol. 11 Issue 3, Q3 2017

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On the Corner Vol. 11 Issue 3, Q3 2017

One of Boulder’s Civilian Conservation Corp units bunked

by Chautauqua By Carol Taylor

One of Boulder’s Civilian Conservation Corp units bunked by Chautauqua By Carol Taylor Like the rest of the country, Boulder suffered in the Great Depression. Thankfully, programs from President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration helped get people back on their feet. FDR established the Civilian Conservation Corp by executive order on April 5th of 1933, as part of his New Deal. The CCC pubic works programs helped ease the suffering of the Depression by putting able-bodied unmarried young men to work.  The youngest (18-25 year olds) made $30 per month, while team leaders and assistants earned a little bit more. The majority of each worker’s paycheck was deducted and sent home to their needy families...  READ THE NEWSLETTER

On the Corner Vol. 11 Issue 2, Q2 2017

On the Corner Vol. 11 Issue 2, Q2 2017

Early Chautauquans loved the Switzerland Trail

By Carol Taylor

Legend says it was the spectacular scenery on a mountain train ride that helped clinch the Chautauqua for Boulder.  Boulder had been competing with other Colorado towns for the privilege of establishing a restorative cultural retreat for Texas schoolteachers. 

In February of 1898, Texas educators arrived in Boulder to survey proposed sites for a new Chautauqua.  “The prize is too big to be allowed to slip away,” stated the Daily Camera editor Lucius Paddock.  Community leaders feted the group, showed them around town and arranged a special treat – a ride in the mountains on the narrow gauge Colorado & Northwestern railroad.  On the trip up to the town of Sunset, Chautauqua officials were amazed by the dramatic mountain splendor. READ THE NEWSLETTER

On the Corner Vol. 11 Issue 1, Q1 2017

On the Corner Vol. 11 Issue 1, Q1 2017

Henrietta Lives!

By Carol Byerly

It looks like Henrietta is going to make it.  The elderly Plymouth Rock chicken has survived raccoon attacks, coyote raids, the neighbor dogs, and the dramatic weather extremes of Colorado.  Now she was the sole survivor of an electrical fire that killed the other seven chickens, ages four months to a year, in her coop.  

Early Monday morning I was drawn to the backdoor by the lights of fire trucks from the rescue station just blocks from my house.  Over the fence I saw that my neighbors’ chicken coop, a sturdy little house on stilts, was engulfed in flame.  Oh no, I thought, those poor chickens.  I knew my neighbors were out of town and saw the house sitter, Liz, standing stock still in the middle of the yard, still in her slippers, arms folded, watching as the firemen efficiently and thoroughly put out the fire with their hoses and picks and dragging out all of the flammable material required to raise chickens.  Both curious (I admit) and wanting to support Liz, I went over to help and console.  Liz told that when she ran to the flaming coop, when she opened the door, all of the chickens were on fire, but for one in a corner who somehow escaped the fireball and hopped or fell out of the coop.  “Henrietta” I said, “she has survived all the other traumas here.”  And on the ground behind the coop, amidst the four or five firemen in their full yellow and black rubber suits and hoses and big helmets, I saw a small, shuddering pile of feathers... READ THE NEWSLETTER

On the Corner Vol. 10 Issue 4, Q4 2016

On the Corner Vol. 10 Issue 4, Q4 2016

A “who-who-whodunit” in Lower Chautauqua

By Bryan Wallace, Senior Scientist, Conservation Science Partners, Inc.

A text buzzed my phone on a Friday night. “Hooty hoo,” read the caption underlining a dark photo. Although taken with a camera phone at night, the photo’s subject was unmistakable. Fifteen feet up, perched on an enormous apple tree, a Great Horned Owl stared back at the camera. She had that iconic owl shape, the “horns” (which are actually just feathers) erect atop her large, disc-like face, eyes shining like LED lights.    The photo came from a buddy who lives in Lower Chautauqua. The apple tree stands in his yard, and is a magnet for Boulder wildlife. I’m a wildlife biologist, so this friend likes to send me updates about what cool critters he has seen parading through his yard, feasting on fallen and ripened fruit. A couple of months back, it was a big mama black bear and her two fat, yearling cubs.    Around 8 o’clock the next morning, I got another text from the same friend. His wife had just found the owl dead, lying at the foot of the same tree, directly beneath her perch. READ THE NEWSLETTER

On the Corner Vol. 10 Issue 3, Q3 2016

On the Corner Vol. 10 Issue 3, Q3 2016

Why I Like This Neighborhood
By Jesse Weaver, 9
   I’m the luckiest kid in the world. Why am I the luckiest kid in the world? Because I get to live in the
lower Chautauqua neighborhood. I think this neighborhood is AWESOME. The reason I think this
neighborhood is so AWESOME is because of everything I’m about to tell you. READ THE NEWSLETTER

On the Corner Vol. 10 Issue 2, Q2 2016

On the Corner Vol. 10 Issue 2, Q2 2016

Creating Community, 25 year residents of the neighborhood recall how they landed in the LC

By Jon Hatch

Young Wes LeMasurier gripped the thick cable rails built into the granite stone
face, he looked down past the sheer edge of Half Dome with a rush of adrenaline, 
and it was good.The air was cool on his sweat. The large, round-shaped rock in
Yosemite National Park exposed him to the wonderful elements of nature. The best
part of this adventure was that he didn’t embrace the adventure alone, but shared
the moment with his friend Heather, with whom he had a new relationship. They got
to the top, brewed some tea, then took a nap and after that they descended to the
valley floor. The hike up the side of the famed Half Dome would be just of one of
many adventures the couple would take together, for years to come... READ THE NEWSLETTER

On the Corner Vol. 10 Issue 1, Q1 2016

On the Corner Vol. 10 Issue 1, Q1 2016

Neighborhood lost Laurie Paddock, a friend to Boulder history

By Carol Taylor, for On The Corner

I first met Laurence “Laurie” Paddock while I was librarian at the Daily
Camera (1998-2007).  I was fortunate to have occasional visits from Laurie, 
the Editor Emeritus of the newspaper.  Paddock was long retired from his
position as editor, but now and then he would turn up for meetings… READ THE NEWSLETTER

 

 

On the Corner Archived 2015

On the Corner Archived 2015

How Teeth Brought a Couple Together to Raise a Family

By Jon Hatch

The tall, sturdy dentist was hunched over in his rolling black chair and he precisely drilled on the soft part of a hard molar buried in the back of the patient’s mouth. The patient lay back horizontally in the exam chair with his mouth stretched open under a beam of light. Calm turned to displeasure as the drill bit pushed passed the novocaine and touched a nerve deep in the tooth. His forehead rippled and he wiped away the beads of sweat that glistened on his brow. Then through the noise of the piercing drill, the spraying of water and the gurgling of spit, the patient heard a woman’s soft voice beside him. He felt a gentle hand on the edge of his left shoulder. See all of 2015 issues click here

On the Corner 2014 Archives

On the Corner 2014 Archives

Bringing the World to Boulder

by Jon Hatch

Jim Palmer stood backstage of the Glenn Miller Ballroom in the University Memorial Center at CU-Boulder amidst the commotion between programs at the Annual Conference on World Affairs (the Conference or CWA). As the director of the conference, he was busy organizing, chatting, greeting, introducing, debating and laughing with those who buzzed in and out of the room. In the mayhem a fellow walked up to him and said, "thank you for all of this!" And the man dropped a piece of paper into Jim's starchy shirt pocket...Read the full story and more from On the Corner in 2014 by clicking here. 

On the Corner 2013 Archives

On the Corner 2013 Archives

Trudging blindly through morning darkness, blowing snow and freezing temperatures, in the backcountry of Rocky Mountain National Park, Bruce Henderson breathed thick steam from his lips as he whispered to himself, "I am lost"...Read the full story of what happened to Bruce and many other articles in On the Corner from 2013 by clicking here. 

On the Corner 2012 Archives

On the Corner 2012 Archives

For decades after the first homeowners moved into the lower Chautauqua neighborhood, its few residents lived in a country setting and shopped in downtown Boulder. The area drastically changed in the early 1950's, when an influx of government workers suddenly competed for places to live, work and shop...Read the full issue of On the Corner by clicking here.

On the Corner 2011 Archives

On the Corner 2011 Archives

Driving up Baseline road toward Chautauqua, you can't miss the white, stately, modern Wilbur Williams house located at 1434 Baseline road. Completed in 1937, the home will celebrate it's 75th birthday next year. To read the full story of this house as well as many other articles in this edition of On the Corner click here.

On the Corner 2010 Archives

On the Corner 2010 Archives

In native lore, the Bobcat totem is a special one. Foremost, the Bobcat animal totem is a sign of patience. Bobcats are superior hunters, and they incorporate stealth, strategy and wield a great deal of patience in their hunting excursions. To read more about the Bobcat and the full On the Corner newsletter, click here. 

On the Corner 2009 Archives

On the Corner 2009 Archives

Although many are familiar with Boulder's modern architect Charles Haertling, fewer people know about Tician Papachristou. This visionary architect, whose career began in Boulder, designed the distinctive, mid-century home at 1900 King street. If you're curious of how Frank Lloyd Wright influenced the design of this house, and would like to read the full On the Corner newsletter, click here. 

On the Corner 2008 Archives

On the Corner 2008 Archives

I describe a healthy home as one of the things that contributes to the well-being of the inhabitants as well as the earth. In that spirit, here are some things to ponder....Read all about it in this issue of On the Corner, here. 

On the Corner 2007 Archives

On the Corner 2007 Archives

Digging out from the these recent snowstorms has been a great opportunity to meet new neighbors and catch up with others. I witnessed some folks shoveling their neighbors side walks and walk ways. Sledding below four pines has also drawn a number of families together. What a place to live. Thank you SNOW!...Read more from this edition of On the Corner here.

On the Corner 2006 Archves

On the Corner 2006 Archves

Slightly more than a century ago, real estate developer (and former county treasurer) David Dobbins purchased a 160-acre parcel of land south of the city of Boulder. The land had been homesteaded in 1874, but it's owner lost it's title due to unpaid taxes. Although the property was as barren as Rocky Flats, Dobbins envisioned the settled neighborhood it would one day become...Read the full article and newsletter here.

Jon Hatch

303-513-2834

jon.hatch@compass.com

compass - boulder

1470 walnut Ave. suite 201/202

Boulder, CO 80302