Supporting History

SHF Saves Christmas

Originally published in Colorado History NOW, December 2004

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.  Or is there? This age-old question is too big to address in this column.  However, the State Historical Fund has supported projects that might facilitate the big guy’s mission.

As the oldest continually occupied courthouse in Colorado, the Park County Courthouse had been by-passed by Santa for many years because its chimneys were missing and the roof was failing.  Through a recently completed SHF grant, the county restored the roof and re-created the character-defining chimneys. Though rarely done, the re-creation of a missing historic building element can be part of an SHF-funded project.  Maybe this year, Park County employees will find sleigh tracks on the roof with footprints leading to the chimneys.

Finding the building should be easy this year, especially if Santa uses state-of-the-art satellite-guided navigation.  Yet rumor has it that Santa is somewhat traditional and still uses visual landmarks to find his way.  If so, he would do well to stop at the World’s Wonderview Tower outside of Genoa on the eastern plains.  This 1920s tourist stop includes an observation tower boasting a view of six states.  Through a Historic Structure Assessment and roof and stucco repairs, the SHF has helped to preserve this eclectic structure.

Another part of Santa’s important navigational system sits atop Squaw Mountain in Clear Creek County.  Using native granite boulders, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) completed the historic fire lookout in the mid-1930s.  At 11,486 feet in altitude, it is among the highest lookout towers in the U.S.  A recently completed SHF project provided partial funding for the installation of a protective railing—a particularly useful feature when peering out into a cold and snowy late-December night.

Since the holiday season is the time to visit relatives, Santa always schedules a stop at the Pueblo Zoo to let the reindeer catch up with old friends.  Monkey Island was originally built to house deer that frolicked up and down the mountain and sought shelter in two man-made caves.  Their home reflected the zoo’s naturalistic approach to habitat construction.  With SHF assistance, the Animal House is being rehabilitated and the moat’s whimsical boat and lighthouse, which delight children all year ‘round, are being restored.

When Santa finishes the job this year, goes home to the North Pole, and shakes out all the pine needles from his fringed red coat, he might pause to consider the variety of the nation’s Christmas trees.  Some of them might have originated in the Monument Nursery in El Paso County, where millions of conifer, fir, and spruce seedlings were grown and shipped for reforestation projects around the country.  The nursery’s historic structures, many dating from the CCC era, have been documented and a preservation plan has been developed through an SHF-funded grant.  Though the place now houses the Monument Fire Center and forest service fire fighting crews, a white-bearded gentleman can, on occasion, be seen measuring some of the remaining trees and holding up plastic stars.

Although the SHF does not, as a matter of policy, consider Santa’s needs while awarding or administering grants, it is happy to play a part in the preservation of these and other historic resources that make his job a little easier.

BY LYLE MILLER, SHF Technical Advisor

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