On September 19, the Devil's Gate History Club proudly presented "Music ­ A Key to Georgetown's Past," featuring our own illustrious and dynamic musical duo of Jocelyn Pyle on the piano and singer Susan Bagwell. More than 50 attendees enjoyed a lively hour of history blended with song, performed in a Victorian setting by the two costumed ladies. The songs reflected music that probably was heard in the various venues of Georgetown in the early days - saloons, race tracks, gambling halls, dance halls, boarding houses, and parlor houses. Included were rousing renditions of such familiar tunes as "Clementine," "Oh, Susannah," "Sweet Betsy From Pike," and "De Camptown Races."

Interspersed was a narration that told of changing times and changing music tastes during the 19th century, including the shift from when there were 13 whiskey houses in Georgetown to the years of prohibition, when the saloons literally went "underground." Family life became a central part of a more refined Georgetown, and as the WCTU waged "war on demon rum," wives sought to retrieve their husbands from the local bars. Ms. Bagwell's stirring "Father, Dear Father, Come Home With Me Now" represented these times, and her sentimental "My Old Kentucky Home" gave tribute to the homesick miner. The evening concluded with a rousing sing-along.

Meetings of the Devil's Gate History Club, sponsored by HGI, are free and open to the public. Come join us for our monthly programs during the year. Titles and schedules of upcoming programs are posted on HGI's web site. The topic for Friday, November 21, is "Colorado is Snowbound - The Story of the Great Front Range Blizzard of 1913 (and its 2003 Counterpart)," by Bill Wilson.