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By the time you get this newsletter, Christmas will have been over for many weeks. I am still recovering from a marathon of HGI parties and holiday events. This year is the first time that I attempted to go to all seven "Christmas at Hamill House"receptions. Each reception was fun, and I enjoyed meeting many members and supporters of HGI for the first time. HGI is always able to net a few dollars after expenses from these events, but after one considers the hundreds of hours that our volunteers devote to the events, as well as the hard work of our staff, it is fair to say that we do not make much money. But I think that Christmas at Hamill House means more than making a profit: it has become an opportunity to celebrate. First and foremost, we celebrate the season. The occasion also gives us an opportunity to remember special friends who have left us during the past year; provides an opportunity to introduce new people to the Hamill House and HGI; and helps recruit new members for our organization. Finally, it allows us all to enjoy HGI's most prized property in a fun and festive way. These receptions (Ron says they are not "parties," they are "receptions") have been going on for over thirty years, and I hope that I will still be going to Christmas at Hamill House thirty years from now. At that age, however, I am sure that I will not have the stamina to attend all seven! The Rise of the Silver Queen I believe that this book will be an extremely valuable contribution to our understanding of the history of Georgetown, and so I am proud that HGI was able to play a role in getting this scholarly work published. The Board of Directors authorized us to use part of the generous bequest left to HGI by Barbara Page so that we could participate financially in the production of the book. Furthermore, by contributing to the production costs, we were able to persuade the publisher to include more photographs and to enlarge the book's dimensions.
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In Sandy Crooms' office is a bit of calligraphy framed and on the wall that says, "The purpose of a university press is to publish as many good scholarly works as possible, short of bankruptcy." As some of you know, I earn my living as a bankruptcy lawyer. I jokingly asked Sandy, pointing to the saying on the wall, "Does this mean you wouldn't be interested in publishing my book, The Effect of Nineteenth Century Bankruptcy Laws on Mining in the American West?" Sandy, being a diplomatic sort, said that it sounded like a fascinating topic. Look out Chris, this history biz looks like fun! Because The Rise of the Silver Queen has been selected for publication by the University Press of Colorado, we can be assured that knowledgeable professional historians have passed on its scholarly merit. And with the many pictures to be included, we should all be able to enjoy it. Open Lands Recently, a new organization was formed here in the county called the Clear Creek Trails Association. One of its goals is to restore and improve many of the old mining roads and trails in the county to make them more suitable for mountain biking and hiking. Over the past year, Clear Creek Trails has done some wonderful work on the old mining road from Georgetown to the ghost town of Silver Creek, which is above Lawson. Volunteers from Clear Creek Trails also cleared the avalanche debris from the Argentine Central Railroad trail above Silver Plume. As an organization, the group is discussing construction of a hiking/biking trail from Georgetown to Silverdale, mostly following the old road up the valley along South Clear Creek. I think the Open Lands Committee should be involved in this project. Let me know if you are interested in helping out with this project or in serving on the Open Lands Committee. |
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