People of the Kawuneeche Valley

People of the Kawuneeche Valley with Dave Lively

Tuesday, March 8, 2016 - 6:30pm to 8:00pm
  • Library Hall

A history talk: Stories of human nature encountering Mother Nature in what is now the west side of 100-year-old Rocky Mountain National Park, presented by Bud Werner Memorial Library and Tread of Pioneers Museum.

Do you ever wish you had lived in the pioneer days? You would have the inspiration to cross the Ute trails over the mountains to camp on the side of Colorado’s largest lake. You would discover the courage, and adaptability to live in a cave on the side of the mountain while digging a ditch to divert water out of the Grand River. You could work at the Hotel DeHardscrabble. You show the stamina to walk from Denver to work on the Harbison Dairy ranch. You could have seen the Arapaho horse pack trip wander through what would become Rocky Mountain National Park as they named the peaks and the area’s features. You would have heard them use the name Kawuneeche. You might have heard Enos Mills talk of preserving the land for all to explore and enjoy.

In “People of the Kawuneeche Valley” Dave Lively  takes you on a speedy tour of the recurring themes of survival and success during the past 11,000 years in our high isolated mountain valley. Always transient, the ebb and flow of passing cultures has influenced life today in this unique alpine corner of our nation.

You will be inspired to encourage your children and grandchildren to preserve the wilderness, wildlife and wonder of Rocky Mountain National Park’s west side far into the future.

About the speaker

Dave Lively


Dave Lively is a Certified Interpretive Guide and well-known Grand County historian who has been leading his weekly “Sisters of Courage” walk in Rocky Mountain National Park for over eight years. A dynamic speaker who specializes in shining light on absent narratives, Lively creates programs about local history for groups large and small. His stories of remarkable characters from the past engage audiences and bring deeper understanding and appreciation for where we are today. In 2015 he will appear in “The Living Dream”, a PBS documentary, and is a speaker for the Rocky Mountain National Park Centennial Speakers Series. Lively conducts historic seminars and tours for Rocky Mountain National Park, Rocky Mountain Conservancy, and Trail River Ranch education center. He is President of Historic Fraser, Vice Chair and West Slope Representative of Colorado Preservation, Inc., Past President of Grand Lake Area Historical Society and Past Chairman of the Grand County Historic Preservation Board.

 

Photo: "Squeaky" Bob Wheeler at his "Hotel De Hardscrabble," courtesy.Rocky Mountain National Park Historic collection