1950s artifacts donated to Niwot Historical Society

Last week's surprise winter storm might have seemed out of place in April, but as a recently donated artifact to the Niwot Historical Society (NHS) attests, spring blizzards are nothing new in the area. According to the April 6, 1957 edition of the Niwot Tribune (1921-1958), the area was "buried" under 18 inches of snow, which disrupted local phone service for four days.

The Tribune clipping was one of several items donated to the NHS in March by longtime member Judy Gould Dayhoff, who has been doing some spring cleaning of the Gould family history files, and decided it was time the items went "to a good home."

"My great grandfather, James B. Gould, was a brother to Jerome F. Gould, a Niwot pioneer," Dayhoff wrote in an email interview with the Courier. "James B. lived near Jay Road and 75th Street. My father, Frank E. Gould, whose Railroad Avenue Garage receipts were given to the NHS, lived on the North Foothills Highway (US 36) and not in the Niwot area. In the 1950s, Dad would sometimes bring his vehicles to be repaired by Francis Curtis, owner of the Railroad Avenue Garage in Niwot."

Dayhoff's donation included the raft of newspaper clippings, dated from 1950-1958, as well as other documents from everyday life in Niwot seven decades ago. For NHS President Kathy Koehler, the Gould family artifact items provide a welcome boost to the group's mid-20th century collection.

"We would like to gather more items and information from the 1950s forward," Koehler wrote. "We don't have much information on Francis Curtis and the Railroad Avenue Garage, so we would appreciate any stories from folks who were in Niwot and visited the shop."

Also among the Gould family items was an order booklet from the Cownie Tanning Company, a custom hide finisher headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa.

"The Cownie Tanning Company operated from 1888 for five generations in the midwest," she wrote. "For hides to make their products, they had representatives of the company throughout the United States, and Rev. Taylor was the Niwot area representative. The notebook is clean and unmarked. The one page in the book lists the prices paid for hides so it brings reflection on the types of hides that would warm and protect pioneers."

Dayhoff is already planning a future donation, thanks to a lifelong habit she picked up from her family.

"My grandmother, Lena Moll Gould Baker, clipped and saved many items from local newspapers in the 1940s and 50s. I carried on that "tradition" from the 1960s through the mid-1990s."

Among her clippings are several obituaries of Niwot pioneers, such as Ereck C. Ereckson (who was born in Ward in 1870), as well as Margaret Remley and Flora Sherman, daughters of Jerome F. Gould.

Koehler said that the NHS receives donations "periodically," and Dayhoff's is the first since member JoAnn Bell donated items related to the former Niwot School, which was razed in the 1960s to make room for State Highway 119. Two years ago, Dave and Cheryl Armstrong donated several items from George and Walter Atkinson, Niwot's longtime blacksmiths.

"We appreciate any items that share and help document Niwot's history. It is best for an item to share the date, people, information and any story related to the item or photograph," Koehler wrote. "When items are donated, board director Vivian Knaus assesses the artifact and the item is carefully stored in appropriate preservation containers. In the past couple years, Vivian has created an outstanding database for all the recorded artifacts."

New Board Members

The NHS had to postpone its public lecture series for the spring, but the local preservation group has been growing behind the scenes. Before the Feb. 26th Now & Then public lecture, the NHS elected Niwot residents Kirk Stewart and Amy Scanes-Wolf to the Board of Directors.

"Sadly, Kirk and Amy were welcomed onto the Board of Directors at the end of February and the pandemic has put a halt to us having a group meeting to welcome them and really getting to find a niche for them," Koehler wrote of the pair. "I know they will offer fresh ideas and suggestions, fit in well and are great additions to the board. There is always something that needs a volunteer in an organization, and the more helping hands make the job easier on all volunteers."

Both will bring extensive experience to the position, according to Koehler, and, "both share a respect and have an interest in our Niwot history."

"Amy and Kirk have hosted at times when the Fire House Museum is open. Amy has Boulder County Heritage Center experience and Kirk is an accomplished wood-worker, so he might help with some displays in the Museum. Kirk will also possibly be of tech help with Leonard Sitongia (NHS Webmaster Director) because he has some technology experience. They both will have a 'home' on the Board contributing to something they enjoy."

Scanes-Wolf, a contributor to the Left Hand Valley Courier, is a lifelong history buff who is eager to connect with her hometown community on a deeper level.

"When I was a child, I wanted to grow up to be a pioneer," Scanes-Wolf said. "I used to diligently milk my rubber glove cow at the expense of my real chores. What started as just a fascination with homesteading became really a fascination with how history shapes where we are today. I got to work for a couple of years as a docent at Thomas Jefferson's house, and I realized I loved historical interpretation. I think knowing the stories of the people that came before us makes us feel invested in the future and gives us a lens for looking at our own place and time. So naturally, living in Niwot, I have a desire to participate in learning and sharing its history."

Scanes-Wolf echoed Koehler's regrets about the pandemic delaying her work with the board, but is looking forward to getting started, whenever health guidelines allow it.

"If it is possible, I'd love to explore connecting with kids. I volunteer with Boulder County's public history programs, so I've done a lot of historical tours, butter churning, one room school sessions, corn grinding, etc... with kids, and I love doing that kind of thing."

The NHS will be back in action in September, with the Now & Then series lecture on The Switzerland Trail, an historic narrow gauge railway. The second lecture of the 2020 series, originally scheduled for April 29th, has been postponed to Nov. 11.

For more information about the NHS, its collection, or to make a donation, visit their website or send inquiries to info@niwothistoricalsociety.org.