nha Archives | Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area

Apr 09

The Need to Know on the Capture the Cache Photo Contest

By Cache La Poudre Heritage Area Capture the Cache, Events, Uncategorized

Photograph: A word whose Greek roots mean “written in light.” A photograph captures a moment in time, a memory, even a feeling. These moments create a visual story of the people, places, or objects in the photo.

The Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area’s annual photo contest provides a platform for individuals to tell the story of our heritage area through the visual representation of photography. The Capture the Cache photo contest celebrates the natural beauty, culture, and heritage of the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area. The contest is an opportunity for amateur or professional photographers to express their creativity while exploring the heritage area.

”Eternal glory! That’s what awaits the student who wins the Triwizard Tournament.
Professor DumbledoreThe Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter Series

Unfortunately, there will be no eternal glory, but you will obtain bragging rights as a winner of the Capture the Cache photo contest! There will be a chance to win cash and non-cash prizes too. Competitors must be 16 years of age and older to enter.

The contest ends on May 10, 2024, so get your cameras snapping!

The heritage area extends for 45 miles and includes the lands within the 100-year flood plain of the Cache la Poudre River. It begins in Larimer County at the eastern edge of the Roosevelt National Forest and ends east of Greeley, a quarter mile west of the confluence with the South Platte. Photos must be taken within the confines of the heritage area. Full list of rules and regulations.

2024 Categories

Outdoor Community Culture

Outdoor Community Culture photos are meant to capture the community of the Cache la Poudre River and surrounding river corridor. This could include anything from dogs, music festival, brewery patio life, photos of the scenery along the many hiking and biking trails, and/or attendance of community events. These photos are meant to capture the essence of what it is like to live in the heritage area. This is YOUR community, so show us the community through your eyes!

History Along the River Corridor

The Poudre River is as rich in history as it is in natural wonders. History Along the River Corridor hopes to showcase the plethora of historical sites and stories along the corridor.

These could include spots such as 1979 Avery House, 1883 Water Works, B.H. Eaton Ditch, Bingham Hill Cemetery, Cache la Poudre Marker, City of Natural Area and Trails Division at Signature Bluffs, Council Tree, Great Western Sugar Beet Flume and Bridge, Greeley Ditch #3, Greeley History Museum, Kaplan-Hoover Bison Bone Bed, Lake Canal Museum of Art Fort Collins, Pleasant Valley School House, Strauss Cabin, Von Trotha-Firestien Farm at Bracewell, Windsor History Museum and more. This is a list to get you started.

In Motion

The river corridor is always in constant motion, whether it’s water flowing, a cyclist biking along the trail, or a train crossing the bridge over the river. These photos are meant to capture the movement of the river and the surrounding river corridor. This could include but is not limited to people cycling, hiking, or rafting, and/or running water, and moving trains.

Submit Photos

Q&A with the 2023 Winners

Full gallery of 2023 winners.

Water Works | Credit: Dave Cho | Tours & Itineraries

Terry Walsh

3rd place Recreation & Lifestyle

What did you enjoy most about the contest?

When I heard about the contest, I thought it would be fun to enter and hopefully get my photos seen by others.  But honestly, the most enjoyable part of entering was going back through my photos and choosing which ones to submit.  That gave me the chance to relive some great memories and enjoy the Poudre all over again.

Why did you decide to enter the contest?

I was hoping to get recognition for some of my photos if they won, but just as important was the idea of sharing my photos with others.  The river has so much to offer that it is good to see the organization getting more people to see what the river and surrounding area has to offer.

John Bartholow

2nd place River Reflections

What did you enjoy most about the contest?

Of course, I enjoyed “winning”.  But frankly, I think our whole community “wins” when we — as a community — appreciate the Cache la Poudre River’s many assets.  For too many years, the Poudre was essentially a dumping ground.  Downtowns turned their backs on the river.  All we could think about was pulling as much water out as the law would allow.  Finally, those old ethics are changing.  More and more people recognize the value of an ecologically resilient river for recreation, flood control, and other non-extractive uses.  We have a lot more to do in terms of protection and restoration, but at least we are making progress.  So, I do what I can to show the river’s beauty and how the community values water *In the River*, not just out of it.

Why did you decide to enter the contest?

Building on the first question, I enjoy photography and the Poudre has been one focus for years and years. I enjoy sharing my work for almost any non-profit that has a use for it — again, hoping to appeal to the ‘better angels’ of restoration and protection.  The river itself has no voice; we must be that voice that welcomes a cadre of supporters.

Dave Cho

1st place History & Culture

What did you enjoy most about the contest?

I most enjoyed getting to know the river much more than I had previously known. Looking for and finding interesting spots and features forced me to get more familiar with the areas in and around the river and the surrounding areas. I found a new appreciation for beauty and recreational opportunities as well as the people and organizations that work on conservation efforts.

Why did you decide to enter the contest?

I’m a photographer hobbyist and some friends encouraged me to enter the contest. I thought it would be fun and challenging and a great excuse to go out and photograph. The different categories within the contest provided a nice incentive to see the river in different ways and forced me to expand my vision on what is possible around the river.

Greg Boiarsky

2nd place History & Culture

What did you enjoy most about the contest?

I got a chance to look at the Poudre River in a different light. It made me walk (and bike!) along the trail just looking for historic sites and photographing different aspects of the trail than I had photographed before.

Why did you decide to enter the contest?

Honestly, it was fun to try my hand at winning a contest with my photos. I like sharing my photographic perspective with friends and the wider community. You can’t swing a cat without hitting a fabulous photographer in Fort Collins, so it was an honor being chosen.

Mar 22

Love0

The Mysterious Woman: Miss Stella M. Newell

By Cache La Poudre Heritage Area Stories

They say behind every good man is a woman, but in the case of the hundreds relying on the water of the North Poudre Irrigation Company it was just one woman—Miss Stella M. Newell.

Stella Newell, born in 1885, grew up near St. Louis, Missouri. After contracting tuberculosis, she moved to Fort Collins in 1914, a common move when clean air of the West was thought to cure ailing lungs. Less common, in 1914, was a young woman striking out on her own. For six years Stella worked a variety of jobs—even spending time as postmistress of Coalmont, a rural community near Walden, Colorado—but in 1920, she was offered a job that changed her life, secretary and treasurer of the North Poudre Irrigation Company.

1933 Audit, p.161. North Poudre Irrigation Company Records. Water Resources Archives, Fort Collins, Colorado.

The North Poudre Irrigation Company, made up of nineteen reservoirs, hundreds of miles of ditches, and hundreds of shareholders, was (and is) vital to farming in Northern Colorado. Shortly after farmers began settling here in the 1870s, they realized rainfall would not provide enough water to grow crops. As a solution, they began constructing a complex network of irrigation reservoirs and ditches, founding companies to build and maintain them, including North Poudre in 1901. Running such a company was no small task, so in 1920 they hired Stella.

Fort Collins Courier June 194, 1920. P.3. Accessed on newspapers.com

Stella managed day-to-day operations and finances, assisted with the purchase and sale of stock and shares, secured renters for farms and water rights, answered inquiries and legal questions, testified in water rights cases, and answered thousands of pages of correspondence. In an era before email, computers, or in some cases direct telephone lines, this was no small feat. In most cases, the correspondence is businesslike, Stella often signing simply as “secretary,” but upon occasion, especially when corresponding with fellow women, personal notes, political discussions, and friendly requests appear. Stella was the brains and heart behind the operation—in fact, a shareholder once wrote that when Stella was out sick none of her bosses knew enough to fill in! In an era where a woman with a career was uncommon, Stella devoted her life to this work.

Annual Reports, 1941-1965, image 110. North Poudre Irrigation Company Records. Water Resources Archives, Fort Collins, Colorado.

Annual Reports, 1909-1920, image 193. North Poudre Irrigation Company Records. Water Resources Archives, Fort Collins, Colorado.

Correspondence. February 1935. WNPR Box 39, Cor. 1935 Jan-Mar. North Poudre Irrigation Company Records. Water Resource Archives, Fort Collins, CO.

Stella was also very involved in the Fort Collins community. She organized the Delphian Society (think book club on steroids), was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star (women’s branch of the Masons), attended the First Presbyterian Church, and was an early and lifelong member of the Business and Professional Women’s Club. While Stella never married, she was loved by many, appearing frequently as an attendee in social gatherings, trips, and wedding parties! She rented a plethora of apartments around Fort Collins, even living in the Northern Hotel for years!

Sadly, the poor health that brought Stella west followed her all her life and in 1953, after thirty-three years in office she resigned from the irrigation company due to illness. She died in 1956 and is buried in Grandview Cemetery in Fort Collins.

You might be wondering, “Gee for such an important person, where’s her photo?” We’d like to know the answer to that too! Despite combing several archives and sources, Cache NHA staff and local archivists have been unable to find a photo of Stella! What we’ve discovered is that despite decades of critical work, her tenure is rarely mentioned or remembered and there is no known photograph of her. In a sad way, this is a bit poetic. A woman who was in many ways taken for granted remains in some ways invisible even to us. Stella offers us a small look at the often-hidden work women did to build industries and communities across the West.

This story was compiled from research conducted by Cache NHA staff including records at the Fort Collins Archives, Colorado State University Water Resource Archives–North Poudre Irrigation Company Records, on Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection/Newspapers.com, and U.S. Census Records.

Resources

Image 1

1933 Audit, p.161. North Poudre Irrigation Company Records. Water Resources Archives, Fort Collins, Colorado.

Image 2

Annual Reports, 1941-1965, image 110. North Poudre Irrigation Company Records. Water Resources Archives, Fort Collins, Colorado.
https://hdl.handle.net/10217/192915

Image 3

Annual Reports, 1909-1920, image 193. North Poudre Irrigation Company Records. Water Resources Archives, Fort Collins, Colorado. https://hdl.handle.net/10217/186350

Image 4

Correspondence. February 1935. WNPR Box 39, Cor. 1935 Jan-Mar. North Poudre Irrigation Company Records. Water Resource Archives, Fort Collins, CO. https://hdl.handle.net/10217/187557

Image 5

Fort Collins Courier June 194, 1920. P.3. Accessed on newspapers.com

Mar 06

Love0

Press Release: National Heritage Area Program Bill Passes in House of Representatives, Supports Program Longevity

By Communications News

NEWS RELEASE

March 6th, 2021

For immediate release; for more information, contact:

Kathleen Benedict, Executive Director

Poudre Heritage Alliance

(970)-222-5795

National Heritage Area Program Bill Passes in House of Representatives, Supports Program Longevity

Washington, DC – Colorado, USA (March 6) – The passage of the National Heritage Areas Act of 2021, H.R. 1316, as part of H.R. 803, the Protecting America’s Wilderness and Public Lands Act, on February 26, 2021, standardizes the criteria in which future National Heritage Areas (NHAs) will be designated under and defines structures that will allow more consistent federal support. This will affect all 55 National Heritage Areas, including the three existing ones in Colorado. NHAs are places designated by Congress for their cultural, natural, historic resources that combined tell a nationally significant story about our nation’s diverse heritage.

The three Colorado Heritage Areas, Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area (designated in 1996), South Park National Heritage Area (designated in 2009), and Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area (designated 2009), are currently authorized to only receive appropriated funding for three more years until the year 2024. While not considered National Park Units, NHAs receive technical and financial assistance from the National Park Service who administers the program. Among championing historic preservation, educational programming, and heritage tourism, NHAs generate economic value for their communities, on average $5.50 per $1 of federal funds spent. An Economic Impact Study completed in 2017 by the Poudre Heritage Alliance (the managing entity of the Cache la Poudre River NHA) showed an annual $81.6 million impact on their region and $6.9 million generated in tax revenues.

The National Heritage Areas Act of 2020, H.R. 1049, would have initially passed in the House of Representatives on December 4th, 2020, but stalled in the Senate. H.R. 1049 would have allowed NHAs to receive an additional ten years of federal funding and had more than 220 cosponsors. The National Heritage Area Act of 2021 has bipartisan support, being sponsored by Representatives Paul D. Tonko (D-NY) and David McKinley (R-WV), and is currently being reviewed in the Senate.

ABOUT THE CACHE LA POUDRE RIVER NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA AND THE POUDRE HERITAGE ALLIANCE

The Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area (CALA), a 45-mile stretch of the Lower Poudre River, tells the story of the river where Western Water Law took shape and how the river still informs the use of water throughout the arid West today. CALA’s 501(c)3 nonprofit managing entity, the Poudre Heritage Alliance – PROMOTES a variety of historical and cultural opportunities; ENGAGES people in their river corridor; and INSPIRES learning, preservation, and stewardship. Find out more at: https://poudreheritage.org/

###

Oct 24

Love1

Mississippi Delta NHA wins National Park Service Award

By Poudre Heritage Alliance News

MDNHA Receives National Park Service Centennial Award for Oral History Program

CLEVELAND, MS. (October 11) – The Delta Center for Culture and Learning at Delta State University and the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area recently received 2016 National Park Service Centennial Awards for creating the Delta Jewels Oral History Partnership.

The cultural heritage interpretation project honors the lives of unsung Mississippi Delta church mothers featured in Delta Jewels: In Search of My Grandmother’s Wisdom, a book by Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalism professor Alysia Burton Steele. The MDNHA was the only National Heritage Area to receive a NPS Centennial Award this year.

“We are honored to receive this esteemed recognition from the National Park Service for this important cultural heritage development project,” said Dr. Rolando Herts, director of The Delta Center and executive director of the MDNHA. “The fact that Delta State and the MDNHA are acknowledged together truly demonstrates the power of partnerships and collaboration when telling the Delta’s story.”

For 18 months in 2015 and 2016, the Delta Jewels Oral History Partnership’s community gatherings engaged over 1,000 Mississippi Delta residents, visitors and supporters. The gatherings took place in diverse, welcoming venues throughout the state including universities, churches and tourism and cultural centers.

“We are thrilled with the results of the Delta Jewels partnership,” said Dr. Myrtis Tabb, chair of the MDNHA. “This program was one of our very first and was extremely successful right off the bat. We are eager to build upon that success with continued partnerships that will help share the diverse stories of the Mississippi Delta.”

The Delta Center continued to host presentations with Steele in 2017, which have focused on community impacts documented in the Delta Jewels Oral History Partnership 2015-2016 Report.

Most recently, these have taken place at the National Heritage Areas Southeast Region workshop in Atlanta, Georgia; the Smithsonian African American Interpretation Workshop in Charleston, South Carolina; the NPS Collaboration Clinic in Biloxi, Mississippi; and the Association for African American Museums conference in Washington, D.C. In addition, Herts and Steele have been invited to present at the upcoming Oral History Association conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

“We have used the report as an interpretive and educational resource, which enhances the storytelling experience,” said Steele. “In addition to photos from the community events, the report includes survey results from participants. An overall program rating of 4.9 out of 5 clearly indicates that sharing the Delta Jewels’ oral histories have had positive impacts in the communities we engaged.”

The MDNHA and The Delta Center commemorated the 2016 NPS Centennial through other projects and events. Together, they organized an opening reception with Delta State University’s 2015 Winning the Race conference featuring former NPS director Bob Stanton.

In addition, the MDNHA Passport to Your National Parks program attracted NPS Centennial travelers, and a MDNHA promotional videowas screened at a NPS Centennial film festival in Atlanta. Since its release, the video has been viewed over 20,000 times on social media.

The Delta Jewel Oral History Partnership 2015-2016 report is available online at The Delta Center. View the MDNHA promotional video on their homepage.

The mission of The Delta Center is to promote greater understanding of Mississippi Delta culture and history and its significance to the world through education, partnerships and community engagement. The Delta Center serves as the management entity of the MDNHA and is the home of the International Delta Blues Project and the National Endowment for the Humanities “Most Southern Place on Earth” workshops.

press releases news Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area NPS southeast region NPS Service Centennial Award nps centennial histo

nha