The Front Lines
The Official Newsletter of the Colorado Military History Museum
Volume I, Number I P.O. Box 201714 * Denver, Colorado 80220-7714 October 2000
Military History Museum Coming To Colorado
Project organizers recently announced their intention to create a Colorado
Military History Museum designed to serve as a permanent repository for
artifacts that will detail the state's unique military heritage.
The museum, the site for which is still being negotiated, will house exhibits
that illustrate over 150 years of Colorado military history, beginning with
the use of Bent's Fort as a staging area for U.S. troops from Missouri on
their way to battle Santa Anna's Mexican forces during the Mexican-American
War of 1846-1848 (a war in which Colorado's first governor, William Gilpin,
took part).
The heart of the museum will be 50 restored military vehicles from the Red
Ball Express collection in New Mexico, dating from the 1940s to the 1970s.
Additional exhibits will focus on the famed 10th Mountain Division which
trained in Colorado from 1942 to 1944, and on the 45th Infantry Division, one
regiment of which was comprised of the Colorado National Guard. The 45th made
four amphibious assault landings - Sicily, Salerno, Anzio, and southern
Prance, and liberated the Dachau concentration camp near Munich.
Other displays will highlight the First Regiment of Colorado Volunteers and
their battles with Confederate troops in New Mexico during the Civil War; the
conflicts between soldiers and Native Americans; the seizure of Manila by
Colorado soldiers during the Spanish-American War; the contributions of
Colorado troops during World War I; and the involvement of Colorado-based
units in the Korean, Vietnam, and Desert Storm conflicts, as well as U.N.
peace-keeping operations.
Also planned for the museum is a "Hall of Heroes," which will pay homage to
Coloradans who distinguished themselves on the battlefield, and a library/
resource center for books, magazines, documents, and photos.
Tom Haines, one of the CMHM's directors, stated, "We know there are many
veterans, veterans' families, and militaria collectors in Colorado who have
artifacts that are just gathering dust in an attic or basement, and who would
like to loan or donate their items to the museum so that they could be
displayed to inform and educate the public."
Haines also noted, "The value of these artifacts, if donated, could be taken
as a tax deduction, as the museum will be a 501(c)(3) non-profit
organization. Until the designation is approved, the Association of Living
History, which is a 501(c)(3) corporation, will temporarily serve as our
initial fund-raising conduit."
Individuals may contribute artifacts in a variety of ways: l.) as outright
gifts to the museum; 2.) as permanent loans; 3.) or as temporary loans. The
museum may also purchase some items. All loaned and gifted artifacts will be
acknowledged with the donor's name.
Meet The People Behind The Museum
The idea of a museum devoted exclusively to Colorado military history has
been brewing for several years, but it took the offer of a sizeable
collection of military vehicles to provide the impetus to actually set the
wheels in motion.
The vehicle collection, belonging to Nat Holzer of Santa Fe, NM, was offered
to the 10th Mountain Division Foundation, a philanthropic organization formed
by veterans of that World War II unit. But the Foundation had no place to
store or display the collection.
Tom Harries of Denver, a lawyer, son of a 10th veteran, and Foundation board
member, knew that his next-door neighbor, Flint Whitlock, a Vietnam veteran,
military historian, and also the son of a 10th veteran, was involved with
several "living history" organizations, and the two began discussing the
possibility of finding a home for the Holzer collection by starting a museum.
Harries and Whitlock approached Rob Barnes, president and founder of the
Association of Living History, and Dave Little, head of the 10th Mountain
Division Living History Display Group, to enlist their support. Both men have
extensive militaria collections, and both were enthusiastic about the project.
The five directors of the CMHM -- Hames, Whitlock, Holzer, Barnes, and Little
- have been working together for several months to formalize their plans.
Several possible homes for the museum have been considered and the group is
currently in negotiation with one of them. Militaria collectors have also
been contacted and a number of them are planning on having their collections
displayed once the museum becomes reality.
EXPERTS & VOLUNTEERS WANTED
The CMHM is also looking for persons with expertise in certain time periods
and/or weapons, vehicles, and uniforms to assist the to-be-named curator. In
addition, the museum will also need people interested in designing and
building displays, doing vehicle and equipment maintenance, cataloging
artifacts, general office work, and leading tours of the facility. It is
anticipated that most of these positions will be of a volunteer nature,
although some positions may be salaried.
If you are interested in assisting in any of these areas, please contact us
at the address listed below.
MUSEUM MEMBERSHIPS & SPONSORSHIPS AVAILABLE
The Colorado Military History Museum needs to raise at least $2 million
dollars for the first phase of building the museum and its exhibits, and will
soon launch a major, state-wide fund-raising campaign. However, individuals
and businesses who wish to make history and become involved with this project
from the beginning may join now and become charter members and sponsors. All
donations may be eligible as tax deductions.
MAIL TO:
Colorado Military History Museum
P.O. Box 201714
Denver, CO 80220-7714
- I want to become a Charter Member of the CMHM! (Includes unlimited free
admission,
newsletter, and 10% gift shop discount)
Membership Levels:
- 1 Year Chatter Membership $25.00
- 3 Year Charter Membership $50.00
- Charter Life Membership $500.00
- I want to make a tax-deductible donation to the CMHM in the amount of
$_______
Amount Enclosed $______
(NOTE: Please make checks payable to "Assn. of Living History CMHM")
- I want to loan or donate a collection to the CMHM. Please contact me to
discuss. .;
- Please contact me about a corporate sponsorship.
- Please keep me on your mailing list.
- I am interested in donating my time to the CMHM in the following
way(s):_____________
Name ______________________
Home Phone______________________
Work Phone______________________
Address ______________________
City ______________________
State ______________________
Zip ______________________
Email ______________________
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This document was scanned, OCR'ed, and e-mailed by Rob Kiser
without any permission from anyone. I do not currently have any
affiliation with the museum, although I would like to rectify this as
soon as practicable. Finally, I would like to point out, for the record,
that neither Microsoft Word nor OmniPage recognized Salerno, Anzio,
or Dachau. Ouch.
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"The unarmed man is not only defenceless, but he
is also contemptible." Machiavelli
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