Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum Celebrates City Sesquicentennial With COS@150 Exhibit

From the City of Colorado Springs:

July 31, 2020

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – In honor of Colorado Springs’ upcoming sesquicentennial anniversary, the CSPM is excited to unveil its newest exhibit, COS@150, on Saturday January 30, 2021. This robust exploration of our community’s history and culture will feature 150 objects, illuminating 150 stories commemorating 150 years.

The COS@150 gallery will include the people, places and events that helped shape Colorado Springs. Objects on exhibit will range widely in age, size and format in order to engage, surprise and inform both residents and visitors alike. The stories featured will be drawn from our vast archives, collections, and members of our community.

For example, the first artifact collected for this groundbreaking exhibit was donated by local resident Frank Macon. Raised in Colorado Springs, Macon’s, “…sights were always set firmly on the clouds.” As a teenager he worked at the Spruce Street Garage to pay for flying lessons, later serving with the Civil Air Patrol. He eventually enlisted in the Army Air Corps and headed to flight training and college at the Tuskegee Institute. His distinctive red Tuskegee Airman jacket represents his unflappable determination to achieve his dreams and his courage to serve his country.

Anniversaries provide an excellent opportunity to reflect on the past, present and future. As we look back on our shared history, there are countless examples of dynamic people, pivotal events, and both triumphs and challenges which make our story unique. As we look forward into the future, how will this understanding of our past influence the decisions we make? What do you think our next 150 years will look like? Should look like?

Finally, we need your help. Do you have stories and objects to share? What people, places and events would you like to see featured in this exhibit? We want to hear from you! Please contact Curator of History Leah Davis Witherow at leah.witherow@coloradosprings.gov (link sends e-mail) or 719-385-5649.

For more information about the exhibit visit: https://www.cspm.org/exhibits/cos150/ (link is external)

El Pomar Foundation is the Lead Sponsor of the Sesquicentennial Celebration at the CSPM and the COS@150 Exhibit!

This press release was produced by the City of Colorado Springs. The views expressed here are the author’s own.