Summit Historical Society

1883 Dillon Schoolhouse Museum – Open for Tours
2024-08-21 11:00 - 13:00, 2024-08-22 11:00 - 13:00, 2024-08-27 11:00 - 13:00, 2024-08-28 11:00 - 13:00, 2024-08-29 11:00 - 13:00, 2024-08-30 11:00 - 13:00 (America/Denver) | Slifer Smith & Frampton- Breckenridge Office, 117 S Main St., Breckenridge, CO, 80424, United States
Can you recite the 1892 Pledge of Allegiance? Did you know the townsite of Old Dillon is underwater? Stop by from 11-1 Tuesday – Saturday for a tour of the schoolhouse and 2 historic cabins and learn about the town on the move and how a one-room schoolhouse made it to downtown Dillon. No advanced registration required – $5 suggested donation.

Explore Lake Dillon: Historical Boat Tour
2024-08-22 09:00 - 10:30, 2024-08-27 09:00 - 10:30 (America/Denver) | Dillon Marina, 150 Marina Dr, Dillon, Colorado, 80435
In partnership with the Town of Dillon Marina, trained guides from the Summit Historical Society lead a leisurely historic tour of Lake Dillon. Learn about the building of Dillon Dam and the Roberts Tunnel and relocating the Town of Dillon.

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings – June 4th through August 31st
Saturday tours are also available on June 8th, July 13th, and August 10th
9:30 – 11:00am June 4th – June 16th
9:00 – 10:30am June 17th – August 27th
Location: Dillon Marina
Cost: $44/person – no children under 7
Bring a jacket, hat and sunscreen. Weather can change rapidly on the lake!
For reservations, call Dillon Marina (970) 468-5100 or click the link below.

* Please arrive 15-minutes early. Boat will depart promptly at 9:00am
photo courtesy Town of Dillon Marina
BOOK ONLINE

Dillon Farmers Market
2024-08-23 09:00 - 14:00, 2024-08-30 09:00 - 14:00, 2024-09-06 09:00 - 14:00 (America/Denver) | Dillon Farmers’ Market, 120 Buffalo St., Dillon, CO, 80435
Every Friday, stop by our booth at the Farmers Market for special guests, pop-up exhibits, and more!

Every Friday from June 7 – September 6
9:00 AM – 2:00 PM MST
Location: Dillon Town Park along Buffalo and LaBonte Streets
Check the Happenings for special guest listings, pop-up exhibits, and more details
Free

5th Annual Vintage Baseball Game
2024-08-24 12:00 - 15:30 (America/Denver) | Dillon Town Park, 120 Buffalo Street, Dillon, CO, 80435
Free event for everyone!
Great family fun in the heart of Dillon, Colorado! Come watch a vintage baseball game with 1864 rules and uniforms. Live music and more! Food and refreshments will be available for purchase. All proceeds will be used to support the preservation and educational programs of the Summit Historical Society.

Date: Saturday, August 24, 2024
Time: 12:15 PM for the Summit Concert Band and 1:00 PM for the game
Location: Dillon Town Park
Cost: Free
Bring chairs, sunscreen, and sunbrellas for lawn seating

Buy A Chance Drawing!

1st Prize: Breckenridge Distillery Experience: tasting tour, private dining room, $250 Gift card, 3 bottles of Signature Collection bourbon. Value: $1,500.
2nd Prize: Gravity Haus: For modern adventurers, 2 nights at any Gravity Haus property and 2 ball caps. Value: $700-$1,000.
3rd Prize: A-Basin: 2024-2025 Ski Pass. Value: $659.
4th Prize: Bruce Queen: Original, hand-painted whiskey barrel. Value: $500.

Drawing Details:

Call 970-468-2207 or stop by SHS to buy your tickets for the Buy a Chance Drawing!
$10/ ticket
Benefits SHS education and preservation programs.
Only 500 tickets to be sold! 4 chances to win!
Drawing takes place during 7th inning stretch at VBBG, need not be present to win.
Pick up prize at game or at Schoolhouse by September 10.

Member Only – Historical Boat Tour
2024-08-29 09:00 - 10:30 (America/Denver) | Dillon Marina, 150 Marina Dr, Dillon, Colorado, 80435
Special tour for SHS members only. In partnership with the Town of Dillon. Guides from the Summit Historical Society lead a leisurely boat ride on Lake DIllon. Learn about building Dillon Dam, the Roberts Tunnel, and relocating the Town of Dillon.

9:00 – 10:30 AM; Dillon Marina
Cost: $25/person – No children under 7, please
Advanced registration required. Please purchase your ticket below. Limit 12 people.
Bring a hat, jacket and sunscreen; weather can change rapidly on the lake.
Please arrive 15-minutes early; boat will leave the dock promptly at 9:00

If you are not already an SHS member, please click here to become a member.
photo courtesy Town of Dillon Marina

Member Meet & Greet
2024-10-08 17:00 - 18:00 (America/Denver) | Slifer Smith & Frampton- Breckenridge Office, 117 S Main St., Breckenridge, CO, 80424, United States
Join us October 8 from 5:00 – 6:00 PM.

Celebrate Summit Historical Society’s 58th Birthday!
Learn about our plan to develop the Historic Park.
Meet new Society staff.

This event is typically for members only. But if you are interested in learning about the benefits of being a member and the amazing things SHS does, please join us!
$15 registration is required and space is limited to 40 guests. All registration fees go toward our educational fund. If you can’t attend but still want to donate, you can do that HERE!
Reserve your spot with a ticket below!
If you are not already an SHS member, please click here to become a member.

HOW COLORADO SAVED THE WEST WITH BOB PIETRZYK
2024-11-13 17:00 - 18:30 (America/Denver) | Slifer Smith & Frampton- Breckenridge Office, 117 S Main St., Breckenridge, CO, 80424, United States
Early in the Civil War, the Confederacy raised an army to capture the gold, beef, and grain found in abundance in Colorado. The emergency call went out and brave Coloradans answered the call. We will learn about the little known, but monumental Battle of Glorieta Pass. Veterans, historians, and military geeks welcome!
Become a member and save on all events.

11th ANNUAL OLD FASHIONED HOLIDAY BAZAAR and Online Auction
2024-11-16 10:00 - 16:00 (America/Denver) | Summit High School, 16201 CO-9, Breckenridge, CO, 80424
Shop local artists offering stained glass, fiber/wood art, food gifts, holiday décor, photography, jewelry, pottery, soap, clothing, author book signing, & more!
Online Auction: Live Nov 8-15th! Get ready to place your bids to support the Summit Historical Society!
Special Appearances:
Santa Claus
11 AM – 1 PM
The Nutcracker’s Sugar Plum Fairy and Clara.
10 AM – 4 PM

Alpine Dance Academy Presents The Nutcracker: Land of the Sweets
2024-12-06 - 2024-12-08 | Riverwalk Center, 150 W Adams Ave, Breckenridge, CO, 80424
We have a special night planned to start the holidays in Summit County!
The Nutcracker is in Summit County! Alpine Dance Studio has offered us a special ticket for $30 for the December 7th evening performance of the Nutcracker at the Riverwalk Center in Breckenridge.
Our SHS member, Bruce Queen, will be in the performance!
And Sally has reserved a block of tickets for you and your friends! Tickets may be reserved via email at Sally@summithistorical.org

Event Details:

Tickets are $30 paid via cash or check made out to Sally Queen.
You can pick up tickets at the 1883 Dillon Schoolhouse starting December 2nd-5th from 8:30am-4pm.
Tickets are limited so get yours by December 3rd!

2024 Crafts & Cocktails at Breckenridge Distillery
2024-12-08 11:00 - 18:00 (America/Denver) | Breckenridge Distillery, 1925 Airport Rd, Breckenridge, CO, 80424, United States
Join us at Breck Distillery’s annual Crafts & Cocktails event featuring Local Artists and Artisans from Colorado.
Attendance is free, and this year’s boozy punch will donate proceeds to Treetop Child Advocacy Center.
The lineup includes: jewelry, woodworking, candles, drawings, paintings, artwork, knitting, macramé=, handmade jackets, and more.
12/08 from 11-6pm, located at 1925 Airport Rd in Breckenridge, CO

Colorado Gives Day
2024-12-10 | Colorado
Support Summit Historical Society through Colorado Gives on Dec. 10th.
If you set up a new monthly donation, Colorado Gives Foundation will match your first monthly donation up to $100 and the SHS Board and an anonymous donor have generously pledged to match donations up to $25,000!
Preservation and education have been our core values for 58 years. We continue telling the stories of Summit County through historic structures, photographs, diaries, maps, and heirlooms.
You can designate your contribution for:

Preservation – to support the development of Summit Historic Park
Education – support our in school programs and/or our Annual Scholarship Fund
Endowment – Harriet Bobo’s legacy gift formed our current endowment fund. Join Harriet in securing our future.
General fund – It costs over $750 a day for salaries, utilities, grounds maintenance, collection management and internet.

Fundraising Breakfast at the Elks Lodge
2024-12-15 09:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago) | The Elks Lodge, 1321 Blue River Parkway, Silverthorne, CO, 80498, United States
Gather your friends and family for a yummy breakfast at the Elks Lodge. Your support helps Summit Historical Society preserve our community’s historic buildings, present a full schedule of events each summer, and bring area history into our schools.

Sunday December 15, 2024, 9:00 AM until 12:00 PM
The Elks Lodge, #2561, 1321 Blue River Parkway, Silverthorne
Cost: $18 prior to the event; $20 at the door

Lunch and Learn: Presidential Libraries
2025-01-15 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Denver) | Slifer Smith & Frampton- Breckenridge Office, 117 S Main St., Breckenridge, CO, 80424, United States
Grab your Lunch and join Sally and Bruce Queen for an armchair tour of thirteen Presidential Libraries and Learn about their histories from Roosevelt to Biden.
Many Presidential papers and records had been lost, destroyed, sold for profit, or ruined by poor storage conditions. In 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt sought a better alternative. At the dedication of his library on June 30, 1941, Franklin Roosevelt observed:
“To bring together the records of the past and to house them in buildings where they will be preserved for the use of men and women in the future, a Nation must believe in three things. It must believe in the past. It must believe in the future. It must, above all, believe in the capacity of its own people so to learn from the past that they can gain in judgement in creating their own future.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt

Bring your lunch and attend in person or watch on Zoom. (If attending on Zoom, you will receive a Zoom link the morning of the 15th.)
Registration Required for In-Person and Zoom.

Member Only-Full Moon Snowshoe Hike and Chili Cook-Off
2025-02-12 17:00 - 20:00 (America/Denver) | Colorado
Member Only Event!
Join Sandy and Sloan Colt for a February Full Moon snowshoe hike and Chili Cook-off.

Enter your chili to compete for prizes and bragging rights as the Best Chili in Summit County!
Voting is $1 per vote, with proceeds supporting the Summit Historical education and preservation mission.
Enjoy a beautiful full moon rise over Elizabeth Scott’s former Homestead!

Special Instructions:

If you are bringing chili, please bring it in a stove or oven safe pot.
Interested in entering the chili cook-off as a contestant? Space is limited so send us an email at Mail@summithistorical.org.
Hosted by Sandy and Sloan Colt, located 10 miles north of I-70, off Highway 9, just below the Acorn Creek Trailhead. Hikers need to bring their own Snowshoes or Yak Trax and poles for a walk on a Forest Service land that is unplowed.
Location provided to registrants only

Book Launch and Meet & Greet Author, Bill Fountain
2025-02-18 16:30 - 18:00 (America/Denver) | Slifer Smith & Frampton- Breckenridge Office, 117 S Main St., Breckenridge, CO, 80424, United States
Join us for a special Meet and Greet with Author, Bill Fountain! This is a book launch for “Historic Landscapes: Ghost Towns and Townsites: Preston, Swan City, and More – Volume 4.” Bill Fountain will be Zooming in to answer questions about his newest publication.
Volume 4 and the entire 5 Book Bundle will be available for purchase.
This event will occur at Slifer Smith & Framption’s Breckenridge office at 117 S Main St. Breckenridge, CO. Thank you to Slifer Smith & Frampton for generously hosting this event.
$15 registration is required and space is limited to 25 guests. If you can’t attend but still want to donate, you can do that HERE!
Reserve your spot with a ticket below!
If you are not already an SHS member, please click here to become a member.

Speaker Series: First Ladies of the White House by Nancy Kegan Smith
2025-02-26 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Denver) | Zoom, Details willl be sent once registration is complete.
The Summit Historical Society welcomes special guest speaker Nancy Kegan Smith, Retired National Archives and Records Administration Director, speaking on the First Ladies of the White House, via Zoom at 12pm MT/2pm ET.
Summit Historical Society Board President, Sally Queen, will introduce her colleague, Nancy Kegan Smith, retired Director of the Presidential Materials Division at the National Archives and Records Administration, the staff that advised the White House on presidential, first lady, and vice presidential records issues, presidential moves, and transitions.
Ms. Smith started her career as an archivist at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library in Austin, Texas and later worked at the National Archives Building in D.C. from 1973 until 2013. She first became interested in first ladies as an archivist at the LBJ Library working with Lady Bird Johnson in processing her beautification files and doing an oral history with her. She has authored book chapters on Lady Bird Johnson and Michelle Obama, is co-editor of Modern First Ladies – Their Documentary Legacy, and lectures on first ladies and presidential records. She is the co-author with Anita B. McBride of the first textbook on first ladies, U.S. First Ladies: Making History and Leaving Legacies, and Remember the First Ladies: The Legacies of America’s History-Making Women. She is a founder and currently is President of the First Ladies Association for Research and Education, FLARE.
At this must-attend event, Ms. Smith will highlight her latest book and honors the First Ladies, serving as an early kickoff to Women’s History Month in March.
Books, Remember the First Ladies: The Legacies of America’s History-Making Women, by Diana Carlin, Nancy Kegan Smith, Anita McBride and Modern First Ladies: Their Documentary Legacy by Nancy Keagan Smith (Editor), Mary C. Ryan (Editor) are available on Amazon.

Women of Distinction Luncheon
2025-03-08 12:00 - 14:00 (America/Denver) | Dillon Community Church, 371 La Bonte Street, Dillon, CO
Join us March 8, 2025 at our annual event, celebrating Women’s History Month and honor two distinguished women who have made great contributions to education in Summit County.
2025 Woman of Distinction: Then – Lulu Buffington, first female superintendent of Summit County schools.
2025 Woman of Distinction: Now – Bonnie Ward, former superintendent of schools and Co-Chair of the Education Foundation of the Summit.
The event will feature a delightful lunch, guest speakers, and silent auction of items donated by Summit County businesses.
Benefitting: Summit Historical Society education and preservation endeavors. Special auction benefitting Education Foundation of the Summit.
Sponsorship Opportunities!
Commitment requirements: $250, $500, and $1,000
Contact us at mail@summithistorical.org or call at 970-468-2207.

Lunch and Learn: Emma Ballif
2025-03-19 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Denver) | Old Dillon Schoolhoue, 403 La Bonte St., Dillon, 80435, United States
Bring your lunch and join Jean Adams to learn about one of Summit County’s founding women; a homesteader in her own right, Emma Ballif

Emma Lovisa Bengtsdotter was born March 23, 1868, in Torup (parish), Hallands Iän (county) Öfregård Sweden. She immigrated to the United States in 1886, first going to Des Moines, Iowa. In 1890 she and a friend moved to Colorado, where married Swiss-born Adolphus Ballif, a stagecoach driver, and a blacksmith on May 16, 1891, in Dillon, Colorado. Emma received a patent for 160 acres located between Dillon and Frisco, making her one of Summit County’s early homesteaders.
Come learn more about this fascinating woman from history enthusiast and SHS Volunteer, Jean Adams.

American Girl Dolls Go To School-- Moving to TBD in Summer!
2025-03-22 11:00 - 12:00 (America/Denver) | Slifer Smith & Frampton- Breckenridge Office, 117 S Main St., Breckenridge, CO, 80424, United States
Due to popular demand, American Girl Dolls Go To School is being moved to this summer! Summer date will be announced soon!
Meet Clara, Summit County’s very own American Girl doll from 1904! Join her on an adventure alongside your own American Girl doll.
Together, we’ll help write Clara’s Summit County story with special guest Sally Queen, the designer behind Felicity’s 1774 clothing.
You don’t need an American Girl doll to attend, but if you have one, bring her along for the fun!
Reservations required as space is limited.
