Steamboat Springs — This summer, the Tread of Pioneers Brown Bag Lecture Series is venturing outside the museum walls.

Now in its 17th consecutive year, the series offers locals and visitors the opportunity to hear the history and stories from those who lived it.

“That really is the heartbeat of this series,” said Katie Adams, curator at the Tread of Pioneers Museum, who compiled this year’s Brown Bag Lecture Series lineup.

This year, the series will explore the history and heritage of Northwest Colorado with professionals from neighboring museums who were invited to speak about their area of history.

“Each museum is very unique, and each museum has a lot to offer, and that’s one of the reasons why we wanted to bring that into the series — not just the town’s individual history, because these museums have a wealth of information and are really unique” said Candice Bannister, executive director of the Tread of Pioneers Museum.

Every Friday, the museum will host a lecture across the street at the United Methodist Church. It will start at noon each week except for the July 10 lecture — “Ghost Mine Driving Tour” — which will be from 9 a.m. to noon.

The first lecture will be presented today by the Hayden Heritage Center Curator and Historian, Laurel Watson, who will reveal “Hayden’s Hidden History.” She will share the lesser-know stories involving Hayden and Routt County and the famous people who have come from this area.

“I think events like these tell those stories and give insight into the area,” Watson said. “These areas are all connected in a way, and the history gives people a bigger look at the area as a whole. Many of the things I find everyday always surprise me, and there will be some really fun stories.”

Other lecture topics include “The Wallihan Collection: Photographs that Tell the Story of the Yampa Valley,” which will feature recently acquired photos from the the Wallihan family in the early 1900s, and a presentation about the influential Light family, related by Annabeth Lockhart, granddaughter of F.M. Light, who will speak about the store and its 110 years of history.

Featuring the history of skiing, Nancy Gray, Sanse Berry, Caroline Lalive Carmichael and Ann Battelle Ayer will give a talk on “Women in Skiing: A Comparative Look at the Elite Ski Racing World.” There will also be a lecture of “Hahns Peak: Boom to Bust” about the gold mining industry in North Routt with Becky Hicks.

The July 10 “Ghost Mine Driving Tour” to Oak Creek will be led by Jim Stanko, who will show mines in the area that are no longer in operation and give people an opportunity to see Oak Creek’s culture and history as well as the Tracks and Trails Museum.

On July 17, former City Manager Paul Hughes and City Council member Arianthe Stettner will join Jim Crawfod, great-grandson of the town’s founding father, James H. Crawford, for a history of the town’s governance and incorporation with “The Anniversary of the Incorporation of Steamboat Springs: 1900-2015” lecture.

In correlation to the Tread of Pioneers Museum’s newest exhibits, “Semotan — A Steamboat Legacy Since 1886” and “The Horse,” are two lectures in particular which will expand on what is found in the exhibit. Longtime resident and horseman Leo Snowden will share his story through the “Chariot Racing in the Yampa Valley, According to Squeak” lecture. Later in the series, Jo Semotan will relate her first-hand accounts in the “Semotan Family Yarns and Quarter Horse Foundation History” lecture.

“The speakers who come add so much color,” Adams said. “It doesn’t matter if you live here because those stories still resonate with you, and it’s a great way to learn some really key things about an area.”

For those who cannot attend, the museum creates a video recording of every lecture that is then digitized and stored in the research center. There, visitors to the museum have access to 17 years worth of lectures.

Brown Bag Lecture Series Events:

June 26: Hayden Heritage Center Curator and Historian Laurel Watson reveals “Hayden’s Hidden History.”

July 3: “American Feminist Entrepreneur: May Wright Sewall’s Life and Contributions” by Karen Often, Ph.D., historian & senior scholar at the Clayman Institute for Gender Research at Stanford University.

July 10: Program will be held 9 a.m. to noon for the “Ghost Mine Driving Tour” in Oak Creek, hosted by historian Jim Stanko. There will also be a tour at Oak Creek’s Tracks & Trails Museum with historian Mike Yurich. Fee is $25 per person and $10 for children under 12.

July 17: “The Anniversary of the Incorporation of Steamboat Springs: 1900-2015.” Former City Manager Paul Hughes and former City Council member, Arianthe Stettner, joined by Jim Crawford, great-grandson of the town’s founding father, James H. Crawford, will relate a history of the town’s governance and incorporation.

July 24: Museum of Northwest Colorado’s Executive Director Dan Davidson presents: “The Wallihan Collection: Photographs that Tell the story of the Yampa Valley.”

July 31: “Women in Skiing: A comparative look at the elite ski racing world” with Nancy Gray, Sanse Berry, Caroline Lalive Carmichael and Ann Battelle Ayad

Aug. 7: Long-time resident and horseman, Leo Snowden shares “Chariot Racing in the Yampa Valley, According to Squeak”

Aug. 14: Annabeth Lockhart, granddaughter of F.M. Light, talks about the history of Steamboat’s oldest store in “F.M. Light & Sons: 110 Years of History.”

Aug. 21: In “Hahns Peak: Boom to Bust,” discover the mystery behind North Routt’s gold mining industry with Becky Hicks, former history teacher and Hahns Peak Historical Society board member.

Aug. 28: South Routt history comes alive in “Tales from Egeria and Oak Hills” with Oak Creek’s Tracks and Trails Museum Director Nita Naugle and Yampa/ Egeria historian Rita Herold.

Sept. 4: First-hand accounts from Jo Semotan enrich the museum’s current exhibits in “Semotan Family Yarns and Quarter Horse Foundation History”

To reach Audrey Dwyer, call 970-871-4229, email adwyer@ExploreSteamboat.com or follow her on Twitter @Audrey_Dwyer1