Editor’s note: This report has been updated to correct the spelling of Wayde Allen’s name.

Many in the crowd outside the historic Routt County Courthouse on Saturday watched closely as Freemasons unsealed a time capsule that was placed behind the building’s cornerstone more than 100 years ago.

A strong showing of community members and local officials gathered Saturday on the lawn at the historic courthouse to celebrate the building’s 100th anniversary. Throughout the morning, a number of events and tours marked the special occasion before the big birthday party culminated in the recovery of the 101-year-old time capsule.

“If you look at the date, it was laid 100 years last year, so we’re a little behind,” said David Moran, worshipful master of the local group of Freemasons. “But it is Routt County, so we’re on Steamboat time.”

After loosening a few bricks to retrieve the time capsule, members from Elk Mountain Lodge #118 A.F. & A.M. took off the lid with a small power tool before removing the contents one by one. Inside the small metal box they found a stack of old newspapers as well as other documents detailing current events of the time, as well as the history of the courthouse, the county, Steamboat Springs and more.

Some of the items inside the time capsule included:

• A copy of the Friday, June 16, 1922 edition of the Routt County Sentential with the front page headlines: “Meet to outline work on tunnel,” “Met death by gunshot,” “Still was well hidden,” “Carried off the safe” and “Big celebration for July Fourth.”

• A local guide issued by the Steamboat Springs Commercial Club

• A program from the ninth annual Routt County Fair

• A pamphlet headlined “Routt County leads state in yield of crops on dry land”

• A flyer promoting the “Steamboat Springs Bath House and Open Air Pool”

• A copy of The American Legion Weekly magazine from Sept 8, 1922

• A copy of The Literary Digest magazine from Sept. 9, 1922

• A copy of the Sept. 7, 1922, edition of The Denver Post with a big front page headline: “30 Indictments of murder returned in Herrin Probe”

• A copy of “Where to go when in Steamboat Springs” prepared by the Sequoyah Club

• An old document detailing the architects and contractors who worked on the Routt County Courthouse

• A copy of the September 1922 edition of the Yampa Leader newspaper with the front page headlines “Yampa head lettuce continues to be best in the state” and “District court decided in favor of Moffat Tunnel”

• A letter from the Routt County Clerk and Recorder listing local officers

While all of it was interesting to Moran, he said none of the items surprised him more than a letter signed by James Crawford, who’s credited for founding Steamboat Springs in the late 1800s.

“The ground where the county courthouse is now being built was located by me on the 24th day of June, 1874,” Crawford’s letter states.

During remarks before the time capsule presentation, Routt County Commissioner Tim Redmond recalled how shortly after the courthouse was built, the courtroom on the third floor was described as “the most beautiful room in Northwest Colorado.”

“If you think about when this courthouse was built, it really stood out with everything else that was happening in this town,” Redmond told the crowd.

Built in 1922, the courthouse took more than a year of construction to complete. While it has changed significantly on the inside over the last century, Redmond said the exterior remains much the same as the day it was completed.

Routt County Commissioner Tim Corrigan also tapped into nostalgia as he read excerpts from an article published in the May 19, 1922 edition of the Routt County Sentinel as he said the building cost $122,000 to construct.

“The new building will be one of the most handsome and substantial public buildings in the state,” Corrigan said as he continued to quote the newspaper article.

“No county in the state will have a courthouse of more pleasing appearance. While some have cost more money, none can be more satisfactory in construction or in usefulness as a public office building,” Corrigan read out aloud. “While as simple in design as possible, the entire structure will be one of beauty, permanence and economical construction, and when completed, Routt County will have a courthouse of which every citizen will feel a justifiable pride.”

The county commissioners added that they take great pride in the building and how it’s been preserved over the years and said they’re excited it will continue to serve the public well into the future.

For anyone who would like to check out the contents from the time capsule, Moran said they will be on display inside the historic courthouse for a period of time that has not yet been determined.