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Community Ag Alliance: The board says it best

Meg Tully/For Steamboat Today

While being thankful is a year-round attitude, this is the season that makes us pause and reflect on the people and the things that make our lives happy and fulfilling.

At Historic Routt County, we are honored to save the places that tell Routt County’s stories, for as Steve Jobs once said, “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards.”
 Instead of me doing the talking in this column, I thought I’d share what Historic Routt County’s board members have to say about what we do and why it’s important. Perhaps some of their reasons will resonate with you too.

“From the hearty people who settled this area to present residents we, as a people, have shaped the buildings that have shaped our community. One cannot appreciate where we are unless we know from where we’ve come. HRC helps to preserve that thread, tying our generational identities together. Few other organizations can say that.” — Todd Hagenbuch, board member and CSU Extension agent



“I am serving on the Historic Routt County Board, because I feel that the endeavor of saving historic structures is really about keeping us moving forward with direction. Sustaining the diversity of the built environment provides us with a compass from which we can design with purpose and understanding.” —Thomas Davis, board member and architect, Kelly & Stone Architects

“I support Historic Routt County, because through honoring the past, we have an informed future.” — Bridget Roth, board president and archaeologist, United States Forest Service



“Historic preservation is important to me, as I see it as a way of saving tangible relics of our historic past and heritage for future generations. Someone once said we cannot know who we are or where we are going unless we understand our past and where we have been. To me, there is no better way to understand and to experience our history than to touch and experience it within the built environment.” — Laurel Watson, board treasurer and curator, Hayden Heritage Center

“Through traveling and living in different countries, I realize the importance of the stories told through built environments, many of which are still intact for over a thousand years. My husband’s family came to Routt County in the late 1800s, a relatively short period of time compared to many other historical places in the world. I feel honored to be a Board member of Historic Routt County, working to keep the history and story of Routt County alive by helping to preserve our built environment.” — Cindy Wither, board secretary and retired teacher

“I support historic preservation because, although change is inevitable, I believe that compromising our historic landmarks can result in a great loss to our culture, our economy and our sense of place. At whatever cost, we need to protect these treasures of our past.” – Johnny Walker, board member and retired teacher

As for me, I try to envision what Routt County would look like without some of the places that help define our town. I think about the More Barn/Yock Cabin, Hahns Peak Lookout, Howelsen Hill, Crossan’s M & A Market, Rehder Building, Mesa Schoolhouse, Oak Creek Town Hall, Mad Creek Barn, Rabbit Ears Motel sign, Lake Catamount Ranch District, Toponas Community Club, Hayden Granary — what if these places weren’t here anymore?

Whether it be a large role or a small role, Historic Routt County has played a part in saving all of these places and many more.


What places are extra special to you? Why are they so special? Your answers to these questions are why we do what we do. We have big plans for 2016 and will continue to connect yesterday’s places with tomorrow with the help of many community partners — and hopefully you.

Meg Tully is a certified association executive and executive director of Historic Routt County.


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