Berthoud Weekly Surveyor May 1, 2014 Page 5
A LOOK AT BERTHOUD
Pioneer Museum courtyard taking shape T
house exhibits, an office and storage he grounds at the Little facilities. The A.G. Bimson 1893 stone Thompson Valley Pioneer blacksmith shop and the Museum on East Elmer Carlson 1940 autoMountain are taking shape. Then & Now motive repair garage are loLast fall, truckloads of pave- Surveyor Columnist cated on Mountain Avenue. ment were removed from Behind those buildings the area and replaced with the 1916 Meadow Hollow paving stones and sandstone country school, a replica of slabs of various sizes and banker John Bunyan’s backshapes. Since that time the yard observatory, Charles Berthoud Historical SociMeining’s 1874 homestead ety has offered individuals, cabin, and a barn constructfamilies and businesses ed by A.G. Bimson in 1902 the opportunity to sponsor fill the area now known as personal inscriptions on the the “Pioneer Courtyard.” pavers and slabs. The proThe area was the scene of cess of inscribing the stones Mark numerous improvements got underway last week and French last fall. will continue indefinitely. On the afternoon of The Little Thompson Berthoud Day, the Pioneer Courtyard Valley Pioneer Museum at 224 Mounwill be opened to the public for the first tain Ave. consists of six buildings that
OBITUARY Eugene (Gene) Smith June 14, 1926 — April 24, 2014 Eugene (Gene) Howard Smith went peacefully to his home with the Lord on April 24, 2014. Gene was born to Harvey A. Smith and Mary E. (Priebe) Smith on June 14, 1926, in Haxtun, Colo. He graduated from Haxtun High School and entered the U.S. Air Force in 1945-46. Upon his return he became a welder under his father in their blacksmith shop. Gene married Alma Koch in 1948 and had three children. In 1964 he
moved his family to Longmont, Colo. He worked as a machinist for Dualmatic from 1964 to 1980. He divorced Alma in 1972. In 1980 he moved to Berthoud, Colo. He worked for Circuit Images in Boulder, Colo., for 10 years and retired in 1992. Gene married Marilyn Leonard on April 26, 1992, in Berthoud, Colo. According to his wife, “He loved watching the mountains from their home while working in the yard and driving his beloved John Deere tractors.” He is survived by Marilyn Gene Smith of Berthoud, Colo., his children; Vicki Kennedy (George) of Hudson, Colo., Robbie Smith (Ge-
time. Perhaps the most striking feature of the courtyard is a wide expanse of paving stones and sandstone slabs. Bordered by newly-planted trees and garden beds, the courtyard aims to live up to Berthoud’s billing as the Garden Spot of Colorado. The courtyard will soon be the location of an arbor constructed by local craftsman John Goreski, a gazebo that will contain the school bell from the school that once stood in Fickel Park, a stage constructed from the foundation stones from the Sunnyside country school, and a sun dial that John Bunyan had in his backyard on Eighth Street. The most noticeable change in the courtyard was the relocation of the historical society’s iconic windmill to a prominent site near the street. The windmill, obtained and erected by Dale
neva) of Ft. Lupton, Colo., and Nancy Smith (Dan) of San Francisco, Calif.; two granddaughters, three grandsons, and two great-grandsons; sister Bernice Collins and brother Clarence Smith, both of Sterling, Colo. He was preceded in death by his parents and three brothers; Harold, Richard and Leonard Smith. Gene is to be cremated without ceremony. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Gene Smith memorial. Carroll-Lewellen Funeral Smith & Cremation Services is in charge of arrangements.
and Max Schaal many years ago, is now positioned over the original sandstone cistern cover from the F.A. Bein farm northeast of Berthoud. A trickling water feature has been installed beneath the windmill that towers over an original sandstone watering trough that has stood near Bimson’s stone blacksmith shop since the 1890s. To date, nearly 100 individuals, families and businesses have stepped forward to sponsor inscribed paving stones and sandstone slabs that commemorate various persons and aspects of the greater Berthoud community. Larry Carroll’s Rockart Company is inscribing the pavers and sandstone slabs. The process begins when an order for a paver or stone is placed with the Berthoud Historical Society. Once the text to appear on the paver or stone is determined, it is forwarded to Carroll, who uses his computer to generate a “mask” or stencil of the wording. The mask is then taken to the courtyard where it is glued to a paver or stone. The actual inscription is made by sandblasting the letters and numbers that were cut from the mask. The mask is removed, the stone is cleaned, and the inscription is exposed for the generations to come. The Berthoud Historical Society invites everyone to consider recording their Berthoud heritage on a paving stone or sandstone slab at the Little Thompson Valley Pioneer Museum. Interested parties may also call the Pioneer Museum at 970-532-2147 or visit the Berthoud Historical Society’s website for more information.
Photos by Mark French
The inscription of paving stones in Berthoud’s Pioneer Courtyard begins when computer-generated “masks” or stencils are glued into place.
After masks have been glued down, the inscription is sandblasted into the surface of the paving stones.
Once the paving stone has been sandblasted, the mask is removed and the stone adhesive is removed from the stone.
Shop in Berthoud this Mother’s Day To advertise in the special section contact Diane Wells at 970-532-2252.
Free bar of Renaze soap w/purchase. In Renaze Day Spa • Corner of Mountain Ave. & 7th St. 970-532-5898 • Open Tuesday thru Saturday
Look at LoNGMONT To advertise in this special Longmont business section please contact Diane Wells at 970-532-2252.
Sandals for the Entire Family!