RICH HISTORY
SCENIC HIKES, SPARKLING HISTORY Telluride’s rich past comes to life with museum’s Hike into History series BY MARTINIQUE DAVIS
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ith its striking vistas and dramatic landscapes, the Telluride region is known to conjure awe. Dig beneath the picturesque surface, though, and the real power of place comes alive when told through its history. The Telluride Historical Museum’s pursuit of bringing history to life is made evident in one of its most popular programs, Hike into History. As Director of Programs and Exhibits Theresa Koenigsknecht explains, these jaunts to locales around Telluride deliver stunning scenery with an added dose of historical context. “When you can stand in a place and have something to envision — like walking a trail and knowing that it’s the same trail that hundreds of men used to walk to get to the Liberty Bell Mine for example ... it all comes together in this beautiful package,” she says. The museum has been organizing summer hikes to historically significant locations in the region since 2006, with three unique hikes typically planned throughout the summer. The 2020 schedule was truncated due to the pandemic, but Koenigsknecht and her colleagues anticipate being able to bring the full Hike into History schedule back this summer, with unique adventures tentatively scheduled for July, August and September. Hikes vary from easy to difficult and are led by specially selected guides. “With the right leader, it can be about so much more than history,” Koenigsknecht says, explaining that the museum aims to select expert guides who can bring insights in 40
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