In Vermillion, South Dakota there is this “Shrine to Music” that has many odd examples on display:
Hurdy Gurdy
Stove Pipe Cello
and a Barrel Cello
Made by Palmer N. Roe of Canton, South Dakota in 1955.
The Disco Museum
OK, it’s really the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery
Panorama of the wind/water hands on exhibits plus something about sugar beet farming
The REAL NATIVE Coloradoans and the story of the invaders.
Native plants and animals
And music! Can’t forget music.
The above images were captured during the museum’s first week in operation. This 47,000 square foot museum successfully combines history and science that many museums around the country and perhaps even the world have never dreamed of doing… We are all watching to see what the future holds at this spot on the North side of town.
The Bus 2 Pingree
It’s near where we went in 2008 on the Veteran’s Day Trek.
No hike today: We went via a CSU Bus
to the beautiful Pingree Park Conference area and learning center for CSU’s forestry students. We didn’t hike up to the B17 crash site this time; We just took a tour of the many buildings at the park and took in the fall colors.
A member of the Warnar College of Natural Resources
tells us how we could become involved in the many activities at the “mountain campus”, including music and painting workshops not to mention getting lost on the miles and miles of hiking trails.
Taxidermy in the museum
among other things. I haven’t posted a picture of a stuffed cat in a while, so here it is.
The Cold Storage
is one of the buildings on this site. George Pingree first came here to cut down trees for making railroad ties in 1868 then the Ramsey and Konig families homesteaded the area and built a number of log structures.
Kiddie cemetary
Some of the Konig kids didn’t make it through the harsh winters here. They were buried in the plot with lamb markers (now placed upon cinder blocks for easier viewing).
The Colors!
The park is a little over 9,000 feet in elevation so we were able to catch an early glimpse of what to expect down below in FoCo in the next week or so.
More of the Discovery…
First reported here and now here’s the second part:
Taking a tour in June of this year, looking north toward the Poudre River
I believe we are on the top of the main roof of the Fort Collins Museum and Discovery Science Center; Yes, I think that’s what they are calling it. Whatever, I know it’s going to be fantastic!
Looking down from the roof
We are looking at these curved cement structures. I’m thinking that they are for the tiered landscaping that will 1) Look really nice and 2) ward off the water when the Pouder River floods.
What’s inside on this north facing wall
It will have these three exhibits: “Live Animals”, Wildlands and Wildlife” and “First Peoples”. A concave regional bio-diversity wall reflects back to a double sided anthropological/archaeological display. There will be live animals of some sort, but for now it’s a secret what they will be. I’ll be back for a closer look when the interior walls are completed sometime this Fall.
The Discovery Yet To Come…
On the north-east corner of Mason and Cherry streets in Fort Collins:
A New Building Project!
With the expected completion in the Fall of 2011, the Fort Collins Discovery Museum will be one hell of a fantastic 40,000 square foot experiment that will join the city’s historical museum with a state of the art ‘Big City Feeling’ science center. Designed by Gyroscope, Inc., the new museum will have loads of storage space and areas for traveling exhibits. This is not a good thing, this is a GREAT thing!
Some floor plans:
Roadside Mysteries has obtained the final design set exhibit plan for the new museum and will show the parts of the museum that are of particular interest. We have chosen the “Sound and Music” section first because we find it especially fitting for Fort Collins.
Figure 1
The above section shows at top center the “Match That Tone” station reminiscent of the original station in the old museum. To the right of that is a collection of “Fort Collins Music”, or music produced by local artists (Think FoCoMX). Heck, there might even be a sample of Fort Collin’s premier Samba band “Bloco Em FoCo” someplace?
In the center of figure 1 is the five-sided “Melodic Percussion Booth” that is surrounded by instrumental work stations, listening chairs, trio stations, mash-up stations and a DJ scratch table. Also note the “Innovation Wall” that includes a BEAMZ player, a Theramin and a glass harmonica.
Figure 2
The exhibits in figure 2 above are still interactive as in figure 1, but are a little more related to the technical and historical aspect of sound and music. Devices like the oscylinder scope and ripple tank can help explain the theory of sound while the radio and gramophone exhibits help us fogies illustrate what “The Good Old Days” were like to the young’uns. Oh, and don’t forget the “Drum Jam” circle on the bottom center of Figure 2!
OK, I know what you’re thinking. It’s going to be a mad house, a “distracting cacophony of chaos”. Well apparently there is an association of science and technology centers who have it all figured out. Lookie HERE if you want. Whatever! If you don’t like it, don’t bother to come in, you old fogy!
Click HERE to see a little video produced for the museum.
Colorado Castles
At location N 40° 05.600 W 105° 12.634
A Castle near Niwot, Colorado
After having checked out the site  Waymarking.com for castle buildings in Colorado I found  one listed in Westminster, Colorado that has an interesting history. I thought that I might check Westminster Castle for myself sometime, but before that happened I found the building pictured above. The castle is on a private estate located west of Niwot, Colorado. It’s not listed in Waymarking (yet!) and I’m going to ask around to find out something about it. Stay tuned.
Old School
Moved to Fort Collins’ Discovery Museum:
The Upper Boxelder School
Note that the school was moved from its original location at the Maxwell Ranch. (Remember, we met the Maxwell  grandson here).
One Room School
Fairly well preserved, this schoolhouse was in use until 1951. After the Maxwell Ranch was loaned to CSU, a group known as the Colorado Questers moved it into town.
What the teacher saw
There are ‘living history’ events held here in the summer so it would seem that it is still a school In-Use.
Melanesian Mask Festival
They occur in a great variety of forms and materials:
as part of the exhibition “Where Water Meets Land: Island Arts From The South Seas”
I had to check out these really neat ceremonial masks
and tribal helmets
At the University Art Museum
Museo de Avenir
Or the Avenir Museum of Design & Merchandising:
From the Mr. Blackwell Collection
Form-fitting floral brocade gown with contoured mandarin collar, three patch pockets with foldover flaps on each side.
Patriotic Red and Blue
polyester knit dress with banded collar and star-shaped brooch.
Floral weave gold lame gown
with large bow on right shoulder and streamer extending to hem.
Some more dummies wearing Mr. Blackwell Custom designs
Mr. Richard Blackwell (best known for his annual Worst-Dressed List) spent a week at CSU teaching and lecturing in 1997. The new Avenir museum opened in April 2009 with the world’s largest collection of Mr. Blackwell’s designs.
FCMRR@AVO’S
Or something to do with our little railroad and Avogadro’s Number:
Featuring the Poudre River Irregulars
and perhaps the Blue Grass Patriots were in town for the benefit concert for the crippled FCMRR trolley car. Do they need $6.022×1023 to fix it? No, maybe more like around $20,000.
The Early Crowd
We came early because we had tickets for Open Stage’s Sherlock Holmes show but I certainly hope more people came for the Bluegrass Patriots!
One of FCMRR’s Trolley conductors enjoying the show
The Trolley Barn around 1947
We hope they can get car 21 back in operation by May 2011. I’ll be stopping in at the barn soon to help out (and take a few pictures too!).
