South Platte Valley Historical Society`````````````````````````````South Platte Valley Historical Society

Rebuilding the Past - For the Future

Last Update

July 5, 2010

Society Vision

The following is a condensed version of a Vision Statement developed by the Society's Strategic Planning Committee and adopted by the Historical Society Board in October 1999.  The Vision Statement envisions all planned features of the Fort Lupton Historic Park completed and all planned programs in place.

When completed Fort Lupton is staffed on event occasions by historic re-enactors who invite the participation of visitors.  The fur trade era is depicted with demonstrations such as survival skills, saddle and harness making, and food preservation, all designed to educate the visitors. 

The Visitor Center/Museum/Research Center will house a gift shop, a multipurpose room with capacity for 200 people, a museum, a library, a research laboratory, and a facility for catering meals, and restrooms.  The Society's offices where administrative functions are carried out, as well as maintenance of the Society's web site, and the Society's technology center where historic photos and documents are digitized, researched, and prepared for posting to the web site are housed in the Center.  The Visitor Center is the cultural center of the community where fees for tours and/or events are collected. 

The restored 1875 Independence School is used regularly to introduce children to schools of the nineteenth century.  Social events such as box socials, debates, recitations, "programs" and spelling bees common to the era are held in the evenings and on weekends.  

The restored Donelson Homestead House is the focal point of the Historic Farm, with daily life portrayed by re-enactors or volunteers.  Living history that may involve the visitors includes planting, gardening, harvesting, "putting food by," cooking, baking, serving meals to harvest cress, and an occasional quilting party.

The remaining buildings of the Historic Farm will include a barn, a chicken house, and a root cellar.  

The Rendezvous Area affords camping opportunities in a wooded setting, not only for 1840's fur trade re-enactors at scheduled rendezvous, but also for other groups by prearrangement.  There is supervised week-long camping for youth who are joined by parents over a weekend.  Tipis furnish the theme for the primitive nature of the activities and are available for rent by tourists wishing to experience fur-trade life.  

The upgraded Black Powder Shooting Range has berms restored for safety.  This range is used for events sponsored by the Fort Lupton Muzzleloading Club.  It is also available to the Weld County 4-H Shooting Sports project, and 4-H members volunteer to work on projects as needed.

Scout Island, which was named based on the fact that in the early 1900s it was an adventure for Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops to traverse the river by means of a swinging footbridge near the Platteville Ditch headgate to reach the island. This access has been rebuilt for traditional camping and picnicking by youth groups.

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