New exhibit, Frontier Blues: The Legacy of Fort Lewis College, to open March 18th

With the college celebrating its one-hundredth year as an educational institution, the Center of Southwest Studies was compelled to create an exhibit honoring the diverse history of Fort Lewis College and the role it served in early, rural education in the West. The exhibit, Frontier Blues: The Legacy of Fort Lewis College, revisits the school’s unique story, fostering a reconnection to local and regional history, and perhaps answering questions about our educational mission.
Visitors walk through different time periods, representative of the various chapters of the institution’s past. Native peoples of the region used the land near what is now Hesperus, Colorado long before the Army established Fort Lewis on the banks of the La Plata River in 1880. Lasting just over a decade, the military marched out of the area in 1891, and the property was turned into Fort Lewis Indian School. The Indian School era ended in 1910 when the boarding school style of Native education fell out of favor. However that same year, the State of Colorado Congress established the property of Fort Lewis School as an institution of learning, and Native students would be admitted free of charge and on the same terms of equality as white pupils. Twenty students were enrolled in the new Fort Lewis High School by the fall of 1911, offering a range of classes to young people of the region. College level courses were added in 1927, and by 1933 Fort Lewis Junior College was fully established. Fort Lewis A&M moved to Durango in 1956 caused a bit of a stir in town, but made more sense financially and helped to recruit students. Fortitude and hard work would become hallmarks of the school’s heritage.
Today we can celebrate the dedication of so many, allowing the school to grow and prosper as an educational institution these past one hundred years. The opening reception for Frontier Blues: The Legacy of Fort Lewis College will be held Friday, March 18, from 4:00pm-6:00pm, at the Center of Southwest Studies Gallery. This event is free and open to the public.

Call for Entries: Images of the Southwest Photography Show

DURANGO, CO – January 25, 2011 – The Center of Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College, in partnership with the Durango Arts Center, announces a call for entries for 2011 Images of the Southwest: Juried Photography Show. This year’s theme is Animals Rule! All submissions must fit the theme, whether pet or predator, fur or feathers, tracks or tails. Submissions accepted at the Center’s exhibit gallery during regular business hours, March 14 – 19, 2011, with the final deadline at 4pm on March 19 . Photographers from all levels are welcome to enter. Visit http://swcenter.fortlewis.edu for rules and entry form, or call 970-247-7456 for more information.

Gallery temporarily closed on Saturdays

The Center of Southwest Studies announces the temporary closure of the gallery on Saturdays as staff rotates exhibits. The gallery will remain closed Saturday, January 29th - March 12th, but will reopen with regular hours from 12 noon - 4:00pm on Saturday, March 19th, the day after the public opening of our newest exhibit Frontier Blues: The Legacy of Fort Lewis College.

Center's Holiday Hours

Happy Holidays to all!
The Center of Southwest Studies offers exhibit gallery hours Monday – Friday, 1:00pm – 4:00pm, and Saturdays 12 noon – 4:00pm. However, the gallery will be closed Saturday, November 27, and December 23 – January 2.
The Delaney Research Library offers hours Monday - Friday 10:00am – 4:00pm. However, the Library will close for the holidays November 22 – 26, and December 23 – January 7. To arrange a visit during closed hours, please call Librarian Elayne Silversmith 970-382-6951 or Archives Manager Nik Kendziorski 970-247-7126.

Common Earth Series concludes with "Living with Predators and Prey: Practical Solutions"

DURANGO, CO – October 18, 2010 – The Center of Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College and partners conclude this year’s Common Earth Series: People and Predators: Who’s Eating Whom?, with a program on Living with Predators and Prey: Practical Solutions.

This program will feature three presentations throughout the afternoon. Doug Ramsey, columnist for the Durango Herald, will discuss Dogs as Guard Animals; Dr. Peter Stacey, professor of biology at the University of New Mexico, will present Cats, Dogs and Deer: Should They All Roam Free?, and Aran Johnson, who works for the Southern Ute Tribe, will discuss Deer and Driving, with the program ending with a series wrap up and reception with Center of Southwest Studies Director, Dr. Kevin Britz.

This event is free and open to the public. Living with Predators and Prey: Practical Solutions will be held Saturday, October 23rd from at 1:00pm – 4:00pm at the Center of Southwest Studies on the campus of Fort Lewis College.

The Common Earth Series has presented informative programs over the last month, from leading experts in the field, with topics ranging from human social evolution, to hunting in the Southwest, to the reintroduction of the Mexican Gray Wolf, for the benefit of the public to understand not only the role of predators in our ecosystem, but also the human aspect, in which to find common ground and solutions in reconnecting citizens with issues relating to the urban/ wilderness interface.

The Common Earth Series is the result of a group of local partners who are interested in finding practical solutions to environmental and social issues facing us today through open public dialog. These partners include the Center of Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College, the Colorado Division of Wildlife, Durango Nature Studies, the Durango Public Library, La Plata County Living with Wildlife Advisory Board, San Juan Mountains Association, and the San Juan Public Lands Center. The annual series will focus on a different environmental topic each year, bringing in experts in the field, from multiple perspectives. The series coordinators welcome suggestions for topics for 2011.

Please call the Center of Southwest Studies at 970-247-7456 for more information on this event. Please visit http://swcenter.fortlewis.edu for more on the Common Earth Series or the Center of Southwest Studies’ Mountain Lion! exhibit.

Common Earth Series continues with Wildlife Explorations: Family Fun at the Durango Nature Center

DURANGO, CO – October 11, 2010 – The Center of Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College and partners continue the Common Earth Series: People and Predators: Who’s Eating Whom?, with an afternoon of hands-on, family activities at the Durango Nature Center.

The Wildlife Explorations program will feature four fun, family activities occurring throughout the afternoon. These events include presentations featuring live wolves, and a talk from Paula Watson from the WolfWood Refuge in Ignacio, CO. There will also be archery activities, animal investigation walks where you can learn how to identify animal tracks and signs, and mountain lion games and information. These activities will be presented by staff from the Colorado Division of Wildlife, Durango Nature Studies, San Juan Mountains Association, and WolfWood Refuge.

This event is free and open to the public. The program will be held Saturday, October 16 from 1:00pm – 3:00pm at the Durango Nature Center near Bondad, CO.

The Common Earth Series is the result of a group of local partners who are interested in finding practical solutions to environmental and social issues facing us today through open public dialog. These partners include the Center of Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College, the Colorado Division of Wildlife, Durango Nature Studies, the Durango Public Library, La Plata County Living with Wildlife Advisory Board, San Juan Mountains Association, and the San Juan Public Lands Center. The annual series will focus on a different environmental topic each year, bringing in leading experts in the field, from multiple perspectives. The series coordinators welcome suggestions for topics for 2011.

Common Earth Series - October 9th event cancelled

The Common Earth Series event scheduled for Saturday, October 9th, Predators from the Past, has been cancelled. We are sorry for any inconvenience. We will try to reschedule this event at a later date.

Please make note that the next Common Earth Series event, Wildlife Explorations: Family Fun at Durango Nature Center, is scheduled for Saturday, October 16th, beginning at 1:00pm. Archery demonstrations, an animal tracking workshop and a visit with the wolves and wolf dogs of the Wolfwood Refuge make this an unforgettable day for the whole family!

The Common Earth Series is the result of a group of local partners who are interested in finding practical solutions to environmental and social issues facing us today through open public dialog. These partners include the Center of Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College, the Colorado Division of Wildlife, Durango Nature Studies, the Durango Public Library, La Plata County Living with Wildlife Advisory Board, San Juan Mountains Association, and the San Juan Public Lands Center. The annual series will focus on a different environmental topic each year, bringing in leading experts from multiple perspectives.