As the Town of Nederland gears up to celebrate its 150th Anniversary, a group of dedicated citizens are meeting weekly. They gather to discuss how the events planned for the first weekend of August 2024 can honor and feature those residents, or former residents, who are considered “royalty,” as they and/or their families have resided in Nederland for many decades.

Every Monday, the Nederland Area Historical Society continues to pore through newspapers and pictures from their own personal collections that detail an entirely different era of our beloved mountain town. Among the intriguing materials is a free publication from 1974, printed by Town & County Review, that highlights Nederland’s Centennial Celebration.

The 16-page periodical features a schedule of events and parade route map for the three-day celebration of the Town’s 100th anniversary, held on August 9, 10, and 11, 1974. The newspaper also listed articles about Nederland’s “ups and downs” throughout its history, and includes the original letter of incorporation from 1874.

On the front page, a message from Mayor John Doctor welcomes out-of-towners to come celebrate Nederland’s centennial anniversary, in which he explains how the many different activities, from contests and competitions to dances and horse riding events, were all rooted in the “rural and western background” of the Town.

Nederland’s “royalty” were given a special shoutout, as were the businesses who contributed to the centennial celebration.[/caption]

“And don’t forget, while you are here, to join us in admiring and appreciating the natural beauty that surrounds Nederland, a beauty that has been so important through the years in creating the lifestyle that is ours.”

Writer John Buchanan, a local historian who would later author a book about Caribou, chronicles Nederland’s history, from being born out of Caribou’s initial success and eventual downfall, surviving a fire in 1905, celebrating a mining boom in 1915, long dry spells in the postwar period, and the birth of the Lake Eldora ski area.

“Nederland’s ability to cling to life against forbidding odds is an important mark of its character, as well as an example of the resilient, normally enthusiastic, and often stubbornly tenacious character of its residents,” Buchanan wrote.

The events planned for Nederland’s Centennial included workshops hosted by the Presbyterian church, a pancake breakfast held by the Lions Club, and activity booths and food services organized by Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts, the Band Booster Club, and the Town of Eldora.

A Tug of War tournament was scheduled across all three days, which was touted as the “first annual world championship” and held in different areas around the Town, including across Middle Boulder Creek.

Art fairs, bingo, and historical demonstrations were held over that 1974 weekend, as well as mining-based contests and the revival of Nederland’s Gymkhana, which is an equestrian event. A parade marched along a route that is very similar to the same route the Town currently uses, except it marched down Highway 119 in those days.

Chautauqua, the famous cultural and educational organization, put on four different performances for Nederland’s 100th anniversary, including a tribute to the Town’s 50- year residents: Annie Bailey, Marie Farmer, Mary Flarty, Marie and James Griffith, Ruby Jackson, Mabel Nolan, Gladys Proctor, Marguerite Shellhaus, and Iva and Jack Snyder.

Many local merchants were listed and given special thanks for their contributions to the Nederland Centennial celebration. Nederland Mobil, Mountain Valley Real Estate, Dam Liquor Store, Harlow’s Restaurant, Branding Iron, and Grandma’s Popcorn Wagon were just a few of the businesses mentioned.

The Nederland Centennial Celebration newspaper contains a treasure trove of history, from the Town’s beginnings to what life was like in Nederland in 1974. Article headlines include, “From the Netherlands to Nederland” by bestselling author Frank Crossen, and “Tungsten Boom Town: Crowded Hotels, Boisterous Saloons, and Bowls of Greasy Grub.”

Among stories celebrating the local businesses along East 1st Street, and an article chronicling the creation of Barker Reservoir, there are remembrances of the mining days of old which describe some of Nederland’s more colorful history.

In 1874, the Nederland area, specifically the Caribou mines, became the focus of anti-Chinese sentiment growing in Colorado due to the recent influx in Chinese miners. 50 men dressed in disguises were said to have threatened more than 160 Chinese laborers to leave the mines.

The Nederland Board of Trustees, at the insistence of the community, passed resolutions to assure the community that “the guilty would be apprehended and punished and that there would never be a recurrence of such an outrage in the community.”

This very special newspaper is just one small piece of the complex history of this “tough little town” known as Nederland. Luckily, there are those willing to do the work, to volunteer their time and their own personal collections in order to preserve the Town’s history, so we can be reminded of who we are and where we come from.

Keeping the past in mind helps to provide a template for how we should move forward. So with Nederland’s Sesquicentennial Celebration planned for August 2, 3, and 4, one can expect a reverence and respect to be shown to Nederland’s origins, and to the ideals that were celebrated 50 years ago; to what Mayor Doctor named as our “rural and western background” and the “natural beauty” all around us.

The Mountain-Ear will continue to share morsels of Nederland’s dense history as the Nederland Area Historical Society continues to compile their impressive collections. More details to be released as planning for the Town’s 150th Anniversary celebration continues.