Palmer Lake Historical Society, Jan. 15 – 2026 board installed at annual meeting

By Marlene Brown

The Palmer Lake Historical Society (PLHS) held its Annual Membership Meeting and Potluck Supper at the Palmer Lake Town Hall on Jan. 15, celebrating its 70th anniversary. PLHS, started in 1956, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of volunteers that work together to preserve the history of the Tri-Lakes area, with monthly programs, field trips to local historical sites, and a museum.

The mission of the PLHS is to promote, preserve and protect the history of the Palmer Divide area, to include Northern El Paso County, bordered by Douglas County at County Line Road, Palmer Lake, Monument, Woodmoor, Black Forest, and west to the Air Force Academy and east to the Table Rock area.

PLHS board members maintain The Lucretia Vaile Museum in Palmer Lake, which houses artifacts, documents, books, photos, and other items of local historical significance. The museum is located at 66 Lower Glenway St. The hours are Wednesday 1 to 4 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It’s open and free to the public. Special hours can be reserved for individual and group research and tours. Call 719-559-0837.

After dinner, Don Bowie of Franktown performed ragtime piano music. Ragtime piano music was made popular in the 1920s by player pianos. Bowie delighted the audience with his old-time banter and musical performance.

The business meeting portion began with introductions of the current board and nominations for the board positions, which were then voted for by the membership. The 2026 board members are as follows:

• President – Jeannine Engle
• Vice President – Diane Kokes
• Secretary – Patricia Atkins
• Treasurer – Dave Powell
• Museum Director – Roger Davis
• Director-at-Large – Barbara Morehead
• Director-at-Large – Heather Krueger
• Director-at-Large – Wayne Russert
• Director-at-Large – Kathie Kaufer

Diane Kokes then gave the rundown of the programs slated for this year. All of the monthly programs are also free and open to the public. Some of the 2026 programs are:

• February—Cherokee Trail Artifacts across the Palmer Divide
• March—Fox Farming Along the Palmer Divide
• April—How the Expeditions of Pike, Long, and the Spanish Put Colorado on the Map
• May—Trails to the Interstate: Transportation Systems Across the Palmer Divide
• June—Father’s Day Ice Cream Social

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PLHS meetings are usually held on the third Thursday of the month, 7-8:30 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.) at the Palmer Lake Town Hall, 28 Valley Crescent St. Free and open to the public. For full descriptions, dates, and times for future programs and information on memberships or for donating to the PLHS, visit its newly updated website: palmerdividehistory.org.

Marlene Brown can be reached at marlenebrown@ocn.me.

Other Palmer Lake Historical Society articles

• Palmer Lake Historical Society, Oct. 16 – Ancient days of Garden of the Gods explored (10/30/2025)
• Palmer Lake Historical Society, Sept. 18 – Pioneers Museum: past and present (10/2/2025)
• Palmer Lake Historical Society, July 19 – The power of print (7/31/2025)
• Palmer Lake Historical Society, June 15 – Father’s Day Ice Cream Social (7/3/2025)
• Palmer Lake Historical Society, May 15 – Author recounts life of Nikola Tesla (6/7/2025)
• Palmer Lake Historical Society, April 17 – Women of the Colorado gold rush era (5/3/2025)
• Palmer Lake Historical Society, April 21 – General Palmer’s life explored (4/5/2025)
• Palmer Lake Historical Society, Jan. 16 – 2024 events recalled (2/1/2025)
• Palmer Lake Historical Society, Dec. 19 – Palmer Lake holds 91st annual Yule Log Hunt (1/4/2025)
• Palmer Lake Historical Society, Nov. 21 – Life of town hero explored (12/5/2024)