When we launched the new Plains to Peaks discovery platform a month ago, we knew we wanted to dedicate a special section highlighting the work and achievements of our partners. Because, let’s be honest, without their dedication to the preservation of historic collections, this site wouldn’t exist. We believe it is important to recognize that managing historical collections involves numerous dimensions. The process involves far more than merely acquiring an item and making it available online. In fact, it frequently demands hours devoted to cultivating relationships with donors and the community, conducting meticulous research, and a commitment to thorough description.

This guest post is written by the staff of the Denver Public Library (DPL), Special Collections and Archives (SCA): Julia Dunford, Emily Morgan and Michelle Schierburg. Please contact DPL if you have questions, [email protected]. These are just a few recent Collection Highlights from SCA. Click here to sign up for the Special Collections and Archives’ Newsletter so you can learn more.

Bob Ragland: The Non-Starving Artist

More photographs from the Bob Ragland Papers will be coming to the Digital Collections! Bob Ragland was a prominent artist, mentor, and community leader in the Five Points Neighborhood who was celebrated for his skills in oil painting, sculpture, and arts education. During his time as a teacher at the Denver Public Schools Career Education Center, he hosted free art classes called “The Non-Starving Artist Program,” which taught fundamental art techniques and tools that would enable students to sustain themselves as artists. He also hosted his own television program on Channel 6 called “You’re an Artist”. 

After his death in 2021, the community voted to name a Denver Public Library branch in his honor. The Bob Ragland Branch Library is one of the first public libraries to have a focus in collaborative community arts and shares space alongside art studios, galleries, and the Denver Zine Library!

– Julia Dunford

**Bob Ragland digitized items available in the Plains2Peaks.

Increased Access to SCA Maps

Special Collections and Archives holds over 30,000 maps that can readily be found in the Denver Public Library catalog, but behind the scenes there is a backlog of over 1,000 maps that are waiting to be cataloged and processed for public access. A recent project undertaken by members of the cataloging team involved organizing these maps according to their respective geographic areas so they might become more accessible for researchers looking for maps of a specific area.

The maps in the backlog focus on the same locations and themes as the cataloged map collection, namely the Trans-Mississippi West, with a strong concentration in Denver, and bordering states. They depict a variety of cities and towns, mines and mining claims, transportation developments, and geopolitical boundaries.

The newly published research tool on our website, Guide to Accessing Uncataloged Maps, outlines steps to requesting these maps for browsing in the Mullen Manuscript Room on the fifth floor of the Central Library. If you’re unable to find the map you’re looking for in the catalog or just want to see what other maps are available, we hope you will utilize this new resource to see even more of our map collection as we work towards fully cataloging them.

– Emily Morgan

Newly Digitized: The Letters and Legacy of Silas Soule

You may have read in our January newsletter that our Special Collections and Archives received a significant donation; Byron Strom, Silas Soule’s great-great-nephew, donated 13 original letters, replacing photocopies that had been part of the Silas Soule Papers (WH1690) since the 1960s. Soule was an abolitionist and Union Army officer remembered for refusing to participate in the Sand Creek Massacre. A captain in the First Colorado Cavalry, he later testified against Colonel John Chivington and helped expose the events of the massacre. Soule was assassinated in Denver on April 23, 1865, likely in retaliation for his testimony.

These letters provide additional context about his experiences before and after the Sand Creek Massacre and, along with the rest of the records, are now fully digitized and transcribed in our Digital Collections. To ensure the digitized collection reflected the physical collection as accurately as possible, we mirrored the arrangement and descriptions of the folders. Therefore, users will get nearly the same experience online as they would if they came in person—with the added benefit of text-searchable letters!

By transcribing the Soule letters and military records, we have made this important collection more accessible and searchable for researchers. Transcription also helps ensure the library is adhering to the latest Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), so that all of our users have the same opportunity to utilize this invaluable resource!

-Michelle Schierburg

**Silas Soule digitized items available in the Plains2Peaks.

The Plains to Peaks regularly adds new partners and new collections. Be sure to check the site often for these new additions and for our ongoing Collection Highlights available on the our home page, plains2peaks.org. If you would like to learn how you can share collections with the Plains to Peaks, contact me Leigh Jeremias at [email protected] or visit resources.plains2peaks.org