Storytelling: A Portrait of Southwest Colorado at 150

Storytelling has always been a cornerstone of understanding and passing down history. Through personal stories, communities can share lessons, values, and experiences that textbooks alone cannot convey. Storytelling through oral histories and remembrances transforms historical facts into vivid narratives, allowing listeners to emotionally connect with the people and events that shaped their world.

Collecting Oral Histories

Want to participate in this project by collecting the oral histories and stories of your family, neighbors, and favorite people? You may wish to begin by viewing a Zoom webinar as presented at the Animas Museum in Durango on November 1, and pick up valuable tips on how to proceed with your own story. You may also want to connect to the state’s Oral History Toolkit.

On November 1, Kim Kennedy-White, the John W. Emery Family Associate Curator of Oral History at History Colorado, conducted a Zoom webinar reviewing the state’s Storytelling Initiative and describing resources available for performing, adding to Southwest Colorado’s oral history collection. View the recording here.

Download this pdf copy of the Zoom presentation on the Storytelling Initiative for more on how you can participate in the state’s Storytelling Initiative. For more information, visit the state website or email hc_poco150@state.co.us.

Download the Presentation PDF

Oral Histories Inventory

The preliminary version of the oral histories inventory, listing oral histories in and about our region, is ready to go. Click here to view it!

We would love your help making this inventory as complete as possible. Please reach out if you notice any gaps in the inventory. Additionally, you can engage with the oral histories and help us tag them—just follow these instructions (click here).