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Colorado Sunday | Water’s bad boy

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Colorado Sunday | Water’s bad boy


Happy Colorado Sunday, fam.

Sometime back in the middle ‘90s, I had followed entrepreneurial friends to Fort Collins to participate in a full-fledged war among three upstart business publications and was building sources by saying yes to anyone who wanted to share a word about the town, the economy, the community. Accountants. Retailers. Doctors. Realtors. Gary Wockner.

I don’t think Wockner made a business case for protecting the Poudre River that day, but I left our unplanned chat at a coffee shop with clear feelings about how important the ribbon of water running through town was and an invitation to appreciate it, too.

This was before Wockner dug in to fight the massive Glade Reservoir project and rebranded as a river warrior. Before he distributed posters of other defenders standing naked in the river, holding hand-lettered cards over their heads reading “Save the Poudre.”

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I changed jobs many times, but wherever I’ve been, Gary Wockner has been a constant character on the environment beat, his defense of the Poudre fiercening over time. This week’s cover story by Jerd Smith gave me a bit more insight into the man who just won’t quit — and the way his work has influenced how we use and regard our rivers.

Gary Wockner looks out over a stretch of his beloved Poudre River that winds through Fort Collins. (Kira Vos, Special to the Colorado Sun)

Water agitator Gary Wockner, founder of Save The Poudre and Save the Colorado, is having a bang-up 2025, winning a $100 million settlement from Northern Water in March, and persuading a federal judge in April to stop construction of the partially complete Gross Reservoir Dam project, at least temporarily. Now critical appeals in the case could ultimately lower the amount of water Denver Water, the dam’s owner, will be allowed to divert from the Upper Colorado River system in Grand County.

Wockner is a controversial figure in the water world. He has filed nine major lawsuits against Colorado water projects during his 25-year run as an activist. With this year’s wins, we decided to tell readers a bit more about the man who is loved by fierce river protectors, and who draws few, if any, kind words from the water establishment.

READ THIS WEEK’S COLORADO SUNDAY FEATURE

No need to wait for the Crested Butte Wildflower Festival July 11-20, the viewing season is already in full swing in the Gunnison Valley. Photojournalist Dean Krakel went on a few hikes and returned with some beautiful images and tips for where to find hillsides awash in brilliant pre-peak colors. Drifts of lupine and balsamroot are already blanketing the hillsides of the lower valleys, he said. Red columbine can be found in the shady recesses along the banks of streams and creeks along with wild iris and stands of golden banner. Paintbrush, blue flax and white and lavender phlox carpet the ground alongside many of the lower trails.

A gentle rain passes over the Gunnison Valley on Tuesday near Crested Butte. After a long dry spell and below normal winter snowpack, daily afternoon rains have helped awaken wildflowers. (Dean Krakel, Special to The Colorado Sun)
A faint rainbow became evident after the storm moved through on Tuesday, as if to point out a field thick with paintbrush and arrowleaf balsamroot on a hillside above the Gunnison River. (Dean Krakel, Special to The Colorado Sun)
Lupine flowers flourish on a hillside above Brush Creek near Crested Butte on Thursday. Lupines are symbolically connected to wolves as their name comes from the Latin word lupinus, meaning “wolfish.” Lupines are sometimes described as predatory because they are able to thrive in soil where other plants struggle to grow. (Dean Krakel, Special to The Colorado Sun)
The nectar of red columbine, growing along the Slate River near Crested Butte, contains nearly twice the sugar content of all other columbine species in North America and is a nutrient rich food for hummingbirds. (Dean Krakel, Special to The Colorado Sun)
Fields of arrowleaf balsamroot show off their bright yellow flowers above the Slate River. Balsamroot was used by Native Americans who ate the roots and stems after baking or steaming. The flowers are quite popular as a food source for elk and deer. (Dean Krakel, Special to The Colorado Sun)
(Peter Moore, Special to The Colorado Sun

It was the fall of 2020, and I had survived COVID, so I went looking for the next most dangerous thing I could think of: Climb Longs Peak!

I had been haunted by that prospect since I moved to Colorado and took my car to the emissions testing facility in Fort Collins. I pulled into the bay and there it was, perfectly framed in the doorway: Longs freaking Peak!

It took me a full three years to summon the nerve, the skills, the gear, and oh yeah, the nerve, to tackle Longs. I made it up, and back, so now I’m an expert.

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Here’s my step-by-step guide to climbing Longs Peak. Or not.

CHECK OUT PETER MOORE’S TIPS FOR TACKLING COLORADO’S 15TH TALLEST PEAK

EXCERPT: A protagonist captivated by a century-old recording drives this debut novel by Edward Hamlin, which explores dual narrative timelines and a theme that hinges on a lie of omission and the consequences of confession. Hamlin, an accomplished musician and composer himself, melded his passion for music with strains of family history to produce this Colorado Book Award finalist for Novel. Remember Chase and Sanborn coffee? Hamlin is the last living descendant from the Sanborn side, Boston social elites who figure into the portion of the story that’s historical fiction.

READ THE SUNLIT EXCERPT

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THE SUNLIT INTERVIEW: Hamlin explains how much he enjoyed writing this particular excerpt, which conjures the “ecstatic experience of hearing breathtaking music just when you needed it.” He also tells how the complex plot required some management skills. Here’s a slice of this week’s Q&A:

SunLit: What were the biggest challenges you faced in writing this book?

Hamlin: Managing the sequence of reveals was challenging, as they crossed a wide cast of characters and a hundred years of plot events. Keeping track of who knew what when literally required a spreadsheet. It was also a challenge to make decisions, both micro and macro, about how to treat the historical figures, especially when they were my own ancestors. It would have been so much easier if I could have just shared a meal with them.

READ THE INTERVIEW WITH EDWARD HAMLIN

LISTEN TO A DAILY SUN-UP PODCAST WITH THE AUTHOR

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A curated list of what you may have missed from The Colorado Sun this week.

Hundreds of No Kings protests marches were scheduled for cities across America Saturday, with the exception of Washington, D.C., where President Donald Trump planned a parade to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, Flag Day and his own 79th birthday. Cartoonist Drew Litton let us know where he planned to be. (Drew Litton, Special to The Colorado Sun)

🌞 Is selling millions of acres of U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management land in 11 Western states the solution to the housing crisis in the region? Details are scant, Jason Blevins, reports, but that’s the concept outlined by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, who described the properties to be sold as “barren land next to highways with existing billboards that have no recreational value.”

🌞 Young adults just entering the job market face fierce headwinds. Tamara Chung reports on a program aiming to arm new workers with a powerful tool to open doors: social capital.

🌞 Costs to build the controversial 88-mile Uinta Basin Railway have more than doubled since 2020 and backers are looking for $2.4 billion in tax-exempt bonds to cover part of the $3.4 billion tab, Jason Blevins reports. Environmental groups fear that the increased cost of construction will drive more drilling and send more oil tankers rolling on tracks across Colorado.

🌞 U.S. Health and Human Services boss Robert F. Kennedy Jr. used a Wall Street Journal opinion column to fire all 17 members of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, including a Denver doctor. John Ingold landed an interview with Dr. Edwin Asturias, an infectious disease specialist, who worries the mass dismissals will undermine the public trust in decisions that come out of the group in the future. Meanwhile, more cases of measles were reported in Colorado last week.

🌞 In other RFK Jr. news, remarks he made about people with autism have stirred up trouble within a nonprofit organization for people with autism that was started by his cousin Anthony Shriver. Jennifer Brown reports on the way Best Buddies board members in Colorado have responded to the refusal of the national organization to call out how damaging the remarks were.

🌞 There are a dozen new gun laws on the books — officially — in Colorado. Jesse Paul explains a bit about each of them.

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🌞 Former U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo was on stage last week for a Back From Broken Event hosted by Vic Vela. Taylor Dolven was there when Caraveo compared her suicidal thoughts during her unsuccessful campaign to keep her seat to drowning, saying she pulled under those who came to rescue. She also advocated for better understanding of depression and anxiety and more awareness to recognize when someone is struggling. And she said she’s well and ready to take on a large group of challengers in the 8th Congressional District Democratic primary next year.

🌞 This week in gray wolf news, Colorado Parks and Wildlife was pretty mum when a Pitkin County rancher told Tracy Ross there is a den with pups uncomfortably close to his cattle. The day after her story published, the agency announced there are indeed pups in at least one of the four den sites biologists are watching, but would not say where.

🌞 While Coloradans continue to debate the wisdom of wolf reintroduction five years after a public authorization vote, bison that reintroduce themselves to the state by walking across the border from Utah just got the backing of Colorado law that makes it illegal to kill them without a hunting license, Michael Booth explains.

When we meet again next week, it will officially be summer and The Sun store has your back, restocked with gear to help keep you wrinkle-free and well hydrated all season long. Check it all out at store.coloradosun.com

— Dana & the whole staff of The Sun

Notice something wrong? The Colorado Sun has an ethical responsibility to fix all factual errors. Request a correction by emailing corrections@coloradosun.com.

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Type of Story: News

Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.



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Colorado

Avalanche vs. Kings Game 2: Key takeaways as Colorado wins OT thriller, takes 2-0 series lead

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Avalanche vs. Kings Game 2: Key takeaways as Colorado wins OT thriller, takes 2-0 series lead


DENVER — When getting good looks but failing to finish against a locked-in goalie, it’s not easy to stick to a game plan. But instead of pressing, Colorado Avalanche coach Jared Bednar’s group showed maturity, even after the Los Angeles Kings’ Artemi Panarin scored what could’ve been a back-breaking first goal of Game 2 late in the third period.

Captain Gabriel Landeskog buried a perfect pass from Martin Nečas three minutes after Panarin scored. Then Nicolas Roy scored the game-winner, giving Colorado a 2-1 win and 2-0 series lead.

“I liked our mentality again tonight,” Bednar said, adding that he was pleased with his team’s defensive effort. “That’s how we have to win. It’s good practice. It’s something we’ve been talking about all year, the importance of defending, and I’m happy with the commitment that we’re getting from our guys.”

The Avalanche led the league in goals scored this season, but they also were stingy defensively, allowing fewer goals than any other team. Through two games, they’ve shown a willingness to play tight-checking, low-scoring games and get the results they need.

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“We have absolutely no problem playing this way,” said Landeskog, who scored from the slot after Nečas caught the previously-impenetrable Anton Forsberg out of position and set his captain up for an open look. “If you get a little impatient with it, you start forcing plays. And I thought tonight, we just kind of kept it going. Kept trusting our forecheck, and finally, we ended up getting rewarded for it.”

Colorado has controlled the series at five-on-five. The Kings’ only two goals have come on power plays, and Colorado had 79.05 percent of the expected goal share at five-on-five Tuesday, per Natural Stat Trick.

It was an odd night that included a broken glass delay, a choppy first period and a waved-off goal after a puck got lodged in the side of the net. Let’s dig into all of it.

Roy plays hero

With goalie Patrick Roy and forward Peter Forsberg’s retired numbers hanging in the Ball Arena rafters, it was probably a bit disorienting seeing a Roy score on a Forsberg in overtime. But that’s what happened when trade deadline addition Nic Roy backhanded a loose puck past Anton Forsberg’s left pad, punched the air and jumped into the glass in celebration.

The goal was Roy’s second overtime goal in his career. He scored the Game 4 winner for the Vegas Golden Knights in their 2021 conference final series against Montreal. That goal also came at the net-front.

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“I like to be in (that) area, and a lot of those (overtime) goals are scored there,” Roy said. “So I try to be there as much as I can.”

“He’s a really smart player,” Nathan MacKinnon said. “It might not be everyone’s first pick (to score), but it takes a full team to win in the playoffs.”

Josh Manson fired a shot from the point to create chaos around the net ahead of Roy’s goal, and Bednar also credited Nazem Kadri with making a slick play to get the puck to his defenseman.

Physicality and a penalty parade define the first

D.J. Smith didn’t quite get his exact wish of his players hitting Colorado’s defensemen more in the first half of the first period, but he did get big hits. Shortly after Colorado’s Josh Manson laid a massive body check on Scott Laughton, Kings defenseman Mikey Anderson hit Martin Nečas in the neutral zone, seemingly catching him in the head.

Nečas went down, bloodied, and chaos ensued. Brett Kulak went after Anderson. Scrums broke out next to the Kings net. Sam Malinski brought down Quinton Byfield, and Mathieu Joseph did the same to Artturi Lehkonen. Anderson did not get a penalty for the hit, though he and Kulak were handed matching roughing minors. Kulak got an extra penalty for a cross check. (Nečas briefly left the game, presumably because he was pulled by a concussion spotter, but returned.)

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“There were big hits,” Bednar said. “We gave some. We took some too, but it’s all right. That’s what’s going to happen this time of the year. You’re playing a big, strong, physical team, and sometimes I like it. Can wake some guys up if they’re not going, and you can ramp up your competitive spirit.”

It was the most dramatic stretch of a rugged first period that included seven minor penalties. The string of infractions slowed some of the momentum Colorado gathered from a furious start. The Avalanche led 9-0 in shots through the first 6:04. The period ended with Colorado leading 14-6 in shots.

After Anderson’s hit, scrums broke out after seemingly every whistle. At one point Jeff Malott caught Cale Makar with an elbow. Nečas also took a chance to hit Anderson toward the end of the period.

“There were a bunch of melees on the ice today,” Bednar said. “It felt like playoff hockey, which is the way you want it to feel. It tests your team, and it’s why it’s the most fun time of the year to play in the playoffs.”

In total, the period took around 45 minutes. The Kings got big saves from Anton Forsberg, allowing them to stay in the game and shift it into a rugged style that favored them, at least temporarily. It wasn’t enough in the end.

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“To a man, this team’s playing hard,” Kings coach D.J. Smith added. “We have to find a way to win, though.”

Goalies continue strong start to the series

Darcy Kuemper started the year as Kings starter, but Anton Forsberg became their go-to goalie during their late-season playoff push. He has continued his strong play into the first round. In Game 1, he made 30 saves on 32 shots. He was sharp again Tuesday, helping the Kings withstand Colorado’s early onslaught of shots. Colorado gave him a tough look early in the second. Kadri fed Landeskog on the slot, and Forsberg managed to parry it away. Late in the second, he got in front of turnaround shots from both Lehkonen and Nathan MacKinnon. The Avalanche eventually beat him in the third when he overcommitted to Nečas, who instead passed to Landeskog in the slot.

He finished the night with 34 saves. He wasn’t quite able to make a 35th, giving up the game-winner to Roy.

“We’re right there, playing well,” Forsberg said. “We’re fighting hard. We just have to stick with it and turn this around.”

Across the ice, Scott Wedgewood made 24 saves. Panarin beat him with a dangerous shot from the slot for the lone goal he allowed in regulation, but overall he continued to give Colorado the dependable goaltending expected of him. His highlight came when he stopped Quinton Byfield on a penalty shot. He robbed Byfield again in overtime, making a glove save on a shot off the rush.

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A penalty, a penalty shot and a long wait

Jeff Malott took an ill-advised boarding penalty on Artturi Lehkonen in one of many instances of the Kings’ fourth line toeing the line of too much physicality. The Avalanche were in position to gain the lead — or at least some momentum — but Cale Makar mishandled a puck at the blue line, leading to a Quinton Byfield breakaway. Makar got called for a hook as he raced back to catch the forward, and the referees awarded a penalty shot.

Byfield tried to beat Wedgewood glove side, but the goalie made the save. The crowd erupted in excitement, but that came with an unexpected drawback. Fans banged on the glass behind the Kings’ bench, and a pane of it shattered. Kings coach D.J. Smith got smothered with shards. It caused a 19-minute stoppage for clean up.

If the Wedgewood save was going to serve as momentum for the Avalanche power play, the delay stopped that. Nathan MacKinnon got called for interference on Alex Laferriere shortly after play resumed.

“I think the flow would kind of come and go a little bit,” MacKinnon said. “Not ideal with the glass, but it was the same for both teams.”

“They just handled it better coming out of that,” Bednar added.

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MacKinnon and Bednar both felt the Avalanche were able to push the pace more in the second half of the second period.

Another waved-off goal

Sam Malinski fired a shot toward the net to start the third period. It got caught in the side of the net, but not on the inside. Malinski thought he scored, and the goal horn went off. After review, though, it was clear the puck was lodged on the side of the cage.

It was the second Avalanche goal waved off in as many games. Logan O’Connor had a goal waved off for goaltender interference last game.

Panarin shows why Kings traded for him

The Kings acquired Artemi Panarin from the Rangers to bring a gamebreaking offensive talent into a lineup that lacked it. He validated their trust late in the third period. He played his normal shift with the top power-play unit, then stayed on with the second grouping. Trevor Moore found him with a pass in the slot, and he buried it.

Colorado’s top skilled players had more chances than Los Angeles’, but Panarin came through when he got his best look of the night. He also scored the Kings’ only goal of Game 1.

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Southern Colorado farmers’ market season is here

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Southern Colorado farmers’ market season is here


(SOUTHERN COLORADO) — Spring brings the first fresh produce, which means it will soon be time for farmers’ markets to kick off around the area.

For those in Southern Colorado who want to buy their products from local vendors and growers, check out the list below.

North Colorado Springs

Western Museum of Mining and Industry

  • 225 North Gate Boulevard, near the I-25 exit
  • Mondays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Runs from May through September

Briargate Farmers Market

  • 7610 North Union Boulevard, near Briargate Boulevard
  • Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • Runs from May 27 through Sept. 30

Cordera

  • 11894 Grandlawn Circle, near Briargate Parkway and North Union Boulevard
  • Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • Runs from May 24 through Sept. 6

Colorado Farm and Art Market

  • 7350 Pine Creek Road, near East Woodmen Road and I-25
  • Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • Runs from June 20 through Oct. 17

Banning Lewis Ranch at Vista Park

  • 8833 Vista Del Pico Boulevard, near Dublin Boulevard and Marksheffel Road
  • Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Runs from May 28 through Aug. 27

Backyard Market in Black Forest

  • 6845 Shoup Road, near Black Forest Road
  • Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Runs from May 23 through Oct. 17

South Colorado Springs

Colorado Farm and Art Market

  • 132 West Cimarron Street, at the corner of Sierra Madre Street, Downtown
  • Wednesdays from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Runs from June 17 through Oct. 21

Old Colorado City Farmers Market

  • Bancroft Park at West Colorado Avenue and South 24th Street in Old Colorado City
  • Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Runs from June 6 through Oct. 17

Colorado Springs Sunday Market

  • Acacia Park 115 East Platte Avenue, Downtown
  • Sundays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • Runs from May 10 through Oct. 25

Southeast Farmer’s Market

  • 2050 Jet Wing Drive, near Chelton Road
  • Sundays from 11 a.m. through 3 p.m.
  • Runs from June 14 through Oct. 11

Fountain

Fountain Community Market

  • Metcalfe Park, 618 East Ohio Avenue, near Fountain Mesa Road
  • Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • Runs from May 30 through Sept. 26

Woodland Park

Woodland Park Farmers Market

  • At Memorial Park, 117 Center Avenue, near East Lake Avenue
  • Fridays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Runs from June through September

Pueblo

Pueblo Farmers Market

  • Mineral Palace Park, 1604 North Santa Fe Avenue, at West 15th Street
  • Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. to noon
  • Runs from May 2 through Oct. 31



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Thornton marks 70 years: Exhibit traces Colorado city’s roots from developer’s dream to thriving suburb

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Thornton marks 70 years: Exhibit traces Colorado city’s roots from developer’s dream to thriving suburb


Seventy years ago, a housing developer looked at an empty stretch of land north of Denver and saw the future. What Sam Hoffman built there became the city of Thornton — and a free public exhibit is now telling that story for the first time in a generation.

CBS Colorado is excited to shine the spotlight on Thornton, as Colorado marks 150 years as a state.

“The history of Thornton is really the history of suburbia,” said Lance Jones, the historian and curator of the city’s 70th anniversary exhibit. “Thornton was planned. Thornton was intentionally created as a city.”

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City of Thornton


Hoffman, Jones explained, recognized an opportunity in the postwar boom. “He realized the Denver Metro area was going to really explode and he wanted in on the ground floor,” Jones said. To sell his 5,000 planned homes, Hoffman turned to an unlikely marketing asset — Hollywood.

Three of his employees happened to be the brothers of Jane Russell, one of the biggest film stars in America at the time. “She was an A-list actress. I mean, she was really top of the game,” Jones said. Hoffman asked the brothers if their sister might make an appearance, and she agreed.

“One day in 1954, his grand opening celebration, she came out. And a lot of people came out to see her — big, big crowd,” Jones said. “Thousands of people showed up to see her, to get a glimpse, to take a picture.” Russell would return to Thornton more than three decades later, appearing at the opening of the Thornton Parkway interchange in 1986.

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hoffmanhomesbrochure-03.jpg

City of Thornton


The homes Russell helped promote were advertised at $9,950, with a down payment for GI’s of $532.30 and a monthly mortgage of $65. Jones noted those were not trivial sums for working families of the era. “That represented a big chunk of the average person’s paycheck. People would have to save up for that,” Jones said.

A Denver Post clipping from Jan. 31, 1954, on display at the exhibit, documents the arrival of the city’s first residents. “This is one of the first families in Thornton moving in,” Jones said. “This was a unique thing. They created the city. It just sprang from nothing.”

By 1956, residents had established enough civic infrastructure to pursue formal incorporation. “There were a lot of civic organizations, a lot of clubs, a lot of veterans organizations — it was a big joiner kind of town,” Jones said. “And, eventually, in 1956, they were able to get incorporated.”

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That civic spirit, Jones argued, never left. “The culture here in Thornton kind of developed from that. It’s still a city with a lot of civic involvement, a lot of events, a lot of cohesion.”

2026-4-7-loretta-garcia-1st-baby-born-in-thornton.jpg

Loretta Garcia, the first person born in the City of Thornton in 1956.

City of Thornton


The exhibit highlights several residents whose stories reflect the city’s early character. Among the artifacts is a cheerleading uniform that belonged to Loretta Garcia — the first baby born in Thornton after its incorporation. She and the city share the same milestone birthday. “Thornton is 70, and so is she,” Jones said. Garcia was delivered at home on Rowena Street because the trip to a Denver hospital was considered too far. “The doctor came up here and delivered her at home.”

Another featured resident is Norma Ellman, a Thornton High School teacher, who in 1956 traveled to California to compete on a CBS game show called “High Finance.” She won the equivalent of what Jones estimates would be more than $1 million today. The victory was significant enough that the mayor authorized Ellman to present the show’s host with a key to the city of Thornton.

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Jones said the exhibit is designed to connect newer residents with the people who built the community, noting that from its earliest days Thornton had a strong Hispanic presence that continues today alongside a growing diversity of other ethnicities.

“The younger people really do need to hear from the folks who made Thornton, Thornton,” Jones said. “You have to know where we came from to know where we’re going.”

The 70th anniversary exhibit is free and open to the public at the Thornton Arts and Culture Annex. Visit this page for days and hours. 



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