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Building defects damage crops grown by Fort Lewis College Farmer-in-Training Program students
The Old Fort Root Cellar Barn was first built in 1931 when Fort Lewis College was a two-year agricultural school. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald File)
HISTORY Colorado announced Thursday that it has issued $5,085,026 through the State Historic Fund to 38 historic preservation projects across the state.
This includes approximately $250,000 for efforts to upgrade the root cellar barn at Old Fort in Hesperus. History Colorado oversees the State History Fund.
The funds will help repair critical deficiencies to make the building more functional for Fort Lewis College’s Farmer-in-Training program, according to a History Colorado news release. This barn was built in 1931 when FLC was his two-year agricultural school.
Beth LaShell, director of Old Fort at Fort Lewis College, walks inside an old underground barn storing vegetables at Old Fort Lewis in Hesperus, southwest of Durango, on Nov. 8, 2012. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald File)
jerry mcbride
It serves a variety of functions and is an important part of the Farmer-in-Training program, according to a news release.
The building’s underground cellar has recently been used for crop storage, while the main floor is used for equipment storage, garlic drying, and onion drying.
However, inadequate infrastructure has led to pest problems, causing serious damage to crops. Continued use requires foundation repairs and restoration of the barn’s stone facade.
This rehabilitation will allow for early potato seeding and onion transplanting, as well as storage for more sensitive crops such as onions, winter squash, and blue corn, which FLC’s Native American Center will It can be used all year round.
The additional teaching and storage capacity will allow the school to create additional opportunities for FLC’s Native American students, who have historically been part of the U.S. government’s Native American culture as part of the federal government, according to a news release. We are working to reuse spaces that were previously associated with assimilation and erasure. Indian boarding school program.
Fort Lewis College Old Fort Director Beth LaShell stands inside an old underground vegetable storage barn on Nov. 8, 2012, at Old Fort Lewis in Hesperus, southwest of Durango. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald File)
jerry mcbride
“Fort Lewis College has a clear commitment to providing educational opportunities and pathways for Native American students and supporting each student’s commitment and choices in education and career.” said Old Fort Director Beth Lashell. in a news release Thursday. “Steps to recognize our history and understand how the past impacts our present and future are part of FLC’s commitment to student success.”
In October 2023, History Colorado released the findings of an investigation into the brutality committed against students at the Fort Lewis Indian Boarding School, located where the Old Fort of Hesperus is now located.
tbrown@durangoherald.com
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