A New Acquisition

 

Cheyenne by Charles Craig ca. 1900

 

Visitors often wonder how so many beautiful and meaningful objects come into the collections of the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum. The answer is simple - the amazing generosity of our community! The Museum's latest acquisition, a stunning portrait titled Cheyenne by noted local artist Charles Craig ca. 1900, was a gift of the Adna and Joan Wilde Estate and is currently on exhibit in the main floor lobby.

 

 

Lt. Col. Adna G. Wilde was the former director of the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, holding the position from 1973 until 1981. During this critical time in our organization's history, Wilde was responsible for overseeing the move of the entire Museum collection from its former home on Kiowa Street to the newly restored 1903 El Paso County Courthouse.

 

Wilde was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, on October 1, 1920, and graduated from The Citadel in 1943. After college, he joined the Army and served in the famed 10th Mountain Division. He was wounded in combat in Italy during World War II. Following the war he and his wife Joan lived all over the world as he continued his military career. They retired to Colorado Springs in the 1960s. 

 

Adna G. Wilde CSPM Director 1973-1981

Adna Wilde died in November of 2008 at age 88, and his beloved wife Joan passed away just this past November, 2014. Lt. Colonel Wilde's 10th Mountain Division artifacts, Joan's collection of Japanese kimonos, and other items collected by the couple have been generously donated to the Museum. Both Adna and Joan treasured the recently donated Craig painting. It was known to be in their private collection for quite some time, and although it was previously exhibited in Amarillo, Texas as part of the Anschutz Collection, its entire provenance is unknown at this time. 

 

 

About the Artist:

Charles Craig was born in Morgan County, Ohio in 1846. Starting in 1865, Craig spent four years traveling up the Missouri River where he met many American Indian tribes and eventually reached Fort Benton, Montana. From 1872 to 1873, he had the opportunity to study at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia with Peter Moran, the younger brother of Thomas Moran. At the urging of painter John Dare Howland, Craig moved west and settled in Colorado Springs in 1881. For the next 50 years he was an important resident of the region. Craig traveled frequently throughout Colorado, and was a well-known visitor on the Southern Ute Reservation. The Utes referred to him as "Pink Face Charlie." As noted in Nelson A. Rieger's Charles Craig: Pikes Peak Indian Painter, Craig was renowned for the accuracy of his ethnological details of the Plains and Ute Indians. He was the first major artist to paint Taos in 1881 and Santa Fe in 1883. Unfortunately he lost his studio and many of his paintings in the Antlers Hotel fire of 1898. Craig died in 1931 after having lived most of his life in Colorado Springs.

 "Whether through preserving important cultural artifacts or supporting new discoveries about our common past, NEH grants play a critical role in making the insights afforded by the humanities available to all to help us better understand ourselves, our culture, our society," said NEH Chairman, William Adams.  

  

The collection varies from military uniforms to quilts and coverlets.  Mannion continued, "Highlights of our collection include a log cabin quilt from Helen Hunt Jackson's home, a National Lung Association Banner used in early campaigns against tuberculosis, and a WWII 10th Mountain Division uniform."

Education Intern at CSPM

Graduated Colorado College 2013

Major: Anthropology

Minor: Religious Studies  

What is your favorite part about being the Education Intern at CSPM? As a volunteer at the museum for the past four months, I enjoy a variety of responsibilities - covering anything from the Hands on History carts to helping organize craft projects for Children's History Hour. My favorite part of my position is the organizational aspect. I'm a huge geek for binders and notepads, and for some reason, making lists. I have five different colored pens, each representing a different thing that I'm doing at the moment. 

What is the most useful thing you've learned from your internship? How to be flexible with learning. The Hands on History cart program is geared toward school groups exploring the museum using themes that relate directly to each of the museum exhibits. The program includes brief history points plus an activity that fits in with school standards. Since each school is different, it becomes an exciting challenge to switch up the way I present information to groups with different needs. Finding what works and what doesn't work is like a tiny victory each time!  

What topic in local history interests you most and why? I'm currently most interested in The Broadmoor and the part it has played in Colorado Springs since it was built in 1918. I've always loved repurposed historical buildings, but The Broadmoor hasn't ever been repurposed. It still pulls the same kind of clientele and offers similar services as it did originally. It may not be as exclusive as it once was, but it still is part of a living history that probably will continue for many years. Seeing it stay so successful and so relevant is refreshing, especially in a city where so many historical buildings don't make the cut.  

What does the future hold for you?

Pikes Peak Regional Lecture

Everybody Welcome -

The Legend of Fannie Mae Duncan

Presented by Kathleen Esmiol

Saturday, February 14

2pm - 3pm

Chasing The Cure Exhibit

Opens March 2015

We Need Your Vote!

The Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum has been nominated in the Arts & Entertainment category of The Gazette's "2015 Best of the Springs."

Vote for us through February 15!