2009 Lectures

“A View to The West”
by Mike Moore
Sunday, January 25, 2009
A.M. Lecture: The Story Tellers
P.M. Lecture: The Other White Meat

“Beyond the Pale: African Americans in the Western Fur Trade”
by William Gwaltney
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Morning & Evening Lecture

“Women in the Fur Trade”
by Dr. Patricia Limerick & Dr. Charles Scoggin
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Evening Lecture

“Hispanic Lenten Traditions and the Penitentes of New Mexico”
by Dr. Charlie Carrillo
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Morning & Evening Lecture

“Showtime: Denver Theatre from Saloon Hall Leg Art to the DCPA and the Ellie”
by Dr. Tom Noel
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Morning & Evening Lecture

“Barbed-wire Borders: Fencing the U.S.-Canada and U.S.-Mexico Boundaries, 1895-1935”
by Kate Unterman, Yale Student
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Morning & Evening Lecture

 

The 9th Annual Indian Market & Powwow
Date: Saturday & Sunday May 16 & 17, 2009
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. both days
Place: The grounds of The Fort – 19192 Hwy 8, Morrison, CO 80465
Cost: $6 for Adults, $3 for Students with valid I.D. and Seniors (65+), free for children under
12 and members of The Tesoro Cultural Center. Tickets are sold at the door.

In what has become a spring tradition for the Tesoro Cultural Center, the Ninth Annual Indian
Market & Powwow will fill the valley below The Fort restaurant with Native American Powwow
dancers, over 40 nationally acclaimed artists selling their work, and onlookers celebrating the
culture’s beautiful and diverse arts, colors, and history. More than just a vivid display of dance
and song, the powwow is a chance to renew old friendships, make new ones and preserve the
rich Native American heritage. As The Indian Market falls on Armed Forces Day each year, a
ceremony to honor Native Americans who are serving in all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces
takes place during the Powwow. Additionally, music, storytelling for both children and adults,
and concessions will be available for guests’ enjoyment.

Click here for photos of last year's event

 

Annual Spanish Market & 1830's Rendezvous
Date: Saturday & Sunday September 19 & 20, 2009
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. both days
Cost: $6 for Adults, $3 for Students with valid I.D. and Seniors (65+), free for children
under 12 and members of The Tesoro Cultural Center. Tickets are sold at the door.

The Spanish Market & 1830s Rendezvous has become a yearly event to close the summer
season and welcome crisp, Colorado autumn. The Spanish Market & 1830s Rendezvous features
a juried art show with Colorado and New Mexico’s most celebrated Spanish colonial artists as well
as an authentic 1830s rendezvous encampment complete with traditional mountain man
competitions. Artists will be demonstrating their techniques and mountain men and women will
set up historically accurate camps and trading posts to display their historic wares and way of life.
The public is also welcome to enjoy storytelling, food, music and Fandango dancing all weekend long.

Click here for photos of last year's event

The Night the Stars Fell

Date: Sunday, November 8, 2009
Time: Dinner & lecture begins at 6:30 p.m., viewing begins at 8:30 p.m.
Place: The Fort – 19192 Hwy. 8, Morrison, CO 80465
Cost: Dinner & lecture costs $55 for Tesoro Members, $65 for non-members.
Reservations are required, as seating is limited. After dinner telescope viewing is free and open to the public.  

The Tesoro Cultural Center, The Denver Museum of Nature and Science and the Denver Astronomical Society
commemorate the Leonids Meteor Storm of 1833, when thousands of meteors showered
the sky over North America.  It appeared that the stars were falling out of the heavens, and the phenomenon
was observed and documented at the original Bent’s Fort and by the native peoples
of the land. The Tesoro Cultural Center will host a full dinner of historical foods as well as a lecture
about the scientific and historical significance of the Leonids Meteor Storm. Afterward, telescope
viewing of the night sky will take place in the courtyard of The Fort. Telescopes are provided by
the Denver Astronomical Society and viewing is FREE and open the public. 

 

Farolito Lighting & Pinecone Ceremony

Date: Sunday, November 29, 2009
Time: 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Place: The Fort – 19192 Hwy. 8, Morrison, CO 80465
Cost: Free and open to the public.

The Tesoro Cultural Center will celebrate its southwestern tradition of lighting the farolitos
(paper lanterns) in the courtyard of The Fort restaurant. The festivities usher in the holiday
season and honor a member of the community who has enlightened the minds and souls of
others. After the guest of honor lights the farolitos, the pinecone ceremony begins. Everyone
attending the event is asked to bring a pinecone, with the name of someone he or she
wishes to remember written on a slip of paper and tucked into the cone. At the conclusion
of the evening, the pinecones are placed in the courtyard campfire. The resulting glimmers of
light and bright fire glide upwards, carrying the pinecone messages into the sky. As this event
takes place outdoors, warm dress is recommended.

 

 

Las Posadas
Date: December 24, 2009
Time: 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Place: The Fort – 19192 Hwy. 8, Morrison, CO 80465
Cost: Free and open to the public

Celebrated in Mexico and throughout the United States from December 16 to 24, Las Posadas commemorates
Mary and Joseph’s journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem in search of shelter on
the night of baby Jesus’ birth. Actors portraying Mary and Joseph will lead a candlelit procession
around the exterior of The Fort, followed by musicians singing traditional Las Posadas songs in
Spanish and English. They will knock on different doors of The Fort, only to be turned away. At the
last door, the weary couple is invited in and offered shelter. The attendees will then join for a celebration
featuring songs, complimentary refreshments and a piñata. The Tesoro Cultural Center
has partnered with the Christian Life Movement to present this traditional event. As this event
takes place outdoors, warm dress is recommended.