Venerable Silver Cliff Museum Opens
Built Originally In 1879 –
Now 144 Years Old

 

by Fred Hernandez
The versatile museum building on Main Street in Silver Cliff housed the first fire department of Custer County on the ground floor while on the second floor was the town hall. In the 1950’s the town hall moved to the yellow house on Main Street in front of the car wash until the current town hall was constructed in the mid-seventies and where the town hall is located today.

It has bravely withstood all the ravages of time and the misfortunes dealt by fate including the great fire which destroyed the entire town in the 1800s. Yet it stood there, the survivor, patiently serving but clearly showing signs of stress and its age. Finally, in 2020, town officials, cognizant of its deteriorated condition, decided it was high time to have an assessment of the needs of this acclaimed structure.
Town Building and Zoning Officer, Roger Camper, who was assigned by Mayor H.A. “Buck” Wenzel to the task, worked tirelessly for months inspecting, checking and recording every part of the building to assess its true condition. More months were spent researching appropriate materials to replace and refurbish the building. The museum building is a registered structure at both the State and National Historic Register of Historic Places-the official list of the nation’s historic locations and structures worthy of preservation.
In the meantime, the Mayor and Town Clerk Ileen Squire worked diligently on attaining the necessary grants to fund this all-important town project. In 2021, their work paid off as grant money began rolling in: $ 249,000 from the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) and $ 199,000 from Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). In addition, generous donations were also gratefully received from the Custer County Board of Commissioners, the local Senior Center and from individual businessmen Kent Beach, Trent Stafford and other members of the community. Never in the town’s long history did it receive donations in those amounts. The town is most grateful to all those who made the contributions.
With the funds available, Mr. Camper began the process of vetting contractors and workers who would be involved in the renovation. Various materials and products had to be considered, tested and rechecked. Because the building is of historical importance the materials and products used had to be approved by the History Colorado Group. New materials are acceptable but must look the age of the building. These are historical replica materials approved by History Colorado Group.  All these different materials had to be handpicked, checked and tested by Mr. Camper.
The work, which took almost two years from July 2021 through May 2023, was extensive and at times complicated. Parts of the building had to be demolished due to the old age of the materials. Some parts could be salvaged and refurbished but the roof, for instance, had to be torn down and a whole new roof constructed with up-to-date materials and according to current building codes and safety standards. Some parts of the building which had been worked on in 1980 had no insulation, an issue which was addressed.

Today the museum opens completely updated and includes some very welcome improvements such as the new pavilion. During the health crisis of 2020/2021 the Senior Center, which occupies the first floor of the town hall, suffered a great drop in attendance. They asked about the possibility of a meeting place outside the building where they could still meet at a safe distance and have fresh air. The result is a fine pavilion behind the museum which has an outdoor area with picnic tables, an ADA bathroom, and appropriate rooms for storing newspaper artifacts. In addition, when CART was dissolved, Ms. Cathy Snow donated the funds needed for a pocket park which includes a small playground for kids and a horseshoe pit. With ample parking in the back, even for buses, the town can now have large groups of seniors and other visitors of the museum and families gather for lunch or small events in the pavilion
One new and much needed improvement was the installation of an elevator. Visitors can now enjoy all the artifacts and other antique articles on the second floor. It is a great convenience, particularly for the many senior visitors.
In addition to the regular duties of the town hall, the town clerk, Ileen Squire, had to organize, manage and keep track of a myriad of invoices, donations, receipts and much documentation; all of which was handled flawlessly.
Local contractors who provided services include: Mountain Valley Excavating, Schlabach Concrete and Masonry, Henry Yoder Construction, Pinon Electric, Morning Star, Caldwell Family Concrete, Boneyard Electric, Oak Disposal, Garrett Benesch Welding, Baltzly Construction Services, Rainbow Plumbing, Rick’s Trees, Plainview Spray Insulation, Laura Bachman Painting and A.J. Stone Masonry.
Wi-Fi, for which the town is particularly grateful, was donated in perpetuity by Hilltop Broadband. Artwork, an important aspect of the renovation, was generously donated by our own local artist, Ms. Molly Parkes.

The town of Silver Cliff will forever be grateful to Mr. Roger Camper and all the donors and contractors for their dedication, skills and expertise in completing this community project which will always be an asset not only of Silver Cliff town but of the entire county of Custer as well. In showing the sincere appreciation of the town a plaque has been designed which bears the image of Mr. Camper and the names of all who made this historic event possible. The plaque will hang in a prominent place inside the museum as a reminder that when a whole community gets together even difficult tasks become a reality. The residents of the town of Silver Cliff, the town officials and staff are grateful to all those who have extended the life of our most venerable building, the Museum of Silver Cliff. Come and visit some time.