LIFEST Y LES AN ADVERTISING SECTION OF COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA | VOL. 17 ISSUE 2 • FEBRUARY 2025
FEATURE
OF THE MONTH In 1875, Dwight Wilmot requested that the federal government place a post office in our community. When asked what it should be named, Dwight responded, “Evergreen” because he loved the beauty the evergreen trees around him provided. This was the first official time the name Evergreen was used and thus our “beginning”. Being an unincorporated community, there is no other start to “Evergreen”. While Evergreen as a location and a place that we call home, has existed much longer than 150 years, 2025 is the year of our 150th anniversary. So Happy Sesquicentennial, Evergreen! The Evergreen Chamber of Commerce and other organizations will be celebrating our birthday all year long. Look for annual events to incorporate some new fun to celebrate and look for new events to pop up celebrating our heritage. One such event will be on July 3 at Buchanan Park. It will be called “Illuminate the Past”. Bring a picnic dinner and join us on the fields to stroll through pop up displays spotlighting our heritage. Hear stories from community members who grew up in Evergreen, learn more about the lives of the original settlers, and visit displays that share the past and the path as our community has grown, all to better understand Evergreen today. We will end this evening with a beautiful glow from hot air balloons, something new to our community, to welcome in the next 150 years. Local businesses are joining in on the fun too. There will be merchandise sporting a new logo that has been created to celebrate what we love about Evergreen: the mountains, the elk, our streams and lake, and what we see every day that Dwight Wilmot also loved, the evergreen trees. Soon a commemorative coin will be available with the proceeds going to help some of our historic places that need some tender love and care. Look for opportunities to learn more about the heritage of historical places in our community. On the first Saturday of each month, a different location or area of our community will host an “open house” or tour that will provide more information on the history of the area. Long-time residents and historians will be the hosts of those sessions and all will be free and open to the public with some locations having specific programming for children. Do you think kids today would enjoy playing the games that kids play in the late 1800s to the early 1900s? How about the school lessons…do you think they are harder or easier now? These events kick off on Saturday, March 1 from noon to 2pm at the Bergen Fire Station Administration building. This session will focus on North Evergreen, the native tribes who were here before the white people arrived, Evergreen Please see 150 YEARS, Page 2
Happy Birthday Evergreen!