Mary Jo Coulehan, Executive Director of the Pagosa Springs Chamber of Commerce, addressed the Pagosa Town Council on Tuesday evening, to encourage the Council members to learn how to pronounce the word “sesquisemiquincentennial”.
The word relates to upcoming celebrations planned for 2025 and 2026, she explained.
On July 4, 2026, the United States of America will observe the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. One month later, on August 1, 2026, Colorado will celebrate 150 years of statehood. These twin milestones present an opportunity to unite with fellow Coloradans and Americans around shared ideals, and imagine our future together.
The America 250 – Colorado 150 Commission was established by state legislation to guide Colorado’s commemorations in ways that enable all Coloradans to participate. The Commission created eight regional planning and organizing groups. Archuleta County and Pagosa Springs are in the Southwest Colorado region, which is comprised of nine counties. Local Organizing Committees, staffed entirely of volunteers, will guide, support, and promote activities and events within our region.
For over a year, organizers have been meeting, planning, and discussing how to best honor and celebrate the twin anniversaries of 2026 of our nation’s birth and Colorado’s statehood. They have momentum… and a collection of Signature Projects in the works.
Sing Colorado
Passport
Oral History
Power of Place
As Ms. Coulehan explained to the Council, some musically-oriented folks are currently assembling a traveling “kit” related to historical choral music from the early days of Colorado settlement — that is to say, European-American settlement — and the hope is that individual communities will put together singing groups to perform some of that early music. (I would personally hope that the music of our Indigenous brothers and sisters will also be included in the programs?)
The Passport project will be developed into materials for 4th grade school curriculum, when students are studying Colorado history.
Ms. Coulehan:
“Oral history… we are again going to be looking at each community contributing to both ‘Oral History’ and ‘Power of Place’. These are going to be locations, and also actual oral histories from people in the community, who will be contributing to programs and projects throughout the year.
“I was asked by Archuleta County to sit on the Southwest [planning group] and help coalesce all the different organizations. We’ve already been out there, working with various groups such as Rotary, Western Heritage, the Library, Vets for Vets… just alerting them of the actual celebration.
“On January 9, we’re going to have a brainstorming meeting where a number of these groups are going to get together and, kind of like spaghetti, throw ideas on the wall and see what sticks.
“But also, what can we do as a community? In 2025, the County will celebrate its 140th anniversary, and in 2026, the Town of Pagosa Springs will celebrate its 135th anniversary. So how do we tie those milestones as well, into this celebration? And how do we, as various organizations, put on these events over the next two years? How do we fund them?..”
The Southwest regional organization will be fundraising and hopes to have grants available to help fund some of the celebratory activities.
Following Ms. Coulehan’s presentation, the Town Council approved a proclamation in support of the “sesquisemiquincentennial”, which read, in part:
…Whereas, the events and celebrations organized as part of the Sesquisemiquincentennial in Pagosa Springs should reflect the voices and leadership of our diverse communities, ensuring that all perspective are included and honored; and
Whereas, the mayor and town council of Pagosa Springs thus encourage its citizens to create and participate in programs that will commemorate the history of our town, our state, and our nation.
NOW, THEREFORE, be it resolved that I, Mayor Shari Pierce, do hereby proclaim that Pagosa Springs will fully engage in commemorative activities leading up to and during the Commission’s stated length of observance: July 4, 2025 through December 31, 2026.
We urge all community members to take advantage of the resources available from the America 250 commission, the America 250 – Colorado 150 Commission, and the Town of Pagosa Springs to observe the Sesquisemiquincentennial anniversary by coordinating commemorative events, planning historical activities, providing opportunities for public discourse, creating new scholarship around Colorado’s complete history, creating new educational opportunities, and by seeking opportunities for historic preservation.
Pagosa Springs pledges to uplift, support and generate commemorative opportunities.