Two Rivers Chautauqua

What is a Chautauqua?

Chautauqua takes its name from a movement that began near Lake Chautauqua, New York, in the 1800s. It began with Sunday school teachers gathering for a week of study, but it became a touring program through which local communities could enjoy traveling speakers, politicians, plays, and music. Many communities still have the Chautauqua parks where these outdoor events were held, usually under a big tent. We've been told that at its height in 1924, Chautauqua programs visited over 12,000 towns and entertained over 32,000,000 people nationwide. But new technologies--radio and TV--led to the demise of the old-fashioned Chautauqua.

Today, Chautauqua has been reinvented as a way to bring the humanities, especially history, back to life. Organizations across the country bring in professional scholar-actors (Chautauquans) as historical characters, bringing history to life for their audiences. Local talent provides a great variety of daytime programs. These modern-day Chautauquas are usually sponsored by state humanities councils and other non-profit entities.

What about Two Rivers Chautauqua?

Two Rivers Chautauqua got its start in 2006, thanks to the Museum of Western Colorado, Colorado Humanities, and local donors. It is a two-day event held each year on a Friday and Saturday in September.

In 2006 the theme was "The Call of the West," with professionals portraying Kit Carson, Jessie Benton Fremont, Teddy Roosevelt, and Marie Curie. Daytime programs included a panel on the uranium boom and bust, a talk by a native Ute, cowboy poetry, a lecture on John Wesley Powell, and more.

The 2007 theme was "1776," and our guests were Benjamin Franklin, Phillis Wheatley, Thomas Jefferson, and Hector St. John de Crevecoeur. Again, panels, lectures and exhibits filled the day and the Chautauquans performed in the evening.

The theme in 2008 was "World War II," and we brought in General George Patton, Eleanor Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Ernie Pyle. Our daytime events included a surprise visit from General Dwight D. Eisenhower as well.

Last year, 2009, our theme was "Larger than Life" with four cultural icons from the past. Irene Castle, P.T. Barnum, Coco Chanel and Babe Ruth entertained us with their stories and fabulous personalities.

You'll probably notice that some of our Chautauquans portray very well-known American icons; others are not so well-known. We believe that part of the fun of Chautauqua is learning more about our country's history through historical figures we may not know so well, or at all.

Are the Chautuaqua events for adults or children?

The Chautauqua is a family affair, and we plan events that will be interesting to all age groups.

In addition, each professional Chautauquan is required to visit a middle school and present his character to the students. The students not only see and hear a person from the past, but they are then allowed to ask questions. Our Chautauquans tell us that often the best questions come not from the adult audiences but from the middle schoolers! Each year, over 600 students have been able to enjoy one of these presentations.

Youth Chautauqua

Teachers in the district spend time in their classrooms training their own students to be Chautauquans. The students each choose an historical character in whom they are interested. They research those historical figures and then present them in first person. They "become" their characters, and are required to do extensive research as well as to act out the character in front of an audience. At Two Rivers Chautauqua, these students perform under the big tent on Saturday afternoon, just like the professionals do in the evening.  Check our In the Classroom section for more information.

What role does the Museum of Western Colorado play?

The Museum of Western Colorado gives us our location: Cross Orchards Historical Site. It is a wonderful place to go back in time and relive history under the big tent. The museum also donates hours of staff time, both during Chautauqua weekend and throughout the year. We work together to create the publicity and advertising that bring enthusiastic audiences to our events.

What can you do?

Funds from Colorado Humanities, time and effort from the museum, and in-kind donations from the community are not enough to make Two Rivers Chautauqua happen every year. We also need local sponsors and individual donors to round out our budget. Please help us to bring history to life by being a part of Two Rivers Chautauqua!

Sponsorship levels:

Gold Star $5,000
Silver Star $2,500
Bronze Star $1,000

Location

Address:
Cross Orchards Historic Site
3073 F Road 

Grand Junction, Colorado 81504

Check out our slideshow from WWII - 

2008 Two Rivers Chautauqua here.