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Dedication at Hayden Museum honors local family, coincides with Holiday Stroll

Elaina Raleigh, 3, visits Santa during the 2013 Holiday Stroll in Hayden.
Matt Stensland

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — Along with the museums annual Holiday Stroll, the Hayden Heritage Center will pay homage to a family that has supported them from the beginning.

The Leslie Memorial Library dedication will be held from noon to 1 p.m. Saturday at the museum at 300 W. Pearl St.

The Holiday Stroll will then be held from 1 and 3 p.m. with wagon rides between Wild Goose Coffee at the Granary at 198. E Lincoln St.



There will also be visits with Santa and crafts for the kids.

Dagny McKinley will be at the museum signing her new book about Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School and Camp.



The dedication at the museum will recognize the Leslie family.

Velora and Truman Leslie helped establish the museum and were founding board members.

The couple moved to Meeker and Mount Harris before settling in Hayden in 1943, and they ran the town’s drug store.

Their daughters Jan and Nadine were also very involved with the museum.

Since 2005, Jan Leslie spent most of her time as a volunteer at the museum compiling the binders about Hayden’s businesses, the town’s mayors and high school graduates, among others.

She was recognized in 2009 by Historic Routt County with a Historic Preservation Leader­ship award.

The sisters worked on books together about local history.

The part of the museum that will be dedicated to the Leslie family is the research library.

“It’s a lot of out-of-print books, Colorado history and local history,” museum curator Laurel Watson said.

The museum is also celebrating having artifacts that have gained statewide recognition by the Colorado Connection.

Tokens used by miners at the old Mt. Harris mining town east of Hayden have been named one of the top 10 most significant artifacts for 2017 in the state.

To reach Matt Stensland, call 970-871-4247, email mstensland@SteamboatToday.com or follow him on Twitter @SBTStensland.


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