The Future of the Past in Pueblo, Colorado USA
Pueblo is a city at the crossroads of discovery where history, culture and the arts converge in a powerful display of creative genius. Since its earliest days, the citizens of Pueblo have brought to the fabric of the community a long tradition of exploration, discovery and self-expression. The region has been at the epicenter of opportunity in Southern Colorado for hundreds of years. The Arkansas River in Pueblo has been the international boundary with France, Spain, Mexico, and the Republic of Texas, making it a true frontier region in the southwest. After the Colorado Gold Rush in 1859, the city continued to flourish due to its mild winter climate, abundant water resources and extensive agricultural lands.
The establishment of Colorado Coal and Iron Company (1881) and later the Colorado Fuel & Iron (CF&I) in the early 1900s ushered in a whole new era of prosperity and soon Pueblo became home to one of the largest steel mills in the world. ‘Steel City’' Pueblo became the symbol and a beacon of hope for those searching for new opportunities in a new land and workers from all corners of the globe traveled to Pueblo and the surrounding communities in order to stake their claim in this new frontier economy of the United States where just about anything was possible if you worked hard. Workers brought from their homelands their unique cultures and traditions and at one time over 40 languages were spoken at the steel mill and mines. Pueblo is the beneficiary of a rich cultural diversity that beckons even today when you visit neighborhoods throughout the city and talk with long time residents. The rush of industrialization over this entire period brought great wealth and arts to the community and city planners and designers built a livable and walkable infrastructure that remains to this day.
The Contemporary Speakeasy
Telling stories is one of the most powerful means that humanity has to influence, teach, and inspire. What makes storytelling so effective for learning? For starters, storytelling forges connections among people, and between people and ideas. Stories convey the culture, history, and values that unite people. When it comes to our countries, our communities, and our families, we understand intuitively that the stories we hold in common are an important part of the ties that bind.
Good stories do more than create a sense of connection. They build familiarity and trust, and allow the listener to enter the story where they are, making them more open to learning. Good stories can contain multiple meanings so they're surprisingly economical in conveying complex ideas in graspable ways. And stories are more engaging than a dry recitation of data points or a discussion of abstract ideas.
Our mission at The Dig is to amplify the Pueblo narrative to audiences far and wide. Each storyteller's presentation will be broadcast live from the historic Backroom at the Senate Bar which is located directly across from City Hall in Pueblo, Colorado. At the conclusion of the 2021 series, the entire collection of stories will be available digitally via community archives and podcast. In addition, The Dig • Volume 1, will be published and available for purchase at select locations throughout Pueblo and on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other distributors in the USA and abroad.
As we slowly emerge from our shared global reality, it is critical for communities to come together to share local stories and break bread. The Dig is more than a speaker series. Pueblo has a tendency to leave you speechless and then turns you into a storyteller. We invite you to come and experience Pueblo again for the very first time.
WE ARE UNITED IN ONE COMMON PURPOSE. PUEBLO.
Special thanks to Justin Bregar of JERBCO for his amazing service in bringing The Dig to wider audiences via Livestream and for future generations as part of our community archives.
Livestream Production JERBCO, Ltd. info@jerbco.com (719) 948-7203