A Historical Tour of Cold Spring

Today, Cold Spring Historical Society President took me on a historical tour of Cold Spring.  We started with one of the legendary springs that gave Cold Spring its name, home of the old pop factory at the turn of the century.  Shortly after we visited two fire rings that marked the Native American forts that existed when the first settlers of the 1850s arrived.  We also went to see the Assumption Chapel, built in thanksgiving for the salvation from the grasshopper plague of the 1870s, and several of Cold Spring's parks.

At one fire-ring lookout, the president pointed out many historical landmarks lining the river, some still standing and some only a memory of the past.  The Flour Mill (now gone, bought by the Cold Spring Granite company), one of the first buildings in the area, used the river to generate electricity.  The railroad, which just recently stopped being used in 2010, has a bridge crossing the river.  One can also see St. Boniface Church in the distance.  If I were to pick a specific view of town to use as a backdrop, this would be a nice one, as it shows such a concentration of history.

 Above:  Where the Flour Mill used to be

I met with a local Cold Spring artist and muralist today, and she is interested in helping out in the painting process.  She gave me some good advice on how to work with volunteers painting a mural - Once she has traced the design out on the wall (from a projector), she puts notes inside the larger, general shapes to tell volunteers what color they should be painted - sort of a "paint by number," she said.  This reduces the amount of questions that she gets and makes the process more efficient.  After the volunteers leave, she finishes off the form by adding highlights and shadows.  I think that this process may be especially effective for volunteers who do not consider themselves artistic.