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John Buchholz to be honored at 2017 Nimon-Walker Award

First, let's get those details to you: 
 

What: The 16th Annual Nimon-Walker Award honoring John Buchholz

Where: Eagle Public Library, Eagle, Colorado

When: Sunday, May 21st 2:00-4:00 PM

Special presentation by F. Darrell Munsell, author of "Colorado Artist Jack Roberts: Painting the West"

 

Whew, okay. Now let's get to the good stuff. 

This year, we are honoring John Buchholz. It's very difficult to talk about the history of our valley without mentioning the Buchholz family and despite no longer living in the area, John has never forgotten this. 

John is a direct descendant of some of the first pioneers to not only settle in this area, but to become involved in our first county and town governments as well as crucial town projects that would carry the growth of our valley. In fact, the Buchholz family history is an epoch of American history. 

 

  Nicholas Buchholz served in the Confederate army. After the war, he would head west.
In "The History of Eagle County", or more commonly referred to as "The Red Book", Nicholas Buchholz is listed as a pioneer of the town of Eagle. He was Eagle County Assessor for over 20 years and he is given credit for being instrumental in the construction of the first 'official' schoolhouse in Eagle.

"The photograph was taken in the late 1800s in my great-granddad's first homestead which is now known as Castle Peak Ranch. The ranch that the family currently owns north of the original homestead were homesteads of my grandfather Joh, my dad and his sister Beaulah." -- John Buchholz July 5, 2000

Women were few and far between in the unsettled West with a few exceptions-- one of them being Nicholas Buchholz's wife, Mary O. Adams. 

 

To make it in the west, you had to be an entrepeneur and the Buchholz family was no different. 

 

Nicholas and John ran the livery for several years. The stable was eventually demolished in 1929. 
The Buchholz homestead sat on what eventually became known as Buchholz Mesa. Nicholas is at far left in this photograph.  Like most pioneer ranches, the homestead has been bought, sold, and changed names over the years.
Nick went into government and served as the Eagle County Assessor for more than 2 decades. He became assessor in the 1920's, when the office was still in the county seat at Red Cliff. This is a photograph of that office.

 

John Buchholz has been an unending supporter of local history programs, events, and preservation. 

Patrons will ask where we get all of these photographs and artifacts and the answer is simple-- you! The Buchholz photographs we have here, and the details that go along with them, were all provided by John Buchholz. John now lives in Arizona, but has been involved in local history events and programs from afar, whether it's raising money or making the trip for an appearance of his own. We thank John, as a library and a community, for his generosity with precious family heirlooms.

 

Come join in on an award-winning celebration.

Did you know that the Nimon-Walker Award has also received awards? Yeah, it's really that great. We were honored with the award for "Best Event in a Small Community" at the Downtown Colorado Governor's Awards in 2016. Come be a part of history as it's unfolding in our town. 

 

Interested in learning more?

Perfect! Join us at the event and you'll have a chance to stop and chat with John, as well as learn much more about the pioneer roots of Eagle. And as always, our Local History Librarian is ready for your questions, so drop her a phone call, an email, or stop by the office in Eagle. 

 

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