OCCHS reschedules 'Haunted Histories' Oct. 7; call for ticket availability

OCCHS reschedules 'Haunted Histories' Oct. 7; call for ticket availability

Former El Paso County Sheriff John Wesley Anderson talks about the county's first sheriff, Rankin Scott Kelly, during a presentation Sept. 10 at the Old Colorado City History Center. On the screen is a photo of Kelly when he was 87, a few months before his death. Anderson's presentation marked the release announcement of his Kelly biography, published by the Old Colorado City Historical Society.

Westside Pioneer photo

       Rained out Sept. 23, the third annual Haunted Histories of Old Colorado City has come back to life, with a rescheduled afternoon date of Saturday, Oct. 7 from 1 to 5 p.m.
       The location will remain the same: Fairview Cemetery. Put on by the Old Colorado City Historical Society (OCCHS) for education and entertainment, the event will feature about 10 “ghosts” in period attire telling the stories of colorful, deceased Westside individuals beside their tombstones.
       Among this year's reenactors will be a couple of “visiting ghosts,” according to Suzanne Schorsch, the OCCHS treasurer who's the lead organizer of Haunted Histories.
       One of these will be Rankin Scott Kelly, the first El Paso County sheriff (from 1861 to 1867). He's buried in Evergreen Cemetery, however,

Suzanne Schorsch of the Colorado City Historical Society is seen in a pouring rain, during unsuccessful efforts to put on the group's Haunted Histories of Old Colorado City despite the weather at Fairview Cemetery Sept. 23. In the foreground is the tombstone of Laura Bell McDaniel, a Colorado City brothel owner in the late 1800s/early 1900s, whose story is often reenacted at the annual event. "Histories" is now rescheduled Oct. 7 at Fairview.

Westside Pioneer photo

there's a strong Westside tie. The OCCHS just published a Rankin biography by former County Sheriff John Wesley Anderson; also, the county seat in those days was located in Colorado City (Colorado Springs didn't exist yet).
       Event tickets are $20 in advance at the Old Colorado City History Center, 1 S. 24th St., (a museum and bookstore, open Tuesdays to Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.) or by calling 636-1225 during operating hours.
       However, ticket availability may be minimal, according to Schorsch. With the new date only just confirmed Sept. 27 with the Colorado Springs Cemetery Division, the center's volunteers were just starting to call back the Sept. 23 ticket-buyers to see how many of them want refunds and how many can make the new date.
       Advance reservations are necessary. “We were sold out [Sept. 23], so have to wait and see who can go or not Oct. 7,” Schorsch said.

Westside Pioneer article
(Posted 9/27/17; Community: Old Colorado City History Center)

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