The Denver Public Library recently launched an innovative winter reading program geared for adults 17 and over. With the motto, “Reading Is a Winter Sport,” this newly-created reading program is unique because it encourages people to read in addition to learning about the library’s various offerings.
To make things fun, the library developed a “Reading is a Winter Sport” play card that outlines all the activities incorporated into the program. People who complete three or more win a prize
One of the activities listed on the play card is visiting the Western History/Genealogy department at the 10 W. 14th Ave. library location, where participants can study all sorts of western history that includes learning about the 10th Mountain Division. “The program’s motto fits right in with the 10th Mountain Division,” said Connie Nelson, director of the 10th Mountain Division Descendants, Inc., Rocky Mountain Chapter, a non-profit dedicated to preserving the legacy of the 10th Mountain Division. “After WWII, many soldiers of the 10th started the U.S ski industry, including some of the top resorts in Colorado,” she added.
The 10th Mountain Division was formed in 1943, when it was identified by the US Army that it needed an elite winter-warfare force to fight in the Italian mountains. The idea of United States ski troops was borrowed from the Finnish, who used ski troops to effectively fight the Russians in its history. Many young men from around the country were recruited to Camp Hale, located on Tennessee Pass near Leadville for training in mountain climbing, Alpine and Nordic skiing, cold-weather survival, weaponry, and more. Today, Camp Hale, overseen by the U.S. National Forest Service, still bears remnants of the original 1943 troop training facility. Ski Cooper, where the soldiers trained in skiing, still operates today as a regular ski resort.
The 10th Mountain Division Resource Center was established in 1987 in a cooperative effort of the National Association of the 10th Mountain Division, Denver Public Library, and History Colorado. The center serves as a single, official repository where 10th Mountain Division veterans and their families have sent and continue to send documents, photographs, films, maps, and other ephemera as a resource for future generations. “The Resource Center now houses over 800 individual collections, generously submitted by over 1100 donors, making it the largest collection of its kind,” said Keli Schmid, 10th Mountain Division and Western History archivist at the Denver Public Library.
Complementing the library’s collection is History Colorado’s 10th Mountain Division artifacts.
Adults interested in participating in the ”Reading is a Winter Sport” program can pick up their play cards at any Denver Public Library location or print one at denverlibrary.org/winterofreading. The program ends March 31.
For more information about the Denver Public Library’s “Reading is a Winter Sport” program, contact Keli Schmidt at 720-865-1812 or email her at kschmid@denverlibrary.org. For more information about preserving the legacy of the 10th Mountain Division or the 10th Mountain Division Descendants, Inc., contact Connie Nelson at nicon@comcast.net/.