Canyons & Plains to Hold Regional Meeting at Eads

Canyons & Plains of Southeast Colorado will hold its regional meeting at the Cobblestone Inn, 501 E. Lowell at Rittgers Street, one block south of Highway 287/96 in Eads, CO, on Thursday, June 5, 2014, 9 a.m. to 11 am.  A luncheon will be available at the Cobblestone following the meeting for $8.

There will be a presentation on the Towner Bus Tragedy of 1931.  Residents of Towner have been engaged in community meetings for a Wayfinding interpretive kiosk to be installed later this year. It is one of several interpretive kiosks along CO State Highway 96, Rocky Ford, La Junta, and Boggsville.  The Wayfinding program was originally started by Canyons & Plains of Southeast Colorado as a means to instill local pride and to assist travelers and tourists who visit Southeast Colorado. The Towner kiosk is part of the second generation of kiosks to be installed.

As Thomas and Laurie Simmons wrote in their Pleasant Hill (Towner) School Bus Tragedy Intensive Survey Plan 2012:

The Pleasant Hill (Towner) School Bus tragedy of March 1931 still reverberates strongly among the residents of southeastern Colorado and southwestern Kansas and is recognized as an important event in the region’s history. Popularly known as the Towner School Bus Tragedy (as a newspaper publisher christened it in recognition of the closest town), the incident claimed six lives, drew national media attention, and deeply affected survivors and communities in the vicinity. The tragedy received widespread notice throughout the nation, and its influence is seen in lasting changes to school communication systems, pupil release policies related to weather, and bus safety modifications.

If you are planning to attend the meeting and having lunch, please RSVP to Rick Manzanares at 719.688.5026 so that we know how many lunches to order.

Canyons & Plains (formerly known as Southeast Regional Heritage Task Force) is a heritage tourism development organization.  Formed in 2003, C&P serves seven counties – Baca, Bent, Crowley, Kiowa, Otero, Prowers and eastern Las Animas.  The non-profit group promotes visitation to and stewardship of the unique historical, natural and cultural assets of southeastern Colorado among residents, state, national and international audiences.  Since its formation, C&P has garnered over $1 million in funding for projects in this area.