Congratulations to our October Volunteer of the Month, Margie Yevara! Margie’s first volunteer experience with the CSPM was at a craft-making station at the very popular 2022 Festival of Lights event. She was soon recruited to help with the Evergreen Cemetery Ledger Transcription project—a project to digitize over 60 ledgers, recently transferred to the CSPM, from the City of Colorado Springs cemetery.
“I love museums and archives. I also love history and enjoy reading about people’s lives in the past.”
Since February 2023, Margie has committed 178.41 hours to meticulously recording the handwritten entries of the Colorado Springs Death Register, from 1914 to 1921. Each line in the register tells us information about an individual—such as where they lived, who their doctor was, their age, how they died, and even their occupation! Her work, paired with photography of the register pages, will create an invaluable research tool in the future, and also help the CSPM tell more stories related the history and culture of the Pikes Peak region.
Margie is so dedicated that she commuted from Denver weekly to transcribe from the register in the archives. Since the museum has closed for our extensive eight-month capital project, she continues to work remotely, using photographs of the ledger pages.
HVAC Construction Corner
Interestingly, Margie has an ancestor from Illinois who travelled to Pueblo, Colorado to treat his Asthma, and another who survived tuberculosis in St. Louis. She notes that, “As I read about the local sanatariums, I think about them.”
Since Margie has retired, she enjoys having extra time to work in her yard, restore building interiors and furniture, and conduct
genealogy. Soon, her time will also be filled with a new grandbaby!
With all of these activities, we are very grateful for the time that she has given to the CSPM. Thank you, Margie!