The last few months of the historic HVAC and renovation project were quite harried for the CSPM Collections and Exhibits team. Throughout the year-long project our number one priority was to keep the collection and building safe – which was no easy task with construction taking place simultaneously on all four floors. However, as the work progressed, our focus shifted to reinstalling all of our permanent galleries and opening up three the new collections work space and three brand new exhibits: 50% of the Story, Camping in the Rockies, and Accessorize It!
Additionally, we pushed hard to include another five new story-telling opportunities in small-case exhibits throughout the second and third floor lobbies. Each one gives unique insight into aspect of Pikes Peak regional history and they’re all really fun to boot! In the months ahead we’ll be sharing text and photographs of these exhibits in the Museletter, but we encourage you to visit the CSPM to see them in person. And so, for starters here is Fun on Wheels.
During the Great Depression – Dutch Weissenfluh had a great idea. He opened a travelling amusement company featuring a portable roller-skating rink accompanied by organ music and a shooting gallery with real rifles and handmade targets. Born in 1908, Dutch was the second child of Carl K. and Lillie Weissenfluh. The family emigrated west from Missouri and raised their eight children on a homestead in Yoder. Dutch was known to be strong, generous, kind, and resourceful.
Dutch named his traveling amusement company “MaPooHa.” The main attraction was the roller-skating rink made up of 4500 feet of first grade maple wood flooring, which had to be assembled and disassembled at every stop. The wood planks for the rink, hundreds of metal skates, a large canvas tent, and the shooting range materials were all transported in a Pierce Arrow automobile and a wood-sided bus. Dutch crisscrossed the state, visiting Cripple Creek, Leadville, Canon City, Longmont, and of course right here in Colorado Springs. Newspaper articles, flyers, and postcards announced his arrival, prices, and details of the rink times and skating lessons.
The intricate hand crank organ crafted in Germany drew crowds to the rink and provided music for the skating sessions. As remembered by the family, “As Dutch and his company drove into town, the organ sat in the rumble seat of the Pierce Arrow and the cranked-out music filled the streets and captured the attention of customers to the rink!”  Dutch met his future wife Jackie in 1940 when MaPooHa visited Longmont. Together, the couple created an electrifying act for visitors to the rink. While on roller skates, Dutch twirled the 5’2” Jackie by one foot as she held a match in her mouth that ignited when striking the maple floor. What a match they were!
After Jackie and Dutch married, the travelling amusement company closed. The couple raised their family in Yoder where Dutch became a farmer and rancher, while Jackie was known for her excellent cooking and hospitality. In the 1960s, Dutch reopened the shooting gallery at 22 East Colorado Ave. to earn a little extra income. Over the years, the family treasured the organ, displaying it in their living room and treating guests to hand-cranked concerts. Dutch often expressed his wish that the organ be donated to a museum where his children, grandchildren, and others could see his prized possession. We are grateful to the entire Weissenfluh Family for making Dutch’s wish come true!
