2020 Special Events

SwitchOn: The Forum is excited to bring back Dr. Scott Tinker and his new movie "Switch On." Scott came to the Forum in January of 2013 to show and discuss his first movie titled "Switch - to a greener energy future." Where "Switch" looked at energy in the developed world, "Switch On" takes viewers on another spectacular adventure, this time across the developing world, to meet leaders and everyday citizens bringing power to their people. It's an inspiring journey, exploring how energy and ingenuity can improve the lives of individuals and their countries.

Follow these directions to view the film;

Click the following link to access the film: https://switchon.org/films/screening/G5riZa/. You'll be taken to a web page where you'll be able to register or login to start streaming the 79-minute film. You may need to scroll down to find the register/login buttons. This page will also include the trailer if you'd like to watch it before registering a login. The film is available for free viewing until June 12, 2020.

Click this link to view the May 21st recorded zoom talk with Dr. Tinker.

The Collegiate Peaks Forum Series, now in its 17th year, is a free lecture series with presentations in Leadville, Buena Vista, and Salida. For more information visit;

For more information about SwitchOn and Dr. Tinker, please click the following link;

https://switchon.org/ and https://switchon.org/presentations/

November 5, 2020

Different Kinds of Minds

Dr. Mary Temple Grandin is a faculty member with Animal Sciences in the College of Agricultural Sciences at Colorado State University.

Dr. Grandin is an author of more than 60 scientific papers on animal behavior. She is a consultant to the livestock industry on animal behavior, and an autism spokesperson. She is one of the first individuals on the autism spectrum to document the insights she gained from her personal experience of autism.

She was the subject of the Emmy and Golden Globe winning semi-biographical film, Temple Grandin and she is an outspoken proponent of the autism rights and neurodiversity movements.

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2019 Special Event

Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North, an Emmy-nominated documentary film

Monday, 29 April 2019, from 7:00-8:30 p.m

Salida Steam Plant

 On  Monday, 29 April 2019, from 7:00-8:30 p.m., the Collegiate Peaks Forum Series and the Congregational United Church of Christ will present the Emmy-nominated documentary Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North by Katrina Browne, at the Salida Steam Plant. Holly Fulton and Bill Peebles from the Traces of the Trade project will lead discussion. The event is free and refreshments will be served.

Traces of the Trade filmmaker Katrina Browne discovered that her ancestors were the largest slave-trading family in U.S. history. Given the commonly held belief that the South was solely responsible for slavery, viewers may be surprised to learn that Browne’s ancestors were New Englanders. The film follows Browne and nine cousins on a remarkable journey through the history and legacy of New England’s hidden enterprise as they gain powerful perspectives on race and reparation.

From 1769 to 1820, the DeWolf family of Rhode Island trafficked in human beings, transporting more than 10,000 enslaved Africans across the Middle Passage. They sailed their ships from Bristol, Rhode Island, to West Africa with rum to trade for African men, women and children. Captives were taken to DeWolf plantations in Cuba or were sold at auction in Havana and Charleston. Sugar and molasses were then brought from Cuba to the family-owned rum distilleries in Bristol. James DeWolf became a U.S. Senator and one of the wealthiest men in the United States.

Beyond the DeWolf family, the slave trade was a cornerstone of Northern commerce. Slavery existed in the North for more than 200 years and drove the economies of many port cities. Northern textile mills used slave-picked cotton from the South to fuel the Industrial Revolution while banks, insurance companies, and investments also played key roles. While the DeWolfs were one of only a few slaving dynasties, the network of commercial activities touched by slavery was widespread.

The film follows ten DeWolf descendants, including Browne, as they trace the steps of the Triangle Trade, visiting the DeWolf hometown of Bristol, Rhode Island, slave forts on the coast of Ghana, and the ruins of a family plantation in Cuba. Back home, the family confronts the thorny topic of what to do now. In the context of growing calls for reparations for slavery, family members struggle with the question of how to think about and contribute to “repair.”

 Please join us for this enlightening film and discussion. To read more about Traces of the Trade, please visit www.tracesofthetrade.org.