People of the Garden - Presented by Toni Hamill, Author and Historian - 2025
2025-10-16 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Denver) | Palmer Lake Town Hall, 28 Valley Crescent St., Palmer Lake, CO, United States
This story of the Garden of the Gods, enhanced with vintage and contemporary photographs, is the story of this geologic wonder.

Early Electrification in Colorado – When We Got the Power! - Presented by Wayne Russert - 2025
2025-11-20 19:00 - 20:30
Wayne will trace the history of electric power in Colorado from its earliest use in the mining districts, then cities and finally to the farms and ranches as a result of the Rural Electrification Act (REA) of 1936.
Many artifacts will be displayed.

Yule Log Potluck 2025
2025-12-10 18:00 - 20:30
The Annual Potluck is held on Wednesday prior to the hunt at the Palmer Lake Town Hall. Volunteers bring a dish to share and then the souvenir lapel pins ae made for the hunters. The small willow branches are notched, the year stamped on the bottom, and pine branches are tied on with red ribbon.

Palmer Lake Yule Log Hunt 2025
2025-12-14 13:00 - 20:30
With red and green capes flying, hundreds of children and adults dash into the snowy woods near Palmer Lake, Colo. scrambling up and down slippery slopes and laughing as they search beneath evergreen boughs and bushes for the town’s hidden Yule log.
Within 15 minutes, whoops and shouts of “over here” rise from a ravine where three boys stand victoriously over the treasure-an 8-foot-long pine log that has been notched and tied with a red ribbon.
Amid cheers and high-fives, the winner and friends straddle the Yule log for their victory ride into town. Other members of the hunting party attach two long ropes to the log and drag it a quarter mile back to Town Hall, stopping frequently so other riders can hop aboard.
The December tradition is cherished in Palmer Lake, where the same two-man saw that cut the town’s first Yule log in 1933 is used today. Hunters saw the log in two and save half to start the following year’s ceremonial fire. The other half is carried into Town Hall and set ablaze in the stone fireplace built by Palmer Lake’s volunteer firemen in 1936 strictly for the annual celebration.
An old English custom, The Yule Log Celebration was brought to Palmer Lake by Lucretia Vaile and Miss Evalena Macy in 1934. They sent for a splinter of the Lake Placid, NY yule log and the first event was held in a local home. Fifty people went on the hunt for the hidden log resplendent in red or green capes. The first yule log was discovered by C. R. Hays. He was rewarded with a ride astride the log, pulled by the other searchers. They were greeted by 200 cheering residents and visitors. Half of the log was burned with the other half being saved for the next year. A spicy cider drink called Wassail was drunk in great quantities while watching the ceremonies by candlelight. Hundreds of yule log splinters have been sent all over the world to those wishing to start their own holiday tradition.

Annual Potluck Supper and Membership Meeting - 2026
2026-01-15 18:00 - 21:00
Date: Thursday, January 15, 2026
Time: 6:00 – 9:00 pm
Location: Palmer Lake Town Hall
PLHS supplies ham, rolls, coffee, and tea. Please bring a side dish to share (salad, vegetable, or dessert). Supper starts at 6:30 – 7:30 pm, then Don Bowie from Franktown will entertain us with a short concert. Nialle Byrne will lead PLHS members in the 2026 election for Officers. FREE and open to the public. All ages welcome. Celebrating our 70th Anniversary in 2026. We will share our schedule for upcoming programs. FREE 2026 Tri-Lakes Historical Calendars will also be available. We hope you will join us in celebrating.
Download Flyer!

Cherokee Trail Artifacts Across the Palmer Divide: History, Culture and Discoveries Unearthed - By Annie Berlemann - 2026
2026-02-19 19:00 - 21:00
Date: Thursday, February 19, 2026
Time: 7:00 – 9:00 pm
Location: Palmer Lake Town Hall
Annie Berlemann is a dedicated scientist, amateur journalist, and long-time resident of the Palmer Divide region in Colorado. Her deep connection to the land and its history led to the discovery of fantastic artifacts linked to the Cherokee Trail on her property in the scenic Palmer Divide area.

Fox Farming Along the Palmer Divide - by Julie Haverluk - 2026
2026-03-19 19:00 - 21:00
Date: Thursday, March 19, 2026
Time: 7:00 – 9:00 pm
Location: Palmer Lake Town Hall
Julie Haverluk, a Palmer Divide resident, researched and studied the 1920s business of Fox Farming in towns such as Black Forest, Palmer Lake, and more. She will share hard-to-find research on the subject and tell some stories from long ago.

How the Expeditions of Pike, Long, and the Spanish put Colorado on the Map - by Wesley A. Brown - 2026
2026-04-16 19:00 - 21:00
Date: Thursday, April 16, 2026
Time: 7:00 – 9:00 pm
Location: Palmer Lake Town Hall
Father Domingues and Escalante, Governor Juan Bautista de Anza, Lieutenant Zebulon Pike, and Major Stephen Long each led important expeditions into Colorado. Before these expeditions, the place that would become Colorado was a blank on the Map. These expeditions in the late 1700s and early 1800s into uncharted territory, known only to the native population, resulted in the earliest printed maps of the wondrous country that became Colorado.
Wesley A. Brown (Wes) has been a collector of old maps since he was a teenager, with a special interest in the exploration and settlement of the West and Colorado from the 16th through the 20th centuries.

Trails to the Interstate: Transportation Systems Across the Palmer Divide - by Lee & Jane Whiteley - 2026
2026-05-21 19:00 - 21:00
Date: Thursday, May 21, 2026
Time: 7:00 – 9:00 pm
Location: Palmer Lake Town Hall
Monument Creek, Plum Creek, and Cherry Creek waterways have evolved into major north-south transportation corridors. The Trappers, Smoky Hill, and Cherokee trails were used by mountain men, military expeditions, gold seekers, and homesteaders. The Denver Rio Grande and Denver New Orleans railroads provided transportation systems needed for Douglas and El Paso counties.

Father’s Day Ice Cream Social 2026
2026-06-21 14:00 - 16:00
Date: Sunday, June 21, 2026
Time: 2:00 – 4:00 pm
Location: Town Hall & Village Green
The Tradition Continues…
FREE Pie and Ice Cream with Music to salute your dad in big fashion.
The museum will also be open on this day.
Come join us – held rain or shine.
Open to the public.
Car club invited to exhibit.

Get ready for our History Day - 2026
2026-07-18 00:00
Date: Saturday, July 18, 2026

The museum will be open on History Day. More information to follow.
