Hi! My name is Katie Peterson and I am from Las Animas, Colorado. This is my second internship here at Ogallala Commons. My dad was an officer in the Air Force, so I had the opportunity to live in places like Germany and South Korea and experience the culture and history each country had to offer. Being that my family was deeply involved in history, my mom took me to every historic site possible, including the beaches of Normandy and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s birthplace. This passion for history eventually moved to me, for when my dad retired and we moved back to Las Animas, I quickly became involved with local historic sites and museums. Because my family had put their roots down here in southeastern Colorado in 1872, I developed an infatuation with the area’s history and have been heavily involved ever since. After graduating from Adams State University this spring, I was accepted into their masters’ program of Cultural Resource Management. I hope to work with History Colorado in order to further their goal of preserving and interpreting the incredible stories of our state. For my OC, project, I am working with the Bent County Commissioners and the Colorado Department of Local Affairs to create a historical self-guided tour of nearby Fort Lyon. This internship will not only advance my involvement with southeastern Colorado history but will hopefully influence and excite locals to take charge and be active in our historic communities.
