Lincoln Hills Museum of Memory: Black Joy, Leisure, and the Remembranc

Lincoln Hills A Mountain Sanctuary overlaid over historical photos of guests enjoying Lincoln Hills resort.

Museum of Memory

Lincoln Hills Museum of Memory: Black Joy, Leisure, and the Remembrance of Place in the Colorado Outdoors

Lincoln Hills is a historic symbol of Black autonomy, wellness, and joy. It offered a reprieve from segregation through nature, community, and cultural expression. This collection features six oral histories and photographs that shine light to travel and leisure experiences of Black Coloradans in the 20th century, as shown through personal stories of camping, shared meals, spiritual connection to the land, and sensory memories of music, laughter, and the outdoors. These living memories speak to the transformative power of Lincoln Hills as a space of resistance and belonging.

Established in 1925 as one of the only Black owned resorts west of the Mississippi, Lincoln Hills became a vital gathering space for African American families in Colorado and beyond. Through the Museum of Memory’s 2024 project, six oral histories which include reflections from Beatrice Frelow Griffin, the Hamlet family, Jeanette “Jan” Holloway, Arthur Scott, and Warren Scott. Their stories reveal a layered experience of intergenerational connection, outdoor exploration, and Black joy.

These stories take us on a journey through our senses, the taste of campsite meals, the sound of hummingbirds and jazz records under starry skies, the chess games played at Winks Lodge, and the smell of pine on a summer morning. The collection invites audiences to engage with both the intimacy and significance of Lincoln Hills as a site of cultural preservation and uplift.