
In 1865, Dwight Wilmot requested that the federal government place a post office in our community. When asked what it should be named, Dwight responded, “Evergreen” because he loved the beauty the evergreen trees around him provided. This was the first official time the name Evergreen was used and thus our “beginning.” Being an unincorporated community, there is no other start to “Evergreen.” While Evergreen as a location, and a place that we call home, has existed much longer than 150 years, 2025 is the year of our 150th anniversary. So, Happy Sesquicentennial, Evergreen!
The Evergreen Area Chamber of Commerce and other organizations will be celebrating our birthday all year long. Look for annual events to incorporate some new fun to celebrate, and look for new events to pop up celebrating our heritage. One such event will be on July 3 at Buchanan Park. It will be called “A Night in the Park.” Bring a picnic dinner and join us on the fields to stroll through pop up displays spotlighting our heritage. Hear stories from community members who grew up in Evergreen, learn more about the lives of the original settlers, and visit displays that share the past and the path as our community has grown, all to better understand Evergreen today. We will end this evening with a beautiful glow from hot air balloons, something new to our community, to welcome in the next 150 years.
Local businesses are joining in on the fun too. Look for a commemorative beer at some of your favorite local spots and events. There will be merchandise sporting a new logo that has been created to celebrate what we love about Evergreen: the mountains, the elk, our streams and lake, and what we see every day that Dwight Wilmot also loved—the evergreen trees. Soon, a commemorative coin will be available with the proceeds going to help some of our historical places that need some tender love and care.
Look for opportunities to learn more about the heritage of historical places in our community. Each month, a different location or area of our community will host an “open house” or tour that will provide more information on the history of the area. Longtime residents and historians will be the hosts of those sessions and all will be free and open to the public, with some locations having specific programming for children. Do you think kids today would enjoy playing the games that kids played in the late 1800s to early 1900s? How about the school lessons… do you think they are harder or easier now? Look for these events at places like Center Stage, Hiwan Homestead, Bear Creek Cemetery, downtown Evergreen, the labyrinth at Church of the Transfiguration, and the Buffalo Park School. You can keep abreast of all these events by visiting the events calendar on evergreenchamber.org, downloading our community app, “Everything Evergreen,” or following the Evergreen Chamber’s social media accounts.
Even after having lived in Evergreen for almost 28 years, I still feel new. There are places, organizations and stories that I hear about that make me wish I lived in Evergreen in the 1970s. One story I heard a year or so ago from John Ellis was that, growing up in Evergreen, there used to be a movie theater where Saigon Landing is now, and there was a certain seat in a certain row that he never wanted to sit in because it would squeak when he would put his arm around his girlfriend and the whole theater would know what he was doing!
Rose Smith, who is on the board for the Bear Creek Cemetery, was one of the first dispatchers for the Evergreen Ambulance, and she took a call from a hysterical mom because her 18-month-old baby had ingested some turpentine. The baby was still alive and breathing but mom and dad were both hysterical. Rose dispatched the crews to the residence and had the helicopter from St. Anthony’s on standby if the baby needed to be transported down the hill. Once the firefighters and EMTs arrived at the scene, one of our firefighters radioed Rose asking if at any point there was mention that the 18-month-old was a Doberman! Needless to say, the helicopter was not needed, and the dog was fine.
There are excellent resources that have been written by members of our community to guide your understanding of our past that I would highly recommend to anyone looking to learn more details: “Evergreen” by John Steinle, “Evergreen: Our Mountain Community” by Barbara and Gene Sternberg, and recently, Evergreen Fire/Rescue released “Evergreen Fire/Rescue Burning Bright: 75 Years of Valor and Service: 1948-2023” by Peter Anderson and Kim Marklund (not pictured below). The Jefferson County Historical Commission also publishes a magazine called, “Historically Jeffco.” The current edition of this magazine is focused on mining, mysteries, and monuments. I know the holidays just passed, but these are easy reads that any lover of history will greatly appreciate.

As we turn the page into a new year, here is just a small list of the groups celebrating anniversaries in 2025: Center for the Arts Evergreen, Congregation Beth Evergreen, and Hiwan Homestead Museum and Heritage Park all celebrate 50 years. Evergreen Players celebrates 75 years of providing local theater. There is so much activism and planning that happened in the 1970s to be grateful for as these organizations enrich our lives and our community.
It is often said that history is our guide to the future. 2025 will be the year that we all learn so much more about this community we call our home. Join us and be part of the conversation guiding our future.
If you are interested in helping with the plans for the Sesquicentennial or know of an organization or a business that would like to be involved in the events of the year, please reach out to: [email protected].