Step into Boulder County’s pioneer past for FREE Summer Heritage Day on Sunday, June 10, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the historic Walker Ranch Homestead in the hills just west of Boulder. Costumed volunteers demonstrate the old ways of doing everyday things — chores that were part of pioneers’ skill set required on a late 1800s ranch.
Meal preparation, carpentry, blacksmithing, butter churning, button making (while supplies last), playing fiddle and banjo music and more, which were part of ranch life. The on-site general store is the place for free kids; play (10 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.). You can also join a guided tour of the ranch beginning at 10:20 a.m. or 2 p.m.).
This family-friendly living history experience also gives visitors a chance to be in a one-room schoolhouse (school is in session at 11 a.m. and 12 p.m.) or join a bucket brigade to fight a fire.
The ranch, which was established in 1865, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984 as a cultural landscape known as the Walker Ranch Historic District, so it’s the real deal. 8999 Flagstaff Mountain Rd., Boulder.