First, we need to define what “Chautauqua” means. From Wikipedia:
Chautauqua was an adult education movement in the United States, highly popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Chautauqua brought entertainment and culture for the whole community, with speakers, teachers, musicians, showmen, preachers, and specialists of the day.[1] Former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt was quoted as saying that Chautauqua is “the most American thing in America.”
The Colorado Chautauqua in Boulder started in 1898, is the only Chautauqua west of the Mississippi River still continuing in unbroken operation. It is one of the few such continuously operating Chautauquas remaining in the United States, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2006. According to its governing body, the Colorado Chautauqua Association, it is also unique in that it is the only year-round Chautauqua.
It is a pretty unique place and one of the “must visit (and hike)” place when you’re in Boulder.
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