Four Mile Historic Park, Inc.

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Impact Statement

Accomplishments in the past year:
1. Completed the long planned additional interpretive buildings - Blacksmith shop, harness barn, pole barn.
2. Completed and launched the Parks historic interpretive display in the Grant Family Education Center.
3. Incorporated hands on Heritage Garden program into the educational programming.
4. Repainted the Four Mile House museum.

Goals for the next year:
1. Complete reconstruction of our heritage Summer Kitchen to be used for interpretation and educational programming
2. Establish a formal Planned Giving program
3. Grow our Endowment Fund
4. Increase the number of Title 1 schools served by our education programs by 10%
5. Increase funding from Corporations.

Needs Statement

Our top needs are:
1. Increased numbers of Volunteers for program and operational support
2. Funding for additional staff in the Education Dept. and for a full-time Volunteer Coordinator
3. Grow the Endowment Fund in order to continue providing exciting educational programming and events

Background Statement

Four Mile House, the centerpiece of the 12-acre park, is Denver's oldest known standing structure, built in 1859. It is also one of the oldest standing structures in Colorado. The house once served as a stage stop, tavern, and wayside inn along the Cherokee Trail. Travelers on their way to Denver City used it during the height of the gold rush.

In 1975, the City of Denver purchased the property and designated it as a park. In 1977, a non-profit organization was formed to restore the Four Mile House, develop, and support education and heritage programs to present the history of the Four Mile House. The following years saw the restoration of the Four Mile House museum, the addition of several re-created "out" buildings that aide in the interpretation of the sites history, development of education programs that have provided thousands of school aged children the opportunity for a ‘hands-on’ experience of the early pioneer days of traveling to and settling the west.

In 1997, Four Mile Historic Park, Inc. was incorporated as a nonprofit organization. Under an agreement with the City of Denver Parks and Recreation Department, the organization develops, operates, manages, and maintains the park site and its programs.

Visitation to the park and its programs and events has reached 50,000 annually, 15,000 of that for the school aged programs.

In 2009 we will be celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Four Mile House.

Executive Director Statement

Working with Four Mile Historic Park and for the organization for two years has been a wonderful and rich experience that makes use of the entire first 25 years of my work life. The Board, Volunteers and staff are some of the most dedicated and fun people to work with that I've known. We have many volunteers that have been with the Park for 15 years or more.

Four Mile House is one of the most important historic buildings in the Denver metro area and it and the programs we offer at the Park are highly regarded by those that know about us. The one problem we continue to encounter is the lack of more people knowing about us ! Marketing the Park and its programs is still a puzzle that we are working to resolve.

We continue to offer an increasingly unique experience to people of all ages in the growing urban front range. The rural farm western experiences of the Park with its historic roots to the earliest settlement days is something most urban children can't find easily. Many adults, especially seniors, come to the Park to experience the days they remember when growing up.

Donor support is vital to our being able to continue to offer this experience, to tie people to their past and historical roots and preserve one of Colorado's oldest remaining structures.

Board Chair/President Statement

As the Chairman of the Board of Four Mile Historic Park, I’m pleased to report that the organization is in an excellent state! We closed 2008 in a healthy financial position in spite of the tough economic times underway. Over 20,000 children attended the school programs, summer and winter camps and the variety of heritage events offered each year. More than 15,000 people participated in our major community events – the Old Fashioned Fourth of July, Pumpkin Harvest Festival and Colorado Christmas. Another 2,000 attended other events including Theater in the Park, Mystery Dinner, Corks and Cuisine and the Swallow Hill Summer Grove Concerts. Construction of the new stage coach barn, blacksmith shop, tack barn and granary were completed under budget and are added to the interpretive offerings of our guests. We now offer a special afternoon each month to showcase the interpretive talents of our volunteers with blacksmiths working on their forge, sewers and quilters crafting beautiful designs, and you might find something great to taste cooked out on the woodstove in the summer kitchen.

Four Mile Park operates like a three-legged milking stool – supported by the Staff, the Board of Directors, and the Volunteers. Without any one, we could not succeed. The Volunteers are a very significant leg of this stool. In 2008, they contributed over 11,000 hours of service to the Park. This is equivalent to 5 full time employees and our operation and success would not have been possible without their dedication and skills. The Staff and Board are equally dedicated – their passion for the park is contagious!

We are fortunate to have a diverse base of support contributing to our income stream. The 2009 budget is being funded as follows: 12% contributed by the City and County of Denver Parks and Recreation Department, 7% from the City of Glendale, 17% from programs and admission fees, 18% from Heritage events and our fund raising dinner, 7% from SCFD, 16% from donations, 6% from grants and 17% from earnings on our rental facilities. We are not dependent on any one source of revenue to sustain our operations; however, we continue to look for a growing support base to improve and increase the programs we can offer and know that at least for the near-term fundraising will continue to be a challenge.

2009 marks the Park’s 150 year anniversary and is sure to be an exciting year! After all, how many of us can claim a 150th birthday party? A celebration is being scheduled and there are plans for continuing the restoration of the Park’s heritage buildings, expanding the educational programs and increasing membership involvement. Be sure to take time this year and join in the fun at the Four Mile Historic Park.

“(My son) got in the car and exclaimed, ’That was AWESOME! This is the best camp ever’ And it’s been to several so that’s saying a lot. He talked about it non-stop all the way to the sitters house and can’t wait until tomorrow. We’ll definitely be regulars!"
(Maria Hannon, SPHR, Human Resources, Denver Museum of Nature and Science speaking about her son’s FMHP camp experience)

"This annual field trip would not be possible without outside funding. Although many of our students live in Glendale, within walking distance of the Park, they had never been inside the gate. They simply do not have the money needed to purchase admission. Holly Hills is a Title 1 school where over 65% of our students receive free breakfast/lunch. Many of our students are being raised by a single parent, some are refugees from other countries, and most have had little opportunity to visit all that Denver has to offer educationally. We simply could not afford this trip without the help of others.
Thank you for your consideration of a highly successful, wildly popular, educational program."
(Letter from Susan Brickey, 4th grade teacher at Holly Hills Elementary