Historical Society, Heritage Alliance merge

As part of an effort to revitalize the Upper Blackfoot Valley Historical Society by capturing twentieth century history, the UBVHS welcomed locals Joe Youderian and Francis Beehler to a meeting in the back room of Lambkins Saturday, March 6. Over coffee and pastries, Youderian and Beehler shared memories of Lincoln in the fifties, sixties and seventies. The Historical Society hopes to host several such "table talks," and encourages longtime Lincoln residents to join them and share their memories.

The table talks are a sign of new energy on the Historical Society board. The UBVHS recently underwent a change at their February meeting when the board voted to absorb the Lincoln Heritage Alliance. Although the move brings additional responsibilities to the UBVHS, the hope is that the merger will streamline fundraising efforts and alleviate the confusion of having two related organizations with such similar objectives.

The LHA was first formed in 2015 as an action group with the specific goal of saving the Matt King House, a historic ranch house at risk of being sold off as reclaimed wood. Once a thriving organization in the valley, the UBVHS had seen a decline in interest and active memberships over the last twenty years, and thus did not feel they had the financial means or manpower to take on a project of that magnitude at the time. However, many locals, including several UBVHS members, still felt the fate of the historic house was important to the town, and the LHA was formed.

Through targeted fundraising efforts the LHA acquired the historic building, which had been disassembled and moved from its previous location near Sucker Creek Road by Heritage Timber. With the UBVHS serving as their fiscal sponsor, the LHA has spent the past four years working to acquire property in town on which to re-erect the structure. In January, LHA board members signed a buy-sell agreement for a property fronting Highway 200, just west of Lincoln Schools.

With a closing date looming and both organizations in need of officers after the passing of Bill Frisbee in January, members of both groups met at the UBVHS's February meeting to discuss the future of the Matt King, the property purchase, the UBVHS's museum and their collaboration. The boards of both organizations decided the time had come for the Historical Society to absorb the younger group in its entirety, including board members, fiscal responsibility, assets and the agreement to purchase property.

"You're motivated and you're making it happen, and this is obviously the direction things are going," longtime UBVHS board member Bill Quay, who was instrumental in moving and restoring many of the historic cabins now on display at the museum site behind the Hi-Country store, said of the proposed merger. "If this organization is going to have a future, this is going to be it."

After a unanimous vote by a quorum of UBVHS board members, business moved on to the re-organization of UBVHS officers follwoing the resignation of Roger Dey as UBVHS President. In the absence of any other volunteers, Erin Dey, who was previously president of the LHA, agreed to serve as President Pro-Temp for the term of one year. Longtime UBVHS Board member Bill Quay was elected Vice President, a position left vacant by Frisbee's death. It was unanimously agreed that Julie Zarske and Hope Quay would remain, respectively, Treasurer and Secretary. Prior to the reorganization, the board voted to restore the office of Treasurer to its original status as a voting board member, rather than the non-voting paid position it had been changed to at some point in the past.

Although the land purchase and preservation the Matt King House, which has been stored, disassembled, behind the Blackfoot Valley Dispatch office since 2015, will be the UBVHS's most pressing priority in 2019, the organization also plans to revisit ideas to revitalize community and visitor interest in the existing UBVHS Interpretive Center, while still considering the possibility of moving the buildings located there to join the Matt King in town. Other projects in the works are an update to the Historical Society's catalogue system, a new edition of the popular book of Lincoln history, Gold Pans and Singletrees, and the reconstruction of a stamp mill salvaged more than twenty years ago from a turn-of-the century mining operation.

The UBVHS is planning several fundraising events and opportunities throughout 2019 and urges local history buffs, or anyone who loves Lincoln, to get involved with revitalizing the organization and helping to preserve and highlight the area's rich and colorful local history.