Latest News – October 4

Leadville Celebrates and Welcomes The Irish

The Queen City Pipe Band makes its way down historic Harrison Avenue during the St. Patrick’s Day Practice Parade in Leadville on October 1. MORE Photos: Leadville Today/ Brennan Ruegg

DeLIMITations “Obelisk” Project Showing in San Diego

By Kathy Bedell, © Leadville Today

Have you seen them? Their proper name is obelisks, but they look more like mini Washington Monuments made from metal. There are two located in Lake County and they are part of a sizeable art project called ‘DeLIMITations,’ whose mission is to trace the original, 2,300-mile border between the U.S. and Mexico.

The number 21 obelisk seems to mimic Colorado’s tallest, Mt. Elbert in its location. Can you tell its location? Photo: Leadville Today

Leadville Today originally published the story back in 2014 when locals started inquiring about the two pylons that seemed to magically appear one summer day. Today, it’s clear to see that obelisk #21 is still in its proper place out by the Hayden Meadows Reservoir, but is hard to tell if obelisk #20, before Stork Curve en route to Fremont Pass is still standing. Anyone?

Regardless, the art project is now on display at the Museum of Contemporary Art in San Diego. So if you’re planning a trip there or know someone in the area, let them know that they can see a little slice of Leadville in the coastal town. The show runs through Nov. 27 and additional media details can be found HERE.

Some Background about DeLIMITations:

DeLIMITations is a collaborative project by artists Marcos Ramírez and David Taylor. During the month of July they traveled from the Pacific Coast to the Gulf of Mexico, marking  the 1821 border between Mexico and the United States. That boundary was never surveyed and its brief, 27-year history exists mainly in the form of treaty documents and antique maps.

The 1821 Mexican/U.S.border outlined by the obelisk monuments, two of which are in Lake County. Map: Delimitations Blog.

The group intent was to make it visible for the first time, by placing 47 obelisks, marking the boundary line from the Adams Onis Treaty set in 1819, adopted by the US, when Mexico won independence from Spain in 1821. That historic border runs through the Arkansas River Valley here in Lake County. Their journey began in late June 2014 and they came through Lake County, placing markers 20 and 21, sometime in late July, according to the artists’ DeLIMITations blog.

Since then, the obelisks have been discovered by locals and created a bit of a buzz. The first Lake County obelisk discovery was made down by the Hayden Reservoir area. In the pull-off spot for a popular fishing area, it appeared one day. No explanation, but several clues, including a number (21) a QR code (those square bar codes you see on everything these days), and the word “DeLIMITations”

So the hunt for the story began. A quick scan of the QR code printed on the side of the monument brings  hunters to the group’s blog, a fascinating account of their journey, and certainly worth the read.

Artist Marcos Ramírez assembles one of the DeLIMITations monuments during their journey this past summer. Photo: DeLIMITations Blog

And it’s in that report that you’ll also discover there is another obelisk in Lake County – number 20. Have you seen it? Can you tell where it is? Since it was not possible for them to transport fully fabricated obelisks, they made them out of 20-gauge, galvanized steel, neatly stacked in pieces, ready to be assembled along the way.

So now that you know the where, the what and the how, you’ll have to check out the official blog for the why? There are lots of great photos and video, including descriptions of their journey and route.

Once you understand that, then you’ll understand why there are two DeLIMITations obelisks in Lake County! Then go try to find them, take your picture with one or both, and send those along to info@test.leadvilletoday.com or post to the LeadvilleToday Facebook Page.