Boulder Valley Pow Wow (Louisville, Colo.)

The Boulder Pow Wow began during an economic recession in 1936. It boosted the spirits of Boulder County residents for decades. Its history was marked by community service and three name changes. In 1936, A.A. "Gov" Paddock, editor of the Boulder Daily Camera, and other civic leaders saw the need to lift the community out of the doldrums that followed the Great Depression. The result of an organizational meeting was an institution known as the Pay Dirt Pow Wow.

Its original purpose was to unite the miners of the mountains with the farmers and ranchers on the high plains in a community festival around Colorado Day (Aug. 1) that would raise the spirits of all in the Boulder valley. The miners' rock- drilling contest became a highlight of the Pow Wow; it faded from the festival's program in the early 1950s. A riding and roping club staged rodeo-type exhibitions during the early Pow Wows in a pasture at what became 28th and Mapleton Sts.

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