LIZZY KNIGHT, NO STRANGER TO THE STRANGE

Fireside Chat illuminates pioneer rancher of Disappointment Valley 

Telluride, Colorado (August 20, 2012) – It’s not often a woman ends up married to her son-in-law. But Lizzy Knight, the first pioneer woman of the Disappointment Valley, was no stranger to the strange.

On Wednesday and Thursday, the Telluride Historical Museum will offer a first-person characterization of Lizzy Knight, performed by Marsha Bankston, a sixth generation descendant of pioneer cattle ranchers Lizzy and Henry Knight.

Bankston, a great, great, great, great granddaughter of the infamous pioneering couple, occupies the original Knight homestead—just southwest of Telluride on the west side of Lone Cone Peak—which has been designated a Centennial Farm by the State of Colorado.

The original Knight cabin still stands and was recently added to the list of “Most Endangered” historical sites in Colorado. Bankston has been working towards restoring the building for public visitation. In May the museum led a field trip to the property.

Bankston is continuing her mother’s work of writing and presenting the personal stories of pioneers, such as Lizzy Knight. Her mother, Wilma Crisp Bankston, authored “Where Eagles Winter: History and Legend of the Disappointment Country.”

The Fireside Chat, “Lizzy Knight, The First Pioneer Woman of the Disappointment Valley,” begins at 5:30p.m. on Wednesday, at the Livery in Norwood and at 5:30p.m. at The Peaks Resort and Spa on Thursday.

Both Chats are free to the public. Both Fireside Chats, the last of the summer season, are sponsored by the Telluride Women’s Network, Shari Seay Mitchell, Norwood Chamber of Commerce and Peaks Resort and Spa.