Hazel Humphrey’s Dedication to Jeffco History

As we just posted on Elmer Wyland, we thought it best to profile Hazel Humphrey at the same time. This is second in our series for Women’s History Month 2016.

Hazel Humphrey, left, presents Centennial Site plaque to [unidentified] and Elmer Wyland of Fort Westernaire, 1975, on behalf of the Historical Commission.

Hazel Humphrey, raised in the foothills along Soda Creek where the Humphrey Museum now stands, came by her interest in history naturally. Hazel lived in the 100-yr-old log home in which she grew up for all but her first four years of life. Her parents were avid travelers, collecting wherever they went, and equally dedicated to saving treasures of the past.

Thus Hazel grew up in a personal museum, and bequeathed her home as a museum upon her death. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 as an outstanding example of the architecture of its day, at the end of the same year in which Hazel had helped found the Jefferson County Historical Commission. The property was also designated a Jeffco landmark in 2012.

Read more about the Humphrey Museum in the 2000 Historically Jeffco magazine. Please note, the Museum has experienced many changes in the last 15 years. Please visit the Humphrey Museum website for current information.

The story of the family and their legacy is also shared in the 2012 issue. For her dedication to Jeffco history, Hazel Lou Humphrey (1917-1995) was honored by the Jefferson County Hall of Fame in 1984.