Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to reflect the location Amanda Caldwell taught in Longmont.
For Amanda Caldwell, most mornings start the same way: coffee with her husband, then breakfast with her four children ages 2 to 11, followed by homeschooling through various subjects. Later in the day, she might visit the Ridgway library, or look through a local museum.
“I kind of just think of myself as an ordinary mom,” she said. “Trying to change diapers and keep up with dinner.”
Caldwell grew up in Loveland, amidst a very closeknit family.
“It was actually one of the hardest things about moving out,” she said, “losing that family community.”
She attended Regis University in Denver, where she studied education with the aim of being a social studies teacher. Unfortunately, her first teaching job at St. John the Baptist Middle School in Longmont had no opening for her expertise.
“So I ended up teaching just about everything except social studies,” Caldwell laughed. “In my last year there, I taught all math!”
She would also meet her husband while she was teaching in Longmont, and after a few years of working Caldwell was ready to start a family and settle down. Ouray County drew her for a number of reasons.
“We had both been anonymous suburban neighborhood dwellers, so we hoped that moving to such a small town would help us actually become part of the community,” she said.
This quickly became a reality, as she made friends with other families and grew accustomed to the area. After renting in Ouray for a few years, Caldwell and her husband built a house in Ridgway around 2020.
COVID hit around the time she was expecting her third child. Her eldest daughter, who had attended kindergarten in public school, finished her school year at home. This proved to work well for Caldwell’s family.
“I really liked being able to give my kids a more personalized education, and I also liked the flexibility of the schedule,” she said.
With her teaching background, it was no problem for Caldwell to be able to provide a well-rounded education for her children.
Recently, though, Caldwell has added another item to her busy mornings. After she settled into the community and had her fourth child, she felt ready for more.
“I was looking for some sort of purpose in my life apart from raising my kids and taking care of the house, as important as those things are,” she said.
She looked for volunteer work in the community, but nothing interested her until she met Joan Chismire, board president of the Ouray County Ranch History Museum since 2014. Chismire mentioned plans for creating a more experiential museum, which immediately grabbed Caldwell’s attention.
“I’ve always been in love with living history museums and historical re-enactments and have wished I could be the one doing them, not just watching them,” she said.
She and Chismire worked to create the Hands-On History series at the museum this summer, exploring topics like butter-making and washing laundry the old-fashioned way.
“The experience was great,” Caldwell said, “and I look to continue to work with the museum as they build their experiential museum campus.”
The final Hands on History for the season is scheduled for Saturday from 11 a.m.–3 p.m. at the Ouray County Ranch History Museum, located at 325 Sherman St. in Ridgway. The topic is “working with leather,” including a leather craft for children. There will also be mule rides and an open house at the museum.
Editor’s note: This is the latest in an occasional feature we publish about community members who might not otherwise make the news. These include stories about hobbies, community service or just “people stories.” If you have someone you think would make a great “neighbors and helpers” subject, email details to erin@ouraynews.com.
