It is June 13, 1915, and Enos Mills is preparing words to commemorate the realization of his life’s greatest dream: the newly-created Rocky Mountain National Park. Mills’ abiding reverence for mountains and nature began three decades earlier when he arrived in Colorado as a boy of 14. Later, a chance encounter with legendary John Muir inspired him to wonder: could he do for the Rockies what Muir did for Yosemite? Mills would criss-cross the nation, leading a tireless campaign of speeches, letters, and lobbying. Hear the dramatic story of Enos Mills, a passionate crusader for wilderness, in this first-person narrative evoking a joyous moment in history that secured the preservation of one of Earth’s greatest treasures.
Storyteller & Performer
Estes Park, CO
Kurtis Kelly has been a stage performer for more than two decades and specializes in historic character reenactments. He has portrayed Enos Mills for the National Park Service, Rocky Mountain Conservancy, and the National Council of Geography Educators. Kelly provides the voice of Mills in the acclaimed new documentary, The Living Dream: 100 Years of Rocky Mountain National Park. Performance credits also include appearances as Lord Dunraven, the Irish earl and Colorado land baron; Abner Sprague, 19th century Colorado homesteader and surveyor; and F. O. Stanley, steam-car developer and proprietor of the historic hotel bearing his name. Kelly has appeared on National Public Radio and he serves as an emcee for Estes Park’s annual Scottish-Irish Highland Festival.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at [ Ссылка ]
