photos by Stephen Eginoire

From its roots as an frontier U.S. Calvary base to the institution of higher learning that we know today, Fort Lewis Colleges history reads like a gripping novel. Celebrating the chapters of her 100-year heritage, an exhibit entitled Frontier Blues: The Legacy of Fort Lewis College opens in the Center of Southwest Studies Gallery on March 18. The exhibit revisits the schools unique history as visitors walk through different time periods of the colleges past. The event is free and open to the public. Heres a look:

The Old Fort Lewis site south of Hesperus, circa 1888. Director of Community Services Ken Francis explains a classic tale of frontier school life in this early 1900s photo. Student Kelly McBride carefully handles an old Colt revolver. Pins from a band of the U.S. Calvary that once occupied Fort Lewis are just a few of the period artifacts on display at the exhibit.