Join the Lafayette Historical Society and Kim Jackson for a presentation on the history of park names in Boulder.

Place names, or toponyms, mark and define our landscapes. In Boulder, city park names reflect the history of the city and its peoples. Moreover, they present a certain image of the city and its values. In looking at the history of these places and who or what they are named after, we can learn more about the park and the cities they are in. The histories of places like Barker, Eben G. Fine, Fitzgerald, and Martin Parks reveal the histories of some of Boulder’s earliest settlers and leaders, and asks all of us, what is in a name? 

About the speaker

Kim Jackson is a PhD candidate in history at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She is studying 20th century American environmental history, with a focus on American food aid between the world wars. Kim began working on the Boulder Parks Naming Project in Summer 2020 and has been involved with the project from its inception. She received her BA and MA from the University of North Texas where she completed her Masters’ thesis on the Civilian Conservation Corps in Big Bend National Park.