Miles and Bancroft Award

Miles and Bancroft Award

History Colorado is pleased to announce the winners of the 2023 Miles and Bancroft Awards, presented annually to some of the most exemplary and impactful historical projects across the state.

Who were they? What are the awards? Past Awardees How to Apply

 

Who were Josephine Miles and Caroline Bancroft?

Josephine H. Miles (1899-1996) was a descendent of early Colorado pioneers. She was a member of the Territorial Daughters of Colorado, for which she once served as President. Miles also served as the President of History Colorado’s volunteers in 1963, highlighting numerous years of service to the organization and its efforts. Her will provided for the Josephine H. Miles Award to be given annually starting in 1998. 

Caroline Bancroft (1900-1985) was a dynamic figure in the upper crust of Colorado society. The granddaughter of the co-founder of what is today History Colorado, Bancroft led successful careers as a teacher, journalist for the Denver Post, and one of the first and most prominent historians of Colorado. She published several works on Colorado history after earning a Master’s degree in Western History, bringing attention to Colorado's unique stories for all to appreciate. The Caroline Bancroft History Project Award was founded in 1987 as part of her last will. Bancroft was inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame in 1990.
 

What are the awards?

The Miles Award and Bancroft Award are each given annually to individuals, organizations, or museums in Colorado that have made a major contribution during the year to the advancement of Colorado history. In addition to recognition, both awards include a monetary component.

The Caroline Bancroft Award is for projects in communities with a population larger than 50,000. The monetary prize awarded is $1250.

The Josephine H. Miles Award is given to projects in communities of any size. The monetary prize includes a $2500 award and a $1000 honorary award.

Staff of the Denver Office of Storytelling accepted their awards as winners of  Xican Indie Film Fest XXIV in April 2022 for the film Chicanas: Nurturers & Warriors.
Jane DeDecker sitting with two of her statues.
A snow sculpture of a house, with one corner carved into the face of a bearded man: Barney L. Ford
Two brown oxen with long horns haul a replica covered wagon down a street. On the wagon is a prize ribbon. The oxen are being led on leads by someone just out of shot. The oxen are in a parade, with tractors behind their wagon.
A bedroom display at a house museum. There is a collection of antique furniture, including a bedframe, in a small room.

2023 Awardees

CAROLINE BANCROFT AWARD
Summit Historical Society – Homesteads of Summit County Educational Program
This $1,000 award is given to projects in communities with a population of 50,000 or less. 

The Homesteads of Summit County is an educational program that highlights the history of homesteaders in Summit County through a mapping project. The Summit Historical Society (SHS) has developed an interactive map showing 100% of original homesteads patented in Summit County in the 19th and 20th centuries and lists the names of the original homesteaders with historical details and photographs for six of the original homesteader families. The SHS has made the map available on their website for public access and developed plans for a third-grade curriculum that will be implemented this fall.

JOSEPHINE H. MILES AWARD
Museum of Boulder – Voces Vivas: A Community-Curated Exhibit
This $1,000 award is given to projects in communities of any size.

Voces Vivas: A Community-Curated Exhibit was an interactive history exhibition on display from February 2022 to February 2023 that was created by Museum of Boulder at Tebo Center in partnership with the Chicano & Latino History Project and the University of Colorado Ethnic Studies Department. The exhibition honors early Boulder County Latino families and their histories through an interactive storytelling experience that highlights their culture, heritage, and perspectives. Voces Vivas: A Community-Curated Exhibit places personal narratives into the broader history of Latinos in Boulder County, from their participation in the coal mining and sugar beet farming industries to the discrimination they faced during the rise of the Ku Klux Klan in the region and the empowerment of the Chicano Movement.

Who are some of the past awardees? What projects have they done?

The 2022 Miles and Bancroft Awards were given to three spectacular winners for their unique, engaging, and community-focused projects advancing Colorado history: 

Caroline Bancroft Award - Breckenridge History - Barney L. Ford Legacy Project

The Barney L. Ford legacy project was a year-long celebration of the 200th anniversary of Ford’s birth, an escaped slave who went on to become a wealthy entrepreneur and civil rights leader in Colorado. The legacy project included a new exhibit at the Barney Ford Museum in Breckenridge; community events at local schools, restaurants and museums; a Barney Ford-inspired snow sculpture at the 2022 Breckenridge International Snow Sculpture Championships; and a proclamation signed by Governor Jared Polis declaring February 1, the first day of Black History Month, as Barney Ford Day.

Josephine Miles Award - Denver Office of Storytelling - “Chicanas: Nurturers and Warriors” Film

The digitization of the Alfred Borah Journals by the Eagle County Historical Society and Eagle Valley Library District demonstrates that even one primary source can have a great impact on a community. Alfred Borah was a homesteader in Eagle County who first settled in the Brush Creek area in 1882. Between 1880 and 1905, he kept detailed journals of his experiences, highlighting places visited, relationships, activities like hunting expeditions, and significant events such as mining accidents. The journals, totaling 300 pages, are now in the collection of Eagle County’s historical society, and are more accessible to the public than ever before. The COVID-19 pandemic slowed much of the process, but through collaboration with Borah’s descendants, research of the society archives, a series of grant applications, and careful scanning and transcription work, the project was steered to completion. The journals have been utilized in several research requests already, and have even been used to verify building sites on Eagle County Open Space lands. The Eagle County Historical Society hopes to continue using the journals in history hikes and a future exhibit to further reflect Colorado history through Alfred Borah’s life.

Honorary Josephine Miles Award - Estes Park Women's Monument Plaza Committee

The collection of bronze sculptures is one of the few examples of public art dedicated to women in the county. 12 sculptures, created by local artist Jane DeDecker, highlight the trailblazing women, both past and present, of the Estes Park community. The committee selected the 12 women who represent the diverse local voices in Estes Park’s history and collective memorialization of so many influential women from the community.

How do I apply?

See below for guidelines and a nomination form.  Send completed forms and documentation to:

History Colorado
Stephen H. Hart Research Center
Attn:  Miles Bancroft Awards
1200 Broadway 
Denver, CO 80203

OR

Email to curator@state.co.us.  Please put “Miles & Bancroft Awards” in the subject line.

Nomination material must be postmarked or emailed by June 1, 2024.   

Note: Projects must have occurred, been presented, or been completed between August 1, 2023 - May 1, 2024 to be considered for an award. 
 

Miles Bancroft Guidelines 2024
Miles Bancroft Nomination Form 2024
Miles Bancroft W-9 Form