LOS ALAMOS HISTORY
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Welcome to the online exhibit of Resilience and Regrowth: Twenty Years After Cerro Grande. Explore photographs and artifacts, reflect on our journey of resilience, and share your stories of the Cerro Grande Fire.

Empower

4/20/2020

 
“[Working with the Volunteer Task Force] was the first educational experience that combined my personal life, my academic life, and the life of the community. … It was empowering for a sixth-grade student.”
— Cameron Ott

What has helped you to feel more hopeful about the future?

Photo of a children's Firefighter Helmet. LAHS Archives, 2000.0001.  Signed by Steve Coburn, Fire Marshall and Assistant Fire Chief, this helmet is one of many given out to children by the Los Alamos Fire Department after Cerro Grande. Los Alamos Historical Society.
Signed by Steve Coburn, Fire Marshall and Assistant Fire Chief, this helmet is one of many given out to children by the Los Alamos Fire Department after Cerro Grande. LAHS Archives, 2000.0001. Los Alamos Historical Society.
Crises like the Cerro Grande Fire can affect children in different ways than adults. The community created programs to support them, and listened to what young people had to say. Youngsters across New Mexico donated money and toys—one student even gave his entire collection of Pokémon cards—and teens gave prom dresses. Los Alamos teens went to prom and graduation, determined to be the class of 2000 and not the class of the fire.

Mountain Elementary School was undamaged by the fire, but nearly one in five students had lost their homes in the fire. Their teachers worked with the Volunteer Task Force to make nature study a central part of schoolwork. Studying the forest’s regrowth gave children ways to help and to heal. Teens from across the region worked to rebuild trails in the Family YMCA’s Youth Conservation Corps. There are scientists and community leaders today who say these hours volunteering in the mountains set them on their paths in life.
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    Header photo by Vint Miller, courtesy Los Alamos County.

    Were you here for the Cerro Grande Fire? Click here to share your story with us and to read stories of resilience from friends and neighbors.
    Share Your Story

    Join us in the Guest Cottage to see Resilience and Regrowth in person. The museum exhibit has the space to share even more photographs, artifacts, and personal stories.

    Thank You!
    Hero Sponsors
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    Del Norte Credit Union logo
    Enterprise Bank & Trust logo
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    Thank you for your donations that made this exhibit possible!
    Melissa Arias
    Nancy and John Bartlit
    Stephen A. Becker
    Don Cavness
    Rose Chocolatier
    Rebecca Collinsworth
    Brent and Robyn Collom
    Beverly Cooper
    Hedy Dunn
    Terry Foxx
    John S. Hendricks
    Hans and Ryn Hermann
    Linda and Bob Hill
    Wendy Hoffman
    Mary Pat Kraemer
    Lemonade Living
    Judy Magelssen
    Craig Martin
    Elizabeth Martineau
    McDaniel Family
    Gordon McDonough
    Robert C. Moore
    Ben and Ruth Neal
    Joyce Nickols
    Todd Nickols
    Deborah and Rick Reiss
    John and Kit Ruminer
    Santa Fe New Mexican
    Sharon Snyder
    Georgia and Gerry Strickfaden
    Michelle Stump
    Cherie and Andy Trottier
    Todd Urbatsch
    Roger Waterman and        Emily McGay
    In creating this online exhibit, the Los Alamos Historical Society is supported by a generous grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the New Mexico Humanities Council.
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The Los Alamos Historical Society preserves, promotes, and communicates the remarkable history and inspiring stories of Los Alamos and its people for our community, for the global audience, and for future generations. 
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  • Home
  • About Us
    • Learn / Research >
      • Information For Teachers
      • Teachers and Caregivers
      • Adult Resources >
        • National History Day
        • Homestead Driving Tour
        • History at Home
        • Pioneering Women in Los Alamos
        • Development of the Atomic Bomb
        • Links and Resources
      • Archive >
        • About the Archive
        • Research Appointments
        • Inside the Archives
        • Share Your Stories
        • COVID-19 Collecting
    • Careers/Jobs
    • Who We Are
    • Contact
  • Plan Your Visit
    • Museum Campus
    • Museum >
      • Exhibits >
        • Online and Temporary Exhibits
      • Victory Garden
      • Explore Los Alamos
    • Tours
    • Oppenheimer House
  • Programs
    • Upcoming Events
    • Lecture Series
    • Spring 2023 Tour to Trinity
    • History Award
    • Los Alamos / Japan Project
    • Volunteer Training
  • Donate
    • Membership
    • Donate to Projects
    • Legacy Society
    • Collections Donations
    • Donate Your Time- Volunteer
  • History Blog
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Children's Books & Gifts
    • Apparel
    • Gifts