Dear BBCRC supporters,
We would like to thank you for your contributions to the Black Butte Center for Railroad Culture (BBCRC) in 2017. It was an exciting and productive year filled with impressive progress on many fronts. Our key projects moved ahead by leaps and bounds, and we were also able to organize a series of events which brought many people together and helped build our community. We couldn’t have done it without our network of key supporters — both those who donated their time and effort on site as well as those who made financial contributions towards our efforts.
Early in the year, our solar power project, made possible by the generous response to a special appeal to our supporters, came online. Since February, we have been generating all of our electricity through our solar array — contributing to our region’s move towards renewable energy and virtually eliminating our monthly power bills. The challenging restoration of our historic Southern Pacific business car #109, the “Shasta” made great progress, thanks to dedicated volunteers who donated hundreds of hours to the effort, as well as those who contributed to its significant monetary costs. While much work remains, the Shasta now has a totally rebuilt roof and has been transformed into a car able to withstand Black Butte’s winter winds, rain, and snow.
In early October, a year-long effort of fundraising, logistical coordination, and other preparation culminated in the arrival at the BBCRC of a historic 1893 flanger/caboose car, once owned by famed folk singer and rabble-rouser Utah Phillips, shipped all the way from Vermont. This is the first step in an exciting new initiative — the establishment of the Utah Phillips Memorial Library at Black Butte. In this endeavor, the BBCRC is collaborating with The Long Memory, an organization set up by Phillip’s family and supporters, to honor and commemorate his musical and social legacy.
In addition to the above three high profile projects, we moved forward on several other projects, and we organized a number of fun and inspiring events, throughout the year. Several years of forest restoration work, facilitated by federal and state grants, have resulted in forested areas on our property that are healthier, more diverse, and better able to withstand the acute fire danger we face every summer and fall. Our large vegetable garden received several infrastructure improvements, including new fencing. With the help of our dedicated caretakers and others it produced large quantities of our own food to help feed our volunteers, caretakers, and other visitors. Other infrastructure at the BBCRC, including the kitchen facilities, were also improved, allowing us to better host visitors and volunteers. We also benefitted from ongoing support from a number of local businesses which continue to donate food, coffee, and materials to us.
Thanks again for your contribution. We hope you can visit in 2018. We have a number of exciting events in the planning stages, including the “caboose warming” for the Utah Phillips library on Memorial Day weekend and our annual Railroad Days event during June 8-10th.
All the best,
The Board of Directors
Black Butte Center for Railroad Culture