Silvia Pettem

History Columnist

Contact Silvia via e-mail

Beat: Boulder History

Bio: Silvia Pettem came to Boulder from Pennsylvania, in 1965. She’s one of those CU students who never went home. She has lived in Boulder County for the past 40 years and has spent her adult life researching and writing about Boulder history.

Currently, Silvia writes a weekly history column for the Camera. She’s the author of a dozen books including "Positively Pearl Street: A Chronicle of the Center of Boulder Colorado 1859 to Present," “Boulder: Evolution of a City,” and “Separate Lives: The Story of Mary Rippon.”

Silvia also is ten years into a personal quest to determine the identity of “Boulder Jane Doe,” a young woman found murdered in Boulder Canyon in 1954. For more information on Jane Doe and Silvia’s publications, see www.boulderjanedoe.com and www.silviapettem.com.

Although Silvia’s not quite an old-timer, she says she’s beginning to feel like one. She lives in the mountains with her husband and two cats, and has two grown daughters and three grandchildren.

Started at the Camera: Sometime in the 1970s as a food columnist.

Recent stories:

• Pettem: Editor Bixby favored independent bookstores
  November 7, 2008
• Pettem: Tom Horn stars in 'Meet the Spirits'
  October 10, 2008
• Pettem: 'Jane Doe' reburied in her former grave
  September 26, 2008
• Pettem: Boulder's refineries met demand -- for a while
  August 29, 2008
• Pettem: Summertime fun included sliding on snow
  August 14, 2008
• Pettem: 'The Big Five' was a big deal
  August 1, 2008
• 'Liberals' started Boulder's Unitarian Society 125 years ago
  July 25, 2008
• Pettem: Irwins call Nederland home
  July 18, 2008
• Pettem: Anti-Vietnam War activists proposed strike at CU
  July 11, 2008
• Pettem: Bryan won nomination at the 1908 DNC
  July 3, 2008
• See full list of stories by Silvia Pettem...

• Election 2008
• JonBenet Ramsey
• SnowZone - winter sports
• Ongoing Coverage: Adverse Possession Case
• Ongoing Coverage: Midyette Baby Death
• Ongoing Coverage: Linda Damm Homicide
• Ongoing Coverage: Washington Village Project