LIE students write letters to be read in 100 years

In a heartwarming effort to connect generations, the Basin Heritage Initiative hosted an assembly at Laura Irwin Elementary School. The goal was to help inspire students to craft messages, for a time capsule, to the future…100 years in the future to be exact. 

Preschool through fifth-grade classes each contributed a “letter to 2126,” with a message from the past. Sharing stories of their lives in Basin, their school experiences, and their hopes for the future.  They also included special items from their classrooms that they had decided the students 100 years from now might not have available. Such as markers, crayons, toys and a graphic novel called, “Smile” that has been popular with the students. 

The time capsule will be sealed on June 5 during the celebration of Lilac Days at the future home of the Basin Heritage Commons (former Eagles Lodge at the corners of Fourth & C Streets). The capsule will rest beneath the colorful BASIN mural currently being painted. The mural’s ribbon cutting celebration will occur at the Lilac Day’s kickoff the first weekend in June, followed by the burying of the capsule. 

As construction for the Basin Heritage Commons ends, the time capsule will be nestled under an engraved paver with the words “Time Capsule Below: Do Not Open Until 2126. Buried by the citizens of Basin Wyoming 2026.” The capsule symbolizes the community’s ongoing story. The Basin Heritage Commons final construction goal is to be finished in time for Big Horn County Fair. 

To celebrate the young historians at the assembly, each of them received a whimsically decorated cookie designed by Brandi’s Candies with stickers reading “You make the future brighter!” and “Making History”. Danae Bales, President of Basin Heritage Initiative, encouraged the students to remember that they are an important part of Basin’s present and future. The time capsule will preserve the hopes and dreams of today’s children, ready to inspire future generations.

Basin Heritage Initiative invites the community to join them and the sponsors on June 5 starting at 5:30 p.m. during the Lilac Days kickoff. Come be a part of the mural ribbon cutting, the burying of  the capsule that honors the voices of Basin’s children, and take part in creating a legacy that will be remembered for the next 100 years.