Monday, May 18, 2026

It is the 18th of May 2026. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

 

A very happy Monday to you- not to self-promote (too much) but I heard from Toby, who got the shoutouts this past weekend- the PhD student studying Syriac Christianity, and he wrote, “I just finished the weekend edition and thought it was absolutely fantastic. Not a single 'well-actually' was uttered. I just paced back and forth, listening, aggressively nodding along, and occasionally clapping.” Thanks, Toby!

 

I got an email from our friend Forrest in North Carolina- a faithful listener who reminds us it’s always a good day to be a Tarheel- also, I found out his son is graduating from the *other* place- oof, home of Christian Laetner and Grayson Allen.

 

Forrest was in Colorado and heard the story of the Hotel St. Cloud in Canon City, Colorado, and thought it made for an interesting story and perhaps a modern parallel. Forrest is right- so, first, St. Cloud- this is a place in France, originally named for a St. Clodoald in the 6th century- came down to us as “St. Cloud” and then American places named after the French town.

 

The Hotel was actually built in the 1880s in Silver Cliff, Colorado, during the silver mining boom. But when it dried up, the hotel owners decided to take the building apart, piece by piece, and ship it by wagon to Canon City- a stop on the Denver and Rio Grande railroad. It became a health spa when that was all the rage (like the Kellogg's in Michigan), and became the ideal “old west” filming location for early movies. The Chicago Film Studio set up its offices there and used it for films.

 

Ok- so, after World War I, America saw an influx of immigrants- mostly European and mostly Catholic. It might seem hard for modern people to understand, but the fear of Catholics by Protestants was a big deal. In 1923, Benedictine Monks bought 90 acres of land near Canon City to establish Holy Cross Abbey.

 

What was the town's response? Start a chapter of the KKK and base it out of the Hotel St. Cloud. We can forget that, as much as the Klan was opposed to African Americans, they too were driven by a deep anti-Catholic sentiment. It was largely anti-immigrant, but they would use the veneer of Protestant Christianity and the issue of temperance as a means of masking their racism. Using the faith to mask what is really just a dislike of the ‘other’? It’s a good thing that stopped happening. Or… maybe this is what caught Forrest’s attention. I’ve been asked about Christian Nationalism before and try to avoid the question- except to say: the blending of state and religion for nefarious purposes is as old as the state and religion. Furthermore, one might suggest that “Christian Nationalism”- at its worst is neither Christian nor Nationalism. One can be a proud Christian and patriotic- if that’s your jam. But the story, like the KKK out of the Hotel St. Cloud, is a common story that asks- if we claim to want a “Christian” nation… which kind? We have thousands of denominations, so who rules? And if it’s Protestant, where do Catholics fit? We saw this happen in the wake of the Reformation- it was the process called “Confessionalization” when the Reformation settlements made it such that Catholics and Protestants, and even different Protestants, couldn’t agree to worship with one another, and so confessional states were developed, which led to the 30 Years' War and the decision that a state-wide tolerance was preferred. Not everyone has agreed- such was the case in Canon City, with the Hotel St. Cloud. The Grand Dragon, who was also the local Baptist Pastor, died unexpectedly in 1928, and with no successor in place, it fell apart. Just 3 years ago, Canon City officially denounced its one-time affiliation with the KKK. The hotel recently reopened, and the Abbey is today a winery.

 

Thanks, Forrest- I had fun reading up on that one, and it’s always good to remind ourselves where we’ve been. As for the church and state bit… heard over to the 1517 You Tube channel, subscribe and search for “Is America A Christian Nation?” You’ll find a short video with a younger me with much less hair for a little history lesson.

 

The Last word for today comes from the daily lectionary and from Psalm 99:

The Lord reigns,
 let the nations tremble;
he sits enthroned between the cherubim,
 let the earth shake.

2 Great is the Lord in Zion;
 he is exalted over all the nations.

3 Let them praise your great and awesome name—
 he is holy.

4 The King is mighty, he loves justice—
 you have established equity;
in Jacob you have done
 what is just and right.

5 Exalt the Lord our God
 and worship at his footstool;
 he is holy.

 

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 18th of May 2026, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man originally from Boilermaker country- one of the rare true things I say about him- he is Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man who, I guess, is from Anteater territory? We just got that real tall guy from Florida… I’m Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.