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DENVER (KDVR) — The state of Colorado is working to preserve the stories and memories of a displaced community with a special memory project. The first step in the process gets underway Saturday morning on the Auraria campus.

Auraria is Denver’s oldest neighborhood and has a rich history that many don’t know about and some say isn’t widely talked about or discussed. The Displaced Aurarians Memory Project is a step in making sure the estimated 300 families that were forced from their homes aren’t forgotten.

Auraria, once the heart of Denver, was home to many Mexican and European immigrants, but in the early 1970s, families and businesses were pushed out of their own community.

Frances Torres’ parents were forced to relocate when she was 19 years old.

“I am a displaced Aurarian,” Torres said. “We were displaced as a result of a 1969 city bond that was passed.”

Residents voted to clear out Denver’s oldest neighborhood to make way for urban redevelopment, which now houses colleges and universities. The Auraria Campus is where University of Colorado Denver, Metropolitan State University of Denver and Community College of Denver are located.

“It ripped families apart and they were upset and confused,” Torres explained. “They felt like this was their home, this was their community, and this is where they belonged.”

The displacement dispersed the community and its businesses in all directions, leaving many people unsure of where to live and where to find childcare or work. But with the push came preservation of some homes in the 9th District and reparations. Torres said some homeowners were paid $15,000 to find a new home.

Another reparation comes in the form of higher education. Torres’ niece, Kimberly Archuleta, benefitted from the Displaced Aurarian Scholarship.

“It’s free money. It’s free education and that builds our community, it builds our state,” Archuleta said. “We need to inform people about the scholarship, that their kids and grandkids and on get to have.”

The Displaced Aurarian Scholarship provides tuition for students who were residents or whose guardians were residents of the Auraria neighborhood between 1955 and 1973. The scholarship is available in perpetuity to descendants of residents.

As Archuleta and Torres sit next to each other, they both agree that now is the time to share their story and so does History Colorado. The historical society, Historic Denver and the Auraria Higher Education Center are working to preserve the Aurarian community and familial history with a memory project.

Marissa Volpe, chief of equity and engagement for History Colorado, said the history has existed for a long time, but they’re seeking to do a better job of uplifting and amplifying it.

“We’re seeking to bring together displaced Aurarians so they can share and connect with each other and really preserve their own history,” Volpe said.

On Saturday, displaced residents will gather to share their stories, photos and artifacts to keep their history alive for future generations. The memory workshop will start at 10 a.m. at Saint Cajetan’s Catholic Church, which is a sacred place for Aurarians.

Volpe said more than 50 reservations have been made. She added that the process will take time, but eventually, the memory project will be available for the public to view.