Cathy Hartt, Website Editor: Keeping the History of Pearl Lake State Park Alive

Meet Cathy Hartt, Pearl Hartt’s Granddaughter

Summers at Grandma’s
My daughters and I at the Hartt Reunion 1990s
Stephanie (my oldest daughter) and I the day she commissioned in the USAF
My youngest daughter, Erica, the day she commissioned in the Navy
My Grandkids, Isaac and Maia

I want to introduce myself as the website editor and creator of Pearl Lake State Park History website. I am the granddaughter of Pearl Hartt – and Pearl Lake State Park is named for her. This blog is about the history of that area and my family’s role in the events that led to the creation of the Lake and Park. I started the original website in 2001 to help keep the area’s history alive.

The vision for this page is to share and preserve the history of Pearl Lake State Park. Originally, it was my own genealogy research but grew into a project to share our family story and photos. In 2019, we moved from Yahoo to WordPress and reformated the site. In 2024, the site was again reformated to improve web search functions and reader engagement.

A lot has changed since then. The historic pictures are reproductions from a family album that my aunts helped assemble in the 1990s. The photos from my trips to the area were film pictures when I first started the site. I remember creating the original site with a slow dial-up connection and it all seemed so amazing compared to communication in my grandparent’s time. Now, Pearl Lake State Park even has a Facebook Page that you can follow at https://www.facebook.com/PearlLakeStateParkHistory

If you are interested in my background, I spent my 40-year career as a nurse, nurse-midwife, and nurse-educator. I received my doctorate in nursing practice in 2016 with a focus on human wellbeing. I continue to be a practitioner of positive psychology.

I am also now retired from my 40+ hour-a-week nursing gig and own my “dream business” – Art from the Hartt. I have online Etsy and GoImagine shops and a vendor booth at Country Flair in downtown Montrose, CO. I am excited to announce that I have a new “Pearl Lake Gift Shop” section in my online shop. The inventory will be growing over the next months and years.

I also do a lot of traveling and camping in the warm months. I do my best to get up to Pearl Lake at least once a year. I absolutely adore taking my dogs on hikes at Pearl. I feel the presence of my ancestors with every step.

If you fish, boat, camp, or hike at Pearl Lake State Park, I hope you will take a moment to learn about the colorful history of the area that is now living my Grandma Pearl’s vision of being a place for people to come and recreate in nature.

Please Visit My Contact Page!