09/15/2026
This morning, Montrose County - Government held a Time Capsule Ceremony at the Historic County Courthouse, continuing a tradition that began more than a century ago. The ceremony offered a look back at the original courthouse time capsule, placed in 1922 and opened on November 7, 2024. Its contents, including newspapers, photographs and documents, provide a glimpse into Montrose County life more than 100 years ago and are permanently displayed at the Historic Montrose County Courthouse on the third floor.
Also on display at the ceremony this morning were the contents that will be placed with the new time capsule, which is scheduled to be opened exactly 100 years from today, on September 15, 2126. Montrose County elected officials, departments and community organizations were invited to contribute items representing life and public service in 2026.
Sheriff Gene R. Lillard and the Montrose County Sheriff’s Office selected the following items:
✅A letter from Sheriff Gene R. Lillard addressed to the Sheriff of 2126, creating a connection between one generation of leadership and the next.
✅A 2026 Sheriff's Office employee roster, preserving the names of those who served the citizens of Montrose County during this period in history.
✅ A 2026 department photograph taken on the front steps of the newly remodeled Historic Montrose County Courthouse. The photograph has been printed on archival-quality, 100-year paper so future generations can see who served their community with honesty, integrity, and dedication.
✅ One Deputy Sheriff badge and one Sheriff's Posse badge, Challenge coins, and uniform patches, all representing the tools and symbols of service in 2026.
✅ Identification cards belonging to Sheriff Gene R. Lillard and Former Undersheriff George A. Jackson.
Also included is a pair of handcuffs, with the hope that those who open the capsule in 2126 will see them as an artifact of how public safety was carried out a century earlier.
