The Kellys
Christopher Kelly; Researcher
Chris Kelly served in the Army as military police for over six years before medically retiring. Yet, long before his enlistment, history has always been his passion. His range in historical information is vast from Roman history going all the way through colonial times in America, to the Great World Wars. He has a unique talent to research the past like police detective work. Investigating the scene, examining evidence, and cross-examining statements. Even though they’re well over a hundred years old. Chris has an unnatural tact for unearthing the past.
After retiring, returning to civilian life has been a difficult challenge, so he turned to his life-long passion for history. With the encouragement of his wife, he made his first historical tour in the Vindicator Valley Trail, which became more successful than he hoped. Today, Chris is the researcher combining libraries and records to find the information to fill his tours.
Catherine Kelly; Tour Guide
Catherine Kelly, or Cat to her friends, doesn’t just like to explore history. She lives it! Since childhood, whenever she would go to museums or historical towns, her mind would explode with questions about how people lived, what they did, and how they got by. If there was ever an exhibit with hands-on items, she would experiment with the items from a loom in a textile mill to holding the reins of a stagecoach. Her favorite areas of reenactment vary from the American Revolution, the Civil War, Victorian Era, to the 1940-50s era. It’s fun to play-act from the past, but it’s memorable when she shares her historical reenactment with others and teaches them about the past.
For five years, she worked as a tour guide at Cave of the Winds. She found a passion in bringing people to see remarkable sites, educating them about their historical and scientific backgrounds, and spooking them with haunting tales. After her husband’s medical discharge from the Army, she encouraged him to create his own historical tours they could do together. She presents a lively, fun, and entertaining tour to the public, with the hopes that it will be memorable for all who attend.