State History
Learn about the history of Colorado and find fun and interesting things to do and see all across Colorado. We've also found the best books, guides, websites, and other resources to make your study of Colorado fun and educational.
Things to See & Do in Colorado
El Pueblo History Museum
The El Pueblo History Museum showcases the history and traditions of the various cultural and ethnic groups in Pueblo, and includes exhibits focusing on the region’s early history through the twentieth century with objects, art, and photographs that represent the events and people who shaped the area. The outdoor El Pueblo Trading Post placita is also available for tours.
Ghost Town Wild West Museum
As a true preservation of Colorado’s western past, Ghost Town Museum is a fun and historic look back at kind of old west town that used to dot this region during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Located in Colorado Springs.
State Capitol Building
The Colorado State Capitol is available for tours. Visit the historical Capitol Building, Attic, and take a legislative tour. You can visit the House and Senate Galleries and meet a lawmaker. The Colorado State Capitol welcomes over 300,000 visitors each year. Tours allow you to enjoy the beauty of the building while learning about the work of the General Assembly and Colorado's unique heritage. Tours are free of charge. Note that student group tours during the legislative session running January through May are extremely popular and space is limited. It is recommended that reservation requests are made early.
Mesa Verde National Park
Mesa Verde, Spanish for "green table", offers an unparalleled opportunity to see and experience a unique cultural and physical landscape. The culture represented at Mesa Verde reflects more than 700 years of history. From approximately A.D. 600 through A.D. 1300 people lived and flourished in communities throughout the area, eventually building elaborate stone villages in the sheltered alcoves of the canyon walls. Today most people call these sheltered villages "cliff dwellings". The cliff dwellings represent the last 75 to 100 years of occupation at Mesa Verde. The archeological sites found in Mesa Verde are some of the most notable and best preserved in the United States. Mesa Verde National Park offers visitors a spectacular look into the lives of the Ancestral Pueblo people.
Old Colorado City Historical Society History Center
The History Center represents the interwoven stories of the life and personality of the many people who made Old Colorado City their home, their workplace and, most importantly, their community. Provides a physical place to view the many artifacts and photographs, and a place to conduct research.
Trinidad History Museum
Explore the Baca House, Bloom Mansion, historic gardens, and learn more about the Santa Fe Trail. Ongoing exhibits document the history and culture of southern Colorado from the Santa Fe Trail period through the 1920s.
Colorado Historical Society
Founded in 1879, the Colorado Historical Society brings the unique character of Colorado's past to more than a million people each year through historical museums and highway markers, exhibitions, manuscript and photograph collections, popular and scholarly publications, historical and archaeological preservation services, and educational programs for children and adults. In short, the Society collects, preserves, and interprets the history of Colorado for present and future generations.
Colorado Railroad Museum
The Colorado Railroad Museum is recognized as one of the best privately supported rail museums in the United States. This "can't miss" site for railfans features over 70 historic narrow and standard gauge locomotives and cars exhibited on 15 acres at the foot of North Table Mountain, near Golden, Colorado.
Fort Vasquez Museum
Fort Vasquez Museum, 35 miles northeast of downtown Denver on U.S. Highway 85, features displays that interpret the fur-trade era. Annual educational events offered by the museum include the Kids' Fur Trade Rendezvous in September and May, and the Rendezvous Workshop Series in October and April. Visit the site of an 1835 fur-trading fort, and follow the paths of founders Louis Vasquez and Andrew Sublette.
Montrose County Historical Museum
The Museum focuses on early-day pioneer life, with a walk-through of a Homesteader's Cabin, equipped with furnishings and memorabilia. Also offers one of the most extensive collections of Farm Machinery in the state, including horse-drawn reapers, planters, plows, and a hay baler. The "County Store" exhibits wares, household objects, and tools. The Children's Corner contains dolls, toys, and baby furniture. The Museum's Library contains a complete set of Montrose newspapers from 1896-1940, a photo collection of the Montrose area, historical publications, and oral histories.
Miners Museum
In the "school room" of the museum, Lafayette's educational heritage has been well preserved. Pictures, trophies and memorabilia are available for viewing. A small bedroom also contains vintage clothing and accessories from the turn of the century. The museum is open to the public all year long.
Centennial Village
Stroll through history at Centennial Village in Greeley. Visit 32 structures set on 5.5 acres surrounded by beautiful landscaping.
Western Museum of Mining & Industry
Nestled along the Front Range in scenic Colorado Springs you will find the Western Museum of Mining and Industry (WMMI). Among the museum's attractions, you will find mining artifacts, a 12,000 volume research library available by appointment, a museum store and historic machinery that actually works. WMMI, is a nonprofit educational museum dedicated to preserving the West's mining heritage.
Limon Heritage Museum & Railroad Park
Limon Heritage Museum is a local history museum with focus on the Colorado high plains, the Union Pacific and Rock Island Railroads, ranching and farming. View the Prairie Monument, a one-room schoolhouse, rail dining car, and Native American teepee.
Anasazi Heritage Center
Located in Dolores, Colorado, the Anasazi Heritage Center is a museum of the Ancestral Puebloan (or Anasazi) culture and other Native cultures in the Four Corners region. It is also the starting point for visits to Canyons of the Ancients National Monument. The museum features exhibits on archaeology, local history, and Native American cultures, interpretive programs, archaeological sites, and a research library.
Grand County Museum Complex
Housed in the old Hot Sulphur Springs School, exhibits include a display detailing the beginning of the ski industry in Colorado, 8,500 year old artifacts of Windy Gap, and a Pioneer Woman exhibit.
Miramont Castle
Miramont Castle was constructed in 1895 as a private home for Father Jean Baptist Francolon, a French born Catholic priest. The castle features nine styles of architecture ranging from English Tudor to Byzantine and all crafted from locally quarried greenstone and yellow pine framing. Today Miramont is a museum dedicated to preserving the Victorian heritage of Manitou Springs and the Pikes Peak region. Experience life as it would have been in Victorian times, from the Castle itself where you can view 30 rooms resplendent in authentic Victorian furnishings, to the Queen's Parlour Tea Room where you can feast on Victorian (and modern day) fare made fresh daily.
Littleton Historical Museum
The Littleton Historical Museum is located on 14 acres and features two living history farms. The 1860s homestead farm and the 1890s turn-of-the-century farm show how people lived and worked during the early years in Littleton and the South Platte Valley. There is a working, early 1900s blacksmith shop, an ice house and Littleton's first one room school house. Interpreters work the farm sites, run the blacksmith shop and teach in the school house, offering a "living history" perspective to the museum visitor.
Garden of the Gods Visitor & Nature Center
Explore Colorado Springs' paradise in one magical stop. Garden of the Gods Park is a registered National Natural Landmark. Imagine dramatic views, 300' towering sandstone rock formations against a backdrop of snow-capped Pikes Peak and brilliant blue skies. This world-class Visitor & Nature Center and museum is the most visited attraction in the region with all new interactive exhibits. Learn how the amazing red rocks got there with the NEW Geo-Trekker movie experience, shown every 20 minutes. Delight in one of Colorado's most photographed views while eating in our glass-enclosed café or from our terrace overlooking Pikes Peak and Garden of the Gods. Admission into the Park and Visitor Center is free.
Old West Books
Phone: 719-260-6030
Email: info@oldwestbooks.com
Old West Books has been in business since 1997 and specializes in books on the American West, Custer, military, Civil War, Indian Wars, cowboys, cattle industry, fur trade, Lewis and Clark, travel and exploration. They stock a mix of rare out-of-print books and new titles. Books are shown by appointment only. Books may also be bought via the Internet, catalogs, and book shows.
Hotel de Paris Museum
Tour an elegant restored hotel from Georgetown's affluent mining days.
Koshare Indian Museum
The Koshare Indian Museum in La Junta is patterned after the Pueblo architecture found throughout the southwest, featuring the world's largest self supporting log roof and housing a collection of Native American art and artifacts.
Yucca House National Monument
Yucca House National Monument is a large, unexcavated Ancestral Puebloan surface site. Yucca House is located in Southwest Colorado between the towns of Towaoc and Cortez.
Molly Brown House Museum
The Molly Brown House stands as an enduring symbol of the Victorian era and the city of Denver. Using educational programs and artifact acquisition, the Museum interprets Margaret "Molly" Tobin Brown's life - primarily between the years 1894 and 1912 - in order that a broad public and future generations may understand and appreciate the social, economic, and political aspects of Victorian life in Denver. The museum preserves Margaret Brown's historically significant home through continued restoration.
Museum of Northwest Colorado
Take a look at Colorado's frontier history at the Museum of Northwest Colorado in Craig. Also houses the Cowboy and Gunfighter Museum.
Denver Museum of Nature & Science
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is the Rocky Mountain region’s leading resource for informal science education. A variety of exhibitions, programs, and activities help Museum visitors experience the natural wonders of Colorado, Earth, and the universe. Includes an IMAX theater and a planetarium.
Carnegie Branch Library for Local History
A branch of the Boulder Public Library, this facility houses a collection of over 200,000 photographs and 700,000 historic documents and is is available to the public and researchers.
Stanley Museum at the Stanley Hotel
In 1997, the Stanley Museum was invited to The Stanley Hotel to set up museum exhibits and to manage the historic tours of the Hotel and has become an important extension of the original Stanley Museum. Over the years the Museum has attracted a worldwide membership while fulfilling its mission to tell the Stanley story.
Burlington Old Town Museum
Tour an old town circa 1880-1921, including a depot, shops, jail cells, saloon, barn, school house, and more.
Curecanti National Recreation Area
Three reservoirs, named for corresponding dams on the Gunnison River, form the heart of Curecanti National Recreation Area. Panoramic mesas, fjord-like reservoirs, and deep, steep and narrow canyons abound. Blue Mesa Reservoir is Colorado's largest body of water, and is the largest Kokanee Salmon fishery in the United States. Morrow Point Reservoir is the beginning of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison and below, Crystal Reservoir is the site of the Gunnison Diversion Tunnel, a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. Recently discovered dinosaur fossils, a 5,000 acre archeological district, a narrow gauge train, and traces of 6000 year old dwellings further enhance the offerings of Curecanti.
Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum
The mission of the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum is to collect, preserve, research and interpret the history and culture of the Pikes Peak Region. The Museum is housed in the beautifully restored 1903 El Paso County Courthouse.
Log Cabin Heritage Museum
This two-story log cabin homestead was moved in 1994 from the site of the Wolford Mountain Reservoir into Kremmling and was preserved as a historic site.
Hiwan Homestead Museum
Located in Evergreen, this 17-room log lodge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places because of its unique construction. Hiwan’s restored 1890–1930 era rooms illustrate a comfortable style of early mountain summer home living. As a local history museum, it maintains active craft and interpretive school programs as well as changing exhibitions, which are sponsored by the Jefferson County Historical Society.
Phoenix Gold Mine
The Phoenix mine is operated by the oldest continuous gold mining family in Colorado, Al and Dave Mosch. It is a working gold mine where miners actually do the work. Take a guided tour of the mine and then do some actual panning for gold in the stream. There is also an area to picnic. This tour has a fee associated with it. Panning is included in the cost of the tour and you may keep any gold that you find in the stream while panning.
Golden History Center
Discovery place of Tyrannosaurus Rex, home to an American saint, location of the largest single-site brewery on Earth—Golden, Colorado is truly a one-of-a-kind city. Explore the colorful past of this unique community at the Golden History Center. Begin your Golden adventure by exploring our dynamic exhibits, engaging programs, and amazing collections. Get both close-up and behind-the-scenes views of inventions born in Golden like the two-piece aluminum can, marvel at the beauty of the Coors porcelain collection, and listen to music played on one of the finest instrument collections on the Front Range.
University of Denver Museum of Anthropology
Explore the DU Museum of Anthropology, located on the campus of the University of Denver. The Museum houses 165,000 archaeological and ethnographic objects and site collections and records from over 1,800 Colorado archaeological sites and from hundreds of other sites in twelve western states.
Longmont Museum and Cultural Center
The Longmont Museum, housed in a distinctive contemporary building, features changing exhibits in history, art, and science, as well as the award-winning Front Range Rising, a long-term exhibit on the history and culture of this region. The Museum recently opened an expansion, featuring the 250-seat Stewart Auditorium and Cone-Shortall stage, the Swan Atrium, and the Kaiser Permanente Education Center.
The Museum also has hands-on education programs for all ages, indoor and outdoor concerts and performances, film series, lectures and a gift shop featuring local history books, souvenirs and exhibit-related materials.
Cozens Ranch Museum
Cozens Ranch House is one of the oldest homesteads in the Fraser Valley. Throughout the house now you will find photographs of the Cozens family and early life in the Fraser valley. Original wallpaper and carpet pieces in the mainhouse are combined with family and antique items to help history come alive.
Southern Ute Indian Cultural Center Museum
Located on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation southeast of Durango, the Southern Ute Indian Cultural Center Museum brings to life the rich history of the Ute Indian People who occupied all of Colorado, eastern Utah, and northern New Mexico when the U. S. Civil War ended in 1868.
Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site
This site in Kiowa County is being developed to recognize the national significance of the massacre of about 150 Cheyenne and Arapaho people by 700 U.S. volunteer soldiers led by Colonel John M. Chivington.
Four Mile Historic Park
On the banks of Cherry Creek, just four miles from downtown Denver, Four Mile Historic Park is a 12 acre oasis featuring Denver’s oldest standing structure, pioneer exhibits, special events for all ages, and guided tours that transport visitors to Colorado’s frontier past. Four Mile House was once a wayside inn and stage stop.
Fort Collins Museum of Discovery
The Fort Collins Museum of Discovery is dedicated to engaging and inspiring their audiences to explore the legacies of the peoples and environments of the Cache La Poudre Rivery Valley. The Main Gallery highlights the early history of Fort Collins from paleolithic Indians that lived 10,800 years ago, to the fort era, and the agricultural boom of the sugar beet industry. Also features special exhibits including a ferret cam, music and sound lab, and tot spot.
Pony Express National Historic Trail
The Pony Express National Historic Trail was used by young men on fast paced horses to carry the nation's mail across the country, from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California, in the unprecedented time of only ten days. Organized by private entrepreneurs, the horse-and-rider relay system became the nation's most direct and practical means of east-west communications before the telegraph. Though only in operation for 18 months, between April 1860 and October 1861, the trail proved the feasibility of a central overland transportation route, and played a vital role in aligning California with the Union in the years just before the Civil War. Most of the original trail has been obliterated either by time or human activities. Along many segments, the trail's actual route and exact length are matters of conjecture. However, approximately 120 historic sites may eventually be available to the public, including 50 existing Pony Express stations or station ruins.
Anheuser-Busch Brewery Tour
The Anheuser-Busch Fort Collins Brewery Tour and Clydesdale Hamlet offers a look at the Brew Hall viewing area overlooking the brewing control room, the packaging lines in action and the lager cellar, where the beer undergoes natural fermentation. At tour's end, there is a complimentary tastings of the company's beers. With a panoramic view of the scenic foothills of Fort Collins, Colorado, the brewery tour is an immersive experience where you can hear, smell, touch and taste the components that go into some of the world’s most popular beers.
In addition to any of the brewery tours and signature attractions, Fort Collins is the home to the world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales West Coast Team. When the hitch is back from one of their many public appearances, you can get an up-close and personal encounter and have your picture taken with these iconic horses right here in Fort Collins. Guests visit the Budweiser Clydesdales in their beautiful Rocky Mountain home. The tour is free.
Estes Park Area Historical Museum
The Estes Park Museum, in Estes Park, Colorado, was founded by volunteers in 1962. As a department of the Town of Estes Park, its purpose is to collect, preserve, interpret and exhibit local history for visitors and residents.
Poor Richard's Books & Gifts
320-324 1/2 N Tejon St
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
Phone: 719-578-5549
This downtown Colorado Springs landmark specializes in good-condition, used books, including current books in 150 categories and classics in every field. They also stock a large variety of new books. Book collectors will find a selection of rare, first-edition and collectible titles. They also carry Colorado trail guides, local and state maps, wildlife/flora books and artistic, funny and quirky postcards.
Golden Pioneer Museum
The Pioneer Museum contains an interesting array of exhibits from Golden's past, including ranching and farming implements, mining artifacts, antique clothing and household goods. Special exhibits are always offered and change three or four times a year.
Frontier Historical Society Museum
The Frontier Historical Society Museum collects and preserves artifacts and materials relating to the history of Glenwood Springs and Garfield County, Colorado.
Historic Georgetown
Historic Georgetown was created to initiate, encourage and integrate efforts to preserve the rich heritage of the Georgetown/Silver Plume National Historic Landmark District. It purchased the Hamill House, the home of Englishman William Hamill, a successful mine owner, banker and politician of 19th century Colorado, to restore this elegant home as a museum. Over the years, Historic Georgetown, Inc. has acquired other properties - a miner's cottage, a professional man's house, a merchant's home and a log cabin - to guarantee that the history we preserve includes a variety of lifestyles.
Argo Gold Mine and Mill
In 1893 construction of the Argo Tunnel Began. It would be 17 years before it would reach Central City , over 4.5 miles away. The tunnel would provide water drainage, ventilation and economical transportation of the gold bearing ore from the many mines it would intersect along the way. The Argo Mill was constructed to process the gold bearing ore from these mines. When completed, the Argo would be the largest mill of its type in the world. The mill processed over 100 million dollars of gold ore at the old time prices of $18.00 to $35.00 per ounce and stands today as a memorial to the hard rock miners of the day when gold was king! The Argo Mill, Mine and Museum tour is educational and fun.
Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site
The spirited history of the Pikes Peak Region comes to life at Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site. Discover the American Indian Area, visit the 1860s Galloway Homestead, the 1880s Chambers Farm and the 1907 Orchard House. Knowledgeable interpreters present the true-to-life history of the people of the Pikes Peak Region.
Aspen Historical Society
Includes information on the Wheeler/Stallard Museum, Ashcroft and Independence Ghost Towns, and the Holden/Marolt Mining and Ranching Museum.
Fort Morgan Museum
Come explore Ft. Morgan, the boyhood home of Glenn Miller. Exhibits include the Old Hillrose Soda Fountain, farming exhibits, Native American exhibits, and more, all focused on the history of the Ft. Morgan area.
Boulder History Museum
The Boulder Historical Society and Museum was founded in 1944 Now called the Boulder History Museum, it exhibits artifacts from a collection of over 30,000 objects of historical significance.
Elbert County Historical Society and Museum
The Elbert County Museum, housed in the old Kiowa High School, offers exhibits that explore the history of Elbert County.
Fort Sedgwick Historical Society
The Fort Sedgwick Historical Society features collections in two museums: The Depot Museum, housing relics documenting the early pioneer life, and the newer Fort Sedgwick Museum which contains the interpretative displays, Book Corner, Austin Research Room, and society offices. The Fort Sedgwick Museum is open year-round. The Depot Museum is open during the summer season. Both are located in Julesburg.
United States Mint Tour
Touring the United States Mint is a fascinating experience for those of all ages and one that will be remembered for a lifetime. Tours cover both the present state of coin manufacturing as well as the history of the Mint. Learn about the craftsmanship required at all stages of the minting process, from the original designs and sculptures to the actual striking of the coins. There is a also a gift shop at this location selling commemorative coins, books, games, and other souvenirs. There are some security procedures associated with your visit. Be sure to check their website for their current security status. The U.S. Mint at Denver offers free tours of its production facilities.
Colorado History Museum
Explore Colorado's own museum with fascinating collections, detailed dioramas, historic photographs, artifacts, and more. Special galleries also feature changing exhibitions on life and culture in the American West. Located in Denver.
Enos Mills Cabin Museum and Gallery
The Enos Mills Cabin in Estes Park is an unconventional Museum that was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 3, 1973. Enos Mills is best known for being the "Father of Rocky Mountain National Park", after his six year struggle to educate the public and Congress of the importance of setting aside large land areas for preservation of scenery and the wild life inhabitants. He was also an author, photographer, nature guide, innkeeper, lecturer, and adventurer.
Greeley Municipal Archives
Collection of historical documents and photographs managed by the city of Greeley.
Telluride Historical Museum
The Telluride Historical Museum provides a rich and compelling experience to visitors, offers learning opportunities, and encourages a deeper understanding of our past -- all by exploring the events, artifacts, and personal accounts of Telluride's cultural heritage. he mission of the Telluride Historical Museum is to preserve the rich, colorful and diverse history of the region and to bring history to life through exhibits, programs and education.
Cañon City Municipal Museum and Rudd House
Tour the Anson and Harriet Rudd Cabin, built in 1860, preserved as part of the Cañon City Municipal Museum, and numerous displays of artifacts from Cañon City’s history. The two galleries contain game trophies, fossils, minerals, weaponry, tools, household objects and American Indian artifacts from the 1860s to the 1950s.
McAllister House Museum
Tour one of the oldest homes in Colorado Springs with knowledgeable guides and staff who recreate the atmosphere of the early history of the family and city, making the house and its occupants live again. Restored to its original Victorian elegance by the National Society of Colonial Dames.
Meeker Home
The 1870 home of Greeley's founding family, Nathan Meeker and his family. It is built of adobe bricks in keeping with the ecology of the region. It is filled with many Meeker family belongings and furnishings of the 19th century and is open for touring from May through September.
Cross Orchards Historic Farm
Costumed interpreters at the Museum’s Cross Orchards Historic Farm offer you opportunity to step back in time and imagine what it was like to live as a Grand Valley pioneer in the early 1900s.
Lula W. Dorsey Museum
Whether you’re an old-timer or first-timer, the Dorsey Museum in Estes Park has something for you. Housed in a 1924 guest lodge, the museum features several period room settings and display galleries. There is also a 1905 log tourist cabin and two-bedroom cabin depicting accommodations from 1949. Admission is free.
Forney Transportation Museum
The Forney Transportation Museum in Denver is a one-of-a-kind collection of over 500 exhibits relating to historical transportation. It began with antique cars, but soon expanded to include vehicles of all kinds. The museum houses "Big Boy," the world's largest steam locomotive, railcars, cabooses, coaches, a diner, antique cars, buggies, carriages, wagons, fire engines, aircraft, Denver's only cable car, trolleys, steam tractor, models, motorcycles, bicycles, costumes, music boxes, and more.
Fort Uncompahgre Living History Museum
Fort Uncompahgre was first established as a fur trading post around 1826, by Antione Robidoux near the present sight of Delta , Colorado. Fort Uncompahgre today recreates the sights, sounds, the feelings and the experience of visiting the original post, offering guided tours by interpreters clothed in period attire.
Aurora History Museum
The museum collects, preserves, interprets and exhibits artifacts and documents that tell the story of Aurora, Colorado, from prehistoric times to the present. Admission is free.
Crow Canyon Archaeological Center
More than 30 years ago, Crow Canyon was founded on the idea that members of the public could play an important role in archaeology. Each year, they welcome people of all ages to their campus near Mesa Verde in southwest Colorado. Their volunteers support their mission of archaeological research, education programs, and partnership with American Indians.
Manitou Cliff Dwellings
Explore the fascinating architecture of the ancient Anasazi and browse through two museums featuring cultural displays all overlooking the historic town of Manitou Springs. Be sure to include Manitou Cliff Dwellings during your visit to the Pikes Peak Region. The magic and mystery of the Native American culture is sure to delight visitors of all ages. Inside the Pueblo you'll tour the Anasazi Museum where dioramas depict daily life. There are also exhibits of tools, pottery, and weapons offering a glimpse of the mysterious people who left a remarkable architectural legacy on mesa tops and in cliff walls like the one at the Manitou Cliff Dwellings. When you visit, there will be no need to hurry as you follow the self-guided tour and explore each room of these carefully preserved structures. As you do, imagine what it was like to live over seven hundred years ago in a structure like this. You can even have your picture taken in front of a building that’s a lot older than your Grandfather!
Lakewood's Heritage Center
A historic and social center park, Lakewood's Heritage Center features a look at 20th century lifestyles. Located in Belmar Park, the museum currently has over 10 historic structures and 30,000 artifacts. Tours allow you to learn about life in the 1920s and 1930s.
Ouray County Museum
Explore the history of Ouray County with special and permanent exhibits, including a look at the mining history of the area. The museum is located in Ouray.
Plains Conservation Center
The Plains Conservation Center exists to bring the natural wonder of the prairie into the realm of personal experience by: preserving a remnant of the eastern Colorado High Plains, educating the public about its natural and cultural heritage and nurturing sound conservation and environmental ethics. A visit to the Plains Conservation Center offers a unique way to experience the natural and cultural heritage of the High Plains of Colorado.
Old Spanish National Historic Trail
Santa Fe emerged as the hub of the overland continental trade network linking Mexico and United States markets—a network that included not only the Old Spanish Trail, but also the Santa Fe Trail and El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro. After the United States took control of the Southwest in 1848 other routes to California emerged, and use of the Old Spanish Trail sharply declined. Because of its rich history and national significance, the Old Spanish Trail has been designated as a national historic trail.
Pueblo County Historical Society Museum
The Pueblo County Historical Society's museum was opened in 1975 in the lower level of the old Vail Hotel. It features exhibits relative to the Pueblo area, including the William White Railroad Collection, The Pueblo Saddlemakers (The Ray Bryan Western Room Collection), and The Francis King Western Collection. The museum also houses a substantial collection of Pueblo and regional artifacts.
Astor House Museum
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Astor House Museum in Golden has been restored to its original glory as a late Victorian western hotel/boarding house. It offers a look into the life of Ida Goetze, boarding house residents, Golden founders and pioneers, as well as Victorian material culture. The Astor House was built in 1867 and stayed in continuous operation as a boarding and rooming house until 1971. It rented rooms and served hot meals to lawmakers, laborers, miners, students and families, some of whom stayed for weeks or even months. Although it may not appear grandiose by modern standards, the Astor House was considered quite fancy in 1867. The first stone building in Golden, it helped to establish a sense of prosperity and permanency in a growing city.
Santa Fe National Historic Trail
Between 1821 and 1880, the Santa Fe Trail was primarily a commercial highway connecting Missouri and Santa Fe, New Mexico. From 1821 until 1846, it was an international commercial highway used by Mexican and American traders. In 1846, the Mexican-American War began. The Army of the West followed the Santa Fe Trail to invade New Mexico. When the Treaty of Guadalupe ended the war in 1848, the Santa Fe Trail became a national road connecting the United States to the new southwest territories. Commercial freighting along the trail continued, including considerable military freight hauling to supply the southwestern forts. The trail was also used by stagecoach lines, thousands of gold seekers heading to the California and Colorado gold fields, adventurers, fur trappers, and emigrants. In 1880 the railroad reached Santa Fe and the trail faded into history.
History Museum and Smith Education Tower
Located in Grand Junction, the History Museum and Tower features a 1921 LaFrance fire truck, Southwest pottery, a full-size WAAIME uranium mine, a firearms collection, a 15th century Spanish cannon, and a display of the life of Alferd Packer. The Sterling T. Smith Education Tower offers a 360° view of the surrounding geography. Tower top displays include a working weather station, and provide information on downtown historic preservation efforts, regional archaeology and geology.
Denver Firefighters Museum
The Denver Firefighters Museum is located in an historic firehouse, built in 1909. The collection includes firefighting equipment dating back to the days when horses provided the locomotion. Learn all about the games that firefighters used to hone their skills, the big Denver fires that they have fought, and how trained horses and dogs helped the firefighting effort. Try on a firefighter's uniform and visit the gift shop, which offers many hard-to-find firefighting memorabilia and souvenirs.
Gilpin Historical Society
Includes information on the Thomas House Museum, Gilpin History Museum, and the Coeur d' Alene Mine Shaft House.
Clear Creek History Park
The Clear Creek History Park provides history-based educational opportunities interpreting the Golden region from 1843-1900. Using skilled living history interpreters, the Park provides visitors with diverse hands-on experiences designed to enable the public to see and use restored structures and period replicas which illustrate the lives of late 19th century Golden area residents. Clear Creek History Park is home to many of the original buildings from the old Pearce Ranch in Golden Gate Canyon. Thomas and Henrietta Pearce, pictured below, raised eight children on their ranch. It was one of the largest in the area by 1912.
pearce_edit2
Stroll through this park and imagine yourself growing potatoes or raising chickens as part of a homesteading family. Peek through the windows of real 1800s cabins and see other buildings from the ranch like the barn, chicken coop and two-seat outhouse.
You can also have a glimpse of the 1876 Guy Hill schoolhouse which was originally located in the canyon too, but on a different property. It served the needs of canyon locals until 1951.
It’s only a short walk from downtown Golden which features shopping, restaurants, and more. Admission is always free.
Bent's Old Fort
Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site features a reconstructed 1840s adobe fur trading post on the mountain branch of the Santa Fe Trail where traders, trappers, travelers, and the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes came together in peaceful terms for trade. Today, living historians recreate the sights, sounds, and smells of the past with guided tours, demonstrations and special events.
Steelworks Museum and the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company (CF&I) Museum of Industry and Culture
The Steelworks and CF&I Museum of Industry and Culture features exhibits related to all facets of the CF&I, including the history of mining, labor history, history of steel production, railroad history, and history of Pueblo and Colorado and the CF&I's impact on the region.
Beecher's Island Battlefield Monument
Located in Beecher Island, Yuma County, the Beecher's Island Battlefield Monument is a joint Colorado - Kansas historical site established in 1905 to commemorate the 17-19 September 1868 battle fought there between Colonel George A. Forsyth's Scouts and a group of about 750 Indians from several Plains Indian tribes.
Teaching Tips & Ideas
Knowledge Quest
Knowledge Quest offers historical outline maps and timelines designed for the interactive study of world history and geography.
How I Teach a Large Family in a Relaxed, Classical Way: History
A look at teaching history across several grades using the classical method of education and a rotation of history every four years.
Colorado Ute Legacy
Sponsored by the Southern Ute Indian Cultural Center, this site and database support a 30 minute educational video, "Colorado Ute Legacy," which has been distributed to over 500 Colorado schools. The project was jointly funded by the Colorado Historical Society and the Southern Ute Indian Cultural Center.
The script from the video is included with links to databases that include a historical chronology, photos, and maps. Educators are encouraged to review the teachers' section for lesson plan ideas.
Looking for Another State?
Featured Resources
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. We get commissions for purchases made through links on this site.
Learning Language Arts Through Literature
Learning Language Arts Through Literature is a fully integrated language arts program that teaches grammar, reading, spelling, vocabulary, writing mechanics, creative writing, thinking skills and more.
Please Don't Drink the Holy Water
Susie Lloyd faces the trials and joy of raising a happy, active Catholic family.
Phonics Pathways
Phonics Pathways begins with short-vowel sounds, slowly progressing to whole words, phrases, and sentences of gradually increasing complexity. Special teaching tips, extensive examples, and 100% decodable practice readings reinforce each lesson. Contains all spelling rules with a spelling index, spelling charts, spelling short-cuts, diacritical markings, and a wealth of inspirational proverbs. The new 9th edition of Phonics Pathways features many new enhancements including a wealth of reproducib...
Raising Topsy-Turvy Kids: Successfully Parenting Your Visual-Spatial Child
Understanding how children learn best allows you to meet their needs and help them succeed. A visual-spatial learner remembers things in pictures and learns better with visual clues and strategies. This book addresses those needs and helps you figure out how to encourage this type of learner in your homeschool environment.
For the Children's Sake: Foundations of Education for Home and School
Shows parents and teachers how children's learning experiences can be extended to every aspect of life, giving them a new richness, stability, and joy for living. Every parent and teacher wants to give his or her children the best education possible. We hope that the education we provide is a joyful adventure, a celebration of life, and preparation for living. But sadly, most education today falls short of this goal. For the Children's Sake is a book about what education can be, based on a Chris...