Telluride Historical Museum - Telluride, CO - painting an historical picture of a prosperous mining town

Telluride Historical Museum is located at 201 West Gregory Avenue in Tulleride, Colorado. The goal of the museum is to promote the region's history. The museum utilizes outreach, interactive programs and exhibits to meet its goals. The regions geology, gold, silver, mining town roots and the Native American Ute can all be studied at the Telluride Historical Museum.

The ups and downs of Telluride can be explored at the Telluride Historical Museum. The early technology utilized in the extraction of precious metals and the dangers associated with the mining of hard rocks are all explored in the museums exhibits. The organization of miners to share the profits and how they survived harsh management that lead to intrigue, murder and labor strikes are all are all taught at the museum.

The Rio Grande Southern Railroad's arrival in Telluride and how it changed the town is all shown in the exhibits at the Telluride Historical Museum. The innovations that were required for the people living in the San Juan Mountains are all studied at the museum. The way the town began to turn into a ghost town is shown as well.

The Telluride Blanket is among the objects on display at the Telluride Historical Museum. The blanket shows the 19th century arrival of the Anasazi culture. The blanket was found in a cliff dwelling in Utah during 1896 by Ed and Mel Turner. The two were cattle ranchers chasing cattle that had strayed. The blanket was later given to W.E. Wheeler to pay a debt; when Wheeler died during 1935 and went virtually unnoticed until 1970 when the blanket was received by the Telluride Historical Society.

The trunk the society received contained an old photograph of an ancient village. This dated the blanket back AD 1041 and 1272. There are gardens at the Telluride Historical Museum as well. The garden blooms all summer long. A number of the museum's exhibits are stored under glass to protect them.

There are also a number of events at the Telluride Historical Museum including the opening of exhibits, tours, lectures and receptions. The Fireside Chats that are held in the Mountain Village are coordinated by the museum. There are also tours of the Lone Tree Cemetery, a booth for a Farmer's Market and a celebration for the 4th of July. The Heritage Festival is held by the Telluride Historical Museum in addition to a number of more festivities that the museum sponsors.

Telluride Historical Museum hosts the Telluride Unearth which takes a look at the history of Telluride and science with a series of lectures. The evening program has guest scholars in the evening and the next morning regional schools are visited. This is to expose students of the area to national educators. This project is a partnership between the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, Pinhead Institute and the Telluride Historical Museum.

Anyone with an interest in history that dates back centuries should make it a point to visit the Telluride Historical Museum and experience the exhibits and programs first hand.