Animas Museum

Animas Museum The Animas Museum is a small, local history museum owned and operated by the local historical society

Today is Indigenous Peoples day, and we recognize the many Indigenous people that both historically and currently call L...
10/12/2026

Today is Indigenous Peoples day, and we recognize the many Indigenous people that both historically and currently call La Plata County home. The land we inhabit and the rivers that run through it are home to Ancestral Pueblo peoples and the Mouache, Capuuta, and Weenuchiu bands of the Ute People.

Image: Black & white snapshot of a Ute Indian camp
Catalog Number: 13.23.1.52

For this month's Second Saturday Seminar, we will be celebrating 100 years of the US highway system with a talk explorin...
10/07/2026

For this month's Second Saturday Seminar, we will be celebrating 100 years of the US highway system with a talk exploring the history of highway 550.

Mick Souder, a “roadgeek” who has been studying the development of the national highway system since he was 7 years old, will review how the US highway system developed in the 1920s, focusing on US 550 and its evolution from Otto Mears’ scary toll road to the scenic (and a little scary) wonder it is today.

There is no charge for this event and it will be recorded. We hope to see you at the museum or join us on Zoom.

This month, our spinning group will be at the Mountain and Valley Fiber Arts Festival on Saturday, October 3rd, not at t...
10/01/2026

This month, our spinning group will be at the Mountain and Valley Fiber Arts Festival on Saturday, October 3rd, not at the Museum. If you are interested in anything related to the fiber arts, go to the festival at the fairgrounds. More information is available on their website mavwafiberartsfest.org.

The month of History Live! is over, but we still have history content for you! We hope to see you at the Animas Museum f...
10/01/2026

The month of History Live! is over, but we still have history content for you! We hope to see you at the Animas Museum for our two October events.

🚗 October 10th at 1 PM: Second Saturday Seminar talk - "100 Years of Highway 550." Also available on Zoom and will be recorded.

🎃 Halloween Open House - Saturday, October 31st: Come by the museum during open hours (10am-4pm) for spooky treats, crafts, and history. All ages welcome, costumes optional.

What did some of the early explorers of southwest Colorado experience as they made their way through the Four Corners? ...
09/28/2026

What did some of the early explorers of southwest Colorado experience as they made their way through the Four Corners? Are there many archaeological sites nearby, aside from Mesa Verde? What was life like for area miners and the communities where they lived? Who was Olga Little? Join the Durango Public Library, the Center for Southwest Studies, and the Animas Museum to learn how you can explore more about the history and prehistory of the area through items in their collections. We’ll also touch on the incredible digitized collections available from programs across the country—-historic maps, photographs, archives, and so much more!

Wednesday, September 30, 6-7pm. Tools for Exploring the Past, by the Durango Public Library and the Center of Southwest Studies, at the Durango Public Library. Part of the Southwest Colorado Humanities Roundtable History Live! month.

We loved hosting students from today for a custom field trip focused on schools and community - complete with a gift of...
09/24/2026

We loved hosting students from today for a custom field trip focused on schools and community - complete with a gift of some student artwork!

It is Colorado’s 150th year as a state, so let’s look back at how and what people ate in 1876. We’ll look at the foods, ...
09/20/2026

It is Colorado’s 150th year as a state, so let’s look back at how and what people ate in 1876. We’ll look at the foods, preparation methods, servingware, and customs around campfires, hornos, manos & metates, and cast iron as we explore the seasonality of foods and transitory nature of the hearth as people moved into, out of, and around what became the state of Colorado in 1876. Join Dr. Rachael Storm, Head of Curatorial Services & Curator of Business and Industry at History Colorado on Tuesday, September 22nd, 6pm at the Durango Public Library. Dr. Storm will also give the same talk at the Pine River Library in Bayfield on Monday, September 21 at 5:30pm.

There is no charge for this program presented jointly by the Animas Museum and the Durango Public Library, part of the Southwest Colorado Humanities Roundtable's History Live! month.

Starting with the Ames Power Plant serving the Gold King Mine near Telluride, SW Colorado was an early adopter of AC ele...
09/18/2026

Starting with the Ames Power Plant serving the Gold King Mine near Telluride, SW Colorado was an early adopter of AC electricity. Charles DiFerdinando, a long-time resident, will present his narrative of the history of local power generation on Saturday, September 19, 6pm at the Powerhouse. There is no charge for this event which is part of the Southwest Colorado Humanities Roundtable History Live! month.

To celebrate the sesquisemiquincentennial, the Colorado Department of Agriculture has published a book, written by Dr. R...
09/15/2026

To celebrate the sesquisemiquincentennial, the Colorado Department of Agriculture has published a book, written by Dr. Rachael Storm of History Colorado "Setting Colorado's Table."

The book explores the state's agricultural narrative through five core themes: Water, Land, Life, Resilience, and Celebration, and features personal stories and essays from Coloradans who have shaped the state's agricultural past and present.
While this book is not a comprehensive history, it serves as an important historical record, capturing unique, powerful, and diverse histories of our agricultural communities. It honors the people who have stewarded Colorado’s resources for generations, setting the table for all Coloradans.

To continue the work of protecting Colorado’s soils, $30 from each book sold will go directly to farmers and ranchers to advance their stewardship work through the Colorado Soil Health Program.

Dr. Storm will be in Durango and Bayfield as part of History Live! month, with talks at the Durango Public Library on September 22nd at 6pm and at the Pine River Library on September 21st at 5:30pm. The Animas Museum will be at the Durango Public Library with a limited number of copies for sale at $49.95 plus tax.

Wednesday, September 16th, 6-7:30pm at the Durango Public Library! Part of the Southwest Colorado Humanities Roundtable...
09/14/2026

Wednesday, September 16th, 6-7:30pm at the Durango Public Library! Part of the Southwest Colorado Humanities Roundtable History Live! month.

Discovered in 1937 amid a surge of pothunting in the American Southwest, the Falls Creek Rock Shelters in Durango, Colorado, quickly became one of the most significant archaeological sites in the region. The site’s remarkable preservation of perishable materials attracted both amateur and professional archaeologists, culminating in Earl Morris and Robert Burgh’s landmark 1954 study on the Eastern Basketmakers.

Now, Dawn Mulhern and Mona Charles are introducing their new book at the Durango Public Library — near where the story began. Bringing together experts in chronometry, rock art, bioarchaeology, and material culture, the work reexamines the site with fresh perspectives, advanced methodologies, and crucial tribal consultation.

Address

3065 W 2nd Avenue
Durango, CO
81301

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 1pm - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 1pm - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

(970) 259-2402

Website

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