El Pueblo History Museum facts for kids
William G. Buckles Archaeological Pavilion
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| Established | 1990 | ||||||||||||||||
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| Location | 301 N Union Ave Pueblo, Colorado |
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| Type | Local history museum | ||||||||||||||||
| Accreditation | American Alliance of Museums | ||||||||||||||||
| Nearest parking | On site (no charge) Covered parking available 300-398 W 3rd St Garage |
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The El Pueblo History Museum is a cool place in Pueblo, Colorado, where you can learn about local history. It shares the stories of Pueblo and the many different groups of people who have lived in the area.
The museum site has a special adobe building that looks like an 1840s trading post. It also has an archaeological dig site. This is where the original 1842 El Pueblo trading post was found. This historic site was added to the US National Register of Historic Places in 1996. The museum is run by History Colorado.
El Pueblo History Museum is connected to the Smithsonian Institution. This means it can share resources and exhibits with one of the biggest museum groups in the world. It is also approved by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM).
Contents
History of the Pueblo Area
The area around Pueblo has a long and interesting history. Many important events happened here, shaping the region we know today.
Early Explorations
In 1803, the United States bought a huge area of land called the Louisiana Purchase. President Thomas Jefferson sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore this new territory. Their mission was to map the land, find trade routes, study nature, and show that the US owned the land.
A few years later, in 1806, James Wilkinson sent Zebulon Pike to explore the Southwestern United States. Pike and his team set up a small camp near where the Fountain Creek and the Arkansas River meet. They tried to climb Pikes Peak. In 1807, they built the first structure in the area, called Pike's Stockade. This stockade became a National Historic Landmark in 1961.
The Original El Pueblo Trading Post
In 1842, a place called El Pueblo was built. It was an independent trading post. This means it was a place where people could trade goods. It was important for trappers, traders, and Native American groups.
Business at the fort slowed down after 1848 because of the Mexican–American War. The war ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. This treaty changed how trade worked in the region. Also, the California Gold Rush started around the same time. Many people left the fort to look for gold in California. This caused the fort's population to shrink.
In 1854, Ute and Jicarilla Apache natives, led by Chief Tierra Blanco, attacked the fort. This event is known as the Fort Pueblo Massacre. After this attack, the fort was left empty.
Pueblo City Grows
The Pike's Peak Gold Rush in 1858 brought many new people to the area. These settlers planned out the towns of Pueblo and Fountain City. They were near where the Arkansas and Fountain rivers meet.
In 1860, the town of Pueblo was officially named after the old trading post. Settlers used some of the adobe bricks from the old El Pueblo fort to build their own homes. Over time, new buildings were built over the fort. By the 1880s, the original fort had disappeared under the growing city.
Finding the Lost Fort
In 1888, the Farriss Hotel was built right where the old El Pueblo fort used to be. For many years, people didn't know exactly where the fort was.
In 1959, the Colorado Historical Society (now called History Colorado) opened the El Pueblo History Museum. It was in a converted airport hangar and had a full-size copy of the El Pueblo fort.
In the 1980s, the Colorado State University–Pueblo started a project to find the original El Pueblo fort. They thought it might be under the Farriss Hotel. In 1989, Professor William G. Buckles began looking in the hotel's basement.
In 1991, the city tore down the Farriss Hotel. This allowed archaeologists to dig more widely. They found signs of the original El Pueblo fort's structure!
In 1992, the El Pueblo History Museum moved to a new building. This building was on the same block as the exciting excavation site. In 1996, the rediscovered El Pueblo fort was officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 2003, the new El Pueblo Museum complex was finished. It includes the El Pueblo History Museum, the William G. Buckles Archaeology Pavilion (which covers the dig site), and a reconstructed trading post that looks like the original.
Museum Exhibits
The El Pueblo History Museum has many interesting exhibits that tell different stories about the region.
Borderlands of Southern Colorado
This exhibit explores the history of the border areas in southern Colorado. Did you know that part of what is now Pueblo used to be part of the Louisiana Purchase? Another part was once Old Mexico and later claimed by the Republic of Texas! This exhibit shows how these changes shaped the area.
Children of Ludlow
This exhibit looks at the Colorado Coalfield War and the Ludlow Massacre. It tells these important historical events from the viewpoint of the children who lived through them. It helps us understand how big events affect everyday lives.
Museum of Memory
The Museum of Memory exhibit explores the histories of different neighborhoods in Pueblo. Community members share their own oral histories, which are stories passed down by talking. This helps everyone learn about the unique past of each area.
El Movimiento
This exhibit documents the Chicano struggle for civil rights in Colorado. It is part of the larger Chicano Movement. This movement worked for fairness and equal rights for Mexican Americans. This exhibit was first at the El Pueblo History Museum, but it has now moved to Pueblo Community College.
The Bell Rings
This exhibit, which ran from September 2017 to February 2018, looked at The Bell Game. This is an annual football game between two Pueblo high schools: Central High School and Centennial High School. They have played each other since 1892! It's believed to be the oldest ongoing American football rivalry west of the Mississippi River.
Educational Programs
The museum offers great programs for kids and families.
Hands on History
When Pueblo School District 60 changed its school week to four-and-a-half days and then to four days, the museum created "Hands on History." This program helped working parents find a place for their children to go on Friday afternoons after school.
The program became very popular and expanded to a full day on Fridays. It also now has a summer program! This successful program has even grown to other cities in Colorado, like Trinidad, Fort Garland, Platteville, and Montrose. It's a fun way for kids to learn about history.
See also
In Spanish: Museo histórico El Pueblo para niños
