History Colorado Center facts for kids
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| Established | 2012 |
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| Location | 1200 Broadway Denver, Colorado |
| Type | History museum |
| Owner | History Colorado |
The History Colorado Center is a museum in Denver, Colorado, USA. It is all about the history of Colorado. Building the museum started in 2009. It opened its doors on April 28, 2012. The museum is run by an organization called History Colorado.
Contents
Discovering Colorado's Past
The History Colorado Center has many cool exhibits. They are designed to be fun and hands-on for kids. Adults will find them interesting too!
Living West: People and Nature
The Living West exhibit shows how people and nature have lived together in Colorado. It covers different parts of the state and different times in history. A big idea in this exhibit is how important water is.
Mesa Verde: Ancient Life
This part of the exhibit looks at the daily lives of the Ancestral Puebloans. These were people who lived in Colorado long ago. You can see models and real items like pottery and tools they used.
Dust Bowl: Facing Challenges
Here, you can learn about the Dust Bowl era in the 1930s. You can even experience what the huge "Black Sunday" dust storm might have felt like. It shows the tough times people faced on the plains.
Mountains: Wildlife and Resources
In this area, you can see some of the amazing wildlife that lives in Colorado's mountains. You'll also learn how roads and rivers in the mountains have shaped life across the state. There's a hands-on water display. You can also see trees affected by the Mountain pine beetle. This part of the museum shows why it's so important to protect Colorado's natural resources.
Destination Colorado: A Town's Story
Destination Colorado tells the story of Keota, Colorado. This was a real town started in 1880. It faced dry weather and tough times. But it was also a place with kind people and a strong community. As you walk through the exhibit, actors pretend to be real people from Keota. You can explore a general store and a school, just like they were back then.
Colorado Stories: People Who Shaped the State
Colorado Stories looks closely at some of the people who helped make Colorado what it is today.
Ski Jump Simulator
One fun part is a ski jump simulator. You can pretend to be a ski jumper!
Granada War Relocation Center
There's also a short video about the Granada War Relocation Center. This was a camp in Colorado where Japanese-Americans were held during World War II. You can walk through a display that shows how small their living spaces were.
Silver Mining and Park Rangers
Other parts of this exhibit show what a silver mine in Silverton, CO was like. You can also learn about park rangers working in Rocky Mountain National Park.
African-American History
There is a section that explores the successes and difficulties faced by African-Americans in Colorado's history.
Time Machine: Traveling Through History
When you enter the museum, you'll see a huge map of Colorado on the floor. It's 40 by 60 feet! An artist named Steven Weitzman designed it using special concrete tiles. You can move a large "steam punk" style time machine over different spots on the map. Screens on the machine then come to life. They show cool stories from different times in that area's history.
Denver A-Z: Capital City Fun Facts
This exhibit is all about Denver, Colorado's capital city. You go through the alphabet to find interesting facts about Denver. You can learn about big blue bears and even the city's interest in zombies!
The Denver Diorama: City in the 1800s
A favorite for many visitors, the Denver Diorama shows what Denver looked like a long time ago. It was a small town on the Colorado plains in the 1800s.
See also
