Category Archives: Museums of Western Colorado

Two Rivers Chautauqua: “Western Voices” Event Schedule

June 22, 2017

Friday August 18 Community Presentations – Free to the Public Mesa County Libraries, Main Branch: 10:00 to 11:00 am Legendary Ladies: Straight Out of Colorado’s History, Announcer: Joyce Nelson Josie Bassett, Rancher & Rustler, Portrayed by Judie Hinton Helen Hunt Jackson, Indian Rights Advocate, Portrayed by Gretchen Payne Mary Rippon, University of Colorado’s first female professor, Portrayed by Charlene Pazar Katharine Lee Bates, Author of a Beloved American Song, Portrayed by Kyle Neidt    Colorado … Read More

Forced Cuts at the Museums of Western Colorado

May 1, 2017

Recently, the Mesa County Commissioners had to reduce the budgets of all County departments and community partners by 5%; this included the annual County investment in Museums of Western Colorado (MWC). The County contribution to MWC is based on a 1974 election by the Mesa County voters who, by a 4-to-1 margin, agreed that the community should have a financially-supported museum dedicated to persevering local heritage. The MWC acknowledges that Mesa County departments are taking … Read More

Thousands of Local Oral History Files Saved for Posterity

April 26, 2017

Erin Schmitz, Curator Collections and Archives at Museums of Western Colorado, is looking forward to the time when she can hear the stories of the Grand Valley, actually told by the people who lived them. Through a partnership with the Mesa County Libraries, the Museums of Western Colorado is in the process of digitally saving more than 3,000 local oral history files originally recorded via cassette tape. “These tapes hold the history of this community … Read More

The Value of NEH to Museums

March 5, 2017

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) are critical to museums’ ability to serve their communities as economic and educational assets. They support museums as institutions of learning and exploration, and as keepers of our cultural, historical, and scientific heritages. These programs teach essential skills such as creativity, critical thinking, and effective communication. NEH funds humanities councils in every state and U.S. territory. These councils sponsor family … Read More

MWC For Free!

March 1, 2017

MWC For FREE at Dinosaur Journey Museum Come to Fruita and re-discover the ancient world of the dinosaurs for FREE on Wednesday nights! Dinosaur Journey is proud to announce that we will begin staying open late on Wednesday evenings, starting March 15. We will be open until 7 pm on Wednesdays. Each night will feature special activities that are FREE and open to the public. In addition, all admissions after our normal closing time (4 … Read More

Discover Together

February 28, 2017

by Peter Booth, Executive Director I recently had a conversation with staff about Museums of Western Colorado’s strengths. While I personally am proud of our exhibits, trips and digs, archives and collections, volunteers and plenty more, the discussion made it clear to us that one of our greatest strengths is our many partnerships in the community. The MWC truly is a community-based museum. We were created by the community, and continue to be both strengthened … Read More

Loss of a Friend…

February 27, 2017

We are sad to report the loss of a dear friend of the Museums of Western Colorado, Peter Mygatt. Pete died in his home in Boise, ID on Feb. 23. He was 90 years old. A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, journalist, photographer, miner, forest firefighter, car enthusiast and amateur paleontologist, Pete loved exploration and the road less-travelled. In 1981, while hiking with his wife, Marilyn, and friends J.D. and Vanetta Moore, they discovered … Read More

Oral History Collection Update

February 26, 2017

The Oral History Collection, housed in the Loyd Files Research Library and Marie Tipping Archives, holds a wealth of information on Mesa County because it is told by the people who lived during the events that shaped the county. Housed on cassette tapes, it is difficult to listen to in its current format because there is a considerable amount of background noise on many of them, which can make it difficult to understand what is … Read More

Museum Summer Camps

February 26, 2017

Robert Gay, Curator of Museum Education Taylor Barnett, Cross Orchards Site Manager The Museums of Western Colorado has a long history of providing hands-on educational opportunities to the youth of the Grand Valley. These have ranged from single-day camps at Cross Orchards to week-length experiences around the Grand Valley and the region. This summer the Museums of Western Colorado is proud to announce that we are expanding our offerings going into summer 2017. This year … Read More