New Exhibit!

We are excited to partner with History Colorado to bring you the Ute Knowledge: Colorado’s Original Science Technology, Engineering, and Math exhibit! The exhibit, opening at the Animas Museum on September 13th, tells the story of how Ute Indians have used science, technology, engineering and math to survive and thrive in the Rocky Mountains.

The Ute people are Colorado’s longest continuous residents, and they have thrived here through their deep understanding of, and a connection to, the Colorado landscape and environment. The exhibit includes maps of Ute homelands, historic and contemporary photos, and quotes from Ute elders and youth.

Visitors can explore hands-on activities (engineering a stick shelter, creating a beadwork pattern, testing woven materials, and matching plants with their uses) that highlight how Ute people solved problems in the past and still do today.

Save the date - Saturday, October 11th for a special Family Day at the Museum!

Visit our online exhibits.

Find digitized documents that may help in your research, including directories here.

Download a .pdf with locations of La Plata County Cemeteries here.

Search twelve rural La Plata County Cemeteries here from "A Study of La Plata County Rural Cemeteries" conducted by Dr. Ruth Lambert in 2014.

Search the cemeteries at Gato, Juanita, and Trujillo here from "A Study of Three Hispano Cemeteries" conducted by Dr. Ruth Lambert in 2017.

Our collection of Durango High School yearbooks is here.

We have been working to digitize our small collection of audio tapes. Learn more about this project here.

Click here to contact us for assistance with research questions and photograph inquiries.

In 2022, the Animas Museum received a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to analyze and make accessible their collection of Ancestral Pueblo pottery. Learn more about this project here.

Exhibits

Restored 1905 Classroom

Our permanent exhibit is reminiscent of school rooms across the country in the early part of the 20th Century. The high ceilings, large double-hung windows, school-house lights, slate blackboards, and ornate desks all speak to a different era in education.

Wish You Were Here...

An exhibit created in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution's Journey Stories, Wish You Were Here tells the compelling stories of how we came to be in La Plata County.

Law and Disorder

Opened in the Fall of 2012, Law and Disorder tells the true story of life in the Wild West. Meet T.J. McCluer, Jr., the sheriff of La Plata County and see some of his belongings. Learn about the cowboys that roamed the valleys and the bitter feud that rivaled the Hatfields and McCoys. Hangings, shootouts, bank robberies -- we have it all!

Forged by Flame

In conjunction with the tenth anniversary of the Missionary Ridge fire, the Animas Museum updated this exhibit to tell how fires have changed the county.

Self Guided Walking Tours

Download .pdf files for Historic Downtown Durango,the Third Avenue Residential District and the Animas City Walking Tour.