The Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum is located at 215 S. Tejon Street in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The granite building with a domed clock tower was the El Paso County Courthouse building from 1903 to 1973. The museum, which moved to this location in 1979, has fine arts, artifacts and archival collections that document the

Pikes Peak Pikes Peak is the highest summit of the southern Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, in North America. The ultra-prominent fourteener is located in Pike National Forest, west of downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado. The town of Manitou S ...

region. The building is on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

, and was the 2nd property to be listed in El Paso County, after

. Located within

Alamo Square Park Alamo Square is a residential neighborhood and park in San Francisco, California, in the Western Addition. Its boundaries are Buchanan Street on the east, Turk Street on the north, Baker Street on the west, and Page Street Street on the south. ...

the museum is also home to the Starsmore Center for Local History, a manuscript collection and research facility.

Collection

The museum's mission is to "build a lasting connection to the Pikes Peak region by preserving and sharing our cultural history," which is accomplished through a wide variety of temporary and long-term exhibits, tours, programs, lectures and special events. The more than 60,000 objects in the museum's collection include cultural and historic artifacts. Artifacts from

Arapaho The Arapaho (; french: Arapahos, ) are a Native American people historically living on the plains of Colorado and Wyoming. They were close allies of the Cheyenne tribe and loosely aligned with the Lakota and Dakota. By the 1850s, Arapaho ba ...

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. Their Cheyenne language belongs to the Algonquian language family. Today, the Cheyenne people are split into two federally recognized nations: the Southern Cheyenne, who are enr ...

and Ute cultures are included in the Native American collection.

Helen Hunt Jackson Helen Hunt Jackson (pen name, H.H.; born Helen Maria Fiske; October 15, 1830 – August 12, 1885) was an American poet and writer who became an activist on behalf of improved treatment of Native Americans by the United States government. She de ...

's house is partially represented in the museum with possessions that she owned. The collection includes items relating to the city's founding, mining industry, military installations and health resort industry.

Van Briggle Pottery Van Briggle Art Pottery was at the time of its demise the oldest continuously operating art pottery in the United States, having been established in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1901 by Artus and Anne Van Briggle. Artus had a significant impact ...

, regional art and a "nationally significant collection of quilts" are part of the collection. The museum has won local and national awards for excellence and is fully accredited by the

American Association of Museums American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

. Eric Bransby created a mural that depicts the Pikes Peak region's history from early Native Americans to the

United States Air Force Academy The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academy in El Paso County, Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs. It educates cadets for service in the officer corps of the United States Air Force and U ...

construction. There is a museum store. Admission to the museum is free. Its mission is to "collect, preserve, research, and interpret the history and culture of the Pikes Peak Region."

Starsmore Center for Local History

Within the museum is the Starsmore Center for Local History which has a Pikes Peak Region research library and archives. The collection includes images, newspapers, manuscript collections and city directories. Personal papers of General

William Jackson Palmer William Jackson Palmer (September 18, 1836 – March 13, 1909) was an American civil engineer, veteran of the Civil War, industrialist, and philanthropist. During the American Civil War, he was promoted to brevet brigadier general and receive ...

, the city's founder are also included in the center's collection.

Alamo Park

It is situated within the

which features several history-themed sculptures, flower beds and a gazebo. There is also a preserved 1900 E. Howard & Co. street clock that was saved from destruction during

urban renewal Urban renewal (also called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address urban decay in cities. Urban renewal involves the clearing out of blighte ...

in the 1960s and relocated from its original home several blocks away.

References

External links

Colorado Springs Pioneer Museum (official site)
{{Authority control Buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Colorado Colorado State Register of Historic Properties Museums in Colorado Springs, Colorado History museums in Colorado National Register of Historic Places in Colorado Springs, Colorado

Collection

Starsmore Center for Local History

Alamo Park

See also

References

External links