History Colorado is a historical society that was established in 1879 as the State Historical Society of Colorado, also known as the Colorado Historical Society. History Colorado is a 501(c)(3) organization and an agency of the State of Colorado under the Department of Higher Education.

Overview

History Colorado offers the public access to cultural and heritage resources of Colorado, including museums and special programs for individuals and families, collection stewardship of Colorado's historic treasures, educational resources for schools, students and teachers, services related to preservation, archaeology and history, and the Stephen H. Hart Research Library. History Colorado's statewide activities support tourism, historic preservation, education, and research related to Colorado's rich western history, offering the public unique opportunities to interact with Colorado history through its network of museums, which offer both exhibitions and special programs for adults and children. History Colorado also works with schools across Colorado to provide classrooms and teachers with resources and curriculum related to Colorado history, and offers local communities resources that help them to enrich historical-related community-based programs. History Colorado publishes the quarterly magazine ''Colorado Heritage'' (formerly ''The Colorado Magazine'').

The History Colorado Center

In 2012, the agency opened the new state history museum of Colorado, the History Colorado Center. As History Colorado's headquarters, the History Colorado Center is designed to be a tourist destination, a museum, as well as a center for civic programs and discussion. The building houses core and traveling exhibitions, education/public programs, the Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, the State Historical Fund, the Stephen H. Hart Research Library, and other History Colorado functions. Located at 12th and Broadway in Denver's Golden Triangle Museum District, this is a building that was designed and constructed by an all-Colorado team: Tryba Architects, Trammell Crow Company and Hensel Phelps Construction Company. History Colorado is a Smithsonian Affiliate. At the building's April 2012 opening ceremony, Smithsonian Affiliations Director Harold Closter described the History Colorado Center as "the first great history museum of the twenty-first century."

Preservation programs

History Colorado has cared for the historic treasures of the state for more than 130 years and has directed over a quarter of a billion dollars in grants for statewide preservation and education to all regions of the state. Through the State Historical Fund historic preservation grants program, History Colorado has awarded millions in competitive grants to all 64 counties across Colorado. As the State Historic Preservation Office, the Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation handles the processing and documenting of statewide archaeological and historic preservation-related projects. Through its various offices, programs, and services, History Colorado exerts a significant economic, cultural and civic impact and continues as a vital entity to the progress and development of Colorado. The Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (OAHP) oversees a number of program areas: * The ''

Colorado State Register of Historic Properties The Colorado State Register of Historic Properties, administered by the History Colorado Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, is a listing of significant historic resources. History Colorado maintains a list of the Colorado State Regis ...

''Colorado State Register of Historic Properties.
Colorado Historical Society Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation. Retrieved 10-8-2011. * The ''State Historical Fund''. The fund was created in 1990 through a state constitutional amendment allowing limited gaming in the towns of

Black Hawk Black Hawk and Blackhawk may refer to: Animals * Black Hawk (horse), a Morgan horse that lived from 1833 to 1856 * Common black hawk, ''Buteogallus anthracinus'' * Cuban black hawk, ''Buteogallus gundlachii'' * Great black hawk, ''Buteogallus urub ...

Central City In urban planning, a core city, principal city metropolitan core, or central city, is the largest or most important city or cities of a metropolitan area. A core city is surrounded by smaller satellite cities, towns, and suburbs. A central cit ...

, and Cripple Creek. A proportion of the tax revenues from gaming is used for historic preservation in Colorado. Applications for projects for potential funding are assessed through a competitive process.

History

The State Historical Society of Colorado was founded in 1879 and currently owns and maintains thirteen historic sites and museums at ten locations around the state.About CHS
Colorado Historical Society, USA. It is both a nonprofit agency and a part of the state department of higher education. The Colorado Historical Society is an affiliate within the

Smithsonian Affiliations Smithsonian Affiliations is a division of the Smithsonian Institution that establishes long-term partnerships with non-Smithsonian museums and educational and cultural organizations in order to share collections, exhibitions and educational str ...

program and is accredited by the

American Alliance 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, p ...

. The central offices of History Colorado are based in

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

Historic sites and museums

History Colorado administers the following historic sites and museums:Historic sites
History Colorado, USA. *

History Colorado Center The History Colorado Center is a museum in Denver, Colorado, USA dedicated to the history of the state of Colorado. Construction on the $111 million building started on 19 August 2009. The museum opened on 28 April 2012 at 1200 Broadway, one block ...

, Denver * Byers-Evans House Museum, Denver *

El Pueblo History Museum El Pueblo History Museum is a local history museum in Pueblo, Colorado, United States. The museum presents the history of Pueblo, together with the cultural and ethnic groups of the region. The historical site includes an 1840s-style adobe trading ...

Pueblo In the Southwestern United States, Pueblo (capitalized) refers to the Native tribes of Puebloans having fixed-location communities with permanent buildings which also are called pueblos (lowercased). The Spanish explorers of northern New Spain ...

* Fort Garland Museum and

Pike's Stockade Pike's Stockade is a historic exploration campsite located near Sanford, Colorado. Set on the north bank of the Conejos River, it is where explorer Zebulon Pike raised the American flag on Spanish soil in 1807. The site, now managed by Historic ...

Fort Garland Fort Garland (1858–1883), Colorado, United States, was designed to house two companies of soldiers to protect settlers in the San Luis Valley, then in the Territory of New Mexico. It was named for General John Garland, commander of the Military ...

* Fort Vasquez Museum, Platteville * Georgetown Loop Historic Mining & Railroad Park, Georgetown * Grant-Humphreys Mansion, Denver * Healy House Museum and

Dexter Cabin Dexter Cabin was the Leadville, Colorado home and hunting lodge of James V. Dexter, a mining investor and businessman. Although it is a cabin, the interior has been described as "surprisingly plush," "elegantly finished," and "incredibly orna ...

Leadville The City of Leadville is a statutory city that is the county seat, the most populous community, and the only incorporated municipality in Lake County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 2,602 at the 2010 census and an estimated ...

Trinidad History Museum Trinidad History Museum is a local history museum in Trinidad, Colorado, United States. It is administered by History Colorado (the Colorado Historical Society). Description The museum presents the history of the town of Trinidad and the surround ...

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

Ute Indian Museum The Ute Indian Museum is a local history museum in Montrose, Colorado, United States. It is administered by History Colorado (the Colorado Historical Society). The museum presents the history of the Ute tribe Ute () are the Indigenous people ...

, Montrose

Centennial Farms and Ranches

History Colorado provides designations of centennial farms and centennial ranches that have been in one family for more than 100 years. For example,

Salt Works Ranch The Salt Works Ranch, at 3858 U.S. Route 285 in Park County, Colorado near Hartsel, Colorado, was founded in 1862. The land is unusual for the presence of saline springs. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. The ra ...

in Park County.

References

External links

History Colorado website

History Colorado Center website

Office of Archaeology & Historic Preservation and State Historical Fund website
{{Authority control State historical societies of the United States Organizations established in 1879 Non-profit organizations based in Colorado Organizations based in Denver History of Colorado Historical societies in Colorado Smithsonian Institution affiliates Institutions accredited by the American Alliance of Museums 1879 establishments in Colorado