History Colorado

10/24/2026

When President John F. Kennedy called on Americans to come together and lend their expertise to developing countries through international friendship and charity, thousands answered the call—including faculty from Colorado State University. CSU professor Maury Albertson was already leading the charge in international charity, and the groundwork they laid was key to the formation of one of the most celebrated American institutions: the Peace Corps. Learn more about the role of Colorado educators and students in the creation of this partnership-based program in a new article from The Colorado Magazine.
Read more: https://h-co.org/co-and-peace-corps

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Image 1: Engineers from Pakistan and the Peace Corps discuss plans for repairing a sewage disposal plant. Birky-Kreutzer (Pauline) Papers. Colorado State University Libraries, Archives & Special Collections
Image 2: Peace Corps Volunteers enjoy a meal together in the dining hall. Peace Corps Collection. Colorado State University Libraries, Archives & Special Collections

10/23/2026

Come support Native artists! Visit the Colorado History Museum on Sunday, November 15th for a Native American Artisan Market and Story Celebration.

Meet Maxx Lake, a San Carlos Apache and Navajo artist whose paintings and mixed-media works explore identity, resilience, nature, and human connection. Through vibrant color and storytelling, Maxx creates opportunities for reflection and community connection.

Bring your family, invite a friend, and spend time with us! Meet Native artists, explore their creations, and enjoy a day of art, stories, and community. Everyone is welcome. Food can be purchased at the Rendezvous Cafe.

🕚 Market Hours: 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
📆 November 15, 2026
📍 Colorado History Museum, 1200 Broadway, Denver, CO 80203

1st Workshop Window: 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
2nd Workshop Window: 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

10/21/2026

October marks Italian American Heritage and Culture Month. Italians started settling in Colorado in the late 1850s, and, by 1922, roughly one in five people living in Colorado was Italian American. As an early immigrant group in Colorado, Italians brought their culture, traditions, and skills to our state—playing a major role in the businesses that supported a growing population while providing labor needed for the development of the railroad, mining, and agriculture in the place we call home.

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Image 1: Front of post card depicts five men from Silverton: man in back row is Jack Mattivi, man with accordion Joe Cadrovi Mattivi, man next to Jack, John Fedel, man with guitar and cigar Phil V. Antonelli. The last man standing in back is unknown. Estimated Date Made, 1920-1925. History Colorado 2005.20.3
Image 2: North Denver Sewing Club in front of Bryant Webster School Denver, circa 1934. History Colorado 2004.93.2
Image 3: Antonio Palmeri in US Army Uniform, World War I, 1918. History Colorado 2005.29.5
Image 4: Our Lady of Carmel Grade School Class, Denver, 1932. History Colorado 2005.29.4

10/20/2026

Did you know the City of Englewood is part of the Certified Local Government (CLG) program? Certified Local Governments are counties or municipalities that have been endorsed by the State Historic Preservation Office (History Colorado) and the National Park Service to participate in the national preservation program while maintaining standards consistent with the National Historic Preservation Act and the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Archaeology and Historic Preservation.

While the historic midcentury modern neighborhood of Arapahoe Acres is a National Register district, this doesn't mean that Englewood doesn't have more to offer when it comes to historic sites. As a CLG, Englewood can locally landmark properties, helping those property owners to gain access to preservation incentives and to help provide guidance on best preservation practices.

To learn more about the program, visit our website https://www.historycolorado.org/certified-local-governments

10/19/2026

Have you heard of the world-renowned artist Eppie Archuleta? As a fourth-generation master weaver, she used traditional techniques to process her own wool before transforming it into her acclaimed rugs, tapestries, and serapes. Archuleta taught students using this loom and helped preserve the blend of Native American and Spanish designs that have been woven in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico for more than 400 years. Despite their longevity, fiber arts are far from old fashioned. “Granny core” hobbies like spinning, weaving, and knitting are ever more popular as people of all ages seek tactile experiences offline.

Eppie Archuleta was a master weaver, pictured here hand-weaving a textile. She used this loom to teach others, and it's now part of the History Colorado Collection. History Colorado, 2023.136.34.2; 2023.136.35

10/17/2026

In the early 1870s, only a few years after the Civil War, the United States was shaken to its core by a forgotten-but-dangerous epidemic. This virus didn’t affect humans—only horses. But in a world before cars, tractors, heavy machinery, and electricity, horses practically carried the economy in their saddlebags. As hundreds of thousands of horses were laid low by disease, Americans struggled to shoulder the burden without them—literally.

Learn more about this forgotten epidemic and history of Colorado in a new article from The Colorado Magazine by Dr. Thomas Andrews of the Center of the American West.
Read more: https://h-co.org/great-horse-flu

Image 1: “Ruined, and Winter at the Door—An Episode of the Horse Plague.” An illustration by Paul Frenzeny for Harper’s Weekly, showing how dependent many American families were on their horse, and the anxiety and loss many experienced when these animals perished. Harper’s Weekly, November 23, 1872
Image 2: Horse-drawn carts and buggies in early Denver, around the late 1860s or early 1870s. History Colorado, 2022.57.15926
Image 3: Pack burros and their drivers on Ute Pass west of Colorado Springs in the late 1800s. Horses and donkeys were a vital part of the economy across the state, from rural farms to growing cities and isolated mines. Denver Public Library Western History Collection X-22266

10/16/2026

At 9,633 feet, Fishers Peak is a prominent mountaintop in Las Animas County, Colorado, near the New Mexico border. Historically part of the Santa Fe Trail, an important commercial route in the nineteenth century, the peak and surrounding area are now part of Colorado's forty-second state park, Fishers Peak State Park, created in 2019.

Established in 2019 as Colorado's forty-second state park, Fishers Peak State Park covers 19,200 acres south of Trinidad near the New Mexico border. The mountainous area includes a cluster of hills and mesas that give way to the Colorado plains to the north and Raton Pass, a historic gateway to New Mexico, to the south. The park's iconic peak was initially known as “Raton” but later changed to “Fisher,” perhaps in honor of US military officer Woldemar Fischer, who supposedly attempted to ascend it during the Mexican-American War in 1846.
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Image by Beall, Jeffrey, 2018. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

10/15/2026

Today marks the 60th anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). Passed in the wake of the destruction of historic neighborhoods and communities during urban renewal and federal highway construction, the Act gave local voices, including local governments, state agencies, Tribes, and the public a seat at the table to shape how federal projects are implemented in the communities we know best.

Unfortunately, as we mark this milestone anniversary we also face unprecedented threats to this longstanding and collaborative process. With proposed changes to Section 106 of the NHPA introduced in the Senate in late September, as well as procedural changes proposed at the Advisory Council for Historic Preservation, Coloradans risk losing their seat at the table.

When those who know our communities best are kept out of the decision making, we risk loss of the places and communities that define Colorado, the material evidence of our nation’s history, and the cultural landscapes we hold sacred.

Many of our partners across the state and country are expressing their deep concerns, from the National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and Colorado Preservation, Inc. – whose message below offers action steps so you can stand up for Colorado’s historic places.

Learn more at our upcoming webinar about Section 106 of the NHPA on October 26, 2026 at 3:00 pm at: https://www.historycolorado.org/events-experiences =section-106-in-colorado-your-seat-at-the-table;instance=20261026150000?popup=1&lang=en-US

Stand with us Friday, October 30, at 7:30 a.m. at the Tall Bull Memorial Grounds in Daniels Park for a statewide advocacy photograph. 📸

This gathering is part of CPI’s No Seat at the Table campaign. Proposed changes to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act from the ACHP, along with U.S. Senate Bill 5653, could cut Coloradans out of federal decisions that affect our public lands, neighborhoods, and historic places. The Senate vote is scheduled for November 9.

The photograph will bring Coloradans together to demonstrate what is at stake when communities lose their voice in federal decisions affecting their lands, historic resources, and future. It will serve as the centerpiece of a statewide campaign encouraging public awareness and engagement.

How you can help:

📅 Arrive by 7:30 a.m. and wear attire that reflects your community. We expect to wrap up in an hour or less.
👥 Bring a friend. Our goal is 100 people.
📞 Call your U.S. Senators TODAY. Tell them to vote no on U.S. Senate Bill 5653. Colorado’s Senators are Michael Bennet (303-455-7600) and John Hickenlooper (303-244-1628)

RSVP and sign the waiver at this link: https://forms.gle/1ZkdjkUQ6jpa9i7E7

10/13/2026

Please note that the History Colorado Center will be closed October 13, 2026. We will re-open October 14, 2026.

Thank you for your understanding!

10/12/2026

Today, as we recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we are honored to unveil this statue of Chief Black Kettle. Cheyenne Chief Black Kettle was a respected spiritual and political leader. Despite his strong advocacy for peace with the US government, more than 230 Cheyenne and Arapaho were murdered by US troops in the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre in Colorado.

Soon on the Colorado Capitol grounds, this statue of Black Kettle will stand alongside the figures of Arapaho Chief Left Hand and Medicine Woman holding a baby, in a memorial of the deadliest day in Colorado history. In a 2025 joint resolution, the Colorado General Assembly gave their unanimous endorsement of a Sand Creek Massacre memorial installed in front of the West Steps of the Capitol. The memorial, The Peacekeepers, is a decades-long effort of the descendant Tribes to honor the massacres victims, recognize their enduring connections to their homelands, and enable our collective healing.
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"The Peacekeepers," Chief Black Kettle. Sand Creek Massacre Memorial Committee, Sand Creek Massacre descendants appointed by the Northern Cheyenne, Northern Arapaho, Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes, in collaboration with Gerald Shippen.
Sand Creek Massacre Foundation