El Pueblo History Museum

El Pueblo History Museum El Pueblo History Museum, a Community Museum of History Colorado, is located at 301 N. Union Avenue Buckles Archaeological Pavilion.

El Pueblo History Museum sits in the heart of the city of Pueblo, part of the Historic Arkansas Riverwalk District and the Pueblo Creative Corridor. The museum site features beautiful galleries, a gift shop, bookstore, gardens, and an adobe Trading Post. Pueblo has always been a gathering place for diverse cultures. Complex relations between American Indian tribes, France, Spain, Mexico, and the U

nited States shaped its early history. Later, the city's industries attracted workers from around the world. El Pueblo History Museum tells all of their stories—from multi-ethnic families and Mormon emigrants to cowboys, industrialists, and European immigrants. In addition, two award-winning exhibitions, “Children of Ludlow” and “Borderlands of Southern Colorado, are also on display at El Pueblo History Museum. An adobe Trading Post and living-history reenactors evoke the flavor of the 1840s “EI Pueblo.” The original Fort Pueblo, established in 1842, sits only a few footsteps from the museum and is currently protected in the William G. Trading Post and archaeological tours are available from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Please note that El Pueblo History Museum will be closed on Monday, September 7th.Happy Labor Day!!
09/06/2026

Please note that El Pueblo History Museum will be closed on Monday, September 7th.

Happy Labor Day!!

Colorado is famously rectangular—at least it looks that way on most maps. Its four borders cut across the landscape inst...
09/06/2026

Colorado is famously rectangular—at least it looks that way on most maps. Its four borders cut across the landscape instead of following it, including the state line between Colorado and New Mexico, which on your navigation app of choice probably looks perfectly straight. It slices smoothly over the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, cuts through the Old Raton Pass, and bisects the San Luis Valley with an invisible boundary, separating Taos from Conejos in law if not always in spirit. But zoom in and you’ll see that the supposedly straight line is actually strangely jagged. And that wasn’t by design.

In 1925, New Mexico sued Colorado over this boundary. The letter of the law, including both states’ constitutions, defined the boundary between the two as the 37th parallel—but when federal surveyors set out to trace that line over the landscape, they messed up. Not just once, but multiple times over 50 years. The result was a meandering, saw-toothed border. Similar errors all over the state lines left Colorado with a total of 697 sides, making it—according to mathematicians—a hexahectaenneacontakaiheptagon.

In the case of New Mexico v. Colorado, the Supreme Court ruled that the surveyor’s line was, for all intents and purposes, the southern border of Colorado, and it would simply be too much hassle to change the roughly mile-wide strip of mostly unused land. So they tossed out the suit and politely requested New Mexico not bring it up again, for everybody’s sanity. And Colorado, legally, hasn’t been a rectangle since.

—Devin Flores, Assistant Editor and Managing Editor of the Colorado Encyclopedia
--
Postcard of Old Raton Pass, once a major hurdle on the famous Santa Fe Trail. History Colorado 2019.13.6334
Early map of Colorado Territory by Samuel Augustus Mitchell, 1862. Courtesy of the Clements Library, University of Michigan
US surveyors in Colorado in the 1870s, mapping a remote location. History Colorado, 83.400.3036

🍂 Looking for an engaging and educational Friday activity for your kids Fall Friday Hands-On History is back at El Puebl...
09/04/2026

🍂 Looking for an engaging and educational Friday activity for your kids Fall Friday Hands-On History is back at El Pueblo History Museum!

From hands-on art to historical survival skills and traditional dance, students will explore history, culture, and nature through interactive, full-day fun!

WHO: Pueblo kids in Grades 1–8
WHEN: Fridays, September 25th – December 18th, 2026 | 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
WHERE: El Pueblo History Museum (301 N. Union Street, Pueblo, CO 81003)

Featured Fall Classes Include:

🎨 Create! Art Adventures
Dive into art history, explore different materials, and create original masterpieces inspired by historic and contemporary artists!

🦊 Explore! Colorado’s Wildlife
Investigate local ecosystems, native wildlife, and the natural world through games, interactive activities, and creative movement.

💃 Dance! Ballet Folklórico
Celebrate Mexican culture and history through high-energy, regional folk dance styles, footwork, and choreography!

🪵 Survive! Pueblo Pioneers
Step back in time to learn the homesteading skills, self-sufficiency, and resourcefulness that helped early pioneers thrive in the West.

🎟️ Spots fill up fast! Register at: https://historycolorado.jumbula.com/FallFridays2026/ElPuebloHandsOnHistory5thDayProgramFallFridayClasses2026

Fiesta Day at the State Fair in 1968! This annual event has celebrated Hispanic culture in Pueblo and across Colorado, s...
09/04/2026

Fiesta Day at the State Fair in 1968! This annual event has celebrated Hispanic culture in Pueblo and across Colorado, showcasing Mexican food, Folklorico dancers, and mariachi music.

Visit the museum today and hear the stories of community at Avondale: Fields of Devotion. This rural community just east of Pueblo has been settled since the late 1800s by a mix of Hispanos, Italians, and migrant farmworkers. Today, Avondale is still showing its devotion to upholding traditions of faith, fun, and fidelity.

Laura Soto-Perez, Ray Contreras, and Marlene Soto-Atencio on a float at the 1968 Fiesta Day. 1968. Donated by Laura Soto Perez to History Colorado as part of the Avondale Neighborhood Memory Project. 2021.

Pueblo’s Latino veterans have long served the United States with honor and integrity across every branch of the military...
09/02/2026

Pueblo’s Latino veterans have long served the United States with honor and integrity across every branch of the military. For the past decade, the Pueblo Latino Veterans Legacies of Courage Committee has been honoring these veterans for their courageous service to our country, dedication to community, commitment to their families, and continued support of fellow veterans.

A new photographic exhibit – created in collaboration between the committee, History Colorado’s El Pueblo History Museum, and the Sangre de Cristo Arts and Conference Center – will feature past honorees to mark Hispanic Heritage Month!

The exhibit opens at El Pueblo History Museum at 4:30 pm on Tuesday, September 15, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony held in partnership with the Latino Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce.

On view for a limited time betweeen September 15 - September 29, 2026, the exhibit will remain on display at El Pueblo History Museum during the 2026 Chile and Frijoles Festival🌶️

The Colorado State Fair is in full swing with a week of fun still ahead! While the Centennial State can’t take credit fo...
09/01/2026

The Colorado State Fair is in full swing with a week of fun still ahead! While the Centennial State can’t take credit for inventing this American pastime (that was New York in 1841), our version has been hosted by Pueblo since its inception in 1872, four years before statehood.

The fair retains its agricultural roots with 4-H competitions, horse shows, and a petting zoo while expanding to include a carnival, giant sand castles, and free live music. This year, special drone shows will take place on select nights as part of the America 250 - Colorado 150 celebration.

Check out the schedule to plan your visit, and we’d love to see you at the El Pueblo History Museum while you’re in the area!

We're offering Trading Post Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Every half hour between 11 AM and 2 PM.

09/01/2026

🌶️¡Viva Pueblo! The official kickoff to the 32nd Annual Pueblo Chile & Frijoles Festival brought to you by Pueblo History Museum is here!🌶️

Get ready for an unforgettable night of music, dance, culture and tradition at the Fuego y Tradición Festival Folklórico de Pueblo!

📍 **Pueblo Memorial Hall**
📅 **Thursday, September 17**
⏰ **6:30 PM**
🎟️ **Tickets: $30**

Featuring a special performance by ZITLALKIAHUITL from Guerrero, Mexico!💃

Come celebrate the rich traditions and vibrant culture that make Pueblo’s Chile & Frijoles Festival so special.

🎟️ Get your tickets at **[pueblomemorialhall.com]

Don't forget to apply 🚀 We’re Hiring Interns at El Pueblo History Museum!Looking for hands-on museum experience in Puebl...
09/01/2026

Don't forget to apply 🚀 We’re Hiring Interns at El Pueblo History Museum!

Looking for hands-on museum experience in Pueblo, CO? We have two exciting opportunities available starting this fall:

🏛️ Education Intern
• Stipend: $6,000 | Schedule: 15 hrs/wk (Sept 2026 – May 2027)
• Focus: Support our Hands-On History program, engage in professional networking, and explore key museum professions.

📢 Marketing & Operations Intern
• Stipend: $2,000 | Schedule: Min. 10 hrs/wk (Sept – Dec 2026)
• Focus: Build practical skills in content creation, guest services, communications, and nonprofit administration.

Academic credit eligible (check with your university coordinator).
Deadline to Apply: September 7, 2026

Tag someone who might be interested, or apply today!

👉 Apply here: historycolorado.org/internships-fellowships

⛺ Image titled: The Camp on St. Charles Creek; San Isabel Forest, July 13,1924. History Colorado 89.451.773
08/31/2026

⛺ Image titled: The Camp on St. Charles Creek; San Isabel Forest, July 13,1924. History Colorado 89.451.773

Conservation efforts and reintroduction of the American bison (Bison bison) in Colorado began during the early twentieth...
08/28/2026

Conservation efforts and reintroduction of the American bison (Bison bison) in Colorado began during the early twentieth century. By that time, the bison population had declined precipitously since the mid-nineteenth century because of overhunting and the development of cities, railroads, and farms.

Since the early 1900s, tribal, state, county, and university efforts to help bison populations recover in Colorado have been largely successful. Today there are more than 100 bison across multiple managed herds in the state, and the bison population across the West numbers around 25,000. As Colorado’s conservation herds continue to grow, management processes have become more precise, and the herds are readily available for research, engagement, or viewing across the state. In 2016 President Barack Obama declared the bison the official mammal of the United States.

Image: Picture postcard | American Bison | Denver Museum of Natural History, 1940 - 1960. History Colorado 2019.13.8982

Address

301 N Union Avenue
Pueblo, CO
81003

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 4pm
Tuesday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm
Sunday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

(719) 583-0453

Website

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