Exhibits

Now while we are daily exploring the prairies, mountains, and streams, and even bringing up the buried treasures of the ages from the ground beneath us, we hope that our people will bear in mind the fact that we are organizing a museum for the benefit of the whole colony and whenever anything appropriate may be found, let it be placed among our ‘common treasures' and we will soon have a collection that will be both instructive and entertaining.

Nathan C. Meeker, Greeley Tribune, December 7, 1870

 

GREELEY HISTORY MUSEUM  
Permanent Exhibit
“Utopia: Adaptation on the Great American Desert"

This exhibit covers the pre-history of this area, the founding of Greeley, and highlights important and unique events of Greeley's history through time. Sections highlight the importance of agriculture, water and irrigation, the cattle industry, mentors and mavericks and other interesting historic people. A sampling of artifacts included are: Rattlesnake Kate's snake skin dress, a Fisk violin, the plow that cut the first streets in Greeley, pieces of the old Union Colony fence, a model of a sod house that was built in the 1860s, and pieces of old wooden irrigation pipes. Historic photographs from the Museums' collection fill out the exhibit. Also featured is a children's hands-on education area with games that encourage learning about the exhibit themes, a map interactive area, and a meditative water video.

GREELEY HISTORY MUSEUM Temporary Exhibits

Aerospace exhibit "Colorado Takes Off!"

Celebrating over 100 years of Colorado aerospace and the contributions of Weld County and Colorado citizens to its history, Colorado Takes Off!, an aerospace exhibit from the Colorado Aerospace History Project, is coming to the Greeley History Museum.

Colorado Takes Off! is a visitor centered experience featuring intriguing aerospace artifacts and multimedia experiences; including over 30 highly detailed scale models and dioramas, First Class Conteinental Airline dining sets, vibrant historic images of Coloradoans and their air machines plus audio and video recordings of Colorado astronuats and pilots.

There is more... An actual World War I biplane replica is in the museum's East Gallery! Sit in the plane, take photos and imagine your flying above the clouds. 

Community Room
Cartoon vs Tycoon

Twenty Thomas Nast cartoons from the 1871-72 Harpers Weekly are on exhibit in the Mezzanine Gallery for a short period of time. The cartoons are a vicious attack on Horace Greeley, this city's namesake, during his unsuccessful Presidential campaign. The Arvilla Meeker Questers provided funding to scan the original cartoons and mount the scans on archival foam core so they can be safely exhibited.

Headwear and Hatpins

This exhibit features over 30 hats from the mid-1800s to 1930s with related accessories from the museums' collection. Some hats were made by the wearer; others came from one of the many milliners in Greeley. Also displayed are hatpins used by women to attach their hats onto high-piled hairdos, hatpin holders and even complete ensembles -- hat, gloves, parasol, gown and shoes.

Through September 2012
Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra: A Century of Musical Magic

On June 5, 1911, Greeley citizens gathered in the Presbyterian Church and formed the Greeley Philharmonic Society. J.C. Kendel, a Greeley-born and Greeley-educated choral conductor, was appointed the first director. The GPO performed its first concert on November 17 in the Sterling Theater. Several early concerts were benefits to raise money for a dam for a skating pond at Glenmere Park, for music purchases and even to purchase coal for homesteaders in the Nunn area. Learn about the history of one of the oldest orchestras west of the Mississippi in this exhibit.

 

TRAVELING EXHIBIT
Available from the Greeley Museums  

The Greeley Museums are the permanent curator and manager of "Awakening Stories of Ancient Bison Hunting," a traveling exhibit that promotes different ways of knowing ancient bison hunting practices on the Colorado High Plains. The exhibit focuses on the Kaplan-Hoover Bison Bonebed, a bison-hunting site located near Windsor, Colorado. Archaeological research by Dr Lawrence Todd (CSU) dates this hunting event to 2,700 years ago during the Late Archaic Period, and recognizes it as the single largest bison hunt known in the Americas for its time. The exhibit features a display of traditional cultural items made from bison materials, along with text banners.

"Awakening Stories" is sponsored by the Northern Colorado Chapter of the Colorado Archaeological Society, and was made possible through grant awards by Colorado Historical Society - State Historical Fund, Colorado Endowment for the Humanities, and Colorado Archaeological Society. Contact nancy.lynch@greeleygov.com for information on securing this traveling exhibit.

MEEKER HOME
Underwear to Outerwear 
The Meeker Home bedrooms feature several items of ladies' undergarments and dresses on mounts. Often what is covered by the dress is just as interesting as what the public sees.

CENTENNIAL VILLAGE
All the structures at Centennial Village are exhibits showcasing the architectural and cultural lifestyles of early settlers in this region. There are also more traditional exhibits inside buildings.

In the Hispanic Heritage House you'll find a scale model exhibit of the Spanish "colonia" of Greeley circa 1920s and a photo exhibit of the Greeley Grays baseball team through the years.

  

From Flame to Filament
This show features highlights from the Storck Family Lighting Collection. From a collection of over 600 pieces, we bring you the story of lighting from prehistoric times to the present. The exhibit is currently housed in the Union Pacific Depot.

Greeley Cattle Trails and Tales
Installed in the Monfort House at Centennial Village this exhibit traces the development of the modern cattle industry in this area from the era of cattle drives to the current feedlot system. It spotlights the innovations of such cattlemen/businessmen as Warren Monfort and W.D. Farr.

Interested in donating an artifact to the Greeley Museums?