Fort Garland Museum

Fort Garland Museum


It's more interesting than you think!!



29477 Highway 159
PO Box 368
Fort Garland, CO 81133 

Contact:
719-379-3512 
Email Us

Hours/Admission:
Monday - Saturday 9am - 5pm

Adults $5.00; Seniors (65+) $4.50 
Youth 6-16 $3.50; Under 6 Free
Free to History Colorado Members!

Website: 
History Colorado - Fort Garland

We are a Blue Star Museum


Established in 1858 in southern Colorado, Fort Garland, with its garrison of over 100 men, served to protect the earliest settlers in the San Luis Valley. Today you are invited to walk the parade ground of the fort and tour the adobe buildings, which feature a re-creation of the commandant's quarters during Kit Carson's time. Rich in military history, Fort Garland also highlights the folk art and culture of the Hispanic community in southern Colorado. Fort Garland was built after Fort Massachusetts proved vulnerable.  The Capote band of Utes occupied the southern end of the valley at the time of the first contact. 

Read the 
Story of Fort Garland.

Fort Garland also manages 
Pike's Stockade


Scenic Byway itinerary:

Short Walks, Long Views - a 3-Day Itinerary on 3 Scenic Byways

Family life at Fort Garland


VIDEOS and PODCASTS: While staying safe at home enjoy these History of Colorado podcast and videos from their Borderlands of Southern Colorado History videos:

Podcasts:
https://www.historycolorado.org/lost-highways
https://soundcloud.com/coauthored

Video: Maria Sanchez Tucker's talk on the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic in Southern Colorado (video pending):
Additional resources:
- A 
letter referenced during the video on Pueblos in New Mexico
- the 
article on vaccines during the 1918 pandemic.
- Maria may be reached at 
mariasancheztucker@gmail.com.


Video: Cinco de Mayo - An American Tradition 

Presented by: Dr. David Hayes-Bautista

In this new, participatory format you will hear from Dr. David Hayes-Bautista, professor of Public Health and Medicine, and director of the Center for Latino Health & Culture at the School of Medicine at UCLA.

Dr. Hayes-Bautista will discuss Cinco de Mayo --- a holiday commemorating the Mexican victory over the French at Puebla in 1862. He will explain why the holiday is not Mexican at all, but rather an American one, created by Latinos in California during the mid-nineteenth century. Hayes-Bautista will examine how the meaning of Cinco de Mayo has shifted over time and how it continues to reflect the aspirations of a community that is engaged, empowered, and expanding.

Video: The Treaty of Guadalupe.

Presentation by Dr. Karen Roybal

Above link will take you to the recoding of the Zoom meeting held in April as History Colorado as they moved their history talks online during COVID-19 lockdown. In this new, participatory format you will hear from Dr. Karen Roybal, professor of Southwest Studies at Colorado College, for a short lecture and discussion on the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.

In 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed, ending the Mexican-American War and transferring of massive amounts of territory from Mexico to the United States, including the portion of Colorado south of the Arkansas River. Dr. Roybal discussed events that led to the treaty, key details of the negotiations and specific articles, and the impact of the treaty today.

Video: Anza in the Borderlands - Conflict and Coalition in Southern Colorado

Presentation by Dr. Nick Sanez

The above link will take you to the recording of the Zoom meeting held in April as they moved their great history talks online. In this new, participatory format you will hear from Nick Saenz of Adams State University.

Traditional historical accounts of the 1779 Spanish, Ute, and Apache campaign against the Comanches situate the leadership of Juan Bautista de Anza at their core. "Anza in the Borderlands" revisits this narrative to uncover a hidden history of conflict and coalition.

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