By Colorado Department of Transportation

"Three scenic byways in Southern Colorado have joined forces to feature a road trip that offers an infusion of fall colors, wide open spaces and some very quirky stops along the way. 

In this region of Colorado, the traffic is light, homemade pies are plentiful and local establishments are mostly one of a kind. The spectacular geological backdrop is shaped by the Spanish Peaks, the Sangre de Cristo and San Juan Mountain ranges.... read more



___________________
This project was a collaborative effort by the Highway of Legends Scenic and Historic Byway, Los Caminos Scenic and Historic Byway, the Silver Thread Scenic and Historic Byway, the Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area, and the San Luis Valley Museum Association.

#silverthreadscenicbyway #loscaminosantiguos #scenichighwayoflegends #scenicbyways #southerncolorado #sanluisvalley #spanishpeaks #creede #lakecitycolorardo #CDOT

​"The enormous Slumgullion landslide in southwestern Colorado has been moving — sometimes imperceptibly slowly — every day for some 300 years."

According to the Hinsdale County Museum - The Slumgullion Earthflow is probably the most studied feature of its kind in the world. In the summer, the museum offers a field trip entitled "Volcanoes of Lake City."

"In southwestern Colorado, a centuries-old “laboratory” looks out on the snowy peaks of the Lake City Caldera in a remote section of the San Juan Mountains. The lab’s scientists don’t wear white coats, but Gore-Tex and hiking boots, and they don’t work inside a building but on a 6.8-kilometer-long mishmash of red, brown and yellow earth topped with boulders, ponds and tilted spruce. Early settlers to the region called the mass Slumgullion, after an “everything-but-the-kitchen-sink” stew, with “slum” being an old word for “slime” and “gullion” an English term for “cesspool.”

Read more of this Earth Science article here...


#volcanoes #lakecity #silverthreadscenicbyway #hinsdalecountymuseum #slumgullion #earthflow

​Museum of Friends (MoF) is pleased to announce that two new exhibits will open to the public on a Live Stream Facebook Event on Friday September 11th at 5 pm RMST.  The exhibit on the 1st floor in the Changing Exhibition Gallery isCOVID-19 Crisis or Opportunity
Artists Response Group Exhibition runs through November 30th. 
 
The opportunity is that the theme is creativity in the time of COVID-19. One that resonates with artists around the world. The works in the show do not necessarily represent images of the virus or its negative consequences, but the overflowing of creativity in this time of change. The theme attracted visual artists, sculptors, photographers and film-makers from many parts of the world: Sophia, Bulgaria; Edinburg, Texas;  Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; San Francisco and Oakland, California; New York, Philadelphia; Denver, Aquilar, Walsenburg, Trinidad and La Veta, Colorado; and many other locals. 

The crisis is being shut in – isolated – separate from the camaraderie that we know of as the art community.  The opportunity is the time it allotted us to think – to begin to see new ways of being.  How we cope while staying safe and practicing healthy habits so that the virus will not overcome us is also a theme, we heard from many of our artists friends.  There are so many emotions being expressed in this exhibit: fear, anxiety, hope, clarity.  Some of the artists stuck with what they know – having more time – they even perfected their work further. The youngest artist in the show is Brandy Gilbert.  Her works were inspired by found wood and the repetition of patterns. The other artists in the exhibit are: Linn Baker, Tim Baker, Brendt Berger, Ann Bradford, Maria Cocchiarelli, Ben Eagle, Ray Espinoza, P.D. Garrett, Archil Gheghechkori, Brandy Gilbert, Elizabeth Hansen, Kathy Hill, Jim Long, Chris MacMichael, Emily Nieswiadomy, Charles Parson, Collin Parson, Devon Parson, John Raggio, Brian Rosino, Lika Shubitidze, Gregory Tait, Miryana Todorova, Annamarie Trombetta, Paul Valadez, Gary Weston, Jan Wurm.
 
On the 2nd floor opening is Votes for Women: a Portrait of Persistence poster exhibition (livestream on Facebook 5:45 pm RMST.)  This exhibit is organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service in collaboration with the National Portrait Gallery. This project received support from the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative.  The crusade for women's suffrage is one of the longest reform movements in American history. Between 1832 and 1920, women citizens organized for the right to vote, agitating first in their states or territories and then, simultaneously, through petitioning for a federal amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Based on the National Portrait Gallery exhibition of the same name, Votes for Women seeks to expand visitors’ understanding of the suffrage movement in the United States. The poster exhibition addresses women's political activism, explores the racism that challenged universal suffrage, and documents the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment which prohibits the government from denying U.S. citizens the right to vote on the basis of sex. It also touches upon the suffrage movement's relevance to current conversations on voting and voting rights across America.

Museums of Friends
info@museumoffriends.org
600 Main Street
Walsenburg, CO. 81089
www.museumoffriends.org

Check our latest collaboration effort on a -- 3 Day, 3 Scenic Byways Itinerary -- that will take you through Trinidad, Stonewall, La Veta, Fort Garland, the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Alamosa, and South Fork.  And what is a driving tour without great food!  Enjoy an abundance of locally owned and operated restaurants along your trip!

​
Scenic Byway itinerary:
Short Walks, Long Views - a 3-Day Itinerary on 3 Scenic Byways

Highlighting the Highway of Legends Scenic and Historic Byway, Los Caminos Scenic and Historic Byway, the Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area, and the Silver Thread Scenic and Historic Byway all along the MuseumTrail.org!

Keep checking back, more itineraries to come!!




​

The following is the listing as of 06/27/20 for those museums that will be opening or remaining closed.  Please note it is very important, and for some required, that you contact the museum via email or phone before your visit to ensure their accessibility and potential requirements.
​

Conejos County Museum (Antonito) - closed for 2020

Creede Historical Society (Creede) - closed for 2020

Creede Underground Mining Museum (Creede) - open 7 days of the week, 10am-3pm

Crestone Historical Museum (Crestone) - by appointment only

Fort Garland Museum (Fort Garland) - open - Mon-Sat, 9am-5pm.  The library and fiber studio are open by appointment only

Francisco Fort Museum (La Veta) - closed for 2020

Friends of No. 169 (Alamosa) - decision pending

Hinsdale County Museum (Lake City) - open - Sun-Thurs - 1pm - 4pm, Fri and Sat 10am-5pm 

Homelake Veterans' Museum (Homelake) - closed for the season

Huerfano Heritage Center (Walsenburg) - closed for 2020

Jack Dempsey Museum (Manassa) - 10am-5pm, Mon, Tue, Thurs, and Fri. Closed during lunch 1-1:30pm

Luther Bean Museum @ ASU (Alamosa) - closed for the summer season

Monte Vista Historical Society/Transportation of the West Museum - closed for 2020

Museum of Friends (Walsenburg) - decision pending

Ryan Geology Museum @ ASU (Alamosa) - closed for the summer season

Saguache County Museum/Hazard House (Saguache) - closed for 2020

Sanford Museum (Sanford) - open by appointment only

Sangre de Cristo Heritage Center (San Luis) - closed for 2020

San Luis Valley-Alamosa Museum (Alamosa) - reopening August 20th


We hope that everyone has a wonderful and safe Summer Season!  Stay well!!