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Museums and GalleriesAmache Museum
Housed in the old Granada Town Hall, the Amache Museum displays artifacts from Camp Amache, a World War II Japanese internment camp that imprisoned nearly 7,500 Americans of Japanese descent between 27 August 1942 and 15 October 1945. The 160-acre camp, also known as the Granada War Relocation Center, included a 10,000 acre farm for raising livestock and produce. Since 1990, the Amache Preservation Society, a Granada high school group, has worked on the preservation of the site and its documents and set up the museum as a school project. Former internees share their experiences through videotaped interviews included in the collection.
105 E Goff (US Hwy 50) Granada, CO 81041 (719) 734-5492 Amache Museum Hours of Operation By appointment only. Contact the Amache Preservation Society at Granada High School to arrange at (719) 734-5492. Directions The Amache Museum is housed in Granada’s old town hall, which is located just east of the intersection of North Main Street (Hwy 385) and East Goff Street (US Hwy. 50) at the corner of Irvin and Goff (Hwy 50). 105 East Goff (US Hwy 50) Granada, CO 81041 Visitor Services Parking Restrooms Gift Shop ADA Compliant Entrance Fees FREE. Arkansas Valley Fairgrounds Art House
For more than a century, the Arkansas Valley Fair has been an Otero County tradition. The popularity of Watermelon Day started by Colorado Senator George Swink in 1878 gave rise to one of the longest-running festivals in Colorado. Built in 1901, the Art Building is the fairground’s oldest building. Join the decades of attendees who have enjoyed its unique presentation of local arts and crafts within its octagonal shape. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the structure is a well-preserved example of the “Octagon Mode,” which enjoyed some popularity in home and barn design in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.round houseArkansas Valley Fairgrounds Enter at North Main Street or Ninth Street Rocky Ford, CO 81067 (719) 254-7414 www.arkvalleyfair.com Hours of Operation Fair and Art Building displays are held in mid-August. Check website for latest information on Arkansas Valley Fair dates and times. Directions Traveling on US Hwy 50, turn north on 9th Street in Rocky Ford. Continue about 4-5 blocks to the end of 9th Street, where the fairgrounds is located. Another entrance is located at the north end of Main Street, also 4-5 blocks from US Hwy 50. The Art Building (Roundhouse) is located within walking distance from the entrance/s, to the west, behind the large brick expo building. Visitor Services Parking ADA Compliant Designations National Register Individual Listing State Register of Historic Places Travel Tips The Arkansas Valley Fair offers nearly a week of family oriented events including: horse shows, rodeo, barrel-racing, a carnival, arts & crafts exhibits, bike races, horse races, demolition derby, and watermelon themed contests. You won’t want to miss the open watermelon pile! Entrance Fees No admission fee. See website for list of ticketed event prices. Artists of the PlainsLocal Co-op art gallery displaying area talent in painting, drawing, woodwork, jewelry, woodturning and more. Majority of work depicts the area culture and history. 703 Wanstead Eads, CO 81036 (719) 688-5583 Hours of Operation Open year round. Thursday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Can also be shown by appointment upon request. Directions Take Highway 287 to Eads which turns into Wanstead Street in town. The gallery is on the north end of town at 7th Street. Visitor Services Parking Picnic Area Gift Shop Visitor Information Pet Area ADA Compliant Travel Tips Check road conditions befire traveling in winter. Baca County Library & Museum
A portion of the library and museum building is dedicated to exhibits of historical and Native American artifacts, local photographs, and objects of curiosity. Information on Baca County, local genealogical records, and early newspapers are readily available. Curiosities include a two-headed calf, a dwarf calf, and mammoth bones.1260 Main Street Springfield, CO 81073 (719) 523-6962 www.springfieldcolorado.com/museum Hours of Operation Open Monday through Friday 10am to 4:30pm. Closed for lunch from 11:30am – 12:30. Directions The library/museum is located in the Baca County Resource Center, directly on US Hwy 287 (Main Street) in Springfield just north of 13th Street. Visitor Services Parking Restrooms Entrance Fees No admission fee. Donations accepted Bent's Old FortExplore the history of Rocky Ford and life in the Arkansas Valley at the Rocky Ford Historical Museum. Housed in a Carnegie Public Library built in 1908, the collection includes objects documenting the Arkansas Valley Fair, Watermelon Day, the sugar industry and the everyday life of the people of the Arkansas Valley. Exhibits also focus on the geology, anthropology, and archaeology of the region. Highlights include an early Watermelon Day porcelain set from the Swink family, animals molded from beeswax, woolly mammoth skull, early fire truck and firefighting equipment, and memorabilia from prominent local families.  35110 Highway 194 East La Junta, CO 81050 (719) 383-5010 Read More Open 9 am to 4 pm from September through May. Open 8 am to 5:30 pm from June through August. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day. Directions Located on Colorado Highway 194, 8 miles east of La Junta or 15 miles west of Las Animas, Colorado. From La Junta (US Highway 50), take Highway 109 north for 1 mile to Highway 194. Travel east six miles to the fort. From Las Animas (US Highway 50), travel west on Highway 194 for thirteen miles. Visitor Services Parking Picnic Area Gift Shop Visitor Information ADA Compliant 
DesignationsNational Historic Landmark National Register Individual Listing Travel Tips Fort is accessed via a 1/4 mile paved path from the visitor parking lot. Shuttle service is available for those unable to make the walk. First level of the fort is accessible. Second level is not. Guided tours are offered each day or a self-guiding booklet is available any time. Twenty minute orientation film is shown at the fort. Spanish language brochure is available. Entrance Fees 13 years and older: $3.00 6 – 12 years: $2.00 5 years and under: Free Interagency Annual, Senior and Access passholders are admitted free. Big Timbers Museum
Be sure to include the Big Timbers Museum while following the Santa Fe Trail to take in the household items that traveled by covered wagon along the trail to Lamar. The building originally erected by the American Telephone and Telegraph Company housed repeater equipment for the company’s Denver-Kansas City long distance lines from 1929 to 1966. Now a notable World War I poster collection is on exhibit, as well as, Trench Art that would enhance your experience after visiting other historic sites in the region that reflect our nation’s military heritage.
7515 W. US Hwy 50 Lamar, CO 81052 (719) 336-2472 Big Timbers Museum Hours of Operation SUMMER HOURS Monday thru Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m WINTER HOURS Monday thru Saturday 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Directions Big Timbers Museum is located on U.S. Hwy 50/287 between mileposts 433 and 434, 1 mile north of Lamar, Colorado, in Prowers County. The museum sits at the point where U.S. Hwy 50/287 intersects with Colorado Hwy. 196. Visitor Services Parking Restrooms Gift Shop Visitor Information Pet Area Entrance Fees $3.00 single $5.00 family $2.00 group rate per person (groups over 10) Students of all ages are FREE Prowers County Historical Society Members are FREE. Camp Amache National Historical Landmark
Pick up a map and brochure at Granada City Hall before starting your self-guided driving tour of Camp Amache, a WWII internment camp that imprisoned 7,500 Americans of Japanese descent. Drive through one square mile of concrete foundations where signs identify the locations of dirt-floored barracks and other communal buildings that served as mess hall, hospital, schools, theater and fire department. Walk through the cemetery in the far corner and contemplate the tragedy that President Reagan called a grave injustice and "a failure of political leadership."
Hwy 50 Granada, CO 81041 (719) 734-5492 www.amache.org Hours of Operation The Camp is always open. Granada City Hall is open weekdays from 7:30am – noon and 1pm – 4:30pm. The Amache Museum, which is dedicated to the interpretation of the camp and houses many artifacts, photographs, and related documents, is open by appointment through City Hall. Directions From Lamar travel east on Hwy 50 towards Granada. Follow the directional signs along Hwy 50 and turn south on County Road 23.5. The road dead ends into the camp. From Granada travel west on Hwy 50 approximately one mile to County Road 23.5 turn south, the camp is one half mile south. The cemetery is located at the far southwest corner of the site. Granada City Hall where visitors can pick up a map and brochure is located at 105 S. Main Street. Exit Hwy 385 (Main Street) heading south from Hwy 50 to reach city hall. Designations National Historic Landmark National Register Individual Listing Travel Tips Granada City Hall phone number is 719-734-5411. Visit the Amache Museum located in the former city hall in downtown Granada, at the SW corner of East Goff(US Hwy 50) and Irvin. (Please call the City in advance to make an appointment.) Entrance Fees Free Crowley Heritage Center
Built in 1914 as a country school, the building has been painstakingly restored and serves as both Crowley County’s museum of agricultural, social, and economic history and a community meeting place. This museum brings to light the agricultural involvement of early Japanese settlers who arrived between 1915-1920 through photographs and family histories. Notable among the artifacts on exhibit within the museum is an excellent collection of photographs from Camp Amache, a World War II Japanese internment camp located in Prowers County, which reflects the strong influence of Japanese culture in the region. Other natural, ethnic, social and economic collections reflect the evolution of Crowley County’s heritage.300 Main Street Crowley, CO 81033 (719) 267-3384 http://www.crowleyheritagecenter.com Hours of Operation Open Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 am and afternoons from 2-4 p.m. Also open by appointment on weekends by calling 719-267-3495 Directions Turn north off US Hwy 50 in Manzanola onto CO Hwy 207 and drive 7 miles north to the town of Crowley. After crossing the railroad tracks, take the second right and go five blocks. Visitor Services Parking Restrooms Visitor Information ADA Accessibility Designations National Register Individual Listing State Register of Historic Places Travel Tips This is a gateway to the heritage trails of the Southeast. For a travel break you may wish to stop at the park, fountain, or playground, which are visible on the way into town. The Crowley Deli is just south of Hwy 96 at the turn north into Crowley. Entrance Fees No admission fee. Donations accepted. Fowler Historical Museum
Rich in heritage, Fowler is preserved and interpreted by the Fowler Historical Society and Museum. A must see among the prehistoric fossils, artifacts, historic photographs, genealogy, archives and other memorabilia showcasing the history of Fowler, is a 1870 Winchester Rifle in a 4 ft. Cottonwood stump.114 Main Street P.O. Box 381 Fowler CO 81039 (719) 263-4046 http://Fowler Museum Hours of Operation Open Wednesday, Friday, Saturday 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Thursdays 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. throughout the year. Directions Travel 30 miles (30 minutes) from Pueblo east on State Highway 50. Exit Main Street (Hwy 167) and travel north one block. Visitor Services Parking Restrooms Visitor Information ADA Accessibility Entrance Fees No admission fee. Donations accepted. Glendale School House
Step back into early schooldays on the prairie inside the Glendale Schoolhouse. This restored 1929 woodframe schoolhouse has been carefully preserved with many of the original furnishings intact. Moved in 1976 some 25 miles from its original location to the fairgrounds, the schoolhouse continues to host quilts and other heritage displays during the fair in summer. The original coal burning stove, hardwood floors, glass lanterns, piano, water crock, teacher desk/stage area and later student desks are still in place. An original map of schools in Baca County and other historical documents are also on display.
Baca County Fairgrounds 28500 County Road 24.6 Springfield, CO 81073 (719) 523-6971 Hours of Operation By appointment only (April-October) or during county fair in late July/early August. Directions Fairgrounds are located on the extreme western side of Springfield, north of the railroad tracks. From US Hwy 287 turn west on West 9th Ave. and drive about 6 blocks to the end of the street near the fairgrounds south entrance (on Road 24.6). The schoolhouse is located just inside the gate north of the driveway. The gate may be locked. Visitor Services Parking Restrooms Travel Tips Several steakhouses and other restaurants are located in downtown Springfield. Entrance Fees Free. Donations towards preservation appreciated. John W. Rawlings Heritage Center & Museum
Las Animas was one of the first towns in this area, and is on the Santa Fe Trail. In 1873, the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad built it’s tracks to an area known as West Las Animas and the settlement of the area began. Due to it’s close proximity to Fort Lyon and Boggsville, Las Animas was the hub of Bent County. Famous visitors to the area include the frontier scout Kit Carson and gunfighter Clay Allison, who killed a deputy sheriff of Las Animas in 1877.Housed in a building which was built in 1898, the John W. Rawlings Heritage Center & Museum shouldn’t be missed by history buffs visiting Las Animas. Exhibits of early 1900’s storefronts including a post office, barber shop, jewelry store, candy shop and the Bent County Bank. Additional exhibits feature information about John W. and Dorothy Hoag Rawlings, Kit Carson, Ambassador Llewellyn Thompson, actor Ken Curtis (Festus from Gunsmoke), Native Americans, area farming and ranching, local railroad history and much more. The 2nd floor contains the Grand Hall, kitchenette and heritage library. Take a break in Bell Park behind the museum and shop at the Old Trail Gallery & store in the museum. 6th & Bent Avenue (Highway 50) Las Animas (719) 456-6066 bentcountyheritage.org 
Hours of OperationNoon to 4:00pm, Tuesday through Saturday, year round. Directions Visitor Services Parking Entrance Fees Admission $3.00 adults, $2.00 children, 6 & under free. Kiowa County Historical Museum
Kiowa County Museum offers opportunity to muse over the prehistory and settlement of early Kiowa County and the High Plains. The area’s past from Indians, Ranches, Homesteaders, Farmers, Businesses; how people lived, worked, played and interacted with depression, tragedy, poverty and failure as well as success and happiness is displayed. Memoirs of world events such as wars, railroads and inventions are seen from a local view.
1313 Maine Street Eads, CO 81036 (719) 438-5847 Hours of Operation Summer hours(Memorial Day through September): 1:00 p.m. until 4:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Special appointments can be made after regular hours or during winter months. Directions Travel U.S. 287 or Colorado 96 to Eads. Turn north onto Main Street, over the railroad crossing. The museum in on the right side between 13th and 14th Streets. Visitor Services Parking Restrooms Picnic Area Travel Tips Check road conditions during winter months prior to traveling. Entrance Fees No admittance fee. Kit Carson Museum
Constructed of adobe in 1940 and originally used to house German prisoners of war captured in South Africa, the Kit Carson Museum focuses on the history of Bent County from the time of Kit Carson through World War II. Additional buildings on view include an 1860 stage station, the original Bent County Jail, the first Las Animas city jail, a blacksmith shop, a carriage house and a one-room county school house–the Kreybill School. The Kit Carson Museum presents a collection of artifacts representing the development of Bent County from the days of Kit Carson through WWII.
9th & Bent Ave Las Animas, CO 81054 (719) 456-6066 More Info Hours of Operation Memorial Day to Labor Day from 1pm to 5pm, seven days a week. Year round by appointment. Call 719-456-0506. Directions Take Highway 50 from either direction into Las Animas. Turn south on Highway 101 (by the Bent County Courthouse). Go one block across the railroad tracks, then turn left on the next street, which is 9th Street. It is one block down on the right side. Travel Tips Plan on stopping at the Old Trail Art Gallery in Las Animas (at the only stoplight, opposite from Dairy Queen), the Kit Carson Chapel at Fort Lyon (5 miles east of Las Animas), Boggsville south of Las Animas, and Bent’s Old Fort, west of Las Animas. Entrance Fees 13 and older: $2.00 12 and under: Free Koshare Indian Museum
Modeled after the Great Kiva at Aztec, New Mexico, the Koshare Indian Museum is one of Colorado’s great repositories of Southwest art and Native American artifacts. Antiquities, pottery and textiles represent the great prehistoric cultures of the Southwest from Cheyenne and Comanche to Ancient Pueblo and Hohokam to modern Pueblo and Navajo. Art works by the Taos Society of artists, Frederick Remington and Honduran sculptor and painter Ernesto Zepeda are also featured. The museum is home to the popular Koshare Dancers, and besides the galleries and displays, features a unique gift shop with limited edition prints and Pueblo pottery115 W. 18th Street La Junta, CO 81050 (719) 384-4411 http:///www.koshare.org Hours of Operation Summer Hours (June thru August): Open 7 days a week from 10 AM to 5 PM. During show dates (Koshare Indian Dancer performances), open until 9 PM. Fall Hours (September thru November): Open Noon to 5:00 PM five days a week. Closed Tuesday and Thursday. December: Open 7 days a week, Noon to 5:00 PM Winter (January – May): Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from Noon to 5 PM. Directions From Denver & Colorado Springs: Take I-25 SOUTH until you get to Pueblo. About three miles into Pueblo, take the Hwy 50 EAST exit (Exit 100A). Follow Hwy 50 East for 60 miles until you get to La Junta. You will travel through the towns of Fowler, Manzanola, Rocky Ford, and Swink. Once you get to La Junta, turn right at Colorado Ave (third stoplight). Follow Colorado up to 18th Street. Take a right on 18th street, the Koshare Kiva is located on the campus of Otero Junior College (OJC). Coming East from Kansas: Take Hwy 50 West. In Lamar, CO, you will need to turn right in order to stay on Hwy 50 West. Stay on Hwy 50 West until you get to La Junta (about 60 miles from Lamar). In La Junta, Turn Left at Colorado Ave. (First traffic light). Follow Colorado up to 18th street. Take a right on 18th street, the Koshare Kiva is located on the campus of Otero Junior College (OJC). Visitor Services Parking Restrooms Visitor Information Gift Shop ADA Accessibility Designations State Register of Historic Places Entrance Fees Museum Admission: $5 for Adults and $3 for students and senior citizens Show Prices: $10 for Adults and $5 for students (3 years and up) NO DISCOUNTS for Seniors Lamar Depot & Colorado Welcome Center
Today this restored 1907 depot, which originally served the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, houses the Colorado Welcome Center and the Lamar Chamber of Commerce. The depot still serves as an Amtrak passenger station. Stop in to find out about the great natural and cultural attractions of the region. Also on site is the Engine 1819, which hauled freight and passengers nearly a million miles before retiring in 1953. Stretch your legs and enjoy a shaded walk through Lamar’s adjacent “Enchanted Forest”–a half block of coniferous trees and community plantings line a pathway for all to enjoy.109 East Beech Street Lamar, CO 81052 (719) 336-3483 Lamar Chamber 
Hours of Operation8 am-6 pm (summer); 8 am to 5 pm (winter) Directions The Lamar Depot/Colorado Welcome Center is located in downtown Lamar just east of Main (US Hwy 50/287) on East Beech Street. Visitor Services Parking Restrooms Visitor Information Picnic Area ADA Accessibility Travel Tips Pick up information here on great things to do and see in the southeast and other regions of Colorado, from heritage sites to birding and other activities. Entrance Fees Free |