“USA 🇺🇸 ~Colorado Montrose Museum of the Mountain West”

• July 20, 2022
• By Pen
• 0 Comment

We loved this stop! A real gem in Montrose! If there is anything related to pioneering, ghost towns and/or mining towns of old, we are all about it!

This collection of artifacts and memorabilia is just astounding! The owner has aged, and no longer can manage the guided tours, but self-touring is just fine with a flyer of info. Mr Fike, who we got to meet, had his first museum when he was 8 years old, in his parents living room, which quickly grew to a couple more rooms!
This gentleman is a true collector, eventually growing his passion to a million pieces! For this particular outdoor museum, he saved some original buildings from the demise of their local dumps and moved them to Colorado, where he created this wonderful “pioneer town” called Adobe Flats!
The mission of the Museum of the Mountain West (MMW) is to educate children and adults in the history and culture of the American West through the collecting, historic preservation, stewardship, restoration, and display of historical buildings and artifacts.
Richard E. Fike is the founder and Executive Director of Museum of the Mountain West. While growing up in Valparaiso, Grand Island, and Wood River, Nebraska, his ambition was to be an archaeologist. After working with the Smithsonian Institution and several other museums, he worked for 29 years with the U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management, leading the archaeology program in Utah and Colorado. Richard was appointed by the governors of Colorado and Utah to represent historic archaeology on the state and federal registers of historic places.
Richard’s knowledge and lifelong pursuit of having a museum was realized, beginning in 1998, when he built the Museum of the Mountain West that was designated as a non-profit museum in 2005.
The museum contains 28 historic buildings that have been donated by the community to be preserved and shared for the education of visitors from around the world, in the importance of preserving our history. The main museum contains over half-a million artifacts in 10 recreated stores and offices… a whole western town.
In my option, this dream did not come to be realized without a lot of blood, sweat and backbreaking tears!
Mighty impressive! 

Museum of the Mountain West ⬇️

There are 28 historical buildings on this 6-acre property, collected from various locations including Montrose, Delta, Ouray, Telluride, Ridgway, and various places Rich worked or explored in Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Wyoming, Alaska, and more!
Historic buildings include a general store with Post Office, Carriage Works, jail, Chinese laundry, gunsmith, hotel, saloon, schoolhouse, teacherage, two period houses, old cabins, and a beautifully restored German Luthern Church from 1913, which is used for weddings and as an event center.

⬆️⬇️ GENERAL STORE: Early 1900’s log barn dismantled, moved and reassembled at MMW in four days by three men

⬆️⬇️ DIEHL CARRIAGE WORKS: Build 1895; includes working forge, carriages, 1880 Continental Oil tanker wagon. World
heavy-weight boxing champion (1919-1926) Jack Dempsey learned to spar as a teenager on the second floor.

⬆️⬇️ STOTT HOTEL: Built onsite; features restored 18′ cherry wood bar from Clipper Saloon, Telluride, CO.

⬆️ UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD EXPRESS “MOVIE” CAR: Used in filming of “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”

⬆️⬇️ GUNSMITH SHOP: Outfitted with 1900’s gunsmithing tools, belt driven lathe, mounted caribou, WWII skis

⬆️⬇️ SHERIFF: Built onsite. Go to jail in the recreated sheriff’s office featuring jail cell from Ouray County Courthouse and early
newspaper equipment

⬆️⬇️ 1909 HOUSE: Example of early Sears/Montgomery Wards “blueprint/kit” house featuring displays from the mid-1920’s.

⬆️⬇️ LEE WUNG LAUNDRY: Display of historic laundry equipment from 1897 to the 1940’s

⬆️⬇️ JUTTEN SCHOOL: Built in 1889 and located south of Montrose off Hwy 550. Opened in 1890 with 26 students grades 1-8.

⬆️⬇️ TEACHERAGE BUILDING: Constructed with the Fairview School east of Montrose for teacher’s living quarters

⬆️⬇️ 1913 GERMAN EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH: Founded in Montrose; rent for weddings, events and meetings

⬆️⬇️ DEPOT: Built in 1882 as the first railroad depot in Montrose.

⬆️⬇️ PORTLAND CABIN: Example of 1930’s furnished cabin

⬆️⬇️ D&RG RR SECTION HOUSE: Built in 1882 to house railroad workers

Museum of the Mountain West
68169 E. Miami Rd.
Montrose CO 81401
Email: http://info@mw-museum

$12.50 pp

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