Blog
Out of This World?
Detective Work at the Museum: Researching the Past Using Historical Sources
Remember back to your high school days when you had to write that pesky research paper? Or maybe you’re still in high school and you have a history assignment due. It can be a long process combing through dozens of books to find useful information; and in today’s age...
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Drilling for Health – Greeley’s First Artesian Well
Drilling for Health – Greeley’s First Artesian Well The acquisition of safe drinking water for early Greeley was no simple task. Discussions began in early 1883 when G. Law wrote to the Greeley Tribune suggesting that a well providing potable water could be...
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Filmmaking and Cowpunching
As the nineteenth-century came to a close, a rush of nostalgia for the “Western Frontier” captivated America. Cowboy filmmaker Charles Camp is one example of this. The films he produced, the “first and only ones ever made of a real Wyoming round-up,” represent some of...
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Angels in Black: Victorian Women in Mourning
The death of loved ones has always been a difficult subject throughout history. During the Victorian period, however, it took on new significance. After Prince Albert died in England in 1861, Queen Victoria, his devastated wife, lived the rest of her life publicly...
read moreThe Beginnings of Bicycles in Greeley
During the 1870s the “high wheeled bicycle” was invented. It was also known as the “penny farthing” or the “ordinary”. While it had two-wheeled predecessors, the high wheel was the first all metal contraption to be dubbed a bicycle. Bicycles in the 1870s were rare in...
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Railroads: A Brief History of the Railroad in Northern Colorado
On September 15, 1869, the first railroad to enter this state to serve just Colorado Territory was the Denver Pacific. It covered the hundred miles between Cheyenne and Denver, routed through the railroad town of Evans. Track laying began in Cheyenne, crossing the...
read more50+ Years Ago, Greeley’s Teens Cruised a Bustling Downtown
What did teenagers do for fun in Greeley, CO, in 1959? Greeley’s downtown featured every type of retail business within a five-block radius of Lincoln Park, including three bakeries, five beauty shops, six men’s clothing stores, seven drug stores, eight grocery...
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Greeley’s Shattered History: Three Infamous Hail Storms
The June 19, 2018 hailstorm that damaged many homes, vehicles, trees, gardens and field crops was a reminder that hail, unfortunately, is a predictable part of Greeley’s and northeastern Colorado’s history. Greeley’s first hailstorm was in July 1871, but was eclipsed...
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Cool Off with this Brief Local History of Ice and Ice Cream
Did you know that ice cream was once considered a luxury? Or did you know that in early Greeley, it would have probably been enjoyed in the winter? Ice cream is such an iconic summertime treat, that it is hard to imagine someone would go to great effort and expense to...
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