Greeley History Museum

Exhibitions

Over three floors of permanent and changing exhibits engage visitors through a variety of hands-on experiences.

Utopia: Adaptation on the Plains

Located in the museum’s main gallery, this exhibit highlights various areas of visual and audio interest. Visitors can learn about the formation of the Union Colony and see images and artifacts from Weld County’s earliest settlers. Learn the history of some of Northern Colorado’s most famous residents like “Rattlesnake” Kate Slaughterback, and see her original rattlesnake skin dress, Nathan Cook Meeker, Greeley’s founder who died in the Meeker Massacre, and more. Youngsters can enjoy imaginitive play in our kid-friendly section of the gallery.

H2O Today: Our Global Water Story

Water is the most vital resource for life on Earth; no living thing exists without it. “H2O Today” examines the diversity and challenges of global water sources and promotes conversation, creativity and innovation through art, science and technology. Visitors to the museum can play water-related trivia, use an iPad to take a peek inside wastewater treatment, and play with a real treadle pump to see how the pump moves water over a water wheel. Local artifacts on display will include items related to the Greeley Ice and Storage Company, and a water clock used to measure water levels at the head gate for Union Colony Ditch No.3. Organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), the exhibition will be available locally from Saturday, Sept. 2 through Sunday, May 20, 2018.

Well Dressed in Weld

Over one-hundred years of Weld County Fashions are on display in the Greeley History Museum’s Upper Level Gallery. Fashion themes change throughout the year and in 2018 will include “Fun and Funky Florals” until Feb. 18, 2018, and “Spectrum”, an exhibit featuring a selection of colorful clothing items from the collection, on exhibit from Feb. 28-Aug. 5, 2018.  During “Spectrum,” visitors will be able to feel different materials and examine different weaving, sewing and spinning methods, and dress up in historical reproduction clothing. Exhibition on display through 2018.

One City, One Community

More than 9,000 refugees have made Colorado their home since 2012 and for many of them, Greeley is a secondary resettlement area. The “One City, One Community” exhibition at the Greeley History Museum, 714 8th St., raises awareness about refugees and immigrants in the Greeley community. A collaboration between the Immigrant and Refugee Center of Northern Colorado and the City of Greeley Museums, visitors will learn about the experiences of refugees and immigrants through first-hand narratives, images and more.  Located in the Greeley History Museum’s West Gallery, the exhibit runs through March 3, 2018.

Reporting from Greeley

The building that houses the Greeley History Museum was originally built in 1929 for the Greeley Tribune and the lower level exhibit is dedicated to the history of printing. It includes historic photos, stereotype mats, and turn-of-the-century printing equipment including an 1899 Chandler and Price treadle press.

Curator’s Corner

Curator’s Corner, located in the Greeley History Museum’s lower level, allows the public an opportunity to see items on display from the museum’s collection. The exhibit changes quarterly so it’s worth visiting the museum regularly to see the new material on display!

Policies

• Food and beverages not allowed in the galleries.
• Non-flash photography and video allowed except in special exhibitions.
• No tripods or selfie sticks.
• City ordinance does not permit smoking (tobacco or otherwise) in the museum or within 50 feet of any of the entrances.
• Please silence electronic devices.
• Appropriately marked service animals are allowed in the museum.
• Sketching for individuals with pencil on a 9”x12” or smaller hand-held pad is allowed during public hours in the main gallery. Sketching in special exhibition galleries is by permission only, subject to lender and gallery restrictions.