Exhibitions

Utopia: Adaptation on the Plains

Visitors can explore the history of Greeley, including the formation of the Union Colony, the area’s agricultural heritage, water usage, and growth over time. Learn the stories of some of Northern Colorado’s most famous residents like “Rattlesnake” Kate Slaughterback, Nathan Cook Meeker and more! Exhibit ongoing.

¡Pleibol! In the Barrios and the Big Leagues / En los barrios y las grandes ligas

Throughout the 20th century in the United States and Latin America, baseball provided a path for a better future. Workers in agriculture and industry in the United States used baseball to make ends meet and as a socially acceptable space to find community and organize for rights and justice. Experience the excitement of the game, from community baseball teams like the Greeley Grays to the Major League, as you explore how the game can bring people together regardless of race, class, and gender. This exhibition is features bilingual text in English and Spanish.

“¡Pleibol! In the Barrios and the Big Leagues / En los barrios y las grandes ligas” was organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service in collaboration with the National Museum of American History. The exhibition received generous support from the Cordoba Corporation and Linda Alvarado, and federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center. Exhibit open March 16, 2024 through October 5, 2024.

Seven Symphonic Portraits: A Weld County Reflection

Composer Dylan Fixmer spent many long hours discovering the rich stories that make up Greeley and Weld County’s past and present. He traveled city streets, learned the landscape, met colorful characters, and researched the interviews held in the archives of the Greeley Museums. As he explored, music began to form in his mind. The resulting music he composed paints portraits of the people who have called Greeley and Weld County home. Broken into seven movements, the piece explores the hopes, dreams, struggles, and shortcomings that bind us all together in our search for utopia.

Fixmer also worked with the Greeley Museums staff to create a companion exhibit, which explores each of the seven themes through images and objects held in the Museums’ collections. Located in the Garden Level Lobby of the Greeley History Museum, visitors can discover the music and stories that make up this journey through our shared history. Exhibit open November 16, 2023 through July 2025.

Viewfinder: Through the Lens of Time

At their most basic, the machines we call cameras all do the same thing. They capture light. In 1839, Louis-Jacques Mande Daguerre figured out how to transfer that light onto copper, allowing us to record and preserve images for the future. These amazing mechanisms go back nearly 200 years – and have continued to evolve ever since. Journey behind the lens and discover how cameras developed into the digital tools of today. Exhibit open February 23, 2023 through August 24, 2024.

Reporting from Greeley

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

Policies

• Food and beverages are not allowed in the galleries.
• No backpacks allowed in the galleries.
• Photography: Non-flash photography welcome except in special exhibitions. No tripods or selfie sticks allowed. Commercial photography allowed with prior permission from Museum Manager.
• City ordinance does not permit smoking, including electronic cigarettes and other vaping devices, in the museum or within 25 feet of any of the building entrances.
• No pets allowed. Service animals are welcome.
• Please silence electronic devices while in the museum.

The Greeley History Museum is part of Museums for All, offering reduced admission for individuals and families receiving food assistance. Present your Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card and a valid ID at visitor services. Reduced admission is $3 per person for up to four individuals per EBT card. Welcome!