Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum

The municipal museum of Colorado Springs, located in the former El Paso County Courthouse (1903), portrays the history and culture of the Pikes Peak Region in exhibits emphasizing the unique character of this uncommon Front Range community. As the focal point of the City's lovely downtown, the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum draws thousands of people to the area annually. Centered in one of two primary downtown parks, this elegant and historic structure is surrounded by inviting green lawns, colorful flowers, outdoor sculptures, and a splendid granite fountain.

Guided by a mission to collect, preserve, research, and interpret the history and culture of the Pikes Peak Region, the Museum features permanent exhibits on the history of the area and changing exhibits on topics of broad interest. The Museum's active changing exhibition schedule has featured subjects as diverse as Western art, antique quilts, Plains and Pueblo Indian culture, and space exploration. Popular culture exhibits have included such topics as juke boxes, motorcycles, and baseball memorabilia. A major attraction are the murals, by local artist Eric Bransby, which depict the story of the Pikes Peak Region from early human occupancy to the building of the Air Force Academy.

The Museum has over 40,000 objects in its collection including nationally significant collections of quilts, Van Briggle art pottery, plus the finest regional art collection in the state of Colorado. The Native American collection includes hundreds of items representative of the Ute, Cheyenne, and Arapaho cultures. A portion of author Helen Hunt Jackson's house is reconstructed in the Museum, furnished with her original possessions. Other collections relate to the founding of the City, the area's mining and agricultural history, its early prominence as a health resort, and its more recent significance as a center for military training and operations.