The Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum in Colorado Springs is housed in what was once the El Paso County Courthouse. Built in 1903, the museum commemorates the community's rich and diverse history through a variety of exhibits and activities that are conducted at the Museum.
Here, you can trace the development of Colorado Springs from its beginnings as a fashionable resort, journey into the railroad and mining eras and then its growth in the 20th Century. Inside the museum, an Otis birdcage elevator carries you to the restored original courtroom, which was a popular venue for the filming of many Perry Mason Films. The courtroom walls are adorned with gold and silver images of goddesses which are the symbols of the two key resources of the state's economy at that time. It also believed, however, that these goddesses may also stand as a silent protest to the change from the gold-and-silver monetary standard to a gold-only standard. You can also view a set of murals which depict the 400 year history of the Pikes Peak Region. You can even find rare items sourced from distant places like a leg-bone from the Roman catacombs, and a rum bottle which belonged to George Washington.
The exhibits are frequently updated and the Museum also conducts several exhibitions like quilt and woodworking exhibitions, historic photographs, pottery exhibitions and American Indian Culture. The Museum also conducts a variety of events such as lectures on the American Cowboy, antique auto-shows, jazz concerts and Hispanic celebrations.
You can even arrange to avail of the Museum Library's vast collection of reference material and archives by prior appointment. The exhibitions showcase extraordinary regional and national talent and are a great platform to bring fine art within the reach of the masses. The Museum, however, does not permit flash photography inside the building, to preserve the exhibits in their prime condition. You can visit the Colorado Springs Pioneer Museum from 10 am to 5 pm, Tuesdays through Saturdays and between 1 pm and 5 pm on Sundays.
For further information, you can call the Museum at 719-385-5990 or refer to their website http://www.cspm.org .
The Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum
215 South Tejon Street
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
