Telluride Historical Museum, Telluride, Colorado
by Carl Burnham

For a true appreciation of Telluride, a must see visit is to the Telluride Historical Museum. Located at the base of Tomboy Road, which leads up to area ghost towns (see our feature on our mountain tour), the building was first used as a miners' hospital and now has been restored as a Museum.

From viewing the exhibits one gains a new appreciation for the pioneer, and especially the miner, who made the area famous. The miners were a hard living lot, who put in long hours and almost unbearable conditions in the remotest of places at the time. Some did get very rich. There were more millionaires living in Telluride than New York City around 1904, and the population at times grew to 5,000.
The area mines were mostly up a narrow, steep, and winding road (Tomboy Road), 3,000 feet above town in places like Alta and Tomboy, now ghost towns. These are only accessible with a 4x4. Be sure to see the exhibit replica of the Tomboy Bride cabin, and read the book about her hardships in coming to Tomboy as a bride to live. The Tomboy Mine was once among the world's biggest producers of gold. There are now over 300 miles of old mining tunnels in the surrounding mountains.

As with most booms, hard times came to Telluride when the price of gold, silver, and other metals dropped over the years. The town was headed to become a ghost town itself, if not for a ski resort that opened in the 1970s, creating a mega attraction.

While visiting the museum, be sure to the basket where the term "basket case" first came to be used.

We would like to thank the Museum staff for their assistance.

Open Tuesday thru Saturday 12-5
$5 for adults, $3 for seniors, children under 5 are free.

Telluride Historical Museum
201 W. Gregory
Telluride, CO 81435