Once Upon a Town: The Building of Routt County’s Communities
On Display June 20, 2018 - May 2019
Discover the people and events that shaped Routt County's once wild western frontier outposts into today's beloved Rocky Mountain destinations. The county's main towns, Steamboat Springs, Hayden, Yampa, and Oak Creek, emerged as trading centers for goods and services in support of burgeoning ranching, farming and mining activities. But in this vast rural region, many more small communities rose up around scattered post offices, stage stops and schoolhouses that connected isolated homesteads and ranches to the outside world. Here, "community" also meant coming together as neighbors and friends inside one-room schools and churches that served as gathering points for every occasion. Paralleling the rivers and streams that flows through, Routt County has become a confluence of traditions, ideas,culture, spirit, and perseverance. In the Tread of Pioneers Museum's newest feature exhibit, we explore what connects Routt County's communities, what sets them apart, and how each developed into what they are today.
The Covid-19 virus is a serious risk. Those visiting the Tread of Pioneers Museum voluntarily assume that risk and expressly waive any and all claims against the Tread of Pioneers Museum in any way related to any illnesses possibly contracted at this venue or any of our events.
Tribal Lands Acknowledgement
The Board and Staff of the Tread of Pioneers Museum respectfully acknowledge the Ute people, the original inhabitants of Northwest Colorado, and other Indigenous Nations of this area where we now reside. We recognize that the establishment of this region impacted the lifeways of Native peoples and their communities. In accepting this, we are called to utilize this educational institution to teach stewardship of the land and continuing commitment to the inclusion and respect of these Nations and their traditional values for their homelands.