History Colorado Collection

Explore Colorado’s past through the archives, artifacts, and photographs of the History Colorado Collection.

The Stephen H. Hart Research Center provides access to the History Colorado Collection as well as research and reproduction services. The Research Center is open via appointment Wednesday through Saturday from 10am-3pm. Please visit the Research Center page for more information. Research Center staff are happy to help with virtual assistance at cosearch@state.co.us or by telephone 303-866-2305.

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History Colorado preserves artifacts from many important historical sites throughout Colorado. The historical archaeology collection contains a variety of artifact types that provide insight into life during the early settlement period in Colorado, with historic sites ranging from military forts to stage stations and historic houses. Each of these sites served very different purposes during their time of operation, thus the artifacts collected from them are wide-ranging and include materials like horseshoes, adobe bricks, burned bone, metal tools, and dishware, as well as personal items such as clay pipes, clothing, shoe fragments, jewelry, and children’s toys. Taken together, these artifacts tell us about the different ways of life that defined early Colorado settlement, describing trade and commerce systems, historic construction methods, what types of meals people ate, and how the use of certain structures changed over time.

Sites in this collection include: Fort Massachusetts, Fort Saint Vrain, Fort Garland, Bent’s Old Fort, Fort Vasquez, Byers-Evans House, Four Mile House, Twelve Mile House, Tremont House, Teller City, Trinidad Pioneer Museum, Ouray Survey, and others.

Found 517 record(s)

Object Name.Term	Titlesort by Title ascending	Object IDsort by Object ID ascending
stone	Andrews Homestead Historical Archaeological Materials	79.188.1
Sherd	Andrews Homestead Historical Archaeological Materials	79.188.2
Sherd	Andrews Homestead Historical Archaeological Materials	79.188.3
Sherd	Andrews Homestead Historical Archaeological Materials	79.188.4
Glass Fragment	Andrews Homestead Historical Archaeological Materials	79.188.5
Glass Fragment	Andrews Homestead Historical Archaeological Materials	79.188.6
Glass Fragment	Andrews Homestead Historical Archaeological Materials	79.188.7
Glass Fragment	Andrews Homestead Historical Archaeological Materials	79.188.8
Glass Fragment	Andrews Homestead Historical Archaeological Materials	79.188.9
Glass Fragment	Andrews Homestead Historical Archaeological Materials	79.188.10
Glass Fragment	Andrews Homestead Historical Archaeological Materials	79.188.11
Glass Fragment	Andrews Homestead Historical Archaeological Materials	79.188.12
Glass Fragment	Andrews Homestead Historical Archaeological Materials	79.188.13
Glass Fragment	Andrews Homestead Historical Archaeological Materials	79.188.14
Glass Fragment	Andrews Homestead Historical Archaeological Materials	79.188.15
Stone fragment	Andrews Homestead Historical Archaeological Materials	79.188.16
Glass Fragment	Andrews Homestead Historical Archaeological Materials	79.188.18
Square Nail	Andrews Homestead Historical Archaeological Materials	79.188.19
Square Nail	Andrews Homestead Historical Archaeological Materials	79.188.20
Square Nail	Andrews Homestead Historical Archaeological Materials	79.188.21
Square Nail	Andrews Homestead Historical Archaeological Materials	79.188.22
Square Nail	Andrews Homestead Historical Archaeological Materials	79.188.23
Square Nail	Andrews Homestead Historical Archaeological Materials	79.188.24
Square Nail	Andrews Homestead Historical Archaeological Materials	79.188.25
Square Nail	Andrews Homestead Historical Archaeological Materials	79.188.26
Square Nail	Andrews Homestead Historical Archaeological Materials	79.188.27
Square Nail	Andrews Homestead Historical Archaeological Materials	79.188.28
Square Nail	Andrews Homestead Historical Archaeological Materials	79.188.29
Square Nail	Andrews Homestead Historical Archaeological Materials	79.188.30
Square Nail	Andrews Homestead Historical Archaeological Materials	79.188.31
Square Nail	Andrews Homestead Historical Archaeological Materials	79.188.32
Square Nail	Andrews Homestead Historical Archaeological Materials	79.188.33
Square Nail	Andrews Homestead Historical Archaeological Materials	79.188.34
Square Nail	Andrews Homestead Historical Archaeological Materials	79.188.35
Stone fragment	Andrews Homestead Historical Archaeological Materials	79.188.36
Mineral	Andrews Homestead Historical Archaeological Materials	79.188.37
wagon bolster	Wagon singletree	89.619.46
Artifact Remnant		2008.9.1
stay, Artifact Remnant		2008.9.3
stay, Artifact Remnant		2008.9.4
Harmonica, Artifact Remnant	harmonica reed	2008.9.5
Currycomb, Artifact Remnant		2008.9.6
Candle Lantern, Artifact Remnant	Mexican candle lantern	2008.9.7
key, Artifact Remnant		2008.9.8
key, Artifact Remnant		2008.9.9
Figurine, Artifact Remnant		2008.9.10
fork, Artifact Remnant		2008.9.14
suspenders, Artifact Remnant		2008.9.15
doll, Artifact Remnant		2008.9.16
marble, Artifact Remnant		2008.9.17
Figurine, Artifact Remnant		2008.9.18
padlock, Artifact Remnant		2008.9.19
shoe, Artifact Remnant		2008.9.20.1
shoe, Artifact Remnant		2008.9.20.2
Toy gun, Artifact Remnant	cap gun	2008.9.21
Inkwell, Artifact Remnant		2008.10.1
Jacks, Artifact Remnant		2008.10.2
pendant, Artifact Remnant		2008.10.3
Bottle, Artifact Remnant	Budweiser bottle	2008.10.4
earring, Artifact Remnant		2008.10.5
buckle, Artifact Remnant		2008.10.6
sewing machine, Artifact Remnant		2008.10.7
thimble, Artifact Remnant		2008.10.8
thimble, Artifact Remnant		2008.10.9
Beam, Artifact Remnant	viga \| girder	2008.10.10
gunflint	gun flint	2009.23.1
gunflint	gun flint	2009.23.2
gunflint	gun flint	2009.23.3
Percussion Cap	Fort Vasquez Historical Archaeological Materials	2009.23.4.1
Percussion Cap	Fort Vasquez Historical Archaeological Materials	2009.23.4.2
gunflint	gun flint	2009.23.5
pipe	trade pipe \| clay pipe	2009.23.6
pipe	trade pipe \| clay pipe	2009.23.7
pipe	trade pipe \| clay pipe	2009.23.8
pipe	trade pipe \| clay pipe	2009.23.9
pipe	trade pipe \| clay pipe	2009.23.10
pipe	trade pipe \| clay pipe	2009.23.11
pipe	trade pipe \| clay pipe	2009.23.12
pipe	trade pipe \| clay pipe	2009.23.13
faunal remains, Animal bone	Fort Vasquez Historical Archaeological Materials	2009.23.14
faunal remains	Fort Vasquez Historical Archaeological Materials	2009.23.15
mother-of-pearl, Worked	Fort Vasquez Historical Archaeological Materials	2009.23.16.A
Glass Fragment	Fort Vasquez Historical Archaeological Materials	2009.23.16.B
Glass Fragment	Fort Vasquez Historical Archaeological Materials	2009.23.16.C
one-handed mano	Fort Vasquez Historical Archaeological Materials	2009.23.17
Animal bone, faunal remains	Fort Vasquez Historical Archaeological Materials	2009.23.18
molten lead	Fort Vasquez Historical Archaeological Materials	2009.23.19
molten lead	Fort Vasquez Historical Archaeological Materials	2009.23.20
Hayfork	Fort Vasquez Historical Archaeological Materials	2009.23.21
Button	Fort Vasquez Historical Archaeological Materials	2009.23.22
Button	Fort Vasquez Historical Archaeological Materials	2009.23.23
Button	Fort Vasquez Historical Archaeological Materials	2009.23.24
Button	Fort Vasquez Historical Archaeological Materials	2009.23.25
Button	Fort Vasquez Historical Archaeological Materials	2009.23.26
Button	Fort Vasquez Historical Archaeological Materials	2009.23.27
Button	Fort Vasquez Historical Archaeological Materials	2009.23.28
Button	Fort Vasquez Historical Archaeological Materials	2009.23.29
Metal Fragment	ring \| metal ring	2009.23.30
Button	Fort Vasquez Historical Archaeological Materials	2009.23.31
one-handed mano	Fort Vasquez Historical Archaeological Materials	2009.23.32

History Colorado’s responsibility as a museum organization includes rectifying, reconciling, and uplifting underrepresented stories, objects, people, and places. Some of the materials in our collection reflect positions, norms, and values that are no longer—or never were—consistent with those of History Colorado (formerly the Colorado Historical Society) or its staff. We do not endorse prejudiced, stereotyped, or offensive material in our collection and actively work to place those items in context and with interpretation from our communities, as they are an important resource in the study of past and contemporary cultures. For more about how History Colorado does this work, see the History Colorado Anti-Racism Grounding Virtues statement.

If you find inaccuracies or misrepresentations in any object records, please contact cosearch@state.co.us to help us better represent and access our collection.

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Explore Colorado’s past through the archives, artifacts, and photographs of the History Colorado Collection.