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Museum of Boulder

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Museum of Boulder

Explore Boulder's past, present, and future at the Museum of Boulder! Follow us
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08/16/2026

⏳ Did you know...
.. "Rocky Mountain Joe” helped preserve Boulder’s past? 📸

Known for roaming Boulder with a large-format camera and tripod slung over his shoulders, photographer Joseph Bevier Sturtevant documented the city’s people, places, and events for more than 25 years.

Beginning in 1884, Sturtevant, better known as "Rocky Mountain Joe," captured hundreds of images using large glass-plate negatives, which he developed himself. A colorful Boulder character known for his long hair, mustache, goatee, and fringed buckskin clothing, he even experimented with double-exposure self-portraits. His family joined in the business, selling mounted photographs of Boulder scenes for just 10 cents apiece.

By the time of his death in 1910, Sturtevant had created an extraordinary visual record of early Boulder. Today, his photographs are preserved in the Museum of Boulder Collection at the Carnegie Library for Local History, where they continue to shape our understanding of the city’s pioneer era.

And did you also know… you can experience a piece of photographic history yourself at this year’s ENCORE! Fundraising Gala on September 19 with a tintype portrait by Dylan Burr, handcrafted using the historic 1850s wet-plate collodion process? Space is limited - get your tickets in our bio!

All photos courtesy of the Carnegie Library for Local History, Museum of Boulder Collection.

08/10/2026

TWO new exhibitions opening Saturday, August 22! 🎉

A Century of Collecting: Stories from Our Vault celebrates a century of preserving Boulder’s history, tracing the Museum’s collecting journey back to 1926. Explore more than 200 artifacts from our collection, many on display for the very first time.

Created in partnership with The Colorado Nepalese Community, Heritage in Motion: Third Series explores Nepalese traditions, stories, and lived experiences through textiles, photographs, ritual objects, personal artifacts, and more.

Two exhibitions. Hundreds of stories. Come experience them beginning August 22 at the Museum of Boulder!

Photo 1: Black velvet cloth with a painting of a woman. The wall hanging once hung in the lobby of The Curran Theatre, (now The Boulder Theater). Circa 1930.
Photo 2: Artifact photograph courtesy of Binisha Shrestha, Colorado Nepalese Community.

08/06/2026

⏳ Did you know…

… Big Head Todd & the Monsters got their start at CU Boulder?

Before becoming one of Colorado’s best-known rock bands, Big Head Todd & the Monsters formed at the University of Colorado Boulder in 1986. Todd Park Mohr, Brian Nevin, and Rob Squires built their early following playing parties, bars, and venues around Boulder before breaking through nationally with Sister Sweetly in 1993. Their roots in Boulder helped cement the city’s reputation as a launching pad for local musicians.

This month, Big Head Todd returns to the Boulder Theater as part of the Tulagi | Boulder Roots Music Festival! The Museum of Boulder is proud to be one of this year’s festival venues, with live music on our rooftop.

Want to learn more about Boulder’s rich musical history? Be sure to visit the “Boulder MIXTAPE: Local, Live, and Loud” exhibit, opening at the Museum in February 2027! 🎵

Photos courtesy of the Carnegie Library for Local History, Boulder.

Big Head Todd & the Monsters Big Head Todd and the Monsters Downtown Boulder University of Colorado Boulder

08/05/2026

The Museum of Boulder is proud to be an official venue for this year’s Boulder Roots | Tulagi Music Festival! Join us August 28-30 for an incredible weekend of live music on the Museum of Boulder rooftop.

All music festival ticket holders will receive free admission to the Museum throughout the festival weekend, so be sure to explore our exhibits while you’re here!

Friday, August 28:
• Wrenn Van Wrenn Van | 6:30-7:30 PM
• Jessica Paige Jessica Paige | 8-9 PM

Saturday, August 29:
• Highgrade Highgrade | 1:15-2:15 PM
• Big Ol Pig Big Ol’ Pig | 4-4:45 PM
• Jake & Jubilee Jake & Jubilee | 5:15-6 PM
• Funk In the Name Funk In The Name Brass Band | 6:30-7:30 PM
• The Sonic Souls The Sonic Souls | 8-9 PM

Sunday, August 30:
• David Lawrence David Lawrence & the Spoonful | 1-1:45 PM
• AoxomoxoA AoxomoxoA | 3:30-4:15 PM
• SEMPAR SEMPAR 🪿 | 4:45-5:30 PM
• Words of Mouth WOM | 6-7 PM

More information and tickets are available at boulderrootsmusicfest.org.

Tulagi | Boulder Roots Music Fest

08/03/2026

⏳ Did you know...
.. Colorado and CU Boulder are the same age?

When Colorado became the 38th state on August 1, 1876, Boulder was still a small frontier town of just a few thousand residents. That same year, Boulder was selected as the home of the University of Colorado, the state's flagship university, helping establish the city as a center for education, innovation, and public service.

In fact, Old Main, completed on April 18, 1876, was the university's very first building. It housed the entire university until 1884 and served as its library, classrooms, and administrative offices for decades.

Nearly 150 years later, Old Main still stands on CU Boulder's campus as a reminder of the university's, and Colorado's, earliest days. ⛰

Photo 1: Early view of Old Main from the northeast with a man sitting in the grass and the foothills in the distance.

Photo 2: University of Colorado: Engineering Interiors, Drafting Room.

Photos courtesy of the Carnegie Library for Local History, Museum of Boulder Collection.

07/23/2026

Join us for Summer Art Spark at the Museum of Boulder this Saturday, July 25! ✨

Spend the evening enjoying live music, dance and multimedia performances, a salsa lesson, vocal improvisation, and a silent auction supporting the Mariposa Collective's upcoming Resilience exhibition at the Dairy Arts Center.

An optional dinner by The High Vibe Chef is available for $20 (reserve by tomorrow, July 23).

More information and tickets are available through the link in our bio!

07/20/2026

⏳ Did you know...

… Eco-Cycle is one of the nation’s oldest and largest nonprofit recyclers? ♻️

What started in Boulder in 1976 with retired school buses and dedicated volunteers became Colorado’s first curbside recycling program and helped spark the state’s recycling and Zero Waste movement.

Today, Eco-Cycle continues to lead the way through recycling, composting, education, and environmental advocacy.

Celebrate the opening of our new exhibit, Eco-Cycle: 50 Years of Impact with Eco-Cycle on Thursday, July 23 at 5pm! Visit the link in our bio for more details.

07/08/2026

⏳ Did you know...
.. that Mount Sanitas was named after the Boulder Sanitarium? ⛰️

In 1896, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, whose health movement with his brother, Will Keith Kellogg, ultimately inspired the famous Kellogg cereal brand, established the Boulder Sanitarium at the western end of Mapleton Avenue. Named after the Latin word sanitas, meaning "health" or "well-being," the sanitarium gave Mount Sanitas its name and reflected Kellogg's philosophy of healing through healthy living.

Patients traveled from across the country to Boulder, many seeking treatment for tuberculosis and other chronic illnesses, drawn by the region's dry climate, sunshine, and mountain air.

Kellogg believed that good health depended on fresh air, exercise, and nutritious food. Patients were served vegetarian meals centered on whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and other wholesome ingredients, and were often prescribed daily hikes through the foothills surrounding the sanitarium - including the slopes of what is now Mount Sanitas.

The Boulder Sanitarium helped establish Boulder's early reputation as a destination for health, wellness, and innovative food traditions, making it an important chapter in the story of food in our community.

Discover more stories like this in Boulder EATS! Food Traditions Along the Front Range - closing soon on July 26!

All photos courtesy of the Carnegie Library for Local History, Museum of Boulder Collection.

07/04/2026

Please note that the Museum of Boulder will be CLOSED today, Saturday, July 4 🇺🇸

As we mark the 250th anniversary of the United States and Colorado’s 150th anniversary, we wanted to take a look back at Fourth of July celebrations throughout the decades in Boulder.

Happy Fourth of July from all of us at the Museum of Boulder! ❤️🤍💙

Photo 1: Children enjoying a miniature train ride during the Fourth of July parade, 1933.

Photo 2: Gold Hill Fourth of July picnic featuring a softball game.

Photo 3: Boulder residents enjoying a Fourth of July picnic at Boulder Creek, 1973.

Photo 4: The Jamestown Gymkhana egg race, part of Jamestown’s annual Fourth of July festivities, 1964.

Photo 5: Boys at a fireworks stand.

Photo 6: Families enjoying Fourth of July festivities in 1964, including fireworks and children cooling off in a swimming pool.

Photo 7: An I.O.O.F. float shaped like a submarine during the Fourth of July parade at Pearl Street and Broadway, looking southwest, 1933. Photo by Black.

Photo 8: High-wheel bicycles participating in the Fourth of July parade, with vintage automobiles in the background, 1933.

All photos courtesy of the Carnegie Library for Local History, Museum of Boulder Collection.

07/01/2026

⏳ Did you know…

… Elton John named an album after Caribou Ranch?

In January 1974, Elton John recorded his eighth studio album at the legendary Caribou Ranch recording studio near Nederland, Colorado.

So inspired by the experience, he named the album Caribou in honor of the Colorado studio. The album featured hit songs including “The Bitch Is Back” and “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me,” helping cement Caribou Ranch’s place in music history.

Stay tuned for our upcoming exhibit, Boulder Mixtape: Local, Live, and Loud, opening in 2027! 📼

Photos courtesy of EltonJohn.com.

Address

2205 Broadway
Boulder, CO
80302

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm
Saturday	9am - 5pm
Sunday	9am - 5pm

Telephone

+13034493464

Website

http://museumofboulder.org/

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