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Welcome

The Crested Butte Museum preserves, shares, and celebrates the history and traditions of Crested Butte and the Gunnison Valley. Through engaging educational and cultural experiences, the museum connects people to the past, the place, and each other. We invite you to visit the museum to explore our exhibits, attend a historic walking tour of Elk Avenue, join an educational event, or experience the museum at home through our history at home recordings and more.

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Your Donations & Membership Help us Further Our Mission

Your support makes it possible for the Crested Butte Museum to create educational programming for all ages, preserve our historical collections, and maintain our exhibits. Together, we can inspire wonder in our past by preserving the history of Crested Butte and Gunnison Valley.

Museum Membership Benefits

Museum admission is free for you and 1 guest

Discounted rates for Museum events (including historic downtown walking tours!)

10% Off on All Museum Store Purchases

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CB Museum on Instagram

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#FlashbackFriday to the summer of 1980 right below

#FlashbackFriday to the summer of 1980 right below the base area of Mount Crested Butte Resort... Now, this is something you don't see nowadays!

📸: David Sumner
#cbmuseum #crestedbutte #summersincb #cbco #coloradohistory #flashback #horsestables

Join Dr. Duane Vandenbusche tomorrow, Tuesday June

Join Dr. Duane Vandenbusche tomorrow, Tuesday June 28th for an all day immersive historical experience centered around Taylor Park and Spring Creek:Valley of the Gods.

Tour will officially began at 9 am. Breakfast is not included BUT lunch and transportation is. We will meet at the CB Musrim at 8 am and meet Dr. Vandenbusche at 845 am at Thr Almont Resort. Sack lunch is provided and can accommodate dietary restrictions. The tour will end at 3pm.

Museum member ticket is $70 and Non Member is 80. Please call 970.349.1880 to sign up.

Next tour will be Tuesday shyly 12, and the topic will be the North Country! More info on our website crestedbuttemuseum.com

Photo Credit: Myles Rademan Collection, Taylor Park in the 1880s of horses in from of a TP store front. True date unknown.

The Black and White Ball is Tomorrow! There is st

The Black and White Ball is Tomorrow!

There is still time to buy raffle tickets, and silent auction items are currently up for bidding! @bluemesamusic generously sponsored this year's ball with a $50 gift certificate included in our raffle local gift card bundle as well as another $50 gift certificate with a hat up for bids in our silent auction.

Pictured here with the @bluemesamusic hat is a Silvertone phonograph donated by the Grant family from Crested Butte. It was once in the museum's home life exhibit.

Get your entry tickets for the ball, raffle tickets, and bid on auction items with links in our bio!

#blackandwhiteball #colorado #crestedbutte #coloradohistory #coloradomusic #crestedbuttecolorado #cbco #crestedbuttecolorado

Bidding is open for our Black & White Ball Silent

Bidding is open for our Black & White Ball Silent Auction!

Part of why a lot of us love Crested Butte is the great outdoors and the adventures that it provides, from skiing and biking to hiking and backpacking.

How about a pack and camping swag from @thealpineer ? Or a one-night stay out at a Gothic Cabin for the backcountry skier or splitboarder sponsored by @rocky_mountain_bio_lab ? Or a custom pair of @rompskis made just for you with an exclusive Al Johnson/historic map from our collections graphic? OR a season pass with @cbnordic to cross country ski all next winter season long? Or how about some signed swag from local olympian @aaronblunck ?

Have your eyes on specific gear but just need some funds to help pay for it? Buy entries to win $500 cash in our raffle, generously sponsored by our board member, @billpeatross !

Visit our linktree to purchase raffle tickets, bid on silent auction items, and get your event tickets!

#cbco #crestedbuttecolorado #coloradoparties #coloradofundraiser #cbmuseum #coloradomuseum #visitcrestedbutte

Tony Mihelich was born in November of 1903. A man

Tony Mihelich was born in November of 1903. A man with a kind heart, generous smile and always ready to lend a helping hand.

Prior to the Crested Butte Museum moving to its current location on 4th and Elk in 2003, the building was home to Tony's Conoco from 1940 to 1996. Tony would eagerly wait outside to fill people's vehicles up with gas along with smiles. Folks have always enjoyed a meaningful conversations in the process of patiently waiting while their gas tank was being attended to.

Inside of Tony's Conoco you would find all kinds of items such as trucker hats, fishing and hunting gear, ranch tools and even seeds to plant every kind of flower. You can still find these items in the museum today!

Take a step back in time today and come visit the Crested Butte Museum on 4th and Elk Avenue. You can check out the old gas tank in front of the museum, the old Pot Belly Stove that Tony and the Old Timers would sit around and talk about who knows what and learn about the history of Crested Butte. If you would like to become a member and support our non-profit museum, head to our linktree!

#crestedbutte #crestedbuttehistory #cbhistory #colorado #coloradohiatory #tonyshardware #peopleofcrestedbutte

Our 20th Annual Black & White Ball silent auction

Our 20th Annual Black & White Ball silent auction goes live TOMORROW, June 23rd!

Bid on the "Treat Yo'Self Package" to get a massage from @body_karma_massage , a ROLFING session with @katie_franzmann , Acupuncture Session with @onpointacupuncturecb , a 10-Class Pack at @cbpoweryoga , and $50 to @milkyway_crestedbutte !

Don't miss out on this package or other amazing bundles during our silent auction. View the auction items with the link in our bio.

We'd also like to extend a very special thanks to @blisscommunitychiropractic for helping sponsor this year's Black & White Ball!

Link in bio to check out the auction items!

Bid now to enjoy the ball on Sunday ✨

Conversations...On Elk Avenue is a new oral histor

Conversations...On Elk Avenue is a new oral history exhibit at the
museum this summer. Take a step back to what Crested Butte was actually like through curated oral history tracks and photos of the people are apart of Gunnison Valley's heritage.

Richard and Phyllis Guerrieri have a long history in Crested Butte and the Gunnison Valley. Richard grew up in Crested Butte as the son of a coal miner. Phyllis's father Aubrey Spann had her working on the Spann ranch in the Gunnison Valley. If you would like to learn more about the Guerrieri's please follow the link below and take a listen to Phyllis's stories about her families history or purchase their authored books The Spaghetti Gang or Pure Joy, both of which can be purchased at the museum store.

Follow the link and listen to the Guerrieri's oral history playlist supported by SoundCloud.

If you would like to listen to others please download the SoundCloud APP and search Crested Butte Museum!

#cbhistory #crestedbutte #ranching #coloradohistory #coloradoranching #crestedbuttehistory #ranchinghistory #cbcolorado #visitcolorado #visitcrestedbutte

We're less than a week away from our 20th annual B

We're less than a week away from our 20th annual Black & White Ball! Grab your finest black & white attire to dance with @millkfunk with special guests @celestine.music and @rachelvanslyke , kicking off with a rolling parade at 5:45pm, and playing outside of the museum after the parade until 9pm. Stop by our photo booth to get a fun photo by Digibooth sent to your phone to share on social once you’re in the venue.

Don't forget to buy raffle tickets, bid on silent auction items, stop by the photo booth, and enjoy food and libations from our amazing vendors.

We'd like to extend some extra special shoutouts to @handmaderaeofsunshine for her floral preservation cube in our silent auction, @ibarranch for @yondermountain for best dressed winners, @kbutradio for the radio mentions, and @billpeatross for the $500 Cash Prize in our raffle!

Get your tickets today while they last! This event usually sells out day of, ticket link in bio.

#crestedbutte #cbco #colorado #nonprofitfundraiser #streetparty #crestedbuttecolorado

In honor of the Juneteenth Commemoration, the Cres

In honor of the Juneteenth Commemoration, the Crested Butte Museum will support BIPOC (Black, Indigenous People of Color) by donating 19% of the store sales to the Mountain Melanin Project. The Melanin Mountain Project, is a Gunnison Valley founded non-profit whose mission is to implement grassroots structure and action within the Gunnison Valley of inclusion and equity through existing systems, community traditions, entertainment and outdoor spaces for people of color.

Kick-off the celebration at 4pm with a parade down Elk Avenue to the Center for poetry, live music with the hard-hitting NOLA brass band, Brothers of Brass, soul food, historical discussion, and fine art for all ages to experience and enjoy. The museum will be hosting a pop-up exhibit at The Center for the Arts featuring history of BIPOC in the valley at the Juneteenth celebration.
The museum will continue to feature this free exhibit at the museum behind the potbelly stove, stop by to read and learn.

#juneteenth #blackhistory #coloradohistory #crestedbutte #mountaintown #cbco #crestedbuttecolorado

In celebration of Juneteenth tomorrow, Sunday, Jun

In celebration of Juneteenth tomorrow, Sunday, June 19th, we’ll be donating 19% of all store sales to @melaninmountainproject , a valley founded non-profit whose mission is to implement grassroots structure and action within the Gunnison Valley of inclusion and equity through existing systems, community traditions, entertainment and outdoor spaces for people of color.

History of Juneteenth: Juneteenth is a celebration of liberation that started in Galveston Bay, Texas on June 19th, 1865 when some 2,000 Union troops arrived and announced that day that the group of over 250,000 enslaved black people in the state, were free by executive decree. This day came to be known as "Juneteenth", by the newly freed people in Texas. Although there is a long way to go as a society to ensure equity, inclusion, and safety for BIPOC in America, and especially small mountain towns such as Crested Butte, CO, we celebrate this Sunday for the progress that has been made thus far by gathering at @cbcenterforthearts .

Engage with artists of color and in cultural discussions as we commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States. Kick off the celebration at 4pm with a parade down Elk Avenue to the Center for poetry, live music with the hard-hitting NOLA brass band, Brothers of Brass, soul food, historical discussion, and fine art for all ages to experience and enjoy. The museum will be hosting a pop-up exhibit at The Center for the Arts featuring history of BIPOC in the valley at the Juneteenth celebration.

The museum will continue to feature this free exhibit at the museum behind the potbelly stove, stop by to read and learn.

Be sure to stop at our store tomorrow on Sunday, and join us at the Juneteenth celebration to support Melanin Mountain Project and BIPOC here in our valley and beyond.

#juneteenth #blackhistory #coloradohistory #crestedbutte #mountaintown #cbco #crestedbuttecolorado #bipochistory

Join us on Sunday, June 26th from 6pm-9pm for our

Join us on Sunday, June 26th from 6pm-9pm for our 20th Annual Black & White Ball!

We're hosting a silent auction with many incredible prizes, including a ton of local art!

Bid on a custom floral preservation arch from @handmaderaeofsunshine - are you a bride or know one that would love to get their bouquet preserved for years to come? Or how about a gardener that wants to lock your flowers in time from this season?

Or, bid on our local artist basket, featuring local art from @opal.orbit , @lk_clay , @hanovimakes , Ellen Osterling, @silversprucestudio , and Bee's Creations! Thanks so much to these artists for helping sponsor this event!

Link in bio to purchase Black & White Ball tickets!

#crestedbutteart #cbartists #crestedbutteartists #cbhistory #cbmuseum #blackandwhiteball #silentauction

Can you hear it? Melodic whispers coming through

Can you hear it?

Melodic whispers coming through windows of homes, stores and restaurants in and around Elk Avenue. Soaring high in the sky and flying through trees, it's the sound of music.
Crested Butte is a unique and eccentric place and has always been a hub for music and creativity for its citizens and visitors.

In 1943, a school teacher named Frances Somrak moved to Crested Butte with a beautiful ivory red accordion in her possession. This wasn't just any accordion it was hand crafted by an Italian worker in a town called Stradella near Milan, Italy. It was given to Frances as a gift from her brother Pete after he passed, as a token of his love. She took this accordion with her to her new life and spread this love by playing for her students and anyone who was lucky enough to hear the brilliant melody it produced. France's accordion was not played for over 40 years and now lives at the museum in our Legacy Collection where we can properly care and preserve its heritage.

#crestedbuttehistory #heritage #history #colorado #musichistory #music #accordian #visitgcb #crestedbuttemuseum #historycolorado #historyiscool

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