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PRESERVING & SHARING HISTORY
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Recent News
Duane Vandenbusche Granted Official Colorado State Historian Title
Duane Vandenbusche, Ed.d., currently the host of our weekly webinar series covering multiple topics on the history of the Gunnison family was recently named the Offiial Colorado State Historian. The press release from History Colorado is below. PRESS CONTACT: John...
Black & Not Right Now Ball 2020, A Virtual Party
Our annual block party, the Black & White Ball, is headed to the internet! Join the Crested Butte Mountain Heritage Museum (CBMHM) for this year’s Black & Not Right Now Ball, a virtual party, Sunday, June 28th, 7 pm - 8 pm. The Museum invites the community,...
Hart Award & Documentary from History Colorado
Last Friday, our hard-working, dedicated Museum Director, Shelley Popke accepted a well-deserved award from History Colorado, the 2020 Hart Award for historic preservation. History Colorado created a documentary to showcase the Museum and explain why its...
Cataloged Records
Every year the Museum receives new artifacts into its collection. Each item takes an average of a half-hour to catalog and house.
Archives cared for
Archives are made up of personal documents, memoirs, books, newspapers, and more. These are integral to researching the past.
Photographs Cared For
Photographs are a glimpse into the past, making them one of the most significant collections within the Museum.
Objects Cared For
From fire hose carts to checkers pieces, the Museum stewards a diverse collection of historic objects.
2019 Volunteer Hours
The Museum relies on dedicated volunteers to catalog, assist events, and maintain our largest historic artifact, our building.
2019 Visitors
Visitors from around the world are transported through time as they walk our historic floors and explore local history.
2019 Exhibit Hours
Our exhibits aim to put the present in context, providing history on the stories that matter most to you.
Years Caring for Objects
The Museum is committed to high standards of collections stewardship to preserve history for years to come.
Awards & Achievements
COSHARP Colorado Humanities Grant
On October 19th, 2021, the Crested Butte Museum was awarded a grant from the Colorado Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan (COSHARP). Grant funds were provided by Colorado Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the American Rescue Plan of 2021 to support the response and recovery of the cultural sector from the ongoing impacts of the coronavirus. The museum submitted a proposal to upgrade our technology, and help support a new oral history project and coordinating exhibit. We are anticipating to launch our new exhibit in spring of 2022.
2020 – Stephen H. Hart Award
The Crested Butte Museum executive director Shelly Popke, Form + Works Design Group architect Jessica Reske, and MB Builders general contractor Kevin Donovan were awarded the 2020 Stephen H. Hart Award for Historic Preservation at the Saving Places Conference in Denver on January 31, 2020. They were recognized for their work preserving the Museum’s home, affectionately known as Tony’s Conoco. The Hart Awards, named after Colorado’s first State Historic Officer, are History Colorado’s premier celebration of archaeology and preservation projects worthy of statewide recognition.
Stephen H. Hart Award
Collections Assessment for Preservation Award
In 2019, the CBM was awarded a grant for the Collections Assessment for Preservation (CAP) offered by the American Institute for Conservation (AIC) and the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation (FAIC). CAP provides small museum funds towards general conservation assessment that studies our institution’s collections and building. By completing this program, the Crested Butte Museum has updated our strategic goals to focus on collections care.
Museum Assessment Program Award
In 2017, the Crested Butte Museum completed the Museum Assessment Program (MAP) and awarded a follow-up visit by peer reviewers in 2018. MAP is awarded by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) for the purposes of providing professional support to small museums in improving collections stewardship practices. Through the award, the CBM has been able to set higher standards of collections care and implement standard policies held by museums across the country.