@ the Museum: Projects

Projects

In addition to what you can see in our exhibits and enjoy in our programs and classes, there are always other projects going on at the Museum as well. Some projects are mostly research-based, and other projects develop into exhibits, films, books, and public programs in the future. These projects allow the Museum expand its knowledge of history and science and help us bring you the best experience we can.

the trails of northern colorado website

The “Trails of Northern Colorado” website combines cultural and natural history into a Google Maps-based driving tour that covers the area from Devil’s Backbone outside of Loveland to Soapstone Prairie Natural Area to the north. In between are notable sites ranging from the outdoors experience of Bobcat Ridge Natural Area to the urban ambience of Old Town Fort Collins. Together, they paint a picture of a rich regional history that extends back more than 12,000 years.

The distinctive natural and cultural stories of our area are highlighted throughout the website, accompanied by numerous historic and contemporary photos.

The website was created by the Museum as part of a “Preserve America” grant from the U.S. Park Service

the excavation of lindenmeier: a folsom site uncovered, 1934-1940

The Museum has published an in-depth booklet of the history and science behind the Lindenemeier Archaeological Site, one of the largest Folsom-era sites every found in North America. In private hands for decades, the Lindenmeier site can now be viewed again by visitors to the City of Fort Collins' Soapstone Prairie Natural Area.The story of the site's discovery and what it meant to our developing knowledge of the late Ice Age inhabitants of our continent is truly amazing.

You can pick up a copy of the booklet, free of charge, at our Museum Store. You can also download a copy here.

the fort collins museum - discovery science center partnership

The biggest project going on around here is the partnership between the Fort Collins Museum and Discovery Science Center. In addition to merging our two institutions and opening our transitional facility in June 2009, we're busy working on designing an entirely new museum experience that will blend history and hands-on science.

the cultural heritage of natural areas

Fort Collins and northern Colorado is blessed with an abundance of beautiful natural areas and open lands, from the fast-flowing waters of the Cache La Poudre River at Gateway Natural Area to thousands of acres of rolling shortgrass prairie at Soapstone Prairie Natural Area.

These places are more than beautiful landscapes and important preserves of natural resources; they also contain rich stories of the long human history of this area, from Ice Age Paleoindians to thousands of years of Native American tribes, Euro-American settlers, ranchers, farmers, immigrants, and now, us.

The Fort Collins Museum & Discovery Science Center works in partnership with the City of Fort Collins Natural Areas Program to weave together natural and cultural heritage to tell a comprehensive story that will help inspire stewardship of our natural areas and open lands.

the soapstone oral history project

The Soapstone Prairie that we see today is a treasure trove of natural resources. It’s also a place where 12,000 years of human history have unfolded, with generations upon generations of people living on, working with, and caring for the land. We know about these peoples from the tools, trails, structures, and evidence of everyday life they left behind.

Since 2006, the Soapstone Prairie Oral History Project has interviewed more than 40 people with ties to this land, including ranchers, American Indians, descendents of homesteaders, conservationists, historians, and archaeologists. These interviews have documented a wealth of stories and first-person narratives that illuminate the importance of the Soapstone area to the cultural heritage of northern Colorado. By late 2008, the video footage, audio tape, and transcripts of these interviews will be available to the public through the Fort Collins Museum’s Local History Archive.

These spoken memories, insights, and stories are a living cultural resource, pieces of history and heritage that give us a way to continue exploring our deep roots in northern Colorado. What we learn from these voices enriches our community history and opens doorways into the living museum that is the Soapstone Prairie Natural Area.

You can view the short video "Speaking History: the Soapstone Oral History Project," produced by the Fort Collins Museum in 2006. The final project report is also available.

The "trails of northern colorado" project

Building on the information gathered through the Soapstone Prairie Oral History project and drawing on work by other area historians, conservationists, and archaeologists, the Trails of Northern Colorado Project will connect a dynamic web of people, places, and stories in this region where the mountains meet the plains.

This collaborative project with the City of Fort Collins Natural Areas program and the Larimer County Parks and Open Lands program will produce a trail map linking sites of interest from the Bobcat Ridge Natural Area and Devil’s Backbone in the south to the Soapstone Prairie Natural Area and Red Mountain Open Space in the north. In between, travelers will journey through an exciting variety of places and learn the stories of the many peoples who through a dozen millennia have called this unique landscape home.

In addition to the trail map, the project will produce an in-depth booklet about the Lindenmeier Archaeological Site for use in schools and for the general public, and the first phase of a website that will provide an entertaining and informative way to explore the rich natural and cultural heritage of northern Colorado. Completion date for the project is spring 2010.