Big Timbers Museum Update

New Transportation Museum forefront, Big Timbers Museum at Rear

Curator Kathleen Scranton detailed the quarterly update for activities at the Big Timbers Museum during the weekly Prowers County Commissioners meeting, Thursday, January 26.

Museum staff has currently inventoried 8,112 separate items, according to Scranton, about a third of display items on hand. She said volunteers from the Prowers Historical Society are helping categorize the items, chronologically at first, and later by subject matter. She said more time will be devoted to this task through 2012. Inventory is one of the priorities for the museum this year, along with the roof rehabilitation project and finalizing CDOT paperwork on the Transportation Museum which opened to the public last year.

The roof project is expected to begin in April and the county has received $7,540 in advance payments for the work to start. Mid May has been set aside for a presentation entitled, “Wagons Ho – Trail Transportation through Time”. Greg Holt from Bent’s Old Fort is organizing the event, encouraging regional residents to attend the May 12 and 13 display. It’s hoped attendees will come to Lamar early for the weekend presentation which is open to the public. There will be a $2 charge for admission to the Transportation Museum. The 1964 American La France Fire Engine owned by the City of Lamar will be on loan to the museum now that the paperwork has been completed. Details on delivery will be outlined by Lamar Fire Chief Marshall Cook.

Big Timbers Museum posted 3,261 visitors in 2011, including most recently over 20 Cheyenne and Arapahoe Tribal Elders who viewed the Sand Creek Battle collection display.

By Russ Baldwin