 The first section of the three-stage construction of this building was completed in 1981. This building contains horse drawn vehicles (buggies, milk wagon, prairie schooners, hearse and taxi), saddles and western memorabilia, cow camp and western hat collection. There are also displays for a carpenter's shop, print shop, blacksmith shop, tractors, a collection of taxidermy and the Gunnison High School bus wreck display. Also housed in this building is the oldest vehicle in the museum…an ox cart.
| Hearse |
Manufactured by Riddle Company. Circa 1870. Brought into the
Gunnison Country in 1872. The first owner was Adam Miller. This
vehicle has seen many mining tragedies, as well as epidemics and
natural deaths. There is a child's coffin inside. Note the trap door in
the floor. This made cleaning the vehicle easier. C. J. Miller restored
this vintage hearse with five gallons of paint and 250 man-hours.
The plate glass windows in the sides are the original windows. |
| Hack or Taxi |
This was used to carry passengers from the railroad station to the
La Veta Hotel. The taxi loads passengers from a step in the rear of the vehicle. The taxi seats are along the sides; windows are adjustable for the passengers' comfort. Circa 1850. |
Surrey or Doctor's
Buggy |
This carriage was owned and used by the Moore family. The Moore
family owned a ranch on Ohio Creek, north of Gunnison. The buggy
was restored and all parts are original (except seat material). |
| Spindle-Back Buggy |
Named for the spindle decoration on the back of the seat. |
| Two-Seater Wagon |
This was used to haul freight or people. It was serviceable, not"comfortable." Please note the original paint and company name on
the side. Donated by Mr. Gandy. |
Ice Wagon or Chuck
Wagon |
"Chuck" (food) was prepared in this wagon for the local ranchers’
roundups. The wagon was also used to haul ice from the icehouse West of Gunnison. It made local store and house-to-house deliveries. |
| Prairie Schooner |
Early pioneers traveled to the Gunnison area in this vehicle. The
bows, or hoops on the top of the wagon were covered with canvas
to protect the freight or passengers from the elements. All of our
horse drawn carriages were used in the late 1880s, through the
turn of the century and have come from this valley. |
| Ox Cart with Yoke |
John B. Outcalt, his wife and daughters came to the Gunnison area
from Pennsylvania in this means of transportation. Mr. Outcalt did
stop in Denver long enough to help design the original famous
Brown Palace Hotel. The family homesteaded up Cabin Creek, north
of town, and the last of the daughters, Vevarelle Esty died
September 1999 at the age of 97. |
| Simplex Motor Bike |
A 2-cycle motor would be put on this bike if you wanted to take a trip to town, after returning home, the motor would be dismounted and put on mom's washing machine or other equipment. |
Golden West Council: Grand Junction, Colorado This exhibit started in the fall of 2000 when the Golden West Council of the Telephone Pioneers of America in Grand Junction brought telephone items they had collected to Gunnison. This delivery included two switchboards, a Step-By-Step test frame, a test bench with tools, numerous telephones, test equipment, etc. and two display cabinets. This exhibit was initially located in the Old Main building.
Under the leadership of President C.J. Miller of the Gunnison Pioneer and Historical Society, the exhibit continued to grow. Members of the Telephone Pioneers were pleased with Miller's
enthusiasm and willingness to make room for addtional items. Of significant importance was the fact that items were open to the public for viewing and not kept under lock and key. Often
museums located in Telephone Company buildings can only be seen by appointment and require special permission.
 In 2002, Miller moved the exhibit to its current location in the Coleman Building. This allowed for expansion as donations continued to come in. In 2008, Larry Bellmire of Delta donated his extensive and varied telephone colelction along with items from the Delta Central Office. In 2010, another significant addition occurred when Pinky Graham of Colorado Springs arranged for the donation of Sam McCullough's collection. This included a display board with a magneto switchboard from Divide, CO and numerous old telephones and devices. Also in 2010, Graham, a member of the Colorado Springs Plains and Peak Club, donated two early switchboards from the club. The Longs Peak/Front Range Council of Boulder also donated telephone items and a display case. In 2010, Jane Gray, a past president of the now defunct Southern Colorado Club of Pueblo donated additional museum pieces and Graham again was involved in moving all of these telephone items from Pueblo as well as those from the Plains and Peak Club in Colorado Springs.
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