| Walsenburg Mining Museum is located in the unique setting of an 1896 county jail. The Walsenburg Mining Museum tells the stories of coal mines and the people who lived in their camps, a glimpse of incarceration, 1890's style.A visit to the Walsenburg Mining Museum will bring you face to face with artifacts from this colorful era in history. You will see two part lunch buckets that were used to take water and food underground, numbered brass checks to keep track of who went in and out of the mine, mule feed bucket and whip, and many photos taken underground in the mines. A replica of a complete mining office with mining instruments, pay and insurance ledgers, and much more are provided.You can read about the 117 people that were arrested during one mining strike, and sympathize with the mine families- the death rate was four times that of the national mining death rate. Hear tales of notable prisoners, bank robbers, and escapes. See mine rails used as jail bars, the dumb waiter used to lower meals cooked by the jailers wife in the apartment upstairs, a bullpen and cells for 16 prisoners. Learn more about this area and it's rich history through a visit to this interesting museum.The Walsenburg Mining Museum is on The National Register of Historic Buildings and was renovated with a Colorado Historical Society grant. Operated by the Huerfano County Historical Society mainly through volunteers, the museum relies on the generosity of donors to maintain the collections. |
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