Black American West Museum
While your group is in the Denver area, you should check out the Black West American Museum and Heritage Center. It was founded by Paul W. Stewart in 1971. The location is dedicated to collecting, preserving and disseminating the contributions of African Americans in the Old West. The exhibits tell the story of the famous black cowboys. They also highlight those early blacks who came to the west and performed as miners, soldiers, homesteaders, ranchers, blacksmiths, schoolteachers, lawmen, and other professions needed to build up the west. The museum is located in the home of Dr. Justina Ford who was Colorado’s first black woman doctor.
Group members can see a diverse collection of exhibits at the Black American West Museum. One of the exhibits is known as the Homestead Exhibit. It is primarily dedicated to the town of Deerfield, Colorado. It was a pioneer town and was founded by O.T. Jackson in 1910. Another interesting exhibition is Cowboy Exhibit. It tells the story of the famous and not-so-famous black cowboys. Visitors can look at photographs and other fascinating artifacts. Group members will see saddles, spurs, hats, chaps, boots, and other accessories that were used by many of the cowboys.
There are also military exhibits that highlight the story of the buffalo soldiers. The team can check out photographs, timelines, uniforms, saddles, weapons and additional tools used by the soldiers of the west. Guests can also visit the Home Hall of Education. You can watch an old western movie starring Herbert Jeffries who was a singing black cowboy during the 1930s.