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Meet the guides! 

Jeremy Morton 

Jeremy Morton develops exhibitions at the History Colorado Center. He was previously History Colorado’s Public Engagement Manager and, before that, Education Coordinator for Community Museums. Morton, a Denver native and a 90s kid, grew up frequenting the Villa Italia Mall. He graduated from the University of Colorado Denver with a bachelor of arts in history and a master of arts in curriculum and instruction. 

 

Joie Ha

As the daughter of refugees, Joie Ha (she/they) has been an organizer for marginalized communities in Colorado for over 15 years. She has a B.A. in Anthropology and a M.A. in Development Practice with a focus on holistic methods of treating mental health for Vietnamese refugees. In her community, she currently sits as Executive Director for Colorado Asian Pacific United which aims to preserve and elevate little known Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander narratives, and is a founder of CORE: Community Organizing for Radical Empathy, a consulting firm that also doubles as a community organizing group. Her current work focuses on global solidarity, social justice, and the uncovering of suppressed narratives.

 

Jack Wheeler-Barajas

Jack Wheeler-Barajas is a fourth-generation Coloradan and a local historian of railroads. He has given talks, presentations, and facilitated programs for numerous national and local organizations, including the National Railway Historical Society, History Colorado, the Metropolitan State University of Denver, and Treasure Box Tours. He specializes in Colorado Railways and the history of passenger trains. He is also actively engaged in advancing modern passenger rail solutions in the state of Colorado as the President of the Colorado Rail Passenger Association. He holds a master's degree in Environmental Science from the University of Colorado Denver and bachelor’s degrees from Colorado State University in Spanish, Anthropology, and Business.

 

James Walsh

James Walsh is an Associate Professor in the Political Science Dept. at the University of Colorado Denver, where he has taught since 1998. Walsh specializes in the History and Politics of Labor, Immigration, and the Irish Diaspora.  His many years of research led to the creation of the Leadville Irish Memorial and informed Unearthed: Voices of Leadville's Shanty Irish at History Colorado’s Healy House Museum & Dexter Cabin.

 

Janan Graham-Russell

Janan Graham-Russell is a fellow with History Colorado’s Colorado Heritage for All initiative, which works to recover and recognize the histories of communities of color, women, and LGBTQ+ Coloradans. Further, the goal of the initiative is to add 150 sites of significance among these communities to the National and State Registers of Historic Places by 2026. 

Janan is also a PhD candidate at Harvard University. Her dissertation analyzes the labors of devotion among Haitian women in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Her work has appeared in The Atlantic as well as Mormon Feminism: Essential Writings, published by Oxford University Press in 2015. 

 

Lucha Martínez de Luna

Lucha Martinez de Luna is an archaeologist specializing in Mesoamerican and Contemporary Archaeology. She has participated in various archaeological projects in the Southwest, American West, and central and southern Mexico; she serves as the Associate Curator of Hispano, Chicano, Latino History and Culture at History Colorado and is pursuing a Ph.D. at the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at the University of California Los Angeles. Lucha is the director of the La Providencia Archaeological Project and a visiting professor at the University of Science and Arts in Chiapas, Mexico.

Growing up in Colorado, she was immersed in Chicano/a/x art and muralism. Disturbed by the destruction of historic Chicano murals throughout the state, she began documenting the muralists’ stories and narratives. As the Director of the Chicano/a/x Murals of Colorado Project, she leads a grassroots organization dedicated to advocating for the preservation of historical and legacy community murals in Colorado. The project collaborates with local communities, artists, and cultural institutions to create educational and preservation initiatives celebrating Colorado’s visual heritage.

 

Shaun Boyd

Shaun Boyd is the Curator of Politics and Government and the Curator of Archives for History Colorado. In that role, she oversees the archival collections of the museum, as well as working on projects exploring women’s history, political history, and general Colorado history. Before coming to History Colorado, Shaun was an Archivist at the Douglas County Libraries for 19 years. She holds a Master of Arts in History from Colorado State University, and a Master’s of Library and Information Science from Emporia State University. She loves sensational history stories, ghost stories, and cemeteries.

Alisa DiGiacomo

A fifth-generation Colorado Italian American, DiGiacomo is currently working with Italian scholars on the history of Italian immigration to Colorado and as a consultant on projects for the Welby Heritage Foundation, History Colorado and the MSU Denver Foundation. Her company, the House of DiGiacomo, is dedicated to creative projects, focused on historic preservation, research, writing and public programs. In 2022, DiGiacomo, the longtime Director of Curatorial Services and Senior Curator at History Colorado, retired after 23 years of service to the State. During her tenure at History Colorado, she was instrumental in building and refining the State’s permanent collection. An advocate for preserving and telling the stories of all Coloradans, she fostered strong relationships with communities across Colorado. DiGiacomo also did extensive research in the State’s collection and worked to make it more discoverable and accessible to the public. She curated numerous exhibitions, developed outreach projects and collaborated on educational programs. Upon retirement, History Colorado named DiGiacomo Senior Curator Emeritus for her long and distinguished career as a curator caring for Colorado’s cultural heritage, and her promotion of the value of historic preservation. In addition to her curatorial work and creative projects, DiGiacomo is a distinguished author.

Her writings include: Community Stories, a monthly feature in the community newspaper (Andiamo!, 2016 to present), “Left on the Field: Colorado’s Semi-Pro and Amateur Baseball Teams” (Colorado Heritage, Summer 2018), “Between Two Worlds: The Life and Art of Eugene Standingbear” (Colorado Heritage, September/October 2014), “The Denargo Market and the Evolution of Produce Distribution in Denver” (Colorado Heritage, July/August 2014), “Rediscovering the Morey Mercantile,” History Colorado blog (posted March 11, 2014), “Seeing Allen True” (Colorado Heritage, September/October 2009) and Italy in Colorado: Family Histories from Denver and Beyond (first printed 2008). Exhibits DiGiacomo has curated include: Quiltspeak: Stories in the Stitches, Italians of Denver, Children of Ludlow: Life in a Battle Zone, 1913–1914, Destination Colorado, and Backstory: Western American Art in Context.

 

Tour Difficulty Scale

• Easy: May include light physical activity including boarding a bus, short periods of standing, walking and some stairs.  
• Moderate: Includes walking up to two miles on streets or easy trails, climbing stairs or spending several hours outside. 
• Ambitious: May involve several nights away from home, long stretches on a bus, and activity-filled days. Be prepared to walk up to two miles a day on easy to moderate terrain or spend long periods outside. 
• Challenging: Requires a high level of fitness and an adventurous streak! May include day hikes over potentially rough terrain, accessing remote areas in a vehicle, by foot, or by boat, and/or extended periods outside. 

Policies

Registration & Payment

Visit the tour listings above or click here to register for a tour online.

For additional assistance, call 303-866-2394 to register for tours over the phone with a credit or debit card. Note: The credit card will be immediately charged.    

Day tours require payment in full at the time of booking.  

Overnight tours require a refundable deposit at the time of booking to hold your spot. The balance is due by the tour registration deadline. Registration deadlines are specific to each tour and indicated in the tour description.  

Pricing for overnight tours is available for double occupancy (two people per hotel room) and single occupancy (one person per room). Roommates may be requested but are not guaranteed. If paired with a roommate, you will be notified and given information to get in touch prior to the tour. If paired with a roommate that cancels. after the registration deadline, you will not be charged the single occupancy rate.  

To request a roommate, select a single occupancy ticket online and check the “roommate requested” box during checkout. Should you be paired with a roommate, your remaining balance will be adjusted.  

Payments must be made by credit or debit card. History Colorado accepts all major credit cards.

Cancellation Policy

You may cancel a walking tour seven (7) or more days prior to the tour and receive a full refund or credit. Cancellations with fewer than seven days’ notice are non-refundable. 

You may cancel a bus tour (day tour) fifteen (15) or more days prior to the tour and receive a full refund or credit. Cancellations with fewer than fifteen days’ notice are non-refundable. 

You may cancel an overnight tour without penalty before the registration deadline posted for each tour. Any payments taken before the registration deadline will be refunded in full. Cancellations after the registration deadline are non-refundable. 

If History Colorado must cancel a tour or trek, all ticket holders will be notified via email and will be fully refunded. If a tour or trek is postponed, guests will be given the option to either keep their ticket for the rescheduled date or receive a full refund.

Weather Policy 

History Colorado tours and treks run rain/snow and shine! Refunds for tours due to weather are only given if History Colorado cancels the tour due to extreme weather.

Wheelchair Accessibility

All walking tours are wheelchair accessible. To request wheelchair accommodations for bus tours (including Overnight Tours), please note it on the registration form and we’ll do our best to accommodate the request.  

Waitlists

Tours sell out fast! Space is limited to ensure a safe, high-quality experience for all. If a tour sells out, a link to a waitlist will be added online. You will be notified if a spot becomes available. 

Start Locations 

Before the tour, a “know before you go” email will be sent with important information such as start/end locations, parking options and clothing/gear suggestions. Start and end locations can also be found in the tour descriptions.  

Itineraries  

Please note that all overnight tour itineraries are subject to change. Final itineraries are sent to registered guests 2 to 4 weeks prior to the start of the tour. 

Dietary Restrictions

Meal options for a variety of dietary restrictions are available for tours that include a shared meal. Please let us know about your restrictions at the time of booking. 
 

If guests have further questions not answered here, please email Emily Turner at reservations@state.co.us or Rebecca Chickadel at rebecca.chickadel@state.co.us.