PRESS CONTACT                            
Luke Perkins, Manager of Communications and Public Relations 
303-866-3670 | luke.perkins@state.co.us 

Spook-tacular events for the Spooky Season: 
October Food Drive | Trinidad, CO
Trinidad History Museum | October 1-31, Tuesday-Saturday from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
During the month of October, the Trinidad History Museum is holding a canned food drive (human and pet!) to gather donations for Fishers Peak Soup Kitchen and Pet Assistance League Store. A donation drop-off will be available in the museum gift shop during opening hours, and if you bring canned food to any of Trinidad History Museum’s events this month, you’ll receive special discounts and goodies! Have questions? Reach out to Millie at emily.duren@state.co.us for additional information. 

Victorian Death Experiences | Denver, CO
Center for Colorado Women’s History | October 5, 6, 13, 19, 20, 26 & 27, 6 - 7 p.m.
Tickets ($20 - 25) and additional information available here. 
A new event series at the Center for Colorado Women’s History, titled Victorian Death Experiences, launches October 5, 2023, with a goal of merging the macabre and mysterious. Designed for adults interested in a spooky seasonal experience contextualized by historical narratives, Victorian Death Experiences is an enthralling tour through the depths of time, and the shadowed halls of one of History Colorado’s historic house museums.

A perfect opportunity to don mourning attire and attend a Victorian wake, Victorian Death Experiences provides a deeper, darker look into the historical death rituals and morbid realities of a foregone era while centering the ways that women have served as shepards for the living, as well as caretakers and preparators for the deceased. Tickets to Victorian Death Experiences are limited so make sure to purchase yours now!

Double-Feature Fright Nights | Trinidad, CO
Trinidad History Museum | October 13, 20, 27 & 31, 6 - 9 p.m.
If you can’t imagine celebrating this spooky season without viewing cinematic classics of the horror genre then Trinidad History Museum has got you covered. Featuring the shocking, suspenseful, and undeniably captivating, Double-Feature Fright Nights includes 4 full nights of back-to-back screenings dedicated to movies that chill the bones! Popcorn and sodas will be provided in return for cash or shelf-stable food donation. These movie screenings will take place on the museum grounds so bring a cozy blanket and a lawn chair, because these are flicks you won't want to miss!

• On October 13, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) and The Last Man on Earth (1964)
• On October 20, House on Haunted Hill (1959) and Nosferatu (1922)
• On October 27, The Corpse Vanishes (1942) and Spider Baby (1967)
• On October 31, Night of the Living Dead (1968)

All of the Double-Feature Fright Nights are free and open to the public with no reservations required. Contact Trinidad History Museum at 719-846-7217 for additional information. 

Haunted Tea Party | Trinidad, CO
Trinidad History Museum | October 14, 2 - 4 p.m.
Tickets ($10 - 15) are available here. 
Perhaps the most terrifying event of the season: a Victorian Tea Party held in the historic Bloom Mansion! Between exceptional blends from the Trinidad Tea Company and perfectly curated fall tea foods, this event at Trinidad History Museum is the ideal afternoon attraction this spooky season. Tickets are required for the event and can be purchased here, or by contacting Millie at emily.duren@state.co.us or 719-846-7217 for additional information. 

Jack-O’-Lantern Carving | Trinidad, CO
Trinidad History Museum | October 17, 4:30 - 6 p.m.
Bring your gourds or root vegetables and join the Trinidad History Museum for an evening of carving jack-o’-lanterns and learning about their eerie history! All tools will be provided, but for a cash or shelf-stable food donation, you can also carve one of the vegetables from Trinidad History Museum’s very own “pumpkin patch.” No tickets or reservations are required for this free spooky season event. 

HOWL-o-Ween Hangout | Trinidad, CO
Trinidad History Museum | October 21, 1 - 3 p.m.
It’s time to dress your pooch and yourself up in your seasonal best and join the Trinidad History Museum, and its partners at the Pet Assistance League Store, for this frighteningly cute happening. Featuring canine friendly goodie grab bags, a furry friends photo booth, and Trinidad History Museum bandanas available for a cash or shelf-stable food donation, this free event is the perfect reason to dress up and shamble down to the museum with your four-legged friend! 

Halloween Carnival | Trinidad, CO
Trinidad History Museum | October 28, 12 - 6 p.m.
Show off your costumes and collect lots of candy at Trinidad History Museum’s third annual Halloween Carnival. Featuring loads of games, prizes, fun decorations, a photobooth, special treats, and plenty of candy (including allergen-free options), this carnival is designed to be fun for everyone and best of all: the proceeds support educational programming at the museum!

As a part of the month-long food drive Trinidad History Museum is exchanging canned goods for raffle and game tickets for the carnival. This exchange can be done in advance or on the day of the event. So come down to this free event, trade in your shelf-stable goods (limit 10 cans per family) and have a spooky good time! For additional information about this free event, please view the event listing here. 

New Exhibitions and Attractions:
New Exhibition- Through the Lens: The Photography of Frank Muramoto | Denver, CO
History Colorado Center | Opens October 20, 2023
History Colorado is pleased to announce that its Through the Lens: The Photography of Frank Muramoto exhibition is coming to the History Colorado Center on October 20, 2023. Originally displayed at El Pueblo History Museum, Through the Lens: The Photography of Frank Muramoto explores the world of a Japanese-born professional photographer who operated his own studio in Pueblo, Colorado for more than four decades from 1915 to 1958.

To celebrate the opening of Through the Lens: The Photography of Frank Muramoto, the History Colorado Center, and descendants of Frank Muramoto, are holding a reception on October 21, 2023, from 6 – 8 p.m. This free event is open to the public – but RSVP is required – and will feature a cash bar and light refreshments. 

New Exhibition- Mile High Magic | Denver, CO
History Colorado Center | On Display Now
History Colorado is excited to announce the opening of Mile High Magic, at the History Colorado Center in Downtown Denver. Focusing on the history of the Denver Broncos, this new exhibition uses game-worn memorabilia from the more than sixty years of Broncos history to explore fairytale seasons, epic comebacks, legendary players, and the heated rivalries of Colorado’s only National Football League franchise. So come down to the History Colorado Center why fans in Colorado and beyond believe in “Mile High Magic.”

New Exhibition- Unearthed: Voices of Leadville's Shanty Irish | Leadville, CO
Healy House Museum & Dexter Cabin | On Display Now
History Colorado’s Healy House Museum & Dexter Cabin is highlighting one of the largest and most important Irish immigrant communities in nineteenth-century North America through its new exhibition Unearthed: Voices of Leadville’s Shanty Irish. Created in collaboration with Dr. James Walsh, historian and professor of political science at the University of Colorado Denver, Unearthed: Voices of Leadville’s Shanty Irish traces Leadville’s growth from a small gold camp into one of the most important Irish immigrant communities in the United States and explores the persistence of first- and second-generation immigrant laborers as they struggled for a dignified existence. 

October Events:
House Museum Book Club | Denver, CO
Center for Colorado Women’s History | October 1, 12:30 – 2 p.m.
Join the Center for Colorado Women's History, and the Molly Brown House Museum, online or in-person for a collaborative book club hosted by two of Denver’s historic house museums. On October 1 at 12:30 p.m., book club members are discussing Murder at the Brown Palace by Dick Kreck. This event is free but does require registration in advance. Please email Cat Jensen at cat.jensen@state.co.us to register. 

History Buff Day | Trinidad, CO
Trinidad History Museum | October 7, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Join History Colorado to celebrate young History Buffs around the state! Using your free History Buff membership, learn all about the Santa Fe Trail and Southern Colorado’s significant role in the American West. Explore the two historic homes, wander through the gardens, and, of course, hang with Billy the History Buff! This event is free with general admission (and members like History Buffs are free), but plan on RSVPing in advance.

Have a Colorado fourth grader who is not a History Buff member yet? Sign up here for your free membership– granting you (and 5 other people) access to all History Colorado locations around the state! 

Vecinos Community Coffee | Fort Garland, CO
Fort Garland Museum & Cultural Center | October 12, 9 – 10 a.m.
Join Fort Garland Museum & Cultural Center staff for some warm beverages and even better platica with your neighbors. This free event, hosted on the second Thursday of each month, provides space for community sharing and gathering. Parking is available at the back entrance. We look forward to sharing our morning coffee with you!

Artisan’s Harvest Market | Fort Garland, CO
Fort Garland Museum & Cultural Center | October 14, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Are you hoping to get out of the city and experience the crisp, Colorado Autumn air? Pack up the car and bring the whole family to Fort Garland for the free Artisan’s Harvest Market! Filled with food, local arts and crafts, music, and fun, start the fall season right with memories that will last for a lifetime. Vendors interested in participating in the Artisan’s Harvest Market can find additional information here!

Salsa Showdown | Fort Garland, CO
Fort Garland Museum & Cultural Center | October 14, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Think you can bring the heat? The Fort Garland Museum & Cultural Center invites you to enter its first Salsa Showdown! Simply bring two quarts of your best salsa (in a closed container) and $10 (to support future educational programming) to be included in the competition.  Entries will be accepted from 9 - 10:30 a.m. on October 14 with the primary event beginning at 11:30 a.m. and winners announced at 1 p.m. Up to the challenge? We look forward to trying your out-of-this-world salsas! 

Sista Soldier: Closing Ceremony | Trinidad, CO
Trinidad History Museum | October 14, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Join the Trinidad History Museum in commemorating the closing of the SISTA SOLDIER exhibition. Created by legally-blind artist and historian, Chloé Duplessis, the immersive exhibition celebrates Cathy Williams, the only known female Buffalo Soldier and the first female American of African descent to serve in the United States Army. Utilizing historical artifacts, original artwork, and handmade garments constructed from burlap, paper, and ancestral fabric, SISTA SOLDIER illuminates the lesser-known story of Cathy Williams in unprecedented ways. 

Attendees of the closing ceremony will participate in the celebration of Cathay Williams through an ancestral release ceremony. For additional information about the exhibition, Duplessis, or details on the ceremony, please see the event listing here. 

Rosenberry Lecture Series Presents: John Taylor & Black Identity in the Ute Borderlands | Denver, CO
History Colorado Center | October 18, 1 - 2 p.m. & 7 - 8 p.m.
The Rosenberry Lecture Series continues on October 18 with Professor Louis Gregory McAllister’s exploration of John Taylor, a freed black man who enlisted as a Buffalo Soldier following the Civil War and was sent west. McAllister, professor of Ethnic Studies at Northern Arizona University, will discuss the history of how Taylor settled in southwestern Colorado where he claimed to be “the first white man in the Pine River Valley." Taylor eventually married Kitty Cloud (Ute) and had four children before passing away in 1934.  

Looking to purchase tickets? Several ticketing packages and ticket levels are available for the Rosenberry Lecture Series. Tickets for individual lectures ($5-15) are available for either the 1 p.m. or 7 p.m. events. A Series Package ($70-100) is also available and includes all seven of the remaining lectures at either of the time slots. Tickets can be purchased here in advance of the lectures, so make sure not to miss all the inspiring scholars, historians, curators, journalists, and other creatives exploring Colorado’s shared past and collective future. 

Community Table Presents: The Story of the Sugar Beet Workers | Denver, CO
History Colorado Center | October 21, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Tickets ($55 - 62) and additional information available here. 
History Colorado’s Museum of Memory Initiative, in conjunction with several Colorado partners, invites you to discover the immense contributions that Colorado sugar beet farmers have made to the Centennial State’s agricultural economy. On this inclusive ride through history, hear the stories from past sugar beet workers who labored for “White Gold” and how the population of primarily immigrant laborers gave the cash crop its unprecedented potential. With lunch at a local Mexican restaurant, Los Tarascos, and admission to the Museo de las Tres Colonias in Fort Collins, this tour will provide more than a day’s worth of learning. 

Reserve your spot today! The registration deadline for the tour is Tuesday, October 17. For additional information on the Museum of Memory Initiative, the tour’s partnering organizations, and tickets, please view the event listing here. 

Filipino American History Month Celebration | Denver, CO
History Colorado Center | October 22, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
For the first time, join the History Colorado Center in celebrating Filipino American History Month! Featuring various Filipino American organizations in Colorado, this celebration encourages attendees to appreciate the contributions of Filipino Americans to the Centennial State while engaging with their often underrepresented histories through film, lectures, and presentations. 

Access to the day-long celebrations is free with general admission, but reservations are appreciated. For more information on the organizations, Filipino American history and heritage, and how to RSVP, please access the event listing here. 

Blaxplanation Presents: The Mixtape of Black Colorado | Denver, CO
History Colorado Center | October 27, 7 - 9 p.m.
Blaxplanation and Slam Nuba are coming together to present The Mixtape of Black Colorado, a one-of-a-kind performance which centers the Black experience. Led by Theo Wilson – slam poet and author of The Law of Action: Master Key to the Universe We Actually Live In – an acclaimed group of Black poets will engage in slam poetry to understand, celebrate, and explore the Black experience in the 1990s. This event is free and open to the public but RSVP is required. Light refreshments and a cash bar will be available at The Mixtape of Black Colorado and the first twenty-five people to arrive will receive a FREE tote bag.  

7th Avenue Historic District Walking Tour | Denver, CO
History Colorado Center | October 28, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Tickets ($30 - 40) and additional information available here. 
Denver’s largest historic district, 7th Avenue, is quiet yet opulent, and also a lovely setting for an autumn outing. Tour goers will view the rows of palatial houses gracing this historic district and learn the histories of the architects and socialites who made 7th Avenue what it is. Tickets are limited so make sure to reserve your spot before they run out!

About History Colorado
History Colorado is a division of the Colorado Department of Higher Education and a 501(c)3 non-profit that has served more than 75,000 students and 500,000 people in Colorado each year. It is a 144-year-old institution that operates eleven museums and historic sites, a free public research center, the Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation which provides technical assistance, educational opportunities, and other access to archaeology and historic preservation, and the History Colorado State Historical Fund (SHF), which is one of the nation’s largest state funded preservation programs of its kind. More than 70% of SHF grants are allocated in rural areas of the state. Additionally, the offices of the State Archaeologist and the State Historic Preservation Officer are part of History Colorado. 

History Colorado’s mission is to create a better future for Colorado by inspiring wonder in our past. We serve as the state’s memory, preserving and sharing the places, stories, and material culture of Colorado through educational programs, historic preservation grants, collecting, outreach to Colorado communities, the History Colorado Center and Stephen H. Hart Research Center in Denver, and 10 other museums and historic attractions statewide. History Colorado is one of only six Smithsonian Affiliates in Colorado. Visit HistoryColorado.org, or call 303-HISTORY, for more information. #HistoryColorado