ibits on drill operating and gold panning. Sixty-minute guided tours let visitors see a full- scale underground gold mine recon- struction, a recreated 1890 assay office, and an operable 1895 Corliss 500-horse- power steam engine.
(800) 752-6558 ww.wmmi.org
Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site
Located in the mountain branch section of the Santa Fe Trail, this reconstructed 1833 fur trading post was once the center for Charles Bent and Ceran St. Vrain’s boom- ing fur trading business with the Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho. Visitors can view a 20-minute film about the post’s traders and trappers; costumed interpreters lead 60-minute guided tours through a trade room filled with buffalo robes, a blacksmith shop, and game room.
(719) 383-5010 www.nps.gov/beol
Boggsville Historical Site
Perched on the banks of the Purgatoire River, this 1866 nine-room adobe building was once the home of Thomas Boggs. Later it served as the last residence of Kit Carson.
(719) 456-1358 www.phsbc.info/ boggs.htm
El Pueblo History Museum
This 9,000-square-foot regional museum contains nine exhibits on the history of the Pueblo area, which began Spanish ex- ploration. Visitors can see French armor, Indian beaded pouches, and adobe fur trader William Bent’s carved wooden chest.
(719) 583-0453 www.coloradohistory.org/hist_sites/pueblo/pueblo.htm
Francisco Fort Museum
The reconstructed 1862 adobe fort re-cre- ates a burgeoning 19th-century Colorado town with unique artifacts, such as an origi- nal 1850 letter written by Abraham Lincoln to one of his clients, musical instruments, and rifles. The six-acre site contains a coun- try store, schoolhouse, log cabin, and saloon.
(719) 742-5501 www.southerncolorado.info/ attraction.php?id=80
Kit Carson Museum
The 1940 adobe building houses this 3,000-square-foot museum, which high- lights Kit Carson’s work as a trapper and frontiersman in the Bent County area. Ex- hibits showcase letters and photographs, while visitors can explore the grounds that contain a blacksmith shop, 1876 jail, and carriage house.
(719) 456-2507 www.phsbc.info/carsonmuseum.htm
Koshare Indian Museum
Located on Otero Junior College campus, the museum displays the history of the Indians of southwestern Colorado region. Visitors can see Koshare dancing and exhibits that contain paintings, baskets, pottery, and jewelry.
(719) 384-4411 www.kosharehistory.org
John and Margaret Thatcher’s 1893 Richardsonian Romanesque home was de- signed by New York architect Henry Hud- son Holly and remained a family residence for 75 years. Visitors can see original Tiffany chandeliers, mahogany woodwork, and Turkish rugs. Docents lead 60-minute guided tours through the 27,000-square- foot home’s 37 period furnished rooms.
(719) 545-5290 www.rosemount.org
Trinidad History Museum Complex
This historic city block includes three 19th- century historic sites: the 1882 French-style Bloom mansion; the 1873 Baca house with Rio Grande textiles; and the Santa Fe Trail Museum with unique regional artifacts, such as Kit Carson’s buckskin coat. Visitors can take a 60-minute guided tour of both the Bloom mansion and Baca house, as well as a self-guided tour through the Santa Fe Trail Museum.
(719) 846-7217 www.coloradohistory.org/hist_sites/trinidad/trinidad.htm