Museum - Rangely

The Rangely Outdoor Museum preserves the unique history of the Rangely area in several historical buildings and exhibits.

There are three distinct periods:

Native American and Prehistory (from the distant past until 1883),
Pioneer and Ranching (from 1883 until 1946),
Energy Development (from 1946 to the present day).

There are overlaps within these periods

Finally, Rangely is a young town as towns in Colorado go. It was not incorporated until 1947. The first paved roads did not make it to Rangely for another decade. However, people take pride in the community, and our senior citizens recall with pleasure and nostalgia how their lives were in the early days. The museum aims to record the development of the Town through oral histories, articles, photographs and multimedia presentations

Sample Digitized Images

Museum Projects

Oral Histories

Restoration of Historic Buildings

One of the many projects currently being undertaken by volunteers of the Rangely Museum Society is recording oral histories of senior citizens who have lived in Rangely for much of their lives. These oral histories can be a major source of information and assist in making the museum experience more valid to future generations. Those oral histories completed, have in some cases been transcribed and made available at the Museum.

The Museum has acquired the Wolf Canyon School house building and relocated it to a permanent concrete foundation within the Museum grounds. The school supported four different teachers and some 25 students between 1931 and 1942. This building is being restored with the help of volunteers under the supervision of Board member Dan Fiscus (who has experience with the restoration of historic buildings) and will then become an educational exhibit area for the museum along with the old Jail cell, the community hall, the school house and the camp house already restored and relocated in the museum. These buildings along with m0omentos and artifacts displayed by the museum help define our rural heritage, who we are and what we are to become.

Digitization of Photograph Collection

The Museum has a photograph collection numbering in the thousands. These photographs in the past have been logged and put on display. Digitizing the collection provides the museum with a reduced risk of damage to the original photographs that have been donated by families. The digatal images can be used for websites, copies and display. Some families understandably want to keep photographs which may be relevent to the museum. Digitizing these photographs provides an opportunity for the museum to benefit by these families making the original photographs available to digitize and then return them to the family.

THE MUSEUM APPRECIATES ANY FORM OF DONATION

The continued development of the Rangely Museum provides the Museum, the Town of Rangely and the Rio Blanco County opportunities to acknowledge the value of the areas heritage and historic value to the region, the State and the United States. In order to continue this the museum relies on the donations of time and energy of its board. and the dedicated service of its volunteers.

The Museums vision and objectives continue to be to inform and educate both locals and potential visitors of the cultural heritage and history of the region.

Town of Rangely
209 E. Main St., Rangely, Colorado 81648
Email: rangelyinfo@rangely.com Phone: 970.675.8476

Website Redesign (2008) by Blue Moose Design Kettle Falls, WA




The Rangely Outdoor Museum preserves the unique history of the Rangely area in several historical buildings and exhibits.
There are three distinct periods: Native American and Prehistory (from the distant past until 1883), Pioneer and Ranching (from 1883 until 1946), Energy Development (from 1946 to the present day). There are overlaps within these periods
Finally, Rangely is a young town as towns in Colorado go. It was not incorporated until 1947. The first paved roads did not make it to Rangely for another decade. However, people take pride in the community, and our senior citizens recall with pleasure and nostalgia how their lives were in the early days. The museum aims to record the development of the Town through oral histories, articles, photographs and multimedia presentations

Sample Digitized Images


Museum Projects
Oral Histories	Restoration of Historic Buildings
One of the many projects currently being undertaken by volunteers of the Rangely Museum Society is recording oral histories of senior citizens who have lived in Rangely for much of their lives. These oral histories can be a major source of information and assist in making the museum experience more valid to future generations. Those oral histories completed, have in some cases been transcribed and made available at the Museum.	The Museum has acquired the Wolf Canyon School house building and relocated it to a permanent concrete foundation within the Museum grounds. The school supported four different teachers and some 25 students between 1931 and 1942. This building is being restored with the help of volunteers under the supervision of Board member Dan Fiscus (who has experience with the restoration of historic buildings) and will then become an educational exhibit area for the museum along with the old Jail cell, the community hall, the school house and the camp house already restored and relocated in the museum. These buildings along with m0omentos and artifacts displayed by the museum help define our rural heritage, who we are and what we are to become.
Digitization of Photograph Collection
The Museum has a photograph collection numbering in the thousands. These photographs in the past have been logged and put on display. Digitizing the collection provides the museum with a reduced risk of damage to the original photographs that have been donated by families. The digatal images can be used for websites, copies and display. Some families understandably want to keep photographs which may be relevent to the museum. Digitizing these photographs provides an opportunity for the museum to benefit by these families making the original photographs available to digitize and then return them to the family.


THE MUSEUM APPRECIATES ANY FORM OF DONATION
The continued development of the Rangely Museum provides the Museum, the Town of Rangely and the Rio Blanco County opportunities to acknowledge the value of the areas heritage and historic value to the region, the State and the United States. In order to continue this the museum relies on the donations of time and energy of its board. and the dedicated service of its volunteers. The Museums vision and objectives continue to be to inform and educate both locals and potential visitors of the cultural heritage and history of the region.

Town of Rangely 209 E. Main St., Rangely, Colorado 81648 Email: rangelyinfo@rangely.com Phone: 970.675.8476
Website Redesign (2008) by Blue Moose Design Kettle Falls, WA