Trinidad History Museum
Explore Trinidad’s past and its place in the American West at the Trinidad History Museum. Featured exhibitions such as Borderlands of Southern Colorado, the Santa Fe Trail Museum, and Aultman Studio: Portraits of Trinidad showcase the region's diverse cultural and ethnic heritage. The property features the historic Bloom Mansion and Baca House, two residences built in the late 19th century, as well as the Baca-Bloom Heritage Gardens and the Santa Fe Trail museum, all on one block in Trinidad's acclaimed historic district.
Plan Your Visit
The Bloom Mansion, Baca House, and Santa Fe Trail Museum are open for self-guided tours Tuesday-Saturday.
The Santa Fe Trail Museum houses the Santa Fe Trail and Remedios, Health, and Wellness exhibits, as well as our gift store.
Please enter the museum through the gate on Chestnut St.
Tickets
- Adult: $7
- Seniors (60+): $5
- Children & Members: FREE
- For information about a guided tour ($10) please contact us at
Parking On-street parking is available throughout the area.
History
The Trinidad History Museum occupies an entire city block and is composed of four buildings, including three historic buildings constructed in the late 19th century: the Bloom Mansion, the Baca House and the Barglow Building.
By the 1950s, the Baca House in downtown Trinidad was long uninhabited and dilapidated. Fearing that the house may soon be demolished, local citizen Arthur Roy Mitchell successfully convinced Trinidad landowners to purchase the property and turn it over to the city for preservation. The city agreed to this proposal on the condition that Mitchell oversee restoration of the building, establish it as a museum, and become its first curator. Mitchell took on the challenge, and with the help of donations from the community—both monetary and in memorabilia and artifacts—the Trinidad Pioneer Museum opened its doors the very next year, in 1955.
In 1961, the Colorado Historical Society (now History Colorado) acquired the property and took over museum operations. Mitchell remained as its director, and the Pioneer Museum was repurposed into the Santa Fe Trail Museum. Later, it became simply the Trinidad History Museum.
Over the years, additional adjacent historic buildings were acquired and added to the museum complex, including the Barglow Building (constructed 1906) and the opulent Bloom Mansion (constructed 1882). Today the museum includes all three structures as well as the large heritage gardens surrounding the properties. Inside are several exhibits on Southern Colorado and local history, opulent spaces available for rental, and a gift shop which features a wide selection of informative and educational books and gift items made locally in Colorado.