Western Museum of Mining & Industry

Nicknamed “The Museum that Works,” the Western Museum of Mining & Industry introduces visitors to the historical importance of mining in the American West and why mining is so crucial to our current standard of living. Visitors see working steam engines, pan for gold, walk through a recreated underground drift, see one of the few working stamp mills in the country, and picnic on the museum’s 27 acres.

Guided tours take place at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. each day during operating hours (9 a.m.- 4 p.m. Monday-Saturday). The museum also has a 8,000-volume research library and gift shop. On the grounds is the historic 1890s Reynolds House and other farmstead buildings. The house, in the Colorado Register of Historic Properties, has been completely rehabilitated over the past five years and is open to visitors during events or by appointment. The hay barn has been renovated and is offered as a rental venue.

Exhibits

Permanent exhibits include Staking Your Claim, What's Mined is Yours, Gold Panning, Underground Drift, Assay Office, a replica of the Phoenix 2 Rescue Pod from the 2010 Chilean Mine Disaster, Mining in America (interactive exhibit), Mining Reclamation, and working engines and machines in the lobby and exhibit gallery. All outdoor machinery has explanatory signs for self-guided viewing.

"Left Behind in the Mines" is the museum's current changing exhibit, which opened on September 13. This exhibit consists of a small portion of a private collection of "stuff" collected in abandoned underground mines. Artifacts include food containers, clothing, improvised equipment, newspapers, health products, tobacco products, and more. This fascinating collection provides a glimpse into underground mining life in a way most museums cannot show because such artifacts are rare and not usually owned by museums. Smithsonian attendees will be among the first visitors to see this unique exhibit.

Smithsonian attendees on September 17 will have the opportunity to purchase individual or family memberships to WMMI at last year's prices.

For more information about WMMI and its programs, visit our website, www.wmmi.org.

Participation in Museum Day is open to any tax-exempt or governmental museum or cultural venue on a voluntary basis. Smithsonian magazine encourages museum visitation, but is not responsible for and does not endorse the content of the participating museums and cultural venues, and does not subsidize museums that participate.