Rangely Outdoor Museum
About Our Exhibits and our Mission
Located in Northwestern Colorado Rangely's museum is a collection of historical buildings that house a wide variety of artifacts. Our purpose is the preservation of the history, archeology, zoology, and ethnology of Rangely and the surrounding area, with emphasis on three periods of time: (1) Native Peoples and Prehistory, (2) Pioneers and Ranching and (3) Energy Resource Development.
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Stop by the museum; we would love to help you find what you are looking for, be it family, fossils, rock art, or camping information.
Native Peoples
The area has been inhabited by the Fremont peoples in prehistorical times and the Ute people from historical times into the present. The museum has a collection of arrow heads and other cultural artifacts from these peoples.
Geology/Paleontology
The museum stores a varietry of specimens such as gilsonite, oil shale, and other rocks and minerals from a range of geological layers. Also in the museum are many fossils and even some dinosaur bones.
Flora and Fauna
While traveling through the area in a car, the landscape may appear dull. STOP! Get out, walk around, you will find treasures galore in the form of fossils, beautiful and strange plants, insects, reptiles, animals, and so much more.
Pioneers and Ranching
The first white settlers arrived in the area in the 1880's. Photos, tools, and clothing are some of the many objects displayed that made up a pioneer's household.
Energy Industries
The museum has a good collection of photographs covering the history of the important Rangely oil field. On the grounds are also old drilling rigs and other artifacts from both the coal and oil industries.