On our way back from the Black Canyon we noticed this amazing museum. Good thing we stopped and payed it a visit. It is simply overwhelming what an amount of things and buildings the founder Richard collected over the years. Well preserved and presented. It really showes the every day life of former Wild West. Plan at least 2 hours, since there are so many details to look at.

We just happened to stop by after driving by a few times. So glad we did. A very warm welcome, a very interesting group of historical western buildings. Real history and movie history both represented. Then a museum of western and local artifacts. I would highly recommend stopping in. The owners, their dog Cash and counter staff were very friendly too.

This museum is awesome. It has about 12 authentic houses/building that you can peak into and imagine life in the mid1800s to early 1940s? I loved the Montgomery Wards House - if you live in CA, you see the bones of some of the older homes in the area. If you are a fan of Laura Ingalls/Little House books, this place makes the stories come alive - the log cabin that Pa build, when you see them up close - you know know why they had to fill inbetween the logs with mud. Or the schoolhouse, with the inner room and outer room. We did a rafting trip in Gunnison in the morning, and I had to drive an hour extra to get to this museum. We only had a half an hour, but the museum curator was so nice and friendly. She made us feel like VIPs as she highlighted the must-sees and even gave us extra time to see the indoor exhibits. My teen daughter enjoyed this visit as well. Hint: don't get scared when you see the dummies of people in some of the houses. We thought they were real at first and screamed when we first saw them. It made my daughter so paranoid that when talking to a live woman sitting in the museum shop, she asked "is she real?" haha.

We stopped at the museum on a whim. We were very pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable the museum was. There are interesting buildings to look in. The main building has storefronts built inside and all the stores have old items on display. The staff were very friendly and knowledgeable. We didn’t have time for the tour. We did it on our own using the brochure.

Must-see in Montrose! This museum has a warm & friendly staff, who are very knowledgeable and happy to share information & history regarding the artifacts and time period. The museum is extremely well put together & really feels like you’re back in time. Highly recommend checking it out!