Visit the Archive | Visit the Library
408 Mason Court
Fort Collins, CO 80524
Please Make an Appointment to visit Museum Collections
Jordan Dresser
(970) 416-2784
jdresser@fcmod.org
The museum is closed:
New Year's Day
Christmas Eve
Christmas Day
Fourth of July
Thanksgiving Day
The Fort Collins Museum of Discovery Artifact Collections hold approximately 38,000 objects, collected since the museum's original inception in 1941. The FCMoD Artifact Collections are both specific, in that they focus on the Fort Collins area and Cache La Poudre Valley; and broad, in that they consist of a wide variety of materials and types of objects --everything from massive seed sorting machines to delicate human hair jewelry, from stone tools dating back thousands of years to yard signs from the most recent local elections.
Most prominent among the Museum's Artifact Collections are the stone objects shaped by some of our area's earliest people, which include many hundreds of objects collected at our area's world famous Folsom-era Lindenmeier site, as well as earlier objects representing the Clovis cultural complex. These collections are utilized by archaeological researchers from throughout the world, and consulted by Native American groups and individuals with ties to our region.
Historians interested in life at Camp Collins find the diaries and log books maintained by individuals stationed there of special interest.
Researchers often consult the Museum's locally focused historic clothing and textile collections as well. Household and personal artifacts dating from the mid-19th century to the present make up the bulk of the Museum's Artifact Collections, and offer researchers intimate insights into the lives of local residents.
These materials are available to the public through museum exhibits, programming, and by appointment during the established hours of the Local History Archives research room. You can request to view specific objects from the collections by filling out a Request for Research Assistance or by making an appointment with the Curator of Collections.
Because many of the objects in the FCMoD Artifact Collections are stored off-site, we request that you contact us with your request three days in advance of your visit to ensure that we are able to have them available for you.
Access is free once you make arrangements to visit the Collections. Photography is allowed and photocopies of the artifact records can be made for a small fee.
We are eager to help you use the Museum Artifact Collections to explore our community's history!
Preserving the history of Fort Collins, Colorado & the Cache la Poudre region
