Montrose through time

Museums & History

Firsthand visits to local museums and source-led stories about the people, places, transportation, and water that shaped Montrose and the Uncompahgre Valley.

A restored Old West saloon with a long wooden bar and period furnishings — The restored saloon inside the Museum of the Mountain West.

Featured museum

Inside the Museum of the Mountain West

A firsthand family visit through furnished storefronts, relocated buildings, and the details that make this six-acre museum feel like an Old West town.

Family visit · About 2 hours

Explore the museum

A panoramic view looking down Main Street in Montrose, Colorado, in 1908 — Main Street in 1908. J. Luchsinger, Library of Congress, LC-DIG-ds-02341. No known restrictions on publication.

Featured history

How Montrose Got Its Start

A concise look at the townsite, the railroad, the people behind the new community, the origin of the Montrose name, and the irrigation project that changed the valley.

1881–1909 · 8 minute read

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