Big Timbers Museum gathers the Prowers County story

A mile north of Lamar on US 50, the Big Timbers Museum gathers the threads of Prowers County history under one roof. The Prowers County Historical Society runs it, and the name comes from the big stands of cottonwoods that once lined the Arkansas River here.

Inside, the collection moves through a lot of plains history. There are artifacts from the area’s early Native inhabitants, from the Santa Fe Trail crossing days, and from the Dust Bowl years that hit this corner of Colorado hard. The museum also keeps a collection of original World War I posters, framed and still bright with their early-20th-century color and patriotic art. Local stories show up too, including artifacts from the 1928 Fleagle Gang bank robbery in Lamar.

If you have been reading about the Amache site near Granada, a short drive east, this is a good place to round out the broader picture of the county before or after that visit.

It is an easy, inexpensive indoor stop: admission runs $3 per person, $5 for a family, and students are free. Hours change with the season, so it is worth checking before you go. For current hours, admission, and what is on display, see the museum’s official site at bigtimbersmuseum.org.