Tread of Pioneers Museum
Tread of Pioneers Museum
Tread of Pioneers Museum
4.5
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Official site of the Tread of Pioneers Museum! The Tread of Pioneers Museum features a 1908 Queen Anne-style Victorian home with turn-of-the-century furnishings. On display are various ranching, mining and pioneer life artifacts from Routt County, a comprehensive History of Skiing exhibit, as well as a Native American arts display. Our Western room, home of an extensive firearms collection, traces our agricultural history and the story of an infamous outlaw, Harry Tracy. Special museum features are a computer interactive exhibit, Kids Scavenger Hunt, oral history library, local history research library, unique museum gift shop, and a historic photograph collection.Location: Corner of 8th and Oak in downtown Steamboat Springs.Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.Admission: $6 for adults; $5 for seniors over 62; $2 children for children ages 6 - 12; children under 6 years are free. Routt County residents are free with I.D.
Duration: < 1 hour
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- bc511Los Angeles, California24 contributionsExceptional local history displaysExhibits highlight the fascinating roles of a Norseman and ranchers behind Olympic skiing history. Memorable vintage photo exhibit of local Native Americans. Interesting Victorian furnishings. Went to pass an hour of time. Two hours later, didn’t expect to enjoy it so much.Visited September 2023Traveled as a coupleWritten September 27, 2023
- heidibakercoDenver, Colorado20 contributionsSurprisingly Good!!We stopped here on a whim on our last day and thoroughly enjoyed it. We were surprised by how interesting and informative the exhibits are. My husband's favorite was the Steamboat ski history. They had an amazing amount of historical information and artifacts. My favorite was the house with the original furniture and artifacts from the families that originally settled Steamboat.Visited July 2024Traveled as a coupleWritten July 16, 2024
- COGuest634 contributionsBest way to start your visit to SteamboatTook a free walking tour, which is a great way to get to know Steamboat. Learned a lot. Should have done it last year!! (Tour is history-packed and adult -oriented, little kids will be bored) Then toured the museum. Staff is very knowledgeable and friendly. Museum really educated me as to the history of the area, great artifacts and a wonderful exhibit of photos, too. So glad I went.Visited September 2024Traveled with friendsWritten September 5, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
174 reviews
Excellent
118
Very good
44
Average
8
Poor
3
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1
COGuest
Colorado634 contributions
Sep 2024 • Friends
Took a free walking tour, which is a great way to get to know Steamboat. Learned a lot. Should have done it last year!! (Tour is history-packed and adult -oriented, little kids will be bored) Then toured the museum. Staff is very knowledgeable and friendly. Museum really educated me as to the history of the area, great artifacts and a wonderful exhibit of photos, too. So glad I went.
Written September 5, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gail F
Elmwood Park, IL3 contributions
Sep 2020 • Couples
Visited today. Staff was very friendly and helpful - first day of opening since coronavirus shutdown. Impressive displays of town history both historical and natural, providing information about the Ute Indians, the hot springs as well as ranching, mining and skiing. Definitely worth a visit!
Written September 4, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for your five star review! We are so glad you enjoyed your visit and hope you will return soon!
Written March 5, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Karena H
11 contributions
Jun 2021
I've only been here once, but looking forward to going again! There appears to be a featured exhibit that changes, along with the fascinating history of the Yampa Valley and Steamboat Springs. Another part of the museum is an actual house, furnished with antiques and artifacts as it would have been back when the area was settled by those pioneers. A great balance of things to look at and things to read about!
Written January 18, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
bc511
Los Angeles, CA24 contributions
Sep 2023 • Couples
Exhibits highlight the fascinating roles of a Norseman and ranchers behind Olympic skiing history. Memorable vintage photo exhibit of local Native Americans. Interesting Victorian furnishings. Went to pass an hour of time. Two hours later, didn’t expect to enjoy it so much.
Written September 28, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mrduffy
California Hot Springs, CA45 contributions
Feb 2015 • Family
You can see everything and read all the placards in a short span. My kind of museum. ;-) The old furniture and tools are really interesting--like an old bear trap, and a couple of neat antique pianos--and so is the ski stuff they have. Our favorite was the old chair lift. It's an appealing mix of Colorado rancher/military/pioneer/ski history.
Written February 13, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your four star review! We are so happy you enjoyed your visit! Come again soon as we have new exhibits, programs and events added regularly.
Written June 23, 2017
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
llhmel
Centreville, VA63 contributions
Nov 2019 • Couples
We stopped by the museum with my elderly folks. We all really enjoyed the museum. It’s not expensive, we took advantage of the Senior & Veterans discount. It’s very nicely designed, informative & interactive. We spent about an hour, taking our time. The staff was very friendly & helpful. Nice bit of history & was great to see Ski & Indian influences as it relates to Steamboat Springs.
Written November 14, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your four star review! We are so glad that you enjoyed your visit. We hope you will return to see changing exhibits, or attend and tour, program or event!
Written November 15, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Thomas C L
Tulum7 contributions
Sep 2015 • Family
The walking tour of Steamboat was very informative. The guide, Marieanne Capra, gave our group great insight into pioneer life in Steamboat.
Written September 5, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your five star review! We are so happy you enjoyed your visit! Come again soon as we have new exhibits, programs and events added regularly.
Marianne will be again leading the Olympic Heritage and Downtown Historical Walking Tours this summer.
Written June 23, 2017
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
AsianAmericanWoman
Los Angeles, CA26 contributions
Mar 2012 • Couples
The museums covers a lot of themes. I especially love the history of the types of skis used and the ski samples they have. Its a great place to absorb some history of Steamboat Springs and appreciate what many have contributed to this town. For a rest day from skiing, this is the place to be.
Written April 6, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Runningonadream
Colorado Springs, CO196 contributions
Oct 2020 • Couples
This is a very nice museum that does a nice job of highlighting the settling of the Yampa Valley and the town of Steamboat Springs, plus the great winter sports athletes that have lived and trained here. But....
There is one easel of information about the small native American tribe that used the valley before whites arrived, along with a map that shows the three current Ute reservations. No info about when/how/why they were moved, how many were killed along the way, or whether and of their descendents survive today.
They briefly highlight trapper-turned-explorer Kit Carson, but fail to point out that he stopped trapping because they had totally decimated the beaver population (which has destroyed the riparian ecosystems of the American West almost as much as herding/ranching) not his later role in the genocide of Native Americans in New Mexico and Arizona.
The brief mention of the battles between sheepherders and cattle ranchers leading the the Taylor Grazing Act is almost comical. The ranchers destroyed tens of thousands of sheep, as well as killing numerous shepherds. Then used their money and political clout to enable more and more subsidized grazing rights on federal land. I know this area is proud of its ranching history and current ranchers, but lets not let a history museum gloss over the anti-immigrant (Greeks and Basques) feelings back then, nor the roots of today's welfare ranching policies.
There is a beautiful Edward Curtis photograph upstairs, with a brief write-up of his decades-long effort to document the vanishing tribes. But no information about the photo; I don't recall a date nor any info on the small tribe the subject was from.
I realize that every town wants to put themselves in a positive light. But it I can spot these glaring issues, imagine what a trained historian could add. You can't learn from history if you don't actually learn all the history.
There is one easel of information about the small native American tribe that used the valley before whites arrived, along with a map that shows the three current Ute reservations. No info about when/how/why they were moved, how many were killed along the way, or whether and of their descendents survive today.
They briefly highlight trapper-turned-explorer Kit Carson, but fail to point out that he stopped trapping because they had totally decimated the beaver population (which has destroyed the riparian ecosystems of the American West almost as much as herding/ranching) not his later role in the genocide of Native Americans in New Mexico and Arizona.
The brief mention of the battles between sheepherders and cattle ranchers leading the the Taylor Grazing Act is almost comical. The ranchers destroyed tens of thousands of sheep, as well as killing numerous shepherds. Then used their money and political clout to enable more and more subsidized grazing rights on federal land. I know this area is proud of its ranching history and current ranchers, but lets not let a history museum gloss over the anti-immigrant (Greeks and Basques) feelings back then, nor the roots of today's welfare ranching policies.
There is a beautiful Edward Curtis photograph upstairs, with a brief write-up of his decades-long effort to document the vanishing tribes. But no information about the photo; I don't recall a date nor any info on the small tribe the subject was from.
I realize that every town wants to put themselves in a positive light. But it I can spot these glaring issues, imagine what a trained historian could add. You can't learn from history if you don't actually learn all the history.
Written October 31, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for visiting and thank you for providing your opinions and feedback. We are glad you appreciated the many aspects of our museum, highlighting the history of our region and town. We would like to take a few moments to respond to your comments.
As we are trained historians, and consult with other trained historians and state resources, please be assured we are very careful and intentional when creating the exhibits. Since we have so many subjects to cover in our smaller size museum, we start with vast amounts of information, including much of the information you included above, but must hone it down to an overview of our history to fit our space, walls, space for artifacts and photos, and the amount of information an average person can take in when visiting. We typically list resources for more learning to learn more details and history, and do programming and events to support our exhibit subjects, so that people like yourself can learn more. We simply cannot include everything relevant on the museum walls or else they would be covered with text.
All of this said, to address your particular concerns: we have multiple Native American exhibits throughout the museum, and it seems you may have missed some. A primary source for Native American information is a computer interactive exhibit where we share extensive Ute history by the Ute people themselves, in their voice. This exhibit is closed currently due to COVID-19.
We do have labels on the Curtis prints, as they were being changed out during your visit. Kit Carson was just a part of the overview on Explorers in the area, and we chose not to go into great detail on wildlife impacts as that is a deep subject. The sheep and cattle wars are very important, and e are working on an extensive agricultural history exhibit that will address this subject as well. More agricultural history can also be found through programming and the interactive exhibit just around the corner from the section. Again, due to COVID-19, this touch screen exhibit is closed but goes in-depth into many of our primary themes and subjects using oral history, narratives, photos and videos. This is a perfect way for visitors with deep interests and knowledge like yours, to dive deeper into our history. We hope you will return to enjoy it.
Again, thank you for your feedback and interest. We hope this response is helpful for you and others.
Written March 5, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Johanna M
Kiawah Island44 contributions
Sep 2019
We had a very good tour guide who knew the area and history well. There is so much more to see and learn about Steamboat that goes beyond a fun and active ski town!
Written January 21, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for your five star review. We are thrilled that you enjoyed your summer walking tour. We offer weekly Downtown Historical Walking Tours as well as Olympic Heritage Tours at Howelsen Hill with six-time Olympian Todd Lodwick. The museum has ever changing exhibits and events, so we hope you will come back soon!
Written January 22, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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