Organized by Trinidad Railroad Museum
Create an Exhibit for 150 Years of Trinidad Railroad History
Trinidad Railroad Museum opened its doors in March, 2025. Planning has started for our new feature exhibit covering 150 years of railroading history in Trinidad, CO. This exhibit will be part of Colorado's 250/150 celebration in 2026. The year 2026 marks the anniversaries of several important historical events related to the United States, Colorado, Trinidad, and the surrounding area.
- 1776 - The US was founded
- 1876 - Colorado achieved Statehood
- 1876 - Trinidad incorporated as a City
- 1876 - The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad founded the town of El Moro, marking the entrance of the railroad to the Trinidad area
In the late 19th and early 20th century railroads were the largest, most powerful companies in the country. Their decisions and actions shaped life for virtually everyone living in the United States. This exhibit will help connect the larger story of railroads in America to the local history of Trinidad, CO.
Our 150 Years exhibit will cover all major historic railroad events and subjects related to the Trinidad area such as:
- Transition from trails and stage roads to railroads
- The introduction, expansion, consolidation and decline of railroad activity over 150 years
- Competition between major railroads
- Surveying and grading work
- Completion and abandonments of track sections
- Construction and demolition of railroad stations and other buildings
- Industries and businesses served by the railroad
- Discovery of coal and expansion of coal camps
- National and international significance of the Trinidad coal fields
- History of municipal and interurban electric trolleys in the area
- Local railroad connections to historical events and people
- National and local business people involved in building and operating railroad in the area
- Local railroad workers, their families, and their stories
- Local social and economic changes brought about by the railroad industry
- Future plans and possibilities for railroading in the Trinidad area
We want to develop a comprehensive exhibition that explains all the major historic events, covers the important subjects, and also captures life in Trinidad as related to railroading.
We need your help to make it as great as we want it to be!
We have talented researchers, writers and designers that will be volunteering significant time to this project. However, we will still need to raise funds for all the costs that go into creating a museum exhibition.
We need help from specialists and experts in research and exhibit development. There are costs for materials, supplies, licensing, printing and more.
Your donation will be used for the preparation and construction of our new exhibition: 150 Years of Trinidad Railroading History. It will be used to help us design and build interactive elements. It will be used to help us research and find new photos in historic collections that can be digitized and licensed for use in our exhibit. It will help us be able to create materials that supplement the exhibit, like program guides, video shorts, and online exhibits.
With your help we can create a great exhibit we can all be proud of!
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