Ouray County Historical Museum
The Museum is housed in the original St. Joseph's Miners' Hospital that was built in 1886 and finished in 1887. In its early days it was operated by the Sisters of Mercy, all of whom came to Ouray from Durango, Colorado and Omaha, Nebraska.
It was a hospital until 1964. In 1971 the Ouray County Historical Society began exhibiting in the building. In 1976 the historical society purchased the building for a museum. There are three floors containing 38 exhibits in twenty-seven rooms. Smaller displays are located in hall cases, alcoves and the original hospital dumb waiters.
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Monday - Saturday
10:00 am - 4:30 pm
Sunday
12:00 pm - 4:30 pm
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$10.00 - Adults
$5.00 - Youth (6-15)
Free - 6 and under
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420 6th Avenue
Ouray, Colorado
81427
Ouray Alchemist Museum
Prepare to be wowed and possibly shocked on your visit to Ouray Alchemy, Colorado’s largest pharmacy museum. From exceptionally restored fixtures gathered from historic Colorado mining towns, to artifacts dating back to the 16th Century and even 350 BC, the collection of items assembled in this amazing museum is astounding.
Whether your interest is the science of alchemy or the history of sometimes shocking and obscure practices of medicine in our history, you are sure to be captured and intrigued by the one-of-a-kind tour offered at Ouray Alchemy.
All tours are guided, and generally by the museum’s own owner, curator and apothecary, Curtis Haggar on a daily basis at 10:00am and 1:00pm. If this does not work for you, you can request a specific day and time by calling 970 325-4003. Dr. Curtis is both knowledgeable and passionate about sharing his collection. Plan for at least an hour and maybe two to enjoy this tour. You don’t need a prescription to take it but you’ll be amazed at what you see and learn. And it might be just what the doctor ordered.
Events and special tours
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Evenings in History
Join the Ouray County Historical Museum for great fun and education on Ouray centric history. Currently, there are eight in-person Evenings of History Programs at the Wright Opera House Summer 2022 on every Tuesday at 7:30 PM between June 21 and August 9th.
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Cedar Hill Cemetery Tour
June 17, 2022 & July 22, 2022
9:00 am
Cost: $10 (please bring exact cash to the tour)
Please also call the OCHS Museum to reserve a spot
970-325-4576
Alice Leeper will lead a guided tour of the Cedar Hill Cemetery featuring the history and noting those interred.
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Jeeping Red Mountain's History
Join Don Paulson, OCHS Curator, as he takes a group in jeeps on a tour of historical mining sites in the Red Mountains. The tour will begin at the Ouray County Museum (420 6th Avenue) at 9:00 a.m. and return to the museum by 3:00 p.m. Be sure to pack a lunch, charge your camera battery and get ready to see and learn history about some pretty special mining sites in the San Juan Mountains!