Kids' Page
Become a Junior Curator
Print out the Junior Curator Worksheet for your age group and then visit the
Animas Museum to discover the answers.
For Level 1 (6 - 8 Year Old) Junior Curators
For Level 2 (9 - 11 Year Old) Junior Curators
For Level 3 (12 - 15 Year Old) Junior Curators
1908 Classroom Experience
The La Plata County Historical Society is pleased to invite your class or group
to visit the Animas Museum and participate in our 1908 Classroom Experience, developed
for local fourth and fifth grade children. This is an excellent opportunity to introduce
your students to life as it was a century ago.
Lead by our experienced docents, your students will step back in time as they walk through the door!
Your visit will begin in our restored classroom in the historic Animas City School built in 1905.
Local historian, author and Fort Lewis professor Duane Smith presents a slideshow to set the scene
in Durango and Animas City during the early 1900s. Students are transported through time for an
actual morning of lessons as they would have been taught in 1908.
Afterwards your students can participate in our Junior Curator Program as they explore exhibits in
the main museum building and the Joy Cabin. Built in Animas City during the 1870s the cabin is
the oldest surviving structure in Durango!
Please call Mary Jane Hood at 247-5348 for scheduling and more information.
Life in a Log Cabin
The La Plata County Historical Society is pleased to invite your class or group to visit the Animas
Museum and participate in our new Life in a Log Cabin program, developed for local third grade children.
This is an excellent opportunity to introduce your students to pioneer life in the 1870s.
Your visit will begin in the historic Joy Cabin located here at the museum. Built in Animas City
during the 1870s the cabin is the oldest surviving structure in Durango!
The program will focus on the daily life of pioneers who traveled by wagon to La Plata County.
After visiting the cabin your students can participate in our Junior Curator Program as they explore exhibits
in the main museum building. The museum is housed in the historic Animas City School built in 1905.
The Life in a Log Cabin program is offered in the spring and fall. Please call Mary Jane Hood at 247-5348 for
scheduling and more information.
The Animas Museum's "History Mystery" Trunk
Our trunk program is available to be checked out by teachers and group leaders who are looking for a
fun way to get kids interested in local history. Through hands-on activities, students investigate a
variety of real artifacts and form their own conclusions as to how the artifacts were used, by whom,
and their importance. Photos are included in each group of objects, to help students visualize the conditions in which the objects were used, and the people who used them. Through investigation, the students gain a better understanding of some of the important aspects of local history.
The trunk is also available for use at the museum.
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