Base Camp to History

The City of Gunnison is the Base Camp to the Rocky Mountains.  In the surrounding Rocky Mountains are not only a plethora of outdoor recreation opportunities and stunning scenic vistas, but a treasure trove of history just waiting to be discovered! 
Start your day in Base Camp Gunnison by fueling up on a hearty and delicious breakfast at one of the local restaurants.  Then grab a latte, mocha, espresso or a plain cup of "joe" at one of the locally-owned coffee shops and start your discovery in Gunnison with a walking or biking tour of the historic buildings.  Get a brochure of these eclectic and fascinating old buildings at www.cityofgunnison-co.gov/Community%20Development/programs/historic_walking_tour_brochure.pdf  

Downtown Gunnison in the 1880's


Now that you've wetted your appetite for the Valley's history, visit the Gunnison Pioneer Museum, located on East Tomichi (US Hwy 50) across from McDonalds, for an in-depth look at local history.  There's information on when Gunnison was the Base Camp for archaic hunter-gathers who stayed in the Valley thousands of years ago.  Archaeological evidence of their presence is found just south of the city up on W-Mountain.  Continue forward in history at the Museum and learn about when Gunnison was the Base Camp for Ute Indian hunting parties, and then for the hardy early ranchers.  Gunnison's Base Camp role really kicked into high gear when it served as the supply center for the mining camps located in the Elk Mountains to the north and then the San Juan Mountains to the south.  The railroads rushed to serve the growing towns. You can even ring the bell on one of the early narrow-gauge locomotives at the museum.
In later years, Gunnison was the Base Camp for the Valley's ranching community, for summertime fishermen who came to the "Land of the Rainbow" to pursue the wiley rainbow trout, for the construction workers on the Wayne Aspinall Unit dams located west of Gunnison on the river, and consistently since 1912, the Base Canp for the college students at Western State College of Colorado.
After your museum visit, purchase a picnic lunch, fill up the gas tank in town, and head into the hills to visit some of the historic mining towns, millsites and even the awe-inspiring Alpine Railroad Tunnel, www.narrowgauge.org/alpine-tunnel/html/index.html  located in the area.  Some sites are populated towns and some are  now "ghost towns".  A brochure showing historic circle tours of the area can be obtained at the Gunnison Chamber of Commerce located in Legion Park across the highway from the Pioneer Museum.  For more info go to www.gunnison-co.com/index.php?pid=historicsites  
Remember to respect private property, take lots of pictures and leave only light footprints at these historic sites. 
Enjoy your day seeing and learning about the history of the area and Gunnison's long-time role as historic Base Camp to the Rocky Mountains.