Alfred Packer and the Western Investigations Team: Stop 12 Museum of the West Virtual Tour. Watch this short video to learn about a Museum of the West exhibit or collection to preview your field trip or for a virtual field trip if you are unable to attend in person. The Museum of the West is part of the Museums of Westen Colorado. Was Alferd Packer a murderer? David Bailey describes how he and the Western Investigations Team solved this historic mystery.

Documentary covering history of ancient peoples living in the Grand Valley of Western Colorado. Includes information on the earliest inhabitants since at least 13,000 years ago compared to the first non-native homesteaders in 1881. Paleo Indian peoples from the ice age were originally hunter gatherers. Later peoples in the Archaic period developed farming techniques to cultivate the "Three Sisters:" corn, beans and squash. The Formative Period saw Ancestral Puebloans build cliff dwellings and adobe structures with pit houses and kivas in the Mesa Verde and Chaco Canyon regions. The dcoumentary discusses rock art, tools, religion and culture of these Native Americans and their relation to current tribal people.

Archeology: Stop 13 Museum of the West Virtual Tour. Watch this short video to learn about a Museum of the West exhibit or collection to preview your field trip or for a virtual field trip if you are unable to attend in person. The Museum of the West is part of the Museums of Westen Colorado. Join archaeologist, Phil Born, as he explains what an archaeologist does and shows us the BLM archaeology collections at Museum of the West

Mountain Men Social Studies Lesson 1 Are You on The Right Tracks? is designed to be used with Mountain Man Artifact Kit. Lessons 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 can be completed without the artifacts from the kit. These kits are available through Musuems of Western Colorado to D51 Teachers. This lesson can be adapted to use without the kit. Students will be able to: • identify animals based on their tracks • explain why animals have differently shaped feet • infer why the shape of their feet is important for an animal’s survival.

Clues from the Landscape Social Studies Lesson 1 Becoming a Homesteader is designed to be used with Clues from the Landscape Artifact Kit. Lessons 1, 2 and 4 can be completed without the artifacts from the kit. These kits are available through Musuems of Western Colorado to D51 Teachers. This lesson can be adapted to use without the kit. Students will be able to: • Describe the requirements for homesteaders under the Homestead Act of 1862 • Discuss the hardships faced by homesteaders • Defend their decision whether or not they would choose to become homesteaders.

Museum to the West is a part of the Museums of Western Colorado. Curator of History David Bailey tells us about the Buffalo Bill show coming to Grand Junction. Hear a story about two little boys who may have misspent their money, but still managed to see the big show!

The Colorado Schoolhouse: Stop 7 Museum of the West Virtual Tour. Watch this short video to learn about a Museum of the West exhibit or collection to preview your field trip or for a virtual field trip if you are unable to attend in person. The Museum of the West is part of the Museums of Westen Colorado. What was school like in the early days of Grand Junction? David Bailey tells us what teachers and students did at school.

Short history of Cross Orchards Museum formerly known as Red Cross Land and Fruit Company. (See bottom of page for history).

Elementary students design their own pottery based on a Native American design seen at the Museum of the West

Clues from the Landscape Social Studies Lesson 2 Discovering Public Lands as Living Museums is designed to be used with Clues from the Landscape Artifact Kit. Lessons 1, 2 and 4 can be completed without the artifacts from the kit. These kits are available through Musuems of Western Colorado to D51 Teachers. This lesson can be adapted to use without the kit. Students will be able to: • Conduct analysis of different types of maps • Discuss the difficulties faced by homesteaders moving across the state • Describe how homesteaders modified the land around them • Explain why it is important to preserve historic sites • Find information from primary sources including documents, and newspaper articles about life as a homesteader

The Fremont Culture: Stop 3 Museum of the West Virtual Tour. Watch this short video to learn about a Museum of the West exhibit or collection to preview your field trip or for a virtual field trip if you are unable to attend in person. The Museum of the West is part of the Museums of Westen Colorado. The Fremont lived in Colorado Plateau from 500-1300 CE. They left behind artifacts and rock art, but not much is known about what happened to them. David Bailey explains what we do know about the Fremont culture.

Short history of the town of Fruita in Grand Valley. See www.fruita.org for more information.

Former Museums of Western Colorado: Dinosaur Journey Intern/Volunteer and recent Colorado Mesa University graduate, Tabitha McFarland talks about her "accidental" path to paleontology as well as her research on living animals like pikas.

Short history of Grand Junction in Grand Valley and historical timeline for Grand Junction with photos and diagrams.

Clues from the Landscape Social Studies Teacher Background Information designed to be used with Clues from the Landscape Artifact Kit. Lessons 1, 2 and 4 can be completed without the artifacts from the kit. These kits are available through Musuems of Western Colorado to D51 Teachers. This teacher background can be used without the kit. Provides teacher background on: What is a frontier, What drew people to the Grand Valley, What was life like for the first non-Native settlers to the Grand Valley.

Short geologic history of the Grand Valley with text, photos, timelines and diagrams.

Short history of towns and locations in the Grand Valley. Links to more detailed information.

Zebulon Miracle from Museums of Western Colorado discusses rock art interpretation efforts over centuries and examines how researchers have approached studying rock art over time.