Space still available for SLV Day at museum

PUEBLO – Space is still available for those wishing a free ride to San Luis Valley Day featuring special programs in connection with the new Borderlands of Southern Colorado this Sunday, June 24, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at El Pueblo History Museum.

Call soon, as space is filling up quickly. As of Tuesday afternoon, there were 10-12 tickets still available on the 52-seat passenger bus.

San Luis Valley Day is free and open to the public, and current and former residents of the Valley and their descendants are specially invited.

Free transportation from Alamosa and Fort Garland is available and seats may be reserved by calling Fort Garland Museum at 719-379-3512. Because seating is limited, RSVPs are required.

The bus will depart Alamosa (Adams State University) at 8 a.m. and Fort Garland Museum at 8:45 a.m. and arrive at the El Pueblo History Museum at 10:15 a.m. The bus will depart the museum at 3 p.m., arrive at Fort Garland at 4:30 p.m. and Alamosa at 5 p.m.

Individuals and groups may also travel on their own to Pueblo. Whether traveling with the group or on their own, Valley residents and former Valley residents get in free on Sunday.

The day will feature lectures, an insider tour of Borderlands exhibit and entertainment.

The much-anticipated Borderlands of Southern Colorado exhibit opened at El Pueblo History Museum on May 4, expanding the knowledge and definition of “borderlands” – historical, political, cultural, sociological, environmental and theoretical – and honoring the many cultures that make up Colorado’s identity and that influence U.S. history. The exhibit includes a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the original Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, the historic document that ended the Mexican-American War, now on loan from the National Archives Museum in Washington, D.C., through July 4. 

This is the first time the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo has ever been on exhibit in Colorado.

Visitors to San Luis Valley Day at El Pueblo History Museum will get an insider’s view of the exhibit on a tour guided by exhibit adviser and Adams State University professor Nick Saenz at 10:30 a.m. At 11:15 a.m., Dennis Lopez will share his research on the history of the various place names of the San Luis Valley.

“Los Cancioneros del Valle, an award-winning San Luis Valley-based musical trio, will provide music during lunch at 12:30 p.m. Lunch is included as part of this special day.

At 1:30 p.m., guests can hear the Land Rights Struggle in the SLV: From Treaty to Modern Day, a presentation from Shirley Romero Otero on the 16th anniversary of the Lobato v. Taylor Colorado Supreme Court decision on the struggle for land rights.

In addition to activities for adults, the museum has many activities for children from hands-on wool spinning to adobe making, so bring the whole family for this fun day at the museum.

The Borderlands of Southern Colorado exhibit is supported by the Southeast and San Luis Valley Regional Partnership Councils of El Pomar Foundation. Funding from the two councils supported the costs for security, temperature and humidity control and other technical requirements necessary to host the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.

San Luis Valley Day is further supported by the San Luis Valley Regional Partnership Council, including the transportation from the Valley.

El Pueblo History Museum, located at 301 N. Union Avenue in historic downtown Pueblo, marks the site of the international border between Mexico and the United States prior the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. It is open daily, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Regular admission to the museum is $5 for adults; and $4 for students, seniors (65+) and children (up to 18); and free for children under 6. Borderlands of Southern Colorado is included with museum admission.

However, admission is free this Sunday for the San Luis Valley Day.

El Pueblo History Museum showcases the city’s history and the region’s many cultural and ethnic groups. The property includes a re-created 1840s adobe trading post and plaza, and the archeological excavation site of the original 1842 El Pueblo trading post. El Pueblo History Museum is a Community Museum of History Colorado. For more information, visit www.ElPuebloHistoryMuseum.org.