The Kit Carson Museum, in Kit Carson, Colorado, is one of those museums that you've blown by so many times before in the car, but always thought it'd be nice to stop just to see something most people don't.

Well, on my way to the Sand Creek Massacre site yesterday, I stopped with Bob Pearce to check it out, and I'm glad we did. It was a worthwhile little stop that was quite interesting and well worth the price of admission...which was by donation only.

It may initially be assumed that the Kit Carson Museum is about the man, Kit Carson, but in truth it really isn't. There are plenty of pictures of him there, but the place is more about the history of the town that bears his name, even though it's highly likely that he was never in that part of Colorado.

The trapper and scout traveled through many parts of Colorado, New Mexico, California and the like, but the museum caretaker gave it a 50/50 chance of him actually ever having been in the area where the town was founded two years after his death.

Truthfully though, despite his autobiography, there's no way of knowing for sure.

The museum gives a good display of the town's history as well as that of southeast Colorado. There are displays from both world wars as well as that of life on the prairie during the frontier times. Even a Japanese Peso (yes, a Japanese Peso), found it's way into the display cases.
The museum is housed in an old Union Pacific railroad depot building, which was actually moved, along with the lightman's family home, two blocks north from it's original position to avoid demolition.

Also located at the museum is an old railroad caboose, which is fitting since the museum is in a train depot, and a lot across the street with, among other things, the Aroya Lighthouse. Also known as the Lighthouse of the Plains, it was made from scrap metal by a submarine welder, and a late area resident, from World War II. And, in truth, the interesting piece of art that is the lighthouse, doesn't actually even have a light.

The caboose is also open to the public, but is little more than a hollow metal train car. It's worth taking the twenty seconds to see the inside of it, but any more time than that and you'd be missing out on the main part of the museum - the depot. It's too bad though too, since with a little extra money, I'm sure the car could be spruced up a bit inside to make it an excellent compliment to the museum.

The Kit Carson Museum, although small and not really about the man it's named after, is a great spot to stop and stretch the legs on a long roadtrip. It contains an interesting chronology and has a very friendly staff that is more than willing to answer any questions. It's a fun little stop that I highly recommend.