We know that history is real. That it has the power to inform our lives, to make sense of the present and to help us make choices for the future. We know it is not the past that matters, but what people remember, how they use it, and what meaning they give it that makes the difference.
Our mission is to tell the story of the life and times of the Humphrey family and their home, the Kinnikinnick Ranch.
Our vision is to present living history experiences that engage, entertain and educate our visitors on the history and challenges our mountain founders faced through the story of the Humphrey family. The Museum interprets the family home, a National Register property in the Evergreen, Colorado on the Lariat Loop, from the 1920s through 1940s, when all three family members lived at Kinnikinnick Ranch.
The Museum began in 1995 through a bequest of Hazel Humphrey. The bequest specified that the property would be used "to preserve the history of the Humphrey family and the natural aspects of the grounds to provide an area for the use and pleasure of the public." In early 2011, the Museum conducted a retreat to re-evaluate the community's needs and how the Museum was addressing that need. It resulted in a completely new Master and Operating Plan.
The Museum now presents living history experiences and educational programming that focuses on the life ways of the 1920s through the 1940s. The new programming is an important part of the interpretation of the living history of the Kinnikinnick Ranch since the Humphreys -- like many of Evergreen's early inhabitants -- raised goats and chickens on the site during the 1920s -40s, made their own bread, cheese, beauty products, cleaning products, etc.
