County museum being improved, ready to reopen

ANTONITO — Conejos County and the Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area (SdCNHA) are hard at work on the county museum.
SdCNHA Director Tori Martinez met with the county commissioners recently and learned that the county needs to be certified to receive official grants.
Current efforts are to assess items now in the museum and determine their protection from the elements as they are curated.
A teacher workshop has been held to assist in teaching culture and heritage as part of a history project.
The museum is located on the south end of the town of Antonito, home to the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad and the historic Rio Grande Railroad depot as well as historic buildings such as the Warshauer Mansion, La Sociedad Proteccion Mutua de Trabajadores Unidos Concilio Superior Numero Uno and the Palace Hotel all on Colorado and National Historic Registry. 
Just north of Antonito is the town of Conejos where the state’s oldest parish holds services at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church.  Conejos was also the hometown of Colorado’s first Lieutenant Governor, Lafayette Head.
Museum displays include a printing press used to produce the town’s first newspaper, as well as taxidermy animals representing the fauna of the nearby mountains.