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County Museum accepted into special program

Photo #1 - Two of the more than 75,000 photographs and negatives from the New Studio Collection, now possessed by the Sweetwater County Historical Museum in Green River.  At left is South Main Street in Rock Springs in 1950; at right, the Oxford Club in Green River, 1937.

(Sweetwater County, Wyo. - October 20, 2022)     The Sweetwater County Historical Museum has been accepted into the Collections Assessment for Preservation (CAP) program, Museum Executive Director David Mead announced today.

Mead credited the work of Curator Amanda Benson with the museum’s acceptance into the program, which will allocate a total of $7600 to hire a professional collections assessor and a building assessor in order to complete a general conservation assessment.

The CAP program, an arm of the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation, a non-profit based in Washington DC, provides small and mid-sized museums with partial funding for general conservation assessments, which are studies of all the institution’s collections and buildings and procedures relating to care of collections.

Benson said “It’s exciting to be part of this program.”  She went on to explain that the assessments will provide other important benefits. “With these assessments on record, we will be able to apply for competitive federal grants to tackle some of our larger projects, such as processing and digitizing the entirety of the New Studio photo collection.”

In 2015, through grant funding and donations the Museum obtained the New Studio Collection, a priceless compendium of over 75,000 photographs and negatives that provides images of Sweetwater County, its history, and its people extending back many generations.

The museum building was originally Green River’s U.S. Post Office, built in 1931. Mead said that proper structural assessments are key to conservation of any building over 90 years old; further that sound assessments are vital to preserving a museum’s collection. “We are grateful to the CAP program,” he said. “The allocation is most welcome and will be put to good use.”

Museum Board

PUBLIC NOTICE

To Whom It May Concern,

The Sweetwater County Historical Museum Board has rescheduled their monthly meeting from March 19, 2025, to meet instead on March 12, 2025. The meeting will be held at 5:30 PM both in-person at the museum and virtually on Zoom. The meeting is open to the public. Please call 307-872-6435 for more information.

The Sweetwater County Historical Museum Board of Directors typically meets the 3rd Wednesday of every month at 5:30 PM.

County Museum announces its expanded John Wesley Powell exhibit, plus a special, Powell-themed coloring contest

(Sweetwater County, Wyo. - May 7, 2021)     In the spring of 1869, John Wesley Powell launched his first epic expedition to explore the Green River, Colorado River, and the Grand Canyon from what was then called Green River City, leading a team of nine men in four boats.

May 22nd marks the 150th (sesquicentennial) anniversary of Powell’s second, 1871, expedition launch, also from Green River, and the Sweetwater County Historical Museum is sponsoring an expanded John Wesley Powell exhibit and coloring contest for children.

The expanded exhibit features over 20 photographs from the 1871 expedition, particularly prized by historians as no cameras were taken along on the first, 1869, exploration.

The image children will color for the contest is that of the one-armed Powell himself. It can be downloaded and printed out from the museum’s website at this link, and is also available for pickup at the museum. There will be three age categories:  5 and under, 6-7, and 8-10, with one entry per child. Winners will receive items from the museum’s bookstore and gift shop or gift cards. The deadline for submitting entries is May 22, with the winners being announced shortly thereafter.

The Sweetwater County Historical Museum is located at 3 E. Flaming Gorge Way in Green River. Museum hours are 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Tuesday through Saturday, and admission is free.

County Museum announces its expanded John Wesley Powell exhibit, plus a special, Powell-themed coloring contest

Download coloring sheet here