Rocky Ford Historical Museum

Curator - Rob Marshall
1005 Sycamore Ave, Rocky Ford, CO 81067
Phone: (719)254-6737
Email: rfmuseum@rockyford-co.gov

Explore the History of Rocky Ford

...and life in the Arkansas Valley at the Rocky Ford Historical Museum. Housed in a Carnegie Public Library built in 1908, and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The Museum takes a broad look at the area history from 1878 to date. The collection includes objects documenting the Arkansas Valley Fair, Watermelon Day, the sugar industry and the everyday life of the people of the Arkansas Valley. Exhibits also focus on the geology, anthropology, and archaeology of the region. Highlights include an early Watermelon Day porcelain set from the Swink family, animals molded from beeswax, woolly mammoth skull, early fire truck and firefighting equipment, and memorabilia from prominent local families.

The building has galvanized iron cornice and plaster wainscoting, the outside construction is mainly done in locally produced concrete blocks and brick, representing the initial appearance of Neo-Classical architecture in Rocky Ford. The 1908 building reflects the nationwide public library movement sponsored by steel manufacturer and philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie. The Rocky Ford Museum, first opened in 1941 and moved to its present location in 1976.

Summer Hours: Memorial Day to Labor Day

Tuesday - Friday: 1:00pm - 5:00pm
Saturday: 10:00am - 2:00pm

Winter Hours Labor Day to Memorial Day:

Wednesday and Friday: 1:00pm - 5:00pm

Planning Your Visit

Entrance to the museum is free - donations are encouraged!
Please enter at the stairs on the North side of the building.
There is an elevator on site - call for elevator access.

Visitor Services

Parking
Restrooms
Picnic Area
ADA Accessibility

Website Accessibility Statement

City of Rocky Ford is fully committed to providing accessible facilities, elements and channels of communication to all members of the public. As part of this commitment, City of Rocky Ford has a policy of providing an accessible website compatible with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1) and commercial screen reading software. All features of the website are coded to allow individuals with vision and other impairments to understand and use the website to the same degree as someone without disabilities. We welcome feedback and can often resolve issues in a timely manner if they arise.

If you need any special assistance or accommodations:

Call us at (719) 254-7414

Ongoing Compliance Information

Compliance Officer

City of Rocky Ford has designated a compliance officer for website disability-related accommodations. The compliance officer has received training in website accessibility and updates the site in accordance with those best practices. Contact our accessibility officer to report an issue.

Compliance Procedures and Reports

In addition to testing with users with a wide range of disabilities and coding our website to WCAG standards, City of Rocky Ford regularly scans its website to ensure ongoing compliance, and makes timely changes to any inaccessible changes, if any are found.

Linked Documents and Third Parties

Please note that this site may link out to third-party websites, such as state or federal agencies, that do not have accessible content. This site may also include documents provided by third parties included in our agenda packets, for example. While we cannot control the accessibility of content provided by third parties, we are happy to assist any member of the public with reading and accessing content on our site.

See an opportunity for us to improve? Please contact our accessibility officer or call us at (719) 254-7414.

Report a Website Accessibility Issue

We are committed to your ability to access all content, and we will respond to all requests as soon as possible.