Black American West Museum and Heritage Center, Heritage museum in Five Points, Denver, United States.
The Black American West Museum and Heritage Center is a history museum in Denver focused on often-overlooked stories of Black people in the American West. The collections include photographs, documents, and objects showing how these people worked as cowboys, miners, physicians, and settlers who built the West.
The museum was founded in 1971 after collector Paul Stewart discovered the long-forgotten stories of Black cowboys and settlers in the West. Its creation helped restore these missing chapters of American Western history to public view.
The exhibits show how Black cowboys, miners, and settlers shaped the West and continue to matter in local history today. Walking through the galleries helps visitors understand the roles these communities played in building the region.
The museum sits in an older residential neighborhood and is accessible by foot or car, with parking available nearby. Visitors should expect an intimate collection and allow time to explore the exhibits at a relaxed pace.
The building was once the private practice of physician Justina Ford, who treated patients there from 1911 to 1952. She was Denver's first licensed Black physician, and her workspace now holds the stories of this medical pioneer.
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