 The Humphrey Museum and ranch was started by J.J. Clarke in the 1870s as a cattle ranch. Mr. Clarke built a small log cabin where he lived during the summers. After Mr. Clarke's death, the family sold more than 350 acres to the Humphreys in the 1920s. For the remainder of the 20th Century, the Humphreys lived and ranched the beautiful Evergreen land, adding on to the original log cabin and raising horses, burros, goats and other small animals. Today the ranch buildings, the house museum, the gift shop, and the remaining 43 acres comprise the Humphrey Memorial Park and Museum.
Hazel Lou Humphrey, the only daughter of Hazel and Lee Humphrey, sought and was granted national historic designation for the buildings in the 1970s. Miss Humphrey created the museum during her lifetime by executing the appropriate documents and indicating her specific ideas in her will. Miss Humphrey envisioned a place where the community could enjoy the beautiful outdoors and hike the trails in the mountains. She also wanted to share her magnificent historic home and family heirlooms with future generations.
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"The most important thing about your collection, the thing that makes it absolutely unique, is that it has been intact since 1920. It is exactly as the family left it. Some of your collection is much older, but the important thing is that -- what is in the house has been here since 1920 and was never changed or moved. It is critical that you and the board do not change a thing! Your collection is a decorative arts collection that spans the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries which is almost unheard of in Colorado and in the broader museum field. The fact that you have photos that document the ranch buildings, grounds, interiors, collection and family is both amazing and unique. Hazel Humphrey left an incredible gift to the museum field by doing this. It is crucial that the collection remain exactly as it is and that you move forward with preservation efforts."
Montalee Dakin
Executive Director of Mountain & Plains Museum Association
Past President of Colorado Preservation Inc.
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Thanks To Our Supporters
We wish to express our deepest thanks to Scientific and Cultural Facilities District and the State Historic Fund for their consistent generosity with grants for historic preservation. We also thank the Gay and Lesbian Fund for supporting our events. Finally, we thank the wonderful volunteers, members and friends of the museum for their contributions of money and time. This ranch represents over a century of Colorado ranching by an amazing and visionary family. We hope you enjoy your visit!
Memberships
- Evergreen Area Chamber of Commerce
- Jefferson County Historical Society
- Colorado Wyoming Museum Association
- National Trust for Historic Preservation
The Humphrey Museum is a non-profit 501©3 museum. We are funded only by contributions, tour donations and events. Your generosity and support is invaluable to us!
For more information, please contact us at (303) 674-5429.
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