In
1938, a man by the name of Dave Hilton began a museum in the basement of
the old library. It continued until
1959, when it was closed to make classroom space available for the school. Not long
after the new courthouse was opened in 1968, the Crook County Historical
Society began trying to set up a museum with the old courthouse fixtures
they had acquired. In January 1971,
the county commissioners set aside room in the courthouse basement for this
purpose. The first Museum Board
meeting was on January 18, 1971.
The Crook County Museum opened to the public on April 25, 1971. Currently
the museum still operates in the courthouse basement with hopes of someday
relocating to a building of it’s own. Since 1971, the county has funded the
museum. In August of 2006 the
voters of Crook County passed a resolution to form the Crook County Museum
District. The formation of the
Museum District will allow for up to one mil of county funds to be set aside
for museum use. These funds will be
used by museums throughout the county including the Crook County Museum in
Sundance.
The
mission of the Crook County Museum & Art Gallery is to collect, protect,
and preserve information and objects pertaining to the natural and social
history of Crook County, Wyoming.
In order to accomplish this mission the Museum and Art Gallery will
do the following: A. Research,
exhibit, and display items in a manner that promotes the education and
enjoyment of the general populace and encourage, promote, correlate and
cooperate in all activities necessary for the achievement of these
objectives. B. The
Art Gallery will display art from Wyoming, with a particular emphasis on
Crook County artists and collectors, which will promote an understanding
and appreciation of art.
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Dr. Clarenbach’s 1931 Model A Ford Dr. in Sundance from 1902 until 1956. |
