PRESS CONTACT
Luke Perkins, Manager of Communications and Public Relations
303-866-3670 | luke.perkins@state.co.us 

AANHPI History Events in May
State Historian's Address, "Coming to America, Becoming an American" | Denver, CO
History Colorado Center | May 21, 1 & 7 p.m.
During the annual State Historian's Address, Dr. William Wei, Professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, will explore the contentious issues of immigration and identity in America through the personal lens of his family story. In this lecture, Dr. Wei will raise the question of "who is an American?" and discuss the importance of our national immigration policy on both our state and national identities, as well as its implications for the economy of the Centennial State.

Tickets ($5-15) are available for both the 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. talks. 

Denver's Chinatown Food History: Taste, Talk, and Tour | Denver, CO
History Colorado Center | May 28, 6:30 - 8 p.m.
Tickets ($50-55) and additional information available here.
Join History Colorado for an evening where Chinese stories, food, and history are the main event. In addition to a tour of History Colorado’s Where Is Denver Chinatown? exhibition, this evening will feature a special panel discussion with Chef Tommy Lee of Hop Alley and descendants of Chinatown; Linda Lung and Heather Clifton. Three restaurants, including Hop Alley, will also provide appetizers for guests to enjoy during the event.

Ongoing AANHPI History Offerings
In addition to its May programming, History Colorado has a number of ongoing projects, programs, and exhibitions that elevate AANHPI Heritage year-round as well as a collection of online resources freely available to the public.

AANHPI Exhibitions

• Confined Citizens: The Amache-Granada Relocation Center, 1942–1945, which explores the imprisonment of 120,000 Japanese immigrants and Japanese Americans during World War II. This exhibition is part of Colorado Stories at the History Colorado Center in Denver
• Where is Denver’s Chinatown? Stories Remembered, Reclaimed, Reimagined at the History Colorado Center in Denver takes visitors into one of the largest Chinatowns in the American West during the late 1800s and early 1900s to share stories from the thriving community that called it home. Where is Denver’s Chinatown? is open through September 1, 2025

Additional Online Resources

Beyond its exhibitions, History Colorado has a number of online resources, publications, and podcast episodes that explore the AANHPI experience in the Centennial State. Here’s an overview of some of those materials:

• Amache: Japanese Internment in Colorado is an online exhibition examining the realities of Japanese internment during World War II as well as the pride and persistence of the community
• The Colorado Magazine has published a number of articles on topics related to AANHPI History Month over its more than 100 years of operations, including:
  • Healing Injustice on the Plains - Andrew L. Maske, November 13, 2024
  • A Season of Celebration and Commemoration at the Far East Center - Samantha Martin, September 13, 2024
  • Americans First: Colorado’s Japanese-American Community during World War II - William, Wei December 18, 2023
  • A Lynching in Gothic, Colorado? - Benjamin Wong Blonder, October 29, 2021
  • Immigration to Colorado Myth and Reality, Part Two - William Wei, September 27, 2021
  • Japanese Americans in Denver’s Five Points Neighborhood - Courtney Ozaki, July 9, 2021
  • Discovering Personal Treasures - Nga Vương-Sandoval, May 14, 2021
  • Immigration to Colorado: Myth and Reality - William Wei, December 4, 2020
  • Nga Vuong-Sandoval: Refugee, Activist, Historic Preservationist, and Advocate for Colorado’s Refugees - Noah Allyn, History Colorado, May 30, 2019
  • The Rise and Fall of Denver’s Chinatown - Noah Allyn, History Colorado, April 11, 2019
  • Recognizing a historic Colorado farm during National Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month - Astrid Liverman, May 9, 2017
• History Colorado’s critically acclaimed podcast, Lost Highways: Dispatches from the Shadows of the Rocky Mountains expands the history of the American West by exploring how overlooked stories from the past have shaped current world events and includes a number of episodes focused on important AANHPI history:
  • “American Gothic” investigates a reported lynching of a Chinese man in the mining town of Gothic, Colorado and considers what it means to belong in the places we call home, and how such acts of violence continue to echo into the present — whether it actually happened or not
  • “Tuned in Drop Outs” recalls the story of a man named Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche who came to the U.S. with the mission of teaching Tibetan Buddhism to Westerners and enthralled hippies across the country as he paved the way for a distinctly American Buddhism
  • “Bonsai behind Barbed Wire” began as an investigation into an alleged feud between two bickering bonsai clubs and ended at Amache, a WWII prison camp for people of Japanese ancestry in southeast Colorado

Research Initiatives and preservation efforts
History Colorado currently has a number of different research initiatives and preservation projects which highlight and help preserve AANHPI history. These efforts include:

• Colorado Heritage for All is an ongoing History Colorado initiative to add historic designations to 150 currently unrecognized historic resources that tell the stories of marginalized communities by the end of 2026. At the start of 2024, there were only two AANHPI-associated sites on Colorado’s State and National Registers (out of an estimated 2,200 sites). The two were Granada Relocation Center / Camp Amache and Bromley Farm / Koizuma Hishinuma Farm. Since then, History Colorado has added 10 additional sites associated with AANHPI communities and continues to work with these communities on adding more sites.
  Notable AANHPI sites added to the State and/or National Register of Historic Places as a result of Colorado Heritage for All include:
  • Far East Center in Denver, which was listed on the State Register of Historic Properties to recognize the important connection to Vietnamese immigration following the Vietnam War and its place as a cornerstone of Denver’s East Asian Community. As a result of being listed on the State Register, the Far East Center became eligible for funding by the State Historical Fund and was awarded $250,000 in December 2024 to rehabilitate concrete walkways, repair stucco siding, and address critical drainage issues
  • Valley View/Hillcrest Cemetery in Rocky Ford, which is both significant for its remarkable landscape architecture and for the concentration of Japanese immigrants and Japanese Americans who are buried there and played a vital role in turning the surrounding region into one of the most significant farming areas in Colorado
  • Longmont Buddhist Temple, which was established in Longmont in the 1960s to serve the Boulder County Buddhist community. The Longmont Buddhist Temple was added to the State Register of Historic Properties in February 2025 due to its deep connection to the Japanese community in Boulder County and its continued use as a Buddhist worship space 
• The Museum of Memory Initiative is History Colorado’s public history initiative that works together with Colorado residents to co-author our shared history. These projects are the culmination of collaborative work that reanimates, centers, and amplifies the histories that have long existed only in the margins.
  Through Museum of Memory, History Colorado creates opportunities for communities to decide how to remember their collective pasts and the ongoing Little Saigon Memory Project prominently features the voices of the AANHPI communities through 36 oral histories that have been collected by community historians. Conducted in collaboration with Colorado Asian Pacific United, the Little Saigon Memory Project will meaningfully contribute to the State historical record. This memory project will also produce a documentary that offers a cinematic portrait of the lives and memories documented through the project, as well as a mezzanine exhibition at the History Colorado Center in October 2025.

Additional information about History Colorado’s resources related to AANHPI Heritage can be found here.

New Exhibitions and Attractions:
New Exhibition - Dog Patch: A Pueblo Community's Legacy | Pueblo, CO
El Pueblo History Museum | Opens May 17
History Colorado‘s El Pueblo History Museum is excited to announce the opening of its newest exhibition Dog Patch: A Pueblo Community's Legacy on May 17. A small community in Pueblo's Eastside, Dog Patch is known for Chicano activism, self-advocacy, and being one of Pueblo’s most tightly-knit neighborhoods. This community-driven exhibition is brought to life through extensive engagement with the residents of the Dog Patch neighborhood as part of History Colorado’s Museum of Memory Initiative and showcases the enduring connections its residents have established with one another by overcoming challenges. 

Healy House Museum & Dexter Cabin Opens for Summer | Leadville, CO
Healy House Museum & Dexter Cabin | May 21
Perched at an altitude of nearly two miles and surrounded by some of Colorado’s tallest mountains, the Healy House Museum & Dexter Cabin will be opening for the summer season on May 21. These historic structures were built in the late 1800s and restored and furnished to depict Western life in Leadville as a booming 19th-century silver mining town. Visitors to the Healy House Museum & Dexter Cabin can enjoy magnificent views, stroll through the vibrant, lush gardens, and take a guided tour of these iconic structures Wednesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Signature Event - Memorial Weekend Encampment | Fort Garland, CO
Fort Garland Museum & Cultural Center | May 24, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Join Fort Garland Museum & Cultural Center for its annual living history military encampment on Saturday, May 24. This event features a variety of interactive demonstrations throughout the day and is the perfect opportunity for visitors of all ages to learn about nineteenth century military life! Regular admission to the museum is required for participation.

Signature Series - Shavano Valley Petroglyph Tour | Montrose, CO
History Colorado Center | Most Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays all summer long!
Tickets ($30-40) and additional information is available here.
Located just outside of Montrose, Colorado, Shavano Valley is one of the most picturesque and important rock art sites in western Colorado. The site was used from at least 1000 BCE to 1900 CE by both the Archaic and Ute peoples. Through the Ute Indian Museum, tours are offered and led by our trained Shavano Valley Petroglyph Docent all summer long. Reservation and payment is required in advance for these limited capacity tours so make sure to book today !

New Exhibition - The Disappearance of Thomas Riha | Denver, CO
History Colorado Center | Now on Display!
CU Boulder Russian history professor Thomas Riha vanished on March 15, 1969. He’s never been found. Was it the FBI? The CIA? Russian intelligence? Or a mysterious woman who left a trail of lies in her wake? The Disappearance of Thomas Riha invites you to investigate this unique Colorado cold case. Riha vanished during the Cold War, raising questions about possible links to international espionage. For the first time, see original documents, photos, and artifacts from key suspects and intelligence agencies relating to Riha’s disappearance. From Boulder and Washington, DC, to Moscow and Prague, History Colorado Center asks you to dig into the files and examine the evidence. What do you think happened to Thomas Riha?

New Exhibition - REVEALED: John Fielder’s Favorite Place | Pueblo, CO
El Pueblo History Museum | Now on Display!
Visitors to the El Pueblo History Museum are now able to journey from peak to peak, pinnacle to spire, and creek to creek alongside Colorado’s most celebrated nature photographer John Fielder. Previously on display at the History Colorado Center, REVEALED: John Fielder’s Favorite Place was curated in collaboration with Fielder prior to his death in 2023, and takes visitors to a location few have ever experienced, a location Fielder felt was the most sublime in all of Colorado. With a combination of well-worn equipment and breathtaking photography, REVEALED: John Fielder’s Favorite Place uncovers how Fielder survived nature’s disregard for a photographer’s comfort, embraced the incredible solace to be found in spaces of complete vulnerability, and captured the magic of the moment.

New Exhibition - Ms. Destiny | Denver, CO
Center for Colorado Women’s History | Now on Display!
The Center for Colorado Women’s History is excited to invite visitors on an exploration of women’s resolve in the museum’s newest exhibition: Ms. Destiny. Using historical accounts – as well as a mixture of personal artifacts, private correspondence and artist renditions where available – Ms. Destiny uncovers the stories of seven influential Colorado women who took fate into their hands, overcame barriers, and defined their realities.
Among the women highlighted in Ms. Destiny are:

• The beautiful and alluring Elizabeth “Baby Doe” Tabor, who married a wealthy silver baron and, following the silver crash of 1893, became known as the “mad-woman” of Leadville
• The resilient and diplomatic Chipeta (Kiowa Apache/Uncompahgre Ute), who spent two decades advocating for peace in the face of Anglo-European expansion into Ute homelands
• The perseverant and stylish Katherine McHale Slaughterback — better known as “Rattlesnake Kate” — who utilized her versatile skillset and spirited nature to challenge social expectations
• And the valiant and determined Cathay Williams, who cut her hair short, took a man's name, and became the only woman to serve in the all-Black Buffalo Soldier regiments

New Art Installation - 12 Tablecloths | Trinidad, CO
Trinidad History Museum | Now on Display!
Trinidad History Museum is excited to host 12 Tablecloths in the Santa Fe Trail Museum building. Created in collaboration with award-winning artist and historian Chloé Duplessis, 12 Tablecloths is a transformative art installation that explores emancipation, the Great Migration of African Americans into the American West, and the realities of domestic service for women of color. 

Georgetown Loop Seasonal Trains | Georgetown, CO
Georgetown Loop Railroad and Mining Park | Tickets on Sale Now!
Spring is here and with it comes another season of fun on the rails at the Georgetown Loop Railroad and Mining Park. Located forty-five miles west of Denver, the Georgetown Loop Railroad is one of Colorado’s most authentic living history experiences and will resume providing its daily rides on May 9. Tickets to the Georgetown Loop Railroad are on sale now for both normal operation days and its exciting theme days such as Mother’s Day Weekend Trains on the weekends of May 10-11 and 17-18!

May Events at History Colorado Sites
Paint Night @ the Museum | Trinidad, CO
Trinidad History Museum | May 2, 6:30 - 8 p.m.
Tickets ($ 25-30) and additional information available here.
Spend First Friday with the Trinidad History Museum painting a colorful tribute to Spring that’s perfect for a Mother’s Day gift! Or, bring your mom, grandma, or a friend along! Tickets are $30/person, but bring a loved one along and use promo code DUO50 at checkout to receive two tickets for $50. Light refreshments will be provided at Paint Night @ the Museum, but outside beverages and food are welcome.

Paper and Quill Pen Workshop | Fort Garland, CO
Fort Garland Museum & Cultural Center | May 10, 1 - 4 p.m.
Tickets ($50) and additional information is available here.
The Fort Garland Museum and Cultural Center invites you to this fun workshop, where you will learn and practice the art of paper making. And while your paper dries, try your hand at making a Quill Pen. All materials provided. Drinks and light refreshments will be offered.

Museum Basics: Hazardous Materials in Museum Collections | Online
Zoom | May 14, 5 - 7 p.m.
Tickets ($25-325) and additional information available here.
History Colorado’s Museum Basic series continues in May with a special session covering common hazardous materials found in collections and practices for safely handling them. Part of History Colorado’s professional educational series, this session is perfect for staff and volunteers at museums looking to gain a better understanding of some of the foundations of working in cultural institutions.

Low Sensory Morning | Denver, CO
History Colorado Center | May 17, 8 - 10 a.m.
The History Colorado Center is happy to open its doors for families and self-advocates who prefer a lower sensory museum environment. From 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., the museum will be closed to the general public, attendance limited, and sounds in the exhibits turned down. Come and enjoy!

Tickets are free, but space is limited so please reserve your free tickets in advance for Low Sensory Mornings.

Dementia-Friendly Tour | Denver, CO
History Colorado Center | May 17, 9 - 10 a.m.
Join us for a dementia-friendly tour of the History Colorado Center! These tours promote connection and belonging for adults with dementia and their companions through discussions and reflections on museum objects. Specifically designed for those who want to linger and enjoy the museum at a slower pace, this tour will focus on specific objects found in the exhibition De la Tierra: Reflections of Place in the Upper Río Grande. This tour is free but space is limited, so please fill out this RSVP form in advance to reserve your spot. Please reach out to Emily Turner at reservations@state.co.us or 303-866-2396 with questions about whether this program is a good fit for you.

Free Family Day | Trinidad, CO
Trinidad History Museum | May 17, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Get the 'scoop' on Summer Camp at Trinidad History Museums’s free ice cream social! Join us on Saturday, May 17 from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. for free museum admission, games and activities for all ages, discounts and help with registration for Hands-On History Summer Camp, and ice cream! This event is free and open to the whole family!

Black Theatre and Activism: A Play and Discussion | Denver, CO
Curious Theater Company | May 18 2 - 5 p.m.
Tickets ($20-80) and additional information is available here.
Blaxplanation and the Colorado Center for Women’s History are partnering with the Curious Theatre Company for another play and discussion! Titled Exhibit, the play is written by, and stars Regina Taylor, a highly acclaimed playwright, actor, director, and activist. The play will be followed by a post-play tea service with Jada Dixon, Creative Director of Curious Theatre Company, and Regina Taylor at the Colorado Center for Women’s History.

Yoga in the Gardens | Trinidad, CO
Trinidad History Museum | May 19 8 - 8:45 a.m.
Starting May 19, Trinidad will be partnering with local yoga teacher Jennifer Allen to host regular movement and meditation classes in the museum gardens on Monday mornings. This event is free to attend, but donations to the teacher are welcome. These yoga classes are weather dependent. Please bring a mat/blanket and water. 

About History Colorado
History Colorado is a division of the Colorado Department of Higher Education and a 501(c)3 non-profit that has served more than 75,000 students and 500,000 people in Colorado each year. It is a 146-year-old institution that operates eleven museums and historic sites, a free public research center, the Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation which provides technical assistance, educational opportunities, and other access to archaeology and historic preservation, and the History Colorado State Historical Fund (SHF), which is one of the nation’s largest state funded preservation programs of its kind. More than 70% of SHF grants are allocated in rural areas of the state. Additionally, the offices of the State Archaeologist and the State Historic Preservation Officer are part of History Colorado. 

History Colorado’s mission is to create a better future for Colorado by inspiring wonder in our past. We serve as the state’s memory, preserving and sharing the places, stories, and material culture of Colorado through educational programs, historic preservation grants, collecting, outreach to Colorado communities, the History Colorado Center and Stephen H. Hart Research Center in Denver, and 10 other museums and historic attractions statewide. History Colorado is one of only six Smithsonian Affiliates in Colorado. Visit HistoryColorado.org, or call 303-HISTORY, for more information. #HistoryColorado