Archive and preservation
We gather mission reports, photographs, documents and equipment from mountain rescue teams across Colorado and store them in a fireproof archive built for long-term care.
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit · Evergreen, Colorado
Preserving the history of mountain rescue in Colorado
For seventy years, volunteers from more than forty mountain rescue teams have searched for and rescued people in Colorado's backcountry, free of charge. We collect and care for their records, equipment and stories so the lessons they learned are not lost.
Our mission
The Colorado Mountain Rescue History Center collects, preserves and shares the documents, mission records, equipment and personal histories of Colorado's volunteer mountain rescue teams. We make this history available to researchers and search and rescue mission coordinators so they can learn from past missions, and we use it to teach the public about safety in the mountains.
“A sophisticated understanding of the past is one of the most powerful tools we have for shaping the future.”
John T. Seaman Jr. and George David Smith
What we do
Exhibits
Our upper-level gallery shows historical rescue equipment and artifacts, so visitors can see and touch the history of missions that changed and saved lives.
Research for rescuers
Colorado sees about 3,000 backcountry search and rescue missions a year. By studying past missions, coordinators can better predict where missing people go, and that saves lives.
Mountain safety education
The Center is a base for education programs that teach individuals and groups safe mountaineering practices and how to prepare for the backcountry.
Why now
Some of the founders and early members of Colorado's rescue teams from the 1950s and 1960s are still involved today. This may be the last chance to record what they know and to save the documents and artifacts from those early years. If we don't act now, much of it will be lost.
The Center is built as an addition to the headquarters of the Alpine Rescue Team, which lets it share land, utilities, parking and meeting space. It sits at the Evergreen Parkway exit of I-70, about 15 minutes from the Denver metro area.
The facility
About 1,900 square feet, with a fireproof storage and archive area on the lower level and an exhibit and research space on the upper level.
Support the Center
The History Center is a capital project of more than $500,000. Gifts help us collect, archive and display materials from rescue teams across the state. The Colorado Mountain Rescue History Center is a 501(c)(3) public charity, and donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
To make a gift, donate an artifact or share records from your team, please get in touch.
Visit & contact
Location
Colorado Mountain Rescue History Center28802 Rainbow Hill Road
Evergreen, CO 80439
Near the Evergreen Parkway exit (exit 252) on I-70.
Mailing address
P.O. Box 934Evergreen, CO 80437
Organization details
- Legal name
- Colorado Mountain Rescue History Center
- Tax status
- 501(c)(3) public charity, 170(b)(1)(A)(vi)
- EIN (Charity ID)
- 84-4579621
- Colorado entity ID
- 20191308705
- Incorporated
- April 8, 2019, Colorado nonprofit corporation
- Street address
- 28802 Rainbow Hill Road, Evergreen, CO 80439
You can look up our exemption with the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search using our EIN.