Special to the HT
RANGELY | On Sept. 9, 1776, the Dominguez-Escalante Expedition reached the banks of the White River, passing through and naming Canyon Pintado along the way. The “Painted Canyon” was named for the Native American rock art the expedition encountered before reaching present-day Rangely, Colorado. Their journal and map helped pave the way for future explorers and provide a rare snapshot of Ute culture in 1776. The rock art panel described in the journal has only recently been identified.
Led by two Franciscan friars, the expedition sought a northern route to Spanish missions in Southern California while preaching to the Ute people. Although the party never reached California, its journal and map became the first documented record of an organized expedition into the Great Basin and much of the U.S. Southwest.
Thanks to a $7,500 grant from History Colorado, the Rangely Outdoor Museum will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the expedition this summer as part of the state’s 250/150 initiative. The museum is partnering with Colorado Northwestern Community College to revive the historic “Pageant in the Wilderness” during this year’s Septemberfest activities and to create a permanent exhibit on the expedition.
While the museum may be small, the history of the area is significant. Native American rock art in the region dates back more than 1,000 years. Explorers including Dominguez and Escalante, John C. Frémont, Ferdinand V. Hayden and John Wesley Powell all passed through the area. Cattle barons left their mark in the 1880s, and outlaws and Buffalo Soldiers alike traveled the region’s waterways and canyons, along with the Ute, Shoshone, Navajo and Comanche peoples.
Following World War II, Rangely emerged as an energy-producing powerhouse. Coal and gilsonite have been mined in the area since the early 20th century, but the major boom began in 1948 with production from the Raven A-1 oil well. Generations of men and women have called Rangely home, with the community’s population rising and falling alongside the oil and gas industry.
The museum’s mission is to tell those stories.
The Colorado 250/150 Commission was established in 2025 to help organize celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of the United States and the 150th anniversary of Colorado statehood. The Dominguez-Escalante commemoration is one of several events planned in Rangely this year. Other 2026 themes will include Rangely’s pioneering educators, the Buffalo Soldiers and “Walter the Dinosaur,” Rangely’s oldest resident at 74 million years old.
In the coming months, the museum will prepare a period-accurate reenactment to debut in the Septemberfest parade on Labor Day. Costumes will later be displayed at the museum alongside interpretive materials and 1770s-era artifacts purchased with grant funds for a permanent Dominguez-Escalante exhibit. At least one public program centered on the expedition is also planned, with the date to be announced.
The Rangely Outdoor Museum opens May 1 and is open Fridays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. From June through August, hours are Thursday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free, and the museum is handicap accessible. Visitors are encouraged to stop by this summer.
UPDATED: Corrected the following sentence: “Thanks to a $7,500 grant from History Colorado, the Rangely Outdoor Museum will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the expedition this summer as part of the state’s 250/150 initiative” to read “Thanks to a $7,500 grant from the America 250 Colorado 150 Commission, the Rangely Outdoor Museum will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the expedition this summer as part of the state’s 250/150 initiative.”