One of the joys of vacations is being able to visit different places that encapsulate the history of the area. One such gem is the Stagecoach Museum. The Stagecoach Museum will be opening for their summer season on May 13.

The Stagecoach Museum is over 50 years old. Volunteers and Museum board members are responsible for the upkeep of the museum.

The Stagecoach Museum is operated by the Niobrara Historical Society.  There are eight board members that serve two-year terms.  Other than receiving Recreation and Lodging Tax grants, the museum is operated solely on donations. 

The museum is staffed entirely by a small but dedicated group of volunteers who sign up for three-hour shifts during the week to keep the museum open Monday-Friday.  Others volunteer to maintain the Facebook and website pages, catalog our items or help type and proofread local history books for the museum to have printed for sale. 

With advance notice, the museum is willing to host tours for students or tour buses. 

The museum has many donated items from the 19^th and 20^th centuries. On the second floor of the museum, there is an original stagecoach that ran the Cheyenne/Deadwood express lines. The stagecoach even boasts old war wounds from Native American and would-be thieves during its run.

There are other buildings that are in the back of the museum. The buildings contain a two-headed calf, a kitchen, bathtub. There is a one room schoolhouse and an old store.

Some of the museum’s first visitors will be 60 students from Newcastle, Wyoming on May 9. There will also be volunteer orientation on May 8^th at 1:30 p.m. If anyone is interested in the Stagecoach Museum would be happy to take any and all volunteers.

The Stagecoach Museum is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission is free. For more information please see their website and Facebook page, www.dooperca.wixsite.com/stagecoachmuseum