Artifacts

Beadwork

The Koshares own one thousand pieces of beadwork made by the Plains and Chippewa Native Americans. One of the featured pieces of the beadwork collection is the complete regalia of Daniel Kills Alive. Kills Alive was a full blooded Oglala Sioux who lived on the Pine Ridge Reservation. He appeared in several Wild West Shows around 1925 until 1947. Included in his outfit is a beautiful buckskin shirt, beaded leggins, trade cloth leggings and eagle feather war bonnet. In addition to Daniel's regalia are letters which relate to how he trying to get government aid and how the government is trying to collect taxes from him at the same time.

Arrowheads

Our arrowhead collections are gathered from many parts of America. There are several thousand points in our collection. In addition we have bows, arrows and quivers once used by the Native Americans.

...and much much more

Tools, dolls, quill work, jewelry and other handicraft work is displayed throughout many parts of the museum.

Another prominent collection was given to the Koshares by Jean Lindsley the widow of Colorado Supreme Court Justice Henry Lindsley. The collection was begun in 1896 when a Continential Oil Company kerosene salesman purchased a rug with a chief's head design while peddling his wares on the reservation. The salesman's daughter was Jean Lindsley and over the years she added to the collection. The advid collector admitted to "...always going broke, buying rugs."

Basketry

Numbered in the Koshare collection is one of the best basket collections in the country. We have well over 500 baskets which is a good cross section of basketry of the early Native Americans. The large bulk of the collection was purchased in 1957 from the Oscar Lanove Foster estate. In the collection are some very rare Allute baskets. Another collection of 30 or 40 baskets was given to the Koshares by the Denver Art Museum.

Textiles

Much of our textile collection remains in the storage rooms in the basement. However, a few textiles are displayed in the Green Gallery. One fine collection of seventy-five old and classic examples of Navajo weaving was donated to the Koshares by the heirs of Roe Emery. Emery was a partner with the Glacier Park Transportation Company in 1914. He was also the head of the Rocky Mountain National Park Transportation and the Denver Cab Companies.

most of them are priceless today even with the holes drilled in them.

Also collected are pre-historic Mesa Verde pottery, which we have been told that this collection is as good as the collection at Mesa Verde National Park. In addition to the pre-historic culture of Mesa Verde the museum contains pottery from the pre-historic cultures of Casas Grandes, Hohkam, Gila Red and Mogollon. Highlights of the Koshare pottery collection include pieces by renown potters like Maria Martinez, Margret Tafoya and Nampeyo.

Pottery

Well over one hundred pieces of pottery can be veiwed from two large display windows in the basement storage. Native pieces of pottery can also be viewed in many areas throughout the Koshare Indian Museum. The Koshare Kiva has the most unique displays of pottery. Throughout the Kiva ancient Southwest pottery from Acoma, Laguna and Santa Domingo are used as light fixtures. These pots were purchased many years ago for a dollar a piece and most experts on pottery almost faint when they see that holes are drilled into the pot for the light fixtures. Although these pots were once valued at a dollar a piece,

the college campus including pottery, kachinas, and artwork. The Catholic Church is holding a Mission Bell which was cast by early Spanish settlers in New Mexico. In 1847, General Kearny invaded Mora, New Mexico, and his troops fired upon the adobe mission which housed the bell. After the bell fell from the mission the neighbors of the mission preserved it until it found its way into the Koshare collection.

These are just a few of the several places in and around La Junta that help to preserve and house the impressive collection of the Koshare Indian Museum.

Collections Throughout Town

It is extremely difficult to explain the artifacts acquired by the Koshare Indian Museum without first speaking about the collections throughout town. The Koshares have for the last seventy-five years collected so many artifacts that the collection cannot all be housed in the Koshare Indian Museum. A part of the Western collection is housed in La Junta's Otero Museum. This collection includes a very fine collection of guns and western items dating as far back as the Civil War . The feature of this collection is a letter written by Buffalo Bill Cody to Charles Wonderly a La Junta Native. The Otero Junior College Campus houses several pieces on