Featured Pieces

Koshare Indian Museum 115 West 18th Street La Junta, CO 81050 (719) 384-4411

WORLD FAMOUS KOSHARES

You will find authentic Native American and Western crafts and gifts to give, to collect, and to appreciate in the Koshare Trading Post.

In addition, to the art and artifacts, see the largest self-supported log roof in the world -- one of the most popular features in the museum.

Discover the inspiring story of how a group of boys built the Koshare program. The story begins at the bottom of the Great Depression.

The Koshare Indian Dancers are the members of Boy Scout Troop 232 and Venturing Crew 2230 of the Rocky Mountain Council, Boy Scouts of America.

...More than a Museum

Koshare Indian Museum

flat-plane style of woodcarving and caricature carving. His figure carving began to develop as he was creating characters of the Old West. He began carving full time and earned a respectable living through the 1930s. While living in Tesuque, New Mexico, Andy hosted Koshare visits on dozens of occasions and because of this friendship over the years the Koshares have purchased much of his artwork.

Andy Anderson Figures
Andy was one of the recognized masters of 20th century woodcarving, most famous for Scandinavian

Featured Exhibits

We have had the privilege of having many archaeologists and museum directors visit our Kiva. This visitors are astounded at the collections we have and have pronounced our efforts one of the most interesting examples to be found any place in America. Most Scout Troops and Scout organizations operate on a shoe string and work diligently to make enough money to get by. However, here a group of Boy Scouts with dedicated leadership have purchased for our community a building, a museum, and a program that attracts interested people from all over the world.

What Makes our Collection Unique?

The Starving Artist by Andy Anderson

Joseph Imhof &
Ernesto Zepeda Collections

In addition to artwork by the Taos Founders, artists from Taos and Sante Fe, and Native American artists the Koshares have one of the largest collections of Imhof works of art. The only collection believed to be larger is that at the University of New Mexico. Until recently, the unique artwork of Imhof was less well known than that of other artists who took part in the Golden Age of Taos. The impact and influence of Imhof’s work though will have as great an impact as that of other early American artists.

Ernesto Zepeda

Zepeda was born in Hounduras in Central America in 1943. He studied sculpture at the School of Fine Arts under the direction of Mario Zamora, a prominent Mexican sculptor. The bold modeling and energetic brushwork in Zepeda's paintings reflect this early influence of sculpture. Ernesto has traveled to Pueblos and Reservations of the Southwest, and has won friends among the people who have allowed themselves to be portrayed at their homes as well as in the studio. Zepeda and the Koshares formed a life-long friendship beginning in 1979, in which Zepeda states, "My greatest pride for the last 30 years has been to have participated with the museum. “Buck” and his generosity found some talent in my work and I always have felt that his insight was extremely acute." Due to this relationship the Koshares have, through the years, collected and acquired one of the largest Zepeda collections in the world.

Daniel Kills Alive Collection

The regalia of Daniel Kills Alive has been a wonderful asset to the museum and his personal letters paint a better picture of the relationship between the Native American and the government in the early 1900s. Some of the letters relate how he is trying to get government aid and how the government is trying to collect taxes from him. Another interesting piece of this collection is a certificate from the 1901 Indian Congress, showing his participation in the event over one hundred years ago.