The Tread of Pioneers Historical Commission was envisioned and founded in 1959 by a group of Routt County residents concerned with preserving memories of Routt County’s unique and colorful past. The original founders felt it was important to preserve the objects, documents, and memorabilia of Routt County for future generations to see, understand and appreciate. The Commission founders spearheaded the project by collecting papers, pictures, documents, and objects from friends, neighbors and other members of the community, along with other information on the local history of families and communities. A Board of Directors was formed, policies were established, and the Tread of Pioneers Museum opened in the summer of 1959 in the historic Zimmerman house located on the corner of 5th and Oak (now the courthouse parking lot).
In their February, 1959 Board meeting, the minutes state that “...the Museum should be governed by a Board of Trustees, composed of interested and influential citizens. This governing Board should formulate the policies under which the work of the Museum is done, and be responsible for the economic stability of the institution. The Museum should have a full-time staff, the members of which are capable of carrying out the mandates of the Board within the limits of the physical and financial facilities available to them.”
When the Museum first opened, all of these goals were not fully met.
For the first 29 years of operation, the Museum was open only in the summer, and was staffed completely by volunteers. Furthermore, the Museum was run on a limited budget made up of donations given at the door, and memberships.