The Western Museum of Mining & Industry celebrated the completion of a long-anticipated safety project.

Along with the Tri-Lakes Chamber of Commerce, construction partners and community members, the Western Museum of Mining & Industry was the focus of a ribbon cutting and celebration Oct. 10 with the official unveiling of a new, modernized entrance to its historic campus on Northgate Boulevard.

The new entryway replaced what the museum’s executive director Grant Dewey describes as a “ranch drive” which served as the museum’s access point for more than a century. As development expanded around the site, the old entrance became increasingly difficult and unsafe for visitors to navigate, Dewey said.

“Our original entry was basically a ranch drive,” he said. “It’s been there over a century, and as things developed around it, it kind of got ignored. Over time, all the other infrastructure, mostly I-25 and the surrounding roads, got so close that it became really tricky to get in and out safely. So, we’re super thankful to have it moved over to the intersection nearby. It’s better for the whole community, safety-wise and for the flow of traffic. We’re super stoked for everybody’s benefit.”

The project was made possible through a partnership with the City of Colorado Springs Public Works Department, along with contractors Wildcat Construction and RockSol. For Dewey, the new entrance represented more than an infrastructure upgrade. It is also a new opportunity to welcome visitors who may not realize how much the museum’s 28-acre campus has to offer, he said.

“We have a 28-acre campus, and most people don’t know all the different experiences that are available on it,” Dewey said. “It’s really fun for them to be surprised by that. For example, the Reynolds Ranch House, this beautiful historic structure, helps capture part of Colorado’s culture. Ranching, farming, mining, and industry, all of which are core to Colorado’s story.”

Many visitors are surprised by the museum’s operational machinery and living history demonstrations, such as its blacksmith shop and running steam engines, he said.

“People come in and say, ‘I had no idea it was this cool,’” Dewey said. “You see every generation react differently. Younger visitors have never seen these machines in action, while older guests remember their parents talking about them, or even using them.

“It’s a fun way to bring all those generations together.”

The Western Museum of Mining & Industry has operated for 55 years, educating locals and tourists alike about the region’s mining and ranching heritage.

At the heart of the property stands the Reynolds Ranch House, a Victorian-era farmhouse built in the 1890s by Joseph E. Reynolds, a Civil War veteran who settled in the Husted area with his wife, Sarah. Over the decades, the home evolved from a working ranch house into one of the few remaining examples of rural Victorian architecture in El Paso County. It is now listed on Colorado’s State Register of Historical Properties.

The structure has been carefully preserved and restored, serving as a centerpiece of the museum’s historic campus. Once part of the former town of Husted, which was absorbed by Colorado Springs’ northward expansion and leveled to make room for the U.S. Air Force Academy, the house remains a tangible link to the region’s early agricultural and ranching history.

The museum, a nonprofit educational organization, remains open year-round from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Saturday, with guided tours offered daily at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.