Welcome to our Online Collections Database!

The mission of the Lafayette History Museum is to showcase the history of Lafayette, Colorado. The Museum will serve and educate the interested public through the collection, preservation, and interpretation of artifacts and materials that represent the history of the Lafayette area.

About Our Online Database

This is only a portion of our collection materials. It takes time to get our records updated and ready for the public. We will update the website as frequently as we can. Thank you for your patience.

We want to continue to grow as a community resource. If you have any additional information on a piece of our collection, please hit that feedback button and let us know. We have many pictures with unidentified people and biographies that need to be improved. This museum has been made by the community and will continue to grow through Lafayette's combined knowledge.

Our Catalogs (Archives / Photos / Libraries / Objects)

The Archive catalog contains historical records, documents, and media relevant to the history of Lafayette. Items in the archive collection include unique publications and manuscripts, oral histories, maps, and architectural plans from the city of Lafayette.

The Photos category includes historical photographs, photographic postcards, and media relevant to the history of Lafayette.

The Museum maintains a Library with general and reference sections. It is open during regular Museum hours.

General Library Collection The Museum maintains a lending portion of the library. Items in this section are available for public use and may be loaned out to members of the Lafayette Historical Society at no charge.

Reference Library Collection The Museum also maintains a non-lending portion of the library, referred to as the reference section. Materials may be used during regular hours or by appointment within the Museum only.

The Objects accessioned into the Permanent Collection are acquired and preserved because of their potential value to establish or illustrate the history of Lafayette as described in the mission. These items range from textiles to mine carts.

Tips for Searching

Keyword Search

The Keyword Search button allows you to perform a general search across multiple fields for any catalog records online. Keyword searches use OR as the default connector between words (e.g. a search for Simpson Mine will return records associated with Simpson OR Mine). If you want to find records where both keywords are found, type in AND between the two words. To search for a specific phrase, be sure to put the phrase within quotes (e.g. "Simpson Mine"). You can also use the asterisk (*) as a wildcard (e.g. a search for histor* would come up with records containing history, histories, historical, etc.). Searches are not case sensitive.

Advanced Search

The Advanced Search button can help you be more specific with your search. You can search for a word or phrase within a particular search category or use multiple categories to further narrow down your search results. For example, searching White in the People field will bring up any records associated with a member of the White family, without having to sift through black & white photographs. You can also search People and Creator records through Advanced Search. Phrase searching with quotes and use of wildcards (*) are available in Advanced Search.

Random Images

The Random Images button is a great way to just browse the collection. Each Random Images page displays a random assortment of images from the records online. If something piques your interest, click the thumbnail to view a larger version of the image.

Catalog Searches

We have split our collection into 4 categories (Archives / Photos / Libraries / Objects) described above. The catalog buttons can help narrow down your search, by only searching with a selected medium. If you only want to search for Photos, click the Photos button and type in your keyword(s) or phrase. You can also just browse records within that catalog.