About Us

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

Yet the museum remains true to its origins, providing an active and varied educational youth program focusing on American Indian culture, art and traditional dances. Working with Otero Junior College, training and mentorship prepares youth for future leadership. Scouting is also an important part of the program. The museum serves as a troop meeting location, a youth center, an overnight hostel for thousands of scouts and school youth throughout the year, a center for many local Scouting and civic activities, and a performing arts center, not only for the famous Koshare Indian Dancers, but for other artists as well.

To provide additional benefits for the museum visitor, the Koshare Trading Post is located within the museum and provides a huge selection of beautiful items ranging from authentic Native American jewelry, pottery, kachinas and other items to novelty items for children of all ages. Included in this selection are a wide variety of books, videos, CDs and cassettes for adults and children.

The Koshare Indian Museum is a unique and diverse organization, consisting of many parts. The museum is unusual in that it was built by a Boy Scout troop under the inspired leadership of our founder, James Francis "Buck" Burshears, and the original 1949 structure is a registered state historic site of the Colorado Historical Society, housing a collection of Native American art and artifacts considered to be among the finest in the world.

The collections are dynamically enhanced by a program of visiting artists entitled The Kiva Presents..., in which a different artist is exhibited each month throughout the year.