As you have already heard, we closed our medical exhibit in preparation for the renovation and opening of the new City of Sunshine: Health in the Pikes Peak Region exhibit in December of this year. 

One of the most popular displays was tucked in the northwest corner of the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum's medical exhibit - a fascinating piece of Colorado Springs history, the Ronald Wreath Pharmacy.

Two walls of oak cabinets with glass doors displayed over 2,000 items including medicines, pharmacy equipment, beauty products and veterinarian remedies. The obvious smell from the collection contributed to the visitor's experience - likely bringing back memories of the the past.

The collection included items from several early Colorado Springs pharmacies, dating back to 1906, including the Phillip Smith Drug Company, East Side Pharmacy, Freytag Drug Co. and Ronald Wreath Pharmacy.

The items from this popular exhibit have been removed from their oak cases.  Pharmaceutical equipment, medicine bottles, boxes and tins were carefully packed in acid free boxes or trays and have been moved to a work space where they will be inventoried and their condition will be assessed. Only some of the items will be selected for the new exhibit and the rest of the collection will be stored in our medical collection vault to be used as a valuable resource on the history of medicine in the Pikes Peak Region.

This display of medical bottles and supplies was a popular attraction to customers of Ronald Wreath Pharmacy at 128 S. Tejon Street. Wreath relocated his store in 1975 and donated the collection to the CSPM that same year. In 1979, the CSPM opened its doors at its new home in the 1903 El Paso County Courthouse. The pharmacy was included in one of the first exhibits to open at this location and who knows.... you might possibly see some of this story being told again!

Stay tuned for more Behind The Scene accounts of the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum.

Summer is right around the corner which means parents should be preparing their replies to the dreaded complaint, "I'm bored!!"  The CSPM is here to help fight summer-time boredom at the new "Weekend Warm-up!"  

Families with kids ages 5-12 are invited to this open-house style program every Friday afternoon throughout the summer (June 5 to August 7). Between 2-4pm, drop in for a 30 minute craft, experiment or other activity highlighting local history then leave with history adventure ideas for the entire family that will Ignite Your Curiosity through the rest of the weekend!  

Philip Martin has been a volunteer transcriber in the CSPM archives since January of 2014. His work has primarily focused on transcribing a series of journals by Landell Bartlett, who lived in Colorado Springs and wrote in his journal every day, beginning at America's entry through World War One and continuing up to his death in the 70's.