The A.R. Mitchell Museum fills a 1906 department store on Main Street

Right on Main Street in downtown Trinidad, the A.R. Mitchell Museum of Western Art puts the county’s own art story on display. It honors Arthur Roy Mitchell, a painter who was born and raised in Trinidad and became known for his Western scenes, including covers for pulp magazines.

Part of what makes the museum special is the building itself. It fills the old Jamieson department store, a brick building completed in 1906, back when downtown Trinidad was a busy commercial center for the coal region. Inside you can still see original touches like the pressed tin ceiling, wood floors, and a horseshoe-shaped mezzanine from its store days. The collection includes a large body of Mitchell’s work along with regional folk and Native American art.

For a new resident, this is a calm, low-key way to connect a famous local name with a real downtown building, and to see the wealth that the coal years brought to Main Street. It is also a reminder that the historic district downtown is not just old facades, but spaces still in use.

For hours, current exhibits, and the museum’s own telling of its history, check the official A.R. Mitchell Museum website and the Visit Trinidad listing.