The Museum of the American West

Welcome to The Museum of the American West, the only institution which celebrates the different groups of people who utilized the critical geography of what is now central Wyoming to shape the American West.

The Pioneers and their descendants; the Eastern Shoshone; the Northern Arapaho; and other diverse cultures have inhabited for generations the valleys of the Sweetwater and Wind Rivers, beneath the jagged peaks of the Wind River Mountains and the Great South Pass.

The Museum of the American West is an umbrella for a series of museums that are planned or currently being developed at our large site. These include the Pioneer Museum, the Pushroot Living History Village, the Native Americans of the Central Plains and Rockies Museum and living history complex, and the Lander Children’s Museum.

Mission Statement:

The mission of the Museum of the American West is to collect, preserve and exhibit objects of regional and national historical significance. World-class artifact collections recount the important roles of the South Pass, Sweetwater and Wind River areas, and the resident cultures, in the expansion of the United States to the Pacific Ocean. The Museum of the American West facilitates research and promotes ongoing educational initiatives in partnership with local, national and international learning institutions.

Vision Statement:

The Museum of the American West, by exploring the powerful landscape of mountain and plain centered upon the Great South Pass, highlights that nationally significant geography. The Museum is vital in preserving the heritage and interpreting the relationships among the three distinctively different cultures which inhabit the nearby Wind River and Sweetwater valleys – the Eastern Shoshone, the Northern Arapaho, and the pioneers and their descendants. By creating a stimulating educational environment through exhibiting world-class artifact collections, the Museum fires visitors’ imaginations thus enriching their lives with a deeper understanding of how the past shapes the present.

Business Office: 1445 West Main Street, Lander, WY 82520

Phone Number: 307-335-8778
Fax Number: 307-335-8778

E-mail Address: info@amwest.org

Museum Grounds: 1445 West Main Street, Lander, WY 82520

Business Hours: Monday – Friday 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (M.S.T); Saturday 12N - 4 p.m.

General Admission:
Admission to the museum site, which is presently under development, is free. Guided tours, events and programs, and some living history exhibits are funded by minimal charges.