Entry No. 13 — the Boulder file — filed under: Native American art
Eagle Plume's Gallery
At 9,000 feet on Highway 7 in the Tahosa Valley, a hand-built log cabin that has operated as a trading post since 1917 holds one of the most serious collections of Native North American art you will find outside a museum. The Charles Eagle Plume Collection — over 1,000 historic and prehistoric pieces spanning beadwork, basketry, textiles, ceramics, and jewelry from across North America, Alaska, and Canada — fills a building that the current owners describe as having become part of them. Charles Eagle Plume himself arrived on horseback around 1930, spent decades as both a nationally recognized lecturer on Indigenous culture and a civil rights advocate, and built the institution that survives him. The log walls creak, the elevation is palpable, and Longs Peak fills the window.
The story
In 1917, Kansas native Katherine Lindsay arrived in the high Tahosa Valley and built a rustic log cabin she named the What Not Inn. Initially intended as a roadside farmhouse tearoom and curio stop along Highway 7, the shop shifted direction as Lindsay began displaying beadwork from her father's 19th-century plains collection. Around 1930, a student named Charles Burkhardt—who took the name Charles Eagle Plume—arrived on horseback, took a job assisting at the store, and spent the next six decades transforming a mountain outpost into one of North America's premier centers for Native art.
Eagle Plume held court in the cabin until his death in 1992, living as a lecturer, dancer, and civil rights advocate. Beside his retail business, he established a non-profit teaching collection of over 1,000 historic and prehistoric artifacts: Crow wool dresses detailed with elk teeth and dentalium shells, hand-beaded cradleboards, ancestral pottery, and vintage silver. Following his passing, management transitioned to the Strange Owl family, and today the gallery is operated by Nico Strange Owl, a Northern Cheyenne woman who preserves the historic collection while supporting active Indigenous creators.
What makes the gallery singular is the stark contrast between the caliber of its holdings and its unpretentious setting. At 9,000 feet, the hand-built log walls creak under mountain gusts, the altitude is immediately felt, and Longs Peak fills the view from the window. Instead of sterile museum cases and velvet ropes, priceless cultural artifacts sit quietly under timber rafters inside a working trading post where the owners know the personal lineage of every piece on display.
What it's like
Pulling into the small roadside parking lot on Highway 7, the thin air at 9,000 feet hits immediately. Inside, the cabin smells of age, log timber, and leather, filled floor-to-ceiling with historic beadwork, pottery, weaving, and silver. There is no pushy sales pitch, but asking a single question will prompt a detailed history of a piece's origin and artisan. Plan for at least an hour to browse both the contemporary gallery pieces for sale and the historic display collection, bring extra clothing layers regardless of season, and verify hours by phone before driving up as mountain weather and seasonal shifts dictate operations.
The move: Drive the Peak to Peak Highway up from Boulder, stop here to browse 1,000-plus pieces of Indigenous art together, then walk off the altitude on the nearby Longs Peak trailhead just down the road. Budget ninety minutes minimum — the owners know every piece and will talk if you ask.
📍 Before you go Open daily 10 AM–5 PM June through September; spring hours are Wednesday–Monday 10–5, Sunday noon–5, closed Tuesdays. Hours can vary — call ahead at 303-747-2861 before making the drive. No admission fee. Parking is limited and on-site. The building sits just over the Boulder County line in Larimer County at nearly 9,000 feet, so dress for cooler temps even in summer. Winter closure is likely; confirm by phone or check eagle-plumes.com.
- 📍 Boulder
- 💸 $
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 9853 CO-7, Allenspark, CO 80510
Hours: Added 2026-06-11 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Jamestown Mercantile — A fellow early-20th-century mountain staple along the Peak to Peak corridor, where you can trade high-altitude art browsing for a warm meal inside an 1896 timber lodge.
- Ward Ghost Town (Old Ward) — Heading south down Highway 7 brings you to this former 1860s silver mining camp, offering a rugged historic contrast to Eagle Plume's curated gallery space.
- Homestead Meadows — Located in the surrounding Roosevelt National Forest, this nearby trail leads to the weathered timber ruins of eight late-19th-century ranches.
- The Birch Ruins — Further north toward Estes Park, the stone ruins of a 1904 bungalow sit atop a rock outcropping, providing a crumbling architectural contrast to Eagle Plume's log structure.
Good to know
Is there an admission fee to view the collection?
No, entry is free. Visitors can view both the permanent 1,000-piece historic collection and the contemporary gallery artwork without paying an admission fee.
Are the items inside for sale?
The inventory is split: the non-profit Charles Eagle Plume Collection of over 1,000 historic and prehistoric items is for study and display, while a wide selection of contemporary and vintage Native American jewelry, pottery, basketry, and textiles is available for purchase.
When is the gallery open, and should I call ahead?
Summer hours (June–September) are generally daily 10 AM to 5 PM. Spring schedule runs Wednesday–Monday 10 AM to 5 PM (Sundays noon to 5 PM, closed Tuesdays), with winter closures common. Because hours fluctuate based on weather and season, calling 303-747-2861 before making the drive is recommended.
Where is Eagle Plume's located?
It sits along the Peak to Peak Highway at 9853 CO-7 in Allenspark, Colorado, in the Tahosa Valley near the Longs Peak trailhead, just over the Boulder County border in Larimer County.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · mmacmonthly.com · Tripadvisor · rockymountaindayhikes.com
last checked: 2026-06-11