Entry No. 50 — the Durango file — filed under: haunted
Hinsdale County Museum
Somewhere in this volunteer-run building at the corner of 2nd and Silver is a skull fragment from one of the five men Alferd Packer ate in the winter of 1874 — and it's just sitting there in a display case. The shackles they locked him in after his arrest are here too, alongside buttons cut from the victims' clothes and a dollhouse Packer built with his hands while waiting in jail. It is, without any real competition, the densest concentration of American cannibalism artifacts in the world, in a county museum that smells like old carpet and good intentions.
The story
In the winter of 1874, Alferd Packer trekked into the San Juan Mountains with five prospectors and eventually walked out alone, noticeably better nourished than when he started. Lake City was where the law finally caught up to him, and the unassuming Hinsdale County Museum—sitting quietly at the corner of 2nd and Silver Streets—is where the physical debris of Colorado's grimmest frontier crime ended up.
Walk past the standard pioneer tools and local historical photos to find the densest concentration of cannibalism relics in the country. Sealed inside a plain display case is a legitimate skull fragment from one of the men Packer ate. Next to it sit the heavy iron shackles slapped on his wrists after his arrest, fabric-covered buttons cut from the victims' abandoned clothing, and a surprisingly delicate wooden dollhouse Packer whittled by hand while waiting in his jail cell.
There are no dramatic spotlights, slick audio tours, or haunted-house gimmicks here. The room smells like aged carpet and community pride, which makes standing inches from a murder victim's bone fragment feel strangely intimate and deeply unsettling. It is pure, unvarnished small-town history holding onto a horrific piece of American lore.
What it's like
Pull up to street parking along Silver Street, just one block west of Highway 149. Inside, you'll be greeted by local volunteers who will let you explore at your own pace; the vibe is low-key true-crime archive meets small-town attic. The catch is timing: the museum is strictly seasonal, running full hours only between Memorial Day and Labor Day, so call ahead if you are passing through in the shoulder months. Plan for about an hour inside before driving south on Highway 149 to see the actual massacre site in the woods.
The move: Drive up from Durango on a summer morning, spend an hour getting genuinely unsettled at the museum, then eat lunch in Lake City before the self-guided drive south on CO-149 to the massacre site.
📍 Before you go One block west of Hwy 149 at the corner of 2nd and Silver; street parking on Silver St. Open Memorial Day through Labor Day with reduced or call-ahead hours off-season.
- 📍 Lake City
- 💸 $
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 130 N. Silver St., Lake City, CO 81235
Hours: Added 2026-06-21 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Animas Forks Mine and Ghost Town — Follow the brutal history of high-altitude mountain survival from Lake City's murder relics directly into the high-alpine ghost town ruins of Animas Forks.
- Ouray Alchemist Museum — Trade macabre 1870s cannibalism relics for an equally intense, secret-door-filled collection of 19th-century frontier pharmacy oddities in Ouray.
- Gold Prince Mill at Animas Forks - building foundation — Pair the dark human tragedy of the 1874 Packer expedition with the massive, stark concrete foundations of the 1900s mining boom nearby.
Good to know
What Alferd Packer items are actually on display?
The collection includes a skull fragment from one of the five victims, the iron shackles used on Packer after his arrest, buttons cut from the victims' clothes, and a hand-carved dollhouse Packer built in jail.
When is the museum open to visitors?
The museum is open daily from Memorial Day through Labor Day. During the off-season, hours are reduced or require calling ahead to schedule a visit.
Where do I park when visiting?
There is no dedicated parking lot, but street parking is readily available right along Silver Street in front of the museum.
How far is the museum from the massacre site?
The Alferd Packer massacre site is located just a few miles south of Lake City along CO-149, making it about a 10-minute drive from the museum.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: uncovercolorado.com · Roadside America · coloradoencyclopedia.org · colorado.com
last checked: 2026-06-21