DEL NORTE – The Rio Grande County Museum (RGCM) will be opening for its 2026 season on March 6 with a presentation by Andrew Gulliford who will be talking about the life and accomplishments of the 26th US President Theodore Roosevelt. The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Rio Grande County Museum in Del Norte. 

From the spires of the Wheeler Geological Area to the wilds of South Dakota, Dr. Gulliford uses his ability to captivate audiences through historical storytelling to recount the life of an explorer, a President and a person dedicated to preserving national landmarks throughout the country. 

Wheeler Geological Area was named after Capt. George M. Wheeler, who surveyed the area in 1874 just after the designation of Rio Grande County, and two years before Colorado was designated as a state.  

The 25-million-year-old geological wonder has brought people to the region for over 150 years and one such man knew it had to be protected. Theodore Roosevelt was known for his passion for conservation and after visiting the area, designated Wheeler Geological Area as a National Monument in 1908, making it the first National Monument in Colorado. 

Come join Gulliford and the Rio Grande County Museum for “A Night with Teddy” and walk through time to remember the efforts of President Roosevelt and how it helped shape the course of history for the San Luis Valley. 

Gulliford teaches popular college courses in wilderness and environmental history and is the author of America’s Country Schools, Sacred Objects and Sacred Places: Preserving Tribal traditions, and Boomtown Blues: Colorado Oil Shale, which won the Colorado Book Award. He also edited Preserving Western History, which was voted one of the best books on the Southwest by the Tucson-Pima County Library. His articles and photographs have appeared in national publications, including High Country News, Preservation, American Heritage, Colorado Heritage, and Montana. 

He writes a regular monthly column titled “Gulliford’s Travels” for the Southwest life section of the Durango Herald, and some essays are picked up by the “Writers on the Range” syndicated column of High Country News. Gulliford also writes for Inside/Outside Southwest and Mountain Gazette. 

Gulliford has received the National Individual Volunteer Award from the U.S. Forest Service for wilderness education and a certificate of recognition from the Secretary of Agriculture for “outstanding contributions to America’s natural and cultural resources.” 

The governor appointed Dr. Gulliford to two terms on the National Register of Historic Places Review Board for the state of Colorado. Gulliford also has his 3rd federal appointment to the BLM’s Southwest Colorado Resources Advisory Council, where he represents environmental interests. 

Gulliford has led tours across the West by canoe, raft, horseback, van, cruise ship, private train, and private jet for the Smithsonian Institution, the National Geographic Society, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Colorado Historical Society. 

He regularly donates tours to raise money for the Durango Adult Education Center, American Red Cross, Western Colorado Congress, Fort Lewis College Foundation, Rocky Mountain Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), and Great Old Broads for Wilderness. 

For more information, visit www.riograndecountymuseum.org.