Colorado Humanities will tour “Crossroads: Change in Rural America,” a Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street (MoMS) exhibit to 10 Colorado communities August 2023 to December 2024. The exhibit takes a broad look at the characteristics of rural America, how an attraction to and interaction with the land formed the basis of rural America, and how these communities and small towns evolve.
The exhibition opens in Yampa at the Yampa Town Hall, 101 Main St. Yampa, CO 80483, on March 11, 2024 and will be on view through April 20, 2024 before moving to the other communities.
About “Crossroads: Change in Rural America”
“Crossroads” explores how rural American communities changed in the 20th century. Currently, most of the United States landscape remains rural with only 3.5% of the landmass considered urban. Since 1900, the percentage of Americans living in rural areas dropped from 60% to 17%. The exhibition looks at that remarkable societal change and how rural Americans responded.
Americans have relied on rural crossroads for generations. These places where people gather to exchange goods, services, culture, and engage in political and community discussions are an important part of our cultural fabric. Despite the massive economic and demographic impacts brought on by these changes, America’s small towns continue to creatively focus on new opportunities for growth and development.