Edwin Carter would have approved of his cabin's latest restoration, mostly because it follows "green" standards. The Town of Breckenridge and the Breckenridge Heritage Alliance didn't apply for LEED certification, because it can cost up to $50,000, but it did employ environmentally friendly materials. The Edwin Carter Museum reopens Saturday after a 15-month restoration.

Carter moved to Breckenridge in 1868 to mine gold, but when he saw the mutations mining practices caused to local wildlife, he became a taxidermist, collecting thousands of Rocky Mountain animal specimens. In 1875, he opened a museum (which was also his home) to educate people about preserving the environment. Within 25 years, he amassed more than 3,300 specimens, which ultimately helped create the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.

Greening the Cabin

Before refurbishing Carter's cabin, the Town of Breckenridge ordered an energy audit to find ways of making the old structure more energy efficient.

First, contractors removed the relic hot water heater and boiler that fueled the museum and replaced it with an on-demand hot water heating system. They also installed halogen-infrared bulbs, which put out more light while using the same amount of energy as traditional bulbs.

Harris Construction recycled all construction waste. The new hardwood floors and painted walls employed only low VOC varnishes and paints, custom furniture was built from wood harvested from certified sustainably-managed forests, and all of the descriptive wall plaques are fashioned from fiber-based craft board and printed using soy ink.

Museum Changes

As visitors walk in to the "new" Edwin Carter museum, they'll notice it's lighter, cleaner and more spacious.

Joe Lobello of American West Taxidermy in Kremmling cleaned and refurbished all of the wildlife specimens. And he had quite a job of it; when he started vacuuming the fur, dust flew everywhere, and he had to wear gloves, a mask and special protective clothing because Carter likely used arsenic as part of his taxidermy practice. Now the animals look clean and natural - at least as natural as a dead stuffed animal gets. Even the bear has teeth now, and all of the animals have new, sparkly eyes. "We hardly recognized the animals when they came back because they'd been cleaned and washed and he redyed them," said Linda Kay Peterson, executive director of the Breckenridge Heritage Alliance.

Harris Construction stripped the cabin to its basic structure, removing dropped ceilings installed in the 1950s or '60s and replaced them with tongue-and-groove wood, which, according to old photos, was how Carter built his home. Window boxes showcase antiquated wallpaper from the 1800s, as well as newspapers underneath. Fresh wallpaper matches the original as closely as possible. Contractors tried to save Carter's flooring, but he applied wood and patches of plywood over several boulders, rather than building a proper foundation.

New Features

The front room, adorned in red and gold wallpaper, primarily focuses on Carter's life, from miner to naturalist, entrepreneur and scientist.

In the second room, Harris Construction removed a closet built in the 1960s or '70s (complete with a tiny "hippy loft"), opening the room to host displays revolving around the practice of taxidermy and the rise of conservation.

A kids' room features two computers and a looking glass to spy animals. Once kids point the scope on an animal on the wall mural, the interactive computer asks them to identify it. Stereoscopes from the 1800s give kids a taste of the first three-dimensional postcards.

A new video room shows a film of Carter's life. "It's a much more encompassing museum, and it's much more interactive," Peterson said.

The town and heritage alliance completed the museum rehabilitation as part of Breckenridge's 150th anniversary celebration. The museum will be open Tuesdays through Sundays, and in the spirit of Carter, who never charged admission, it is free.

By Kimberly Nicoletti

Summit Daily News

May 22, 2009