Why Are Tiny Elves Hiding In Colorado’s Museum of Nature & Science?

Denver's Museum of Nature and Science is one of Colorado's most popular destinations featuring tons of interesting exhibits that focus on topics ranging from black holes to dinosaurs, and even the sparkling gems from right here in the Centennial State.

Read More: This Is the Largest Gold Nugget Ever Found in Colorado

Most people run out of time trying to cover the 700,000-square-foot museum featuring 10 permanent exhibits, and countless attractions. Yet, some people visit the museum with a different mission. To complete a secret elf scavenger hunt.

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Have Elves Taken Over Denver's Museum of Nature & Science?

Before Colorado was even a state,  Edwin Carter had gathered one of the most complete collections of birds and mammals living in the Rocky Mountains. By 1892, He offered to sell his collection to the capital for $10,000, and the museum began incorporation in 1900. By 1908, The Denver Museum of Nature and Science began as the Colorado Museum of Natural History. The city of Denver increased funding to the museum in the late 1940s which played a part in renaming the museum in 1948. The elves arrived in the 1970s, and have cast their spell over the museum ever since.

How Many Elves Live in the Museum?

Today the official scavenger hunt at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science includes different 9 elves. Several murals were commissioned by the museum in the 1970s, yet officials had no idea the artist they hired to do the work was including these little miniature men in the backgrounds of his paintings. Join a virtual version of the hunt with the video above published to YouTube by Culz Paranormal Studio.

Who Is Responsible?

Artist Kent R. Pendleton was the man commissioned to paint the murals for the museum. In bougie museum fashion, the officials who hired him would not allow Pendelton to sign his name to his artwork that people would enjoy for decades so he added several tiny elves to his paintings as a way of personalizing the work. Today, it's one of a few different scavenger hunts people can enjoy when visiting this iconic museum.