Pima Museum
The Eastern Arizona Museum and Historical Society in Pima operates an ever-expanding
facility. One area of the museum features a broad variety of displays from
pioneer days to present. There are also multitudes of photos and family histories
archived. Another area of the museum includes Indian artifacts from the region,
representative of various cultures.
Also on the grounds is an automotive and agriculture
museum, which is presently being developed.
The address is Main and Highway 70, Pima. Hours are Wednesday, Thursday and
Friday from 2 to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 1-5 p.m. Admission is free but donations
are welcome. Call 485-9400 for information.
Graham County Historical Society Museum
The museum of the Graham County Historical Society is located inside the historic
Thatcher High School on the corner of Fourth Avenue and Highway 70 in Thatcher.
The museum houses a fine collection of items from pioneer days to present, including a special room devoted to Indian artifacts of the area. There are replica rooms featuring a parlor, kitchen and bedroom as well as space dedicated to rotating displays and more. Military, ranching and agricultural memorabilia are also displayed.
Hours are Monday, Tuesday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free; donations welcomed. Call 348-0470 for information.
Fort Grant Historical Museum
One of the least known museums in the area is housed in the lobby of the administration
building at Fort Grant, now a state prison facility. The administration building
is outside the grounds and is open to the public.
The museum displays items from the time that Fort Grant was a military installation on up through its history as a state reformatory and later as a state prison. The collections include many items found on the grounds dating back to the late 1800s as well as a multitude of historic military photos. Hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. Call 828-3393 for information.
Dankworth Village
South of Safford at Dankworth Pond is a re-created archaeological site that
features structures of previous cultures from the area. Since most are not
readily available to visitors in actual settings, this educational project
provides an opportunity to see dwellings and other features from the past.
Displayed at the multi-cultural village (which requires a 1 3/4 mile walk from the park's entrance) are dwellings and sites from Paleo-Indian, Cochise, Mogollon, Hohokam, Salado and Apache time frames, ranging from 9000 BC to the 1600s. The village was developed through efforts of Arizona State Parks and the Bureau of Land Management.
San Carlos Apache Cultural Center
The San Carlos Apache Cultural Center exhibits a window into the tribe's culture
and history.
The center is the first one of its kind on the San Carlos Reser-vation and
it allows the tribe to tell its story from the Apache perspective.
In the exhibit, visitors will learn about the spiritual beginnings of the people, of the Mountain Spirit Dancers (Ga'an) and of the beautiful changing woman ceremony, known today as the Sunrise Ceremony.
Visitors will learn of the Apaches' cultural legacy and about the forced confinement of the people on the reservation. There are also information and displays about the tribe today and its vision for the future.
The center features the works of many Apache artists and craftspeople. Beautiful necklaces of peridot, hand-made dolls and intricately woven baskets accent the gift shop, along with beadwork, moccasins and Apache music. The gift shop also has T-shirts, postcards, books and other reservation memorabilia.
The San Carlos Apache Cultural Center is located
in Peridot, at mileage marker 272, on Highway 70 between Globe and Safford.
It is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free to
tribal members and $3 for other adults. Students and seniors pay $1 and children
under 12 are admitted free. For more information or to make group reservations
call 928-475-2894.