Our lives consist of a series of events that shape our character. So too, the history and people of an area help shape the future character of it's community. A visit to the Rim Country Museum, in Payson, Arizona, allows you to observe the events, industries and colorful characters that worked together to shape the history of a unique mountain community.
The museum campus consists of the oldest original ranger station in the Southwest, the ranger's residence, the upper portion of a ranger lookout tower that once sat atop Mt. Ord, and replicas of the Herron Hotel, and Zane Grey's cabin.
A fire destroyed the first Ranger's residence, but the Forest Service rebuilt the current structure in the 1930's on the original foundation. It's now home to the museum gift shop; filled with curios and books about the Rim Country.
The first floor of the replicated Herron Hotel contains permanent exhibits depicting the early history of the area. Beginning with Native American artifacts, the exhibits form a time line with items from the ranching, lumber, and mining industries, right on up to Zane Grey photos and memorabilia. The upper floor currently displays photographs, articles and artifacts of the fatal 1990 Dude Fire, along with additional exhibits of a pioneer kitchen, a blacksmith's shop, and a bootlegger's camp complete with stills from the Prohibition era.
A walk through the Zane Grey Cabin is like walking through a life-sized diorama. In it are pieces of replicated furniture situated the way Zane Grey originally had it. There are also copies of his books, a red Royal typewriter used by his secretaries, and a Morris Chair where Mr. Grey sat and wrote manuscripts by hand.
The Rim Country Museum has been voted one of the Top 10 Western Museums of 2010 by True West magazine.
To hightail it from Phoenix, get on the Beeline Highway (RT 87) and drive north to Payson. Turn left (west) on Main Street and drive until you see a big white house (Zane Grey Cabin) and buildings painted in "Forest-Service-green" (museum), then turn right (north) on Green Valley Parkway.
GPS Coordinates:
34.233677 -111.343484
Contact Information:
Rim Country Museum
700 Green Valley Parkway
Payson, AZ
Phone: (928) 474-3483
email: ngchs1@gmail.com
Hours:
10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Wednesday through through Monday
Closed on Tuesdays
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