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Show 1( . .t Page 4 AMERICAN FORK CITIZEN Thursday, July 5, 2007 NEWS AND IDEAS FROM CLASSROOMS AND EDUCATORS .'4 V i' 1 ' '' . .... , : r -V J" if : t i r - i i CATHY ALLREONorth County Anika Bradficld, age 4, uncovers a "fossil" under the sand at the Thanksgiving Point Xango Dinosaur Museum while her mother, Natalie Bradfield, helps her sister Marissa, age 2. ocal museums offer a summer of adventure This is the first in a two part series about activities at local museums. Linda Butler NOHTH COUNTY STAFF nvestigate, experience, explore. Utah County is home to over two dozen museums most of which have no admission admis-sion fee. This historic and cultural bonanza can provide a summer's worth of intriguing family excursions. Most of the muse ums listed here contain con-tain artifacts from the past, another name for "cool old stuff." Visiting a museum can help a youngster real ize the importance impor-tance of things of the past. It's interesting fJ ' y ,1 . i t , 1 ! I, i i to learn how music reproduction has changed from a Victrola that can fill a large shelf, to that tiny iPod the teen tucks into his pocket. It's fun to see how household tools and appliances appli-ances have advanced over the years. A sign in Santaquin's Chieftain Museum reads, "He who does not revere the past plays little part in the present and soon finds that he has no future." While visiting some of these museums, guests can view completely furnished cabins and rooms. It's a wonderful way to experience life in other times and places Ancient American, Pioneer Pio-neer and Victorian times, to name just a few. Some museums take visitors far into the past even before humans hu-mans walked the earth. Dinosaur bones, fossils, gems and minerals can be explored at a museum. See thousands of animal species and learn about animals and the natural natu-ral world at natural history and life science museums. Art museums highlight man kind s search for beauty and understanding through painting paint-ing and sculpture. Many of these museums, es pecially the Daughters of Utah Pioneers (DUP) museums, are small and uncrowded, which can be a benefit for families. Museum volunteers enjoy sharing information informa-tion and stories about the artifacts. A small museum can be visited in less than an hour, a good time frame for young children. The world is there for us to experience. We don't have to travel far to see some of the world's most amazing treasures trea-sures they're right here in Utah County. These museums are an open window into our exciting excit-ing world. Hours listed below are summer hours, and are current through Labor Day. J . y American Fork DUP Relic Hall 1 100 East and Main (Robinson Park), American Ameri-can Fork Hours: Mondays & Fridays, 1-5 p.m. I Group tours are available, contact Jill Smith at 785-9204 The American Fork Relic Hall is a treasure trove of pioneer artifacts and stories. The museum contains a variety of pioneer clothing, cloth-ing, household, and farm items. The adjacent 18-foot square pioneer cabin not much larger than today's child's bedroom was built in 1854 and was the home of Thomas and Suzanne Proctor and their large family. It's furnished and provides an excellent view into pioneer home life. Robinson Park, which surrounds the museum, mu-seum, is a fun place to picnic and play after your museum visit. Alpine DUP Relic Hall I 50 N. Main, Alpine I Hours: Saturday 10 a.m. to noon or by appointment ap-pointment For group tours or appointment, contact Ula Hemingway, 756-5490 I The Alpine Relic hall, begun in 1857, was dedicated by Brigham Young and served as an LDS meetinghouse. It also served as a school, social hall, and, until 1936, Alpine City Hall. The building, while small, is filled with over 400 historic portraits and artifacts. While at the Alpine Relic Hall, children who visit can receive a free copy of "The Discovery Game," a booklet in which they can record answers to various questions. These answers can be found by participating in the 20-minute audio tour. Those who have time and interest in Alpine history are invited to view a 30 minute video about the early days of Alpine. The Old Bell School and Pioneer Cabin I 55 S. 100 East, Pleasant Grove Hours: Thursdays & Saturdays 1-5 p.m. Group tours can be scheduled, call 785-2335. 785-2335. I Admission: free I This museum is located in the Old Bell School, the oldest standing school building in Utah. Begun in 1864, the building served as a school until 1912. The museum houses over 500 relics, including a working loom, pioneer farm and household artifacts, and a doctor's kit complete com-plete with medication vials. I The property also contains a granary and a . cabin that is furnished with pioneer artifacts. Museum of Ancient Life Thanksgiving Point. Located west of 1-15 exit 284 in Lehi I Hours: Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Admission: Adults $14, ChildSenior $11 For more information visit www.thanks-givingpoint.commuseum www.thanks-givingpoint.commuseum or call 766-5000. I This family friendly museum takes you back to the Jurassic period and before. See ancient sea creatures, the Utahraptor, Brachio-saurus, Brachio-saurus, and Tyrannosaurus Rex. Child-friendly activities fill this museum make fossil rubbings, rub-bings, design a dinosaur, compare the weight of your family to a dinosaur at the Dino Scale, build landscapes and flood them out at the erosion ero-sion table, excavate dinosaur bones at the dinosaur dino-saur quarry. See dinosaurs "life size" at the Mammoth IMAX screen theater. (Separate admission fee for theater.) Cabela's 2502 W Grand Terrace Pky Lehi, Utah 84043 exit 284 Phone: 766-2500 I Mon-Sat: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Cabela's is Utah's largest outdoor retail store and it contains several museum-quality outdoor exhibits that are free to the public. The Conservation Mountain is a 4000 square foot display of animals in their natural habitat. An African diorama contains 27 species. The Big Game museum houses animal trophies. The two giant aquariums contain 55,000 gallons and a huge variety of Utah's game fish. There is also a full size Piper Cub airplane, antique fishing gear and archery equipment, and an extensive gun collection. Moyle Park 606 E. 770 North, Alpine Park hours 9 a.m. to dark I Hours: Saturday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Wednesday Wednes-day 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. t Group tours are available, call Helen Vernon Ver-non at 756-1194. I The grounds contain many pieces of antique an-tique farm equipment and machinery potato planter, beet cultivator, cider mill, manure spreader, and hand-powered circular' saws. These can be viewed any time. I The park also contains Moyle Tower, built in 1866 by John Rowe Moyle, a fortress in the tradition of a European castle, and the Moyle home, which is now a museum. During the summer, special pioneer activities soap making, butter churning, pioneer stories and games, will take place in the park. Information on the Wednesday pioneer activities is available avail-able from Juanita at 756-9365. I After exploring the machinery and touring the home and tower, enjoy a family picnic on the lovely park grounds. Hutchings Museum of Natural History 1 55 N. Center St., Lehi I Hours: Tuesday -Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission $2.50 adults $2 seniorsyouth 13-18, $1.50 children 3-12 or $7 per family Phone: 768-7180 I John Hutchings had an insatiable curiosity. His work in mining led to a mineral collection. He also collected bird eggs, sea shells, Native American artifacts, and pioneer memorabilia. His extensive collection, plus thousands of other artifacts are housed in this intriguing museum. This museum has one of the largest collections of rocks and minerals in the West. A highlight is the walk-in jail cell. Orem Heritage Museum 1 745 S. State, Orem (SCERA Theater) I Hours: Monday-Friday noon to 7 p.m., Saturday Sat-urday 12:304:30 p.m. I Phone: 225-2569 extension 4 I Admission: free I Located on the second floor of the SCERA building, the Orem Heritage Museum is a permanent per-manent collection of over 30,000 artifacts of local history. The museum includes Indian and pioneer artifacts including a large arrowhead collection, rocks and minerals, veterans and POW exhibit, a model of Orem in the 1040's with a working miniature railroad, a model circus, antique agricultural and household tools, household treasures including a working work-ing Victrola, and a motorcycle ridden by the "Mormon Daredevil." Camp FloydStagecoach Inn State Park and Museum I Fairfield (From 1-15 take Lehi exit 279 and travel west approximately 22 miles) I Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week during the summer Admission: $2 per person or $6 per family I Phone: 768-8932 In 1858, 3500 troops, nearly 13 the U.S. Army at the time, were brought to Camp Floyd to suppress the rumored Mormon rebellion rebel-lion in Utah. With no rebellion taking place, the troops were recalled in 1861 with the outbreak out-break of the Civil War. Interpretive displays and photos describe the history and activity of Camp Floyd. View uniform insignia, bullets, bul-lets, and currency. Many of the artifacts were recovered from an archeological dig on the original site of the camp. I Nearby Stagecoach Inn was an overnight stop on the historic overland stage and Pony Express route. The two-story adobe and frame hotel has been restored with original period furnishings I In addition to the museum, the park has grass and picnic areas. |