Historical museums are so amazing, and we found a new favorite in Santaquin. The Chieftain Museum, which is housed in a beautiful old school, has been around for about 30 years. Best of all, the museum is interactive, educational, and free! We had a fantastic time visiting the Chieftain Museum.
History
This museum is located in the old part of Santaquin on the west side of the freeway. The building was built as a school in 1903 and operated for around 70 years. In 1990, it was turned into the Chieftain Museum. When you arrive, make sure to take a few minutes to enjoy the outside of the building before entering. There is a nice mural on the back of the building, too.
Exhibits
This museum has two levels, and is much like many of the historical museums that you may have visited. You see rooms like an old jail, a military display, a pioneer kitchen, and a mining exhibit. This was one of our favorites, because the boys got to sift through the gravel and find a favorite rock to take home. We also visited a bedroom, a school room complete with slates, and a technology room with ancient typewriters and adding machines. There is even a library, as well as a military room. We appreciated all of the signs that explained what certain objects were or told the history. The Chieftain Museum in Santaquin definitely has a lot to see. Plan at least an hour to walk through and explore.
Hands-on Activities
One of the things we like the most at the Chieftain Museum was all of the hands-on activities. There is a lot more stuff to touch and interact with than in many of the other pioneer museums we have visited. Make sure to check the sign for “Parent and Child Activity,” which means that you can interact with certain objects. On the first floor, we made pretend calls on ancient phones and practiced with a butter churn and eggbeaters. On the second floor, we did some dress-up photos and wrote messages for the mail system. Though you can’t touch everything in the Chieftain Museum, there was enough to interact with, that our little ones stayed interested in the artifacts and the history.
We love finding hidden gems like the Chieftain Museum in Santaquin. This museum is only open on certain days, but sometimes hosts special events, so make sure to check their website for current hours. Hours as of 2026 were: Mondays: 9am – 12pm, Tuesdays: 4pm – 6pm, Wednesdays: 9am – 12pm & 4pm – 6pm, and Thursdays: 4pm – 6pm. Utah is full of amazing free museums. Check out our post of Free Indoor Museums in Utah for other ideas.
