Flagstaff Pioneer Museum

Posted in Museums
Updated May 20, 2019

The Flagstaff Pioneer Museum is a great stop if you’d like to see a little history. The building used for the museum is an old hospital for the poor and indigent. There are artifacts both inside and outside, and the kids can even complete a Junior Curator program to earn a button.

We noticed the Flagstaff Pioneer Museum as we drove past because of the large locomotive parked in front. You can examine the train up close if you pay a fee inside. There’s more than just an engine, too. You can actually walk in the caboose of the train.

Our boys were thrilled that they could walk through part of the train.

We enjoyed walking the grounds outside the museum. There is an old Model-T Ford with a hand crank. In another building we saw an ancient fire engine. The large barn outback holds a dozen or so fire wagons, carriages, and sleds. There are several buildings to poke your nose in as well.

The old vehicles were really cool to see.

There are quite a few buildings to walk through on the grounds.

We liked looking at all of the old farm equipment, too.

Inside the museum has two levels. The top is designed to be a walk through the decades. At the end of the hall is the 1880s. All down both sides of the hall are rooms that house artifacts from every decade from 1880 to 1960. We talked to our boys about the ‘30s and ‘40s during the Depression and the War, and tried to help them understand some of the things they were seeing.

We worked on our Junior Curator booklets throughout the entire museum. Make sure to ask about the program when you arrive.

Each room holds artifacts from a different decade.

We did not know there were so many different types of barbed wire.

Downstairs held an odd array of interesting items. There were desks and chairs and several stranger items from the old hospital. There was a mechanical tortilla maker from the ‘50s. Our boys were most interested in the toy room, though. There were wooden toys that the Pioneers may have used. Children are allowed to play with the toys, which include cowboy clothes to dress in, yo-yos, games, and Lincoln logs.

The downstairs held lots of memorabilia.

This was an old iron lung used in the hospital.

The kids room at the Flagstaff Pioneer Museum was a lot of fun.

Our youngest enjoyed dressing up like a cowboy and pioneer.

We found ourselves with an extra two hours in Flagstaff, and we couldn’t have been happier because it meant we got to learn a little from the Flagstaff Pioneer Museum.

Tips for Families

Admission Fees: $6/adult, $3/children 7-13, kids 6 and under Free.
Winter Hours: Monday – Saturday: 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.; Closed on Sundays and most state holidays between September and May.
Summer Hours: (Memorial Day – Labor Day) Monday – Saturday: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; Sunday 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
For more information about the Pioneer Museum in Flagstaff, visit Flagstaff.com.