The Amerind Museum

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Wednesday March 5, 2014

Since Marla and Kermit have arrived, we have been on a whirlwind of adventures- they are helping us pare down the list of "Must See" destinations in this area, and we couldn't be more delighted.

Today we set out to see the Amerind Museum, in Dragoon, AZ about 40 miles from here, up AZ 90 to Benson at Interstate 10, then East on I-10 to Wilcox and down East Dragoon Road to the museum.  Amerind is a contraction of the words American and Indian, and that is what the museum is all about.

The museum is a the former home of William Fulton, an archeologist who established the Amerind Foundation in 1937.  The museum's exhibits include artifacts found by Fulton or other members of the foundation.  The object include vessels of all kinds, baskets, and clay pots ranging from a few inches high to those standing 3 feet or more, and weavings both ancient and relatively new, and quite an array of weaponry ranging from spears, hatchets, and bows, to hand guns, and rifles of the era.

Unfortunately they do not allow photographs to be taken in the museum or in the adjacent art gallery.  The prohibition is quite understandable, but makes for a lackluster blog.

The items in the museum cover all western tribes, including Alaskan, and the Pacific Northwest clear down into Mexico, and South America.

As I mentioned the museum is co-located with the Fulton- Hayden Memorial Art Gallery next door.  

    Here is a picture of one of the entrance doors to the Art Gallery.  The doors were hand carved in 1665 for a chapel in Michoacan, Mexico by Tarascan wood carvers.    

The exhibits are nothing short of excellent- I wish I could show you examples, but you'll just have to come see them for yourself.

We got a late start this morning, and by the time we had seen most of the museum and gallery, we were getting hungry.  The trip back to the RV would take us through the City of Benson, and we decided that would be a good place to look for lunch.   We searched restaurants on Trip Advisor and learned of a restaurant called the Horseshoe Cafe and Bakery in Benson, that got rave reviews.  We were all for it. 

The Horseshoe has been here in Benson since 1938, and the decore is of that period- dark wood paneling and wood floors.  One unforgettable feature is a neon horseshoe that covers the whole ceiling!

Trip Advisor did not disappoint - Joan and I shared a huge Southwest Chicken sandwich with sweet potato fries.  Kermit had huevos rancheros, and Marla had a veggie omlet.  We all agreed the food and service were great!   

We made an early day of it, as Marla and Kermit had to pack-up and get ready for their journey back to Oregon.  They head out tomorrow from Patagonia to Tucson where they want to see the Tohono Chul botanical gardens.  After an overnight in Tucson, they will head for 29 Palms.

Joan and I were out of groceries so we took a quick trip into Sierra Vista to stock up.  There is a Frye's in SV which is a Kroger store on much the same layout as the Fred Meyer stores back home.

Tomorrow we want to take a "day off" if there is such a thing in retirement.  We'll catch up on our laundry and our reading before we head out to Ramsey Canyon for a picnic and a hike.

Your Traveling Friends,

Joan and Jeff