Flagstaff in Coconino County, Arizona — The American Mountains (Southwest)

The Museum Club

Flagstaff's Historic Route 66 Landmark

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 13, 2023

1. The Museum Club Marker

Inscription.
Built in 1931 by Dean Eldredge
Restored by Martin and Stacie Zanzucchi

Placed in the National Register of Historic Places
by the U.S. Department of the Interior on May 3, 1994
under the authority of Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt

Officially dedicated on July 30, 1994,
by Arizona Governor Fife Symington

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Arts, Letters, Music • Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), and the U.S. Route 66 series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1931.

Location. 35° 12.845′ N, 111° 35.974′ W. Marker is in Flagstaff, Arizona, in Coconino County. It is on East Route 66 (U.S. 180) 0.1 miles east of North Park Drive, on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3404 E Rte 66, Flagstaff AZ 86004, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Flagstaff & High Country

and in Hopi.

It is also in the American Southwest,

in the Mountain West,

in Colorado Plateau,

and at the Four Corners.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: A different marker also named Museum Club (here, next to this marker); Bushmaster Park (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Mother Road (approx. 0.4 miles away); a different marker also named The Mother Road (approx. half

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a mile away); Route 66 Trail (approx. 1.3 miles away); Arizonal Trail - A Tribute to Dale Shewalter (approx. 1.8 miles away); Beale Wagon Road (approx. 1.9 miles away); Buffalo Park (approx. 1.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Flagstaff.

Regarding The Museum Club. Excerpts from the National Register nomination:

Dean Eldredge's boyhood dream became a reality in 1931 when he built The Museum along Route 66 to house his unique collection. According to early newspaper reports, Eldredge's 30,000 specimens included everything from taxidermied animals, valuable rifles, Indian artifacts and art work, to Hawaiian trigger fish, freak calves and ducks, arrowheads and an Iowa pig. Scores of tourists would stop in at The Dean Eldredge Museum where the price of admission was 25 cents. …

In 1936, Doc Williams, a Flagstaff saddle maker, turned The Museum into a night club. … During the 1960s and 1970s almost everyone who was or became somebody played at The Museum Club because it was on Route 66. Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, Wynn Stewart, Wanda Jackson and Asleep at the Wheel are just a few of
Photographed by Adam Margolis, May 24, 2024

2. The Museum Club Marker
the acts which have appeared at The Museum Club. … The club's reputation as a magnet for budding musical talent is often attributed to the efforts of Don Scott, a colorful character who owned the club in the 1960s and 1970s.

Also see . . .
1. The Dean Eldredge Museum. National Register nomination (PDF) and photographs (separate PDF) submitted for the site, which was listed in 1994. (Prepared by Steve Chambers and Peggy Pavlich; via National Park Service) (Submitted on November 19, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

2. The Museum Club: Looking back at a historical landmark. It is no secret to Flagstaff residents that the Museum Club has been the place to go for Wednesday dime nights and other weeknights for karaoke and line dancing. On Dec. 28, 2020 via Instagram, the Museum Club announced it would be shutting its doors for the second time in its 84-year history on Jan. 3. [Note: New owners reopened the venue under a new name, The Zoo, later in 2021.] (Michael McClure, "The Lumberjack" blog, Feb 4, 2021) (Submitted on November 19, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

3. The Museum Club. Short video about the unique venue and its history. (Arizona Highways TV, uploaded April 12, 2012) (Submitted on November 19, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

4. Photo Gallery: Sun sets on Flagstaff's Museum Club. Gallery of photos taken

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 13, 2023

3. The Museum Club Marker

in 2017, when the venue closed (for the first time). (Jake Bacon, Arizona Daily Sun, Sept. 16, 2017) (Submitted on November 19, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

The Museum Club and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Adam Margolis, May 24, 2024

4. The Museum Club and Marker

The Museum Club Interior image. Click for full size.

GothEric via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0), August 18, 2013

5. The Museum Club Interior

Credits. This page was last revised on December 28, 2024. It was originally submitted on November 19, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 424 times since then and 43 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on November 19, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 2. submitted on December 17, 2024, by Adam Margolis of Mission Viejo, California. 3. submitted on November 19, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 4. submitted on December 17, 2024, by Adam Margolis of Mission Viejo, California. 5. submitted on November 19, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.