Maturango Museum facts for kids
The front of the Maturango Museum
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| Established | 1962 |
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| Location | 100 E. Las Flores Ave. Ridgecrest, CA |
| Type | Cultural history, natural history and geology |
The Maturango Museum is a cool place to visit in Ridgecrest, California. It's famous for its guided tours to the Coso Rock Art District, which is located on the China Lake Naval Weapons Station. This museum has lots of interesting things to see!
You can explore exhibits about the natural history of the Northern Mojave Desert. This includes displays of animals, plants, and different kinds of rocks and minerals. The museum also shows the cultural history of the area, with Native American artifacts and modern art.
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About the Museum
The Maturango Museum first opened its doors in 1962. It was created to show off the history of Ridgecrest and the nearby China Lake area. The museum got its name from the tallest mountain in the nearby Argus Range.
The town of Ridgecrest, where the museum is located, is surrounded by four mountain ranges. To the west are the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The Cosos are to the north, and the Argus Range is to the east. To the south, you'll find the El Paso Mountains. Ridgecrest is about 80 miles from the Lancaster/Palmdale area. It's also about 115 kilometers from both Bakersfield and San Bernardino.
Debbie Benson has been the director of the museum since 2014.
Exploring Collections and Research
The Maturango Museum keeps many important collections from the local area. It also has a large collection of old documents. The museum is a special place where qualified people can study archeology, history, and natural history.
Museum Collections
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This museum is a professional facility that follows special rules for keeping archeological collections. It accepts and stores old artifacts from the Upper Mojave Desert region. This area stretches from the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Kern River Valley in the west. It goes up to southern Inyo County in the north. To the south, it reaches the Antelope Valley, and to the east, it includes Death Valley and northwestern San Bernardino County.
Student Internships
Since 2013, the museum has offered special programs for college students. These programs, called internships, usually happen during the summer. Interns help with many tasks. They might help sort and label artifacts or research specific topics related to the museum's collections. They also help design and build new exhibits. Most students who intern here are studying history or archeology.
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