We are now in Utah and we'll be here for a long time. Our first all-Utah entry is about Moqui Cave, a roadside kitsch museum on state Highway 89 near Kanab operated by the Chamberlain family. Garth Chamberlain purchased the cave in 1951, and one of his grandsons enthusiastically greeted us and gave us a brief tour. As for Garth, who died in 1992, he was a man of many talents. Bar keeper--the cave was a tavern before it was a museum--wood carver, curator, and the first Brigham Young University athlete to play in the NFL--he was a Pittsburgh Steeler in 1945. He also was a lookalike of Buffalo Bill, which ties in nicely with a couple of my earlier posts in this series.
The entrance to the cave is a bit garish, and when we entered I wasn't sure if the cave authentic. It is, nature carved it out of Navajo Sandstone. Prior to European settlement it was inhabited by Native Americans, there are a couple of petroglyphs on the ceiling. Pictured on the right is the original bar, elsewhere in the cave are displays of Native American articacts, fluorescent minerals, foreign money, and of course memorabilia centered on Garth--it's a real grab bag. Outside there are authentic dinosaur tracks, moved to the spot although the tracks come from the area.
The Chamberlains are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints--they're Mormons. One of their ancestors is Thomas Chamberlain--a photograph of him and other men wearing traditional black and white prison uniforms is on display--he served time in prison for polygamy in the late 1800s.
Online reviews of the museum are mixed, but I'm going to give it a thumbs up. The tone of Moqui Cave is a refreshering break from the pretentiousness of the other museums in the area. The cave is cozy, you can be in and out in 15 minutes. Oh, this may not make a difference in winter, but it's was a natural 70 degrees inside the cave. Admission is $5.
Next: Zion National Park
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