If you are into the history of the verde valley it is a wonderful place to visit, with great pictures and memorabilia
Good for local history-be sure and mapquest to find.
It is nice to see that the Verde Valley heritage is well taken care of by the museum staff and volunteers who were very friendly and informative.
This volunteer-run, donations only place keeps very tight hours (during the week open only Wednesday morning), so for years I'd been missing it. Luck put me in Cottonwood sight-seeing at the right time at last, and pleased I am. The Clemenceau is a fine local history museum, with many impressive exhibits. The highlight-- what elevates the museum to five star level-- is the incredible model train diorama, which represents an enormous amount of work on the part of its creators. One could spend an hour just examining its entertaining detail.The museum is located in the 1920s school, which is an impressive building in its own right, worth a look for that reason alone. Next door is the old Bank of Clemenceau.
We learned quite a bit about Cottonwood and I particularly enjoyed the "train" room. The docents are friendly and knowledgable. You can walk the museum on your own or have a docent accompany you.
This museum is well done. It has some very interesting exhibits and plenty of folks /volunteers to explain what each exhibit is all about and why it was and is important. Check out the model train setup. it is awesome. Children young and old will love this place. Enjoy!
French Premier Georges Clemenceau was a good friend of James Douglas, founder of the town where the museum was located. So this little spot in the middle of the desert has a touch of France and a cookbook with a French recipe for sale. If you're looking for big-city excitement and quality, this is not the place, but I give it five stars for friendliness, value (donation only), and because the miniature train exhibit is remarkable. One room of the museum seems to be more of an education center which could be of interest to children. This could be a nice place for families, too, and it shares a building with the school administration. It's nice to have a place like this as a break from either the sun or snow as you're out exploring the area.
What a nice surprise to find so much history in this museum. Our tour guide was so very knowledgeable and still excited about the museum's content. Someone has taken a lot of time and effort to put it all together so perfectly.
A surprise visit to this very unknown museum was a nice addition to our day. It is a piece of a former town, now incorporated into Cottonwood, with a large miniature train room, lots of authentic pieces from the past in the late 1800's, lots about the Verde Valley, old school room with old seats (have a seat), mining photos and artifacts and a great staff of senior volunteers! Donation only!
The displays are top notch. Be sure to visit the model train room. Fantastic.