Meteor Crater - Winslow, AZ - a Meteor Crater that serves as a tourist attraction

The Meteor Crater can be found in Arizona 35 miles to the east of Flagstaff and 20 miles to the west of Winslow at the 233 exit of I-40. The visitor center at the crater is open from 7am until 7pm from Memorial Day to September 15th, from 8am until 1pm on Thanksgiving and from 8am until 5pm during the rest of the year. The Meteor Crater is closed on Christmas Day. Admission to the crater is $15 for adults, $14 for those sixty or over and $8 for those aged six to seventeen.

50,000 years ago a meteorite or meteorites hit Arizona leaving a large bowl shaped crater in Winslow, Arizona. The crater began with a depth of 700 feet and is now around 550 feet measuring more than 4,000 feet wide with a circumference of over two miles. While there is evidence to show the Native Americans referenced the crater it was not written about until 1871 by one of General Custer's scouts named Franklin. Years afterward it was called Franklin's Hole until settlers gave it the name of Coon Butte.

When the crater was given the name of Coon Butte it was believed to be an extinct volcano that was part of the Hopi Buttes volcanic field. A sheepherder found iron-nickel meteorites in the area during 1886 and thought they were silver. It was not until 1891 that he reported the findings later other discoveries would result in the suggestion that the crater had been formed by a meteor. G.K. Gilbert the chief geologists for the United States Geological Survey briefly examined Meteor Crater and incorrectly determined that it was indeed a of volcanic origin this opinion would remain for twenty years.

A mining engineer named Daniel Moreau Barringer developed an interest in the sites during 1902. He was determined to find the meteor that had formed it and began drilling in 1903 unfortunately almost three decades would be spent drilling discovering only fragments until the bottom turned to quick sand. In 1929 drilling of the crater was abandoned due to a lack of funding.

The Barringer family leased the land around the meteor crater to Bar T Bar Ranch Company and in 1995 the company started Meteor Crater Enterprises Inc and the two parties signed a long term lease. The Meteor Crater facilities were built, staffed and maintained by the corporation.

The Meteor Crater land is still owned by the Barringer family and with the help of the Enterprises the property is considered to be a public trust which contributes to education and science with special awards, grants and scholarships.

The Meteor Crater has an Interactive Learning Center with several exhibits and interactive displays that make the center the most informative and extensive museum of its kind. A total of twenty-four exhibits make up the museum allowing visitors to discover the elements of color in the universe and unravel a mystery from Russia along with examining the Holsinger Meteorite. With all the Meteor Crater has to offer it is a place that those with even the slightest interest in meteorites and the effect that they have on the planet should visit.