Moqui Cave - Kanab, Utah - Architectural Building, Historic Site, Museum

The Moqui Cave is a personal museum collected by the Chamberlain family from travels around the world and around the area. A tourist stop since the 1950's, it hosts a collection of Anasazi artifacts, a fluorescent mineral collection and a lot of Kanab area history. The cave depicts the lives and architectural achievements of the Anasazi in Southern Utah during the pueblo period. The natural temperature inside this two-hundred-foot sandstone cave is never over 70?.

The cave is located seven miles north of Kanab on Highway 89. The physical address is 4518 N Highway 89, Kanab, Utah. The hours of operation are from 9am to 7pm in Season and from 10am to 4pm Off-Season. The Cave is only open Monday through Saturday. It is closed Sunday.

An edited recount of how the Cave came to be states, "In 1951 the black and dirty cave had been abused and mistreated and was filled with graffiti and black stains from campfires within the cave. The owner began to clean up the cave by mixing 286 bags of Portland cement in a small fruit sprayer. The couple put a clean white coat of paint over the interior of the entire cave. The paint was followed by 150 truckloads of dirt. The floors slanted badly, so the dirt was used to level the floors and entry. Concrete, 7,000 square feet to be exact, was poured over the dirt to create a smooth floor. This concrete was not delivered in cement trucks, each load had to be hand mixed and pushed in a wheelbarrow to its destination. A stage was built to provide room for an orchestra and the cave was ready. The first use of the cave was for dances and socials. A bar was also set up in the south wing of the cave. Following years of long Friday and Saturday nights, Garth and his wife decided to discontinue the dances and bar and to turn the cave into a museum.''

Today there are museum pieces, replicas of the ruins in the local area and Dinosaur tracks were found and brought to the cave. A fluorescent mineral display was created and has become one of the largest collections in the west.

A May 2009 review says, "$5 for admission for adults, but I believe it was worth it since it was fascinating to be literally in a cave with nature's cooling temperature. On display are real Indian artifacts, few dinosaur prints, and neat glow in the dark black light rocks. It was interesting at the end to learn about Utah's politics, women, and plural marriage history.''

This September 2008 online review adds, "We were driving buy and this unique tourist attraction caught our eye. We stopped in and found the most unusual treat. The cave is large and bright and features fossils, art, and gift shop, lots of dinosaur tracks, a large collection of minerals and many other one-of-kind items. It's a fee of $5 per person to get in, which is well worth it. The owner is very friendly and will share with you the history of the cave (owned by his family since the 1950's). You just won't see anything like this, so I think it's worth a stop.''