Moab Happenings Archive
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MUSEUM HAPPENINGS - January 2022

Meet the Moab Museum Guest Services Team: Doug Tree and Nathaniel Clark
by Moab Museum Staff


Doug Tree (left) and Nathaniel Clark (right), Moab Museum’s Guest Services team.

Tuesday, June 1, 2021 marked the first day the redesigned Moab Museum opened its doors to the public. Since then, over 3,000 guests have been hosted, and memberships have more than doubled. These achievements have been in part due to our wonderful staff. Visitors have been primarily engaged by two of the newest members to the Museum’s team, Doug Tree and Nathaniel Clark. We are delighted to have Doug and Nathaniel, who bring their historical and local knowledge to their roles, as well as enthusiasm and a vested interest in creating positive experiences for first-time and repeat visitors.


Doug Tree:

“I joined the Moab Museum staff in June 2021. I have been a resident of Moab since 2010 but have been exploring the area since 1995. Born and raised in Michigan, I moved to Los Angeles in 1980 to work for Apple Computer in their new product development lab while attending classes at Cal State. My professional experience includes over 20 years working as a field geologist for a geotechnical engineering firm in Los Angeles.

In the New Arrivals section, Doug interacts with a visitor.


I relocated to Moab to work for the Canyonlands Natural History Association and have been a member of the staff at Tom Till Gallery and Moab Giants. I enjoy a wide variety of professional interests including geology, ichnology, paleontology, archeology and history. Personally, I enjoy writing music, hiking, camping, photography and exploring the deserts of the American southwest.”


Nathaniel Clark:

“I moved to Moab in 2005 for a 3-month internship at Canyonlands National Park, and in what I now realize is a common occurrence, never left. I served as a ranger at Island in the Sky for 15 years, and came to love the tourists that visit from all around the world. Everyone has such an interesting story and such wonderful life experience, and the people are what kept me at the park for so long. In what has now become another common occurrence, I realized that I needed something different in life and joined the great COVID resignation.

Nathaniel answers questions in the Uranium Boom section.


Working at the museum has been a wonderful change of pace and has exposed me to even more remarkable people and their great stories. Moab has become busier, noisier, and harder to live in, but I still love this community and the people who make it so special. In my free time, I enjoy hiking and writing, but my real passion is photography in and around Moab.”

If we haven’t already had the pleasure of welcoming you to the Moab Museum, we invite you to come and meet Doug and Nathaniel, and see and experience the new changes and share your feedback with us. Our Guest Services team is there to help make your visit more informed and in-depth. Don’t hesitate to strike up a conversation with Nathaniel who is particularly well versed in mining history, and Doug, who has a knack for all things geology!

Be sure to visit the Museum for Hopi Katsina: Evolving Styles, Enduring Meanings, a temporary exhibition on display through February 2022. The Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Consider becoming a member. When you join the Moab Museum at any membership level, you directly support the preservation of the region’s cultural and natural history. Members empower the Moab Museum to grow, inspire, and serve the community now and for future generations. Business memberships are also available.


118 East Center Street, Moab — 435-259-7985 — moabmuseum.org



Movie & Western Memorabilia Museum at Red Cliffs Lodge


Indiana Jones PosterRed Cliffs Lodge, on the banks of the mighty Colorado River, is home to the Moab Museum of Film & Western Heritage. The lodge is built on the old George White Ranch, a key location for nine of the big westerns including Rio Grande, Cheyenne Autumn, Ten Who Dared, The Commancheros, and Rio Conchos.

The late George White was founder of the Moab to Monument Valley Film Commission, the longest ongoing film commission in the world.

In the museum one can learn more about film locations, how the sets are built, and how the filming process is managed on nature’s own sound stage. On display in the museum are production photographs, movie posters, autographed scripts, props from the many pictures filmed in the area, and displays about the western ranching heritage. For information, call Red Cliffs Lodge at 435-259-2002.

Rio Grande Through the magnificent landscapes of southeastern Utah, writers have been inspired and stories born here. Zane Grey, the famous western novelist, traveled through the area in 1912. His visit inspired him to write his book Riders of the Purple Sage. The book was made into a movie starring Ed Harris and Amy Madigan, and filmed on locations around Moab.

A partial list of stars that have made movies in Moab
John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Henry Fonda, Lee Marvin,
Rock Hudson, Jimmy Stewart, Richard Boone, Anthony Quinn,
Mickey Rooney, Shirley Temple, Kris Kristofferson, Billy Crystal,
Robert Duvall, Gene Hackman, Bill Murray, Jack Palance, Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis, Ted Danson, Tom Cruise, and many more.
 
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