2024 offers an incredible array of public and members-only programs, events, community-based initiatives, and two remarkable exhibitions highlighting Moab’s essential role in mid-20th century global conflicts.

A Moab Prison Camp: Japanese American Incarceration in Grand County.
Public Opening Saturday, February 17, 2024
This exhibit explores the local and national story of Japanese American incarceration during WWII. Following the 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 authorizing the wartime incarceration of 120,000+ Japanese Americans, a majority of whom were US Citizens, in detention facilities across the country. The Moab Isolation Center, located north of Moab at Dalton Wells, played a brief but significant role in the web of Japanese American incarceration facilities: a former Civilian Conservation Corps camp was transformed into a temporary prison camp for so-called “troublemakers” from other camps. This tale of injustice and resistance unfolds via stories, images, and objects, introducing the national context with the Smithsonian’s Righting a Wrong poster exhibition and research conducted by Utah State Parks.

This exhibit unpacks the nuanced terminology used during that era and following, inviting visitors to consider the usage of words like “relocation” versus “incarceration” and wrestle with the gravity of terms such as “concentration camp.” Through compelling narratives curated collaboratively with descendants and partners, A Moab Prison Camp illuminates the resilience exhibited by those imprisoned in Moab. It also offers a broader exploration of the Japanese American experience during, and after, this tumultuous period in U.S. history.

On Thursday, February 15, 2024, all Museum members are invited to a members-only Exhibit Preview, featuring remarks by former Utah State Senator Jani Iwamoto, the first Japanese American woman to serve in the Utah State Senate. Ms. Iwamoto will discuss her work advocating for the preservation of Japanese American history and culture in Utah; she will be introduced by Museum Board Vice President Megan Blackwelder and Southeast Utah Regional Manager for the Utah Division of State Parks. Museum members are encouraged to attend this preview to learn more about the partnership between the Museum and Utah State Parks’ interpretive plans for the new Utahraptor State Park at Dalton Wells.

The Medicine Blanket of Charlie Black. Shortly before his death, Charlie Black sold this blanket to Clyde Deal at Goulding’s Trading Post in Monument Valley. When Clyde passed in 2015, he gifted the blanket on to his wife Janet Roper Deal who loaned it to the Museum via David Lyle.

Join us at the Museum on Saturday, February 17th for a free public exhibit opening. From 10 am-2 pm, we will be hosting a Scan and Share event in the Museum gallery. Staff from the Utah Historical Society will be gathering stories and digitizing artifacts related to the Moab Isolation Center at Dalton Wells. The Museum will also be launching a community book club for folks interested in taking a deeper dive into this history.

The People’s Tapestry exhibition is extended through Saturday, February 10, 2024
The current temporary exhibition, The People’s Tapestry: Weaving Tradition in Navajo Culture, will be on exhibit until February 10, 2024.

The Moab Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For more information, please visit moabmuseum.org.

Seasonal Closure January 2nd-15th, 2024
In line with our annual tradition of closing the Museum to the public for two weeks, the Museum team will be using this time to reflect on an incredible 2023 and refine the exhibit and program plans coming up in 2024. Staff are reachable via email and phone throughout the closure as we continue to reorganize our second-floor workspace, Mike Ford Research Library, and records. Happy Holidays from the Museum Team – we look forward to seeing you when we reopen on January 16, 2024.

And be sure to mention you read about it in Moab Happenings.

Red 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.

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.