OTM eNEWS

Spring 2026

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Route 66 History Highlight in June

The Old Trails Museum’s 2026 programs focus on the Centennial of Route 66, including a free History Highlights series at the Winslow Visitors Center. For the Summer Route 66 History Highlight on Saturday, June 6, at 5 pm, Kevin Schindler will present (Mother) Road to the Stars: Route 66 and its Space Heritage, which includes the world's best-preserved meteor impact site just outside of Winslow (above, courtesy of Meteor Crater Natural Landmark). Schindler has worked as the Historian for Lowell Observatory for 31 years and authors the “View from Mars Hill” column for the Arizona Daily Sun. The Summer Highlight is made possible by Arizona Humanities, the state's National Endowment for the Humanities affiliate. Read More

Route 66 History Highlight in March

OTM hosted the Spring Route 66 History Highlight on March 21 at the Winslow Visitors Center, when retired archaeologist Neil Weintraub presented Retracing the Epic 1928 Route 66, 3,400-Mile Bunion Derby Footrace Across Northern Arizona. He highlighted the days the epic race passed through northern Arizona, and he brought many friends from Flagstaff for his talk, including (left to right) Howard Brown, Nat White, Sara Wagner, Jean White, Weintraub, Jerry Foreman, OTM Director Ann-Mary Lutzick (of Winslow), Jim Foreman, and Andy White. Weintraub followed up his talk with this article in the Arizona Daily Sun. The Fall Route 66 History Highlight will be Ken Zoll’s The Rise and Fall of the Route 66 Meteorite Museum on September 12. Read More

OTM Celebrates Women's History Month

OTM joined in the March celebration of Women's History Month--designated in 1987 to honor the contributions women have made to the United States--by inviting its Facebook followers to explore the Women of Winslow exhibit. Seen above is a young Frona Parr Drumm, who operated the 20-unit Drumm Auto Court on Route 66/Second Street from 1937 to 1944 with husband John B. Drumm. Frona was also Winslow’s first female insurance agent, and their motel is featured in OTM's new 100 Years of Route 66 in Winslow exhibit. Please contact the museum if you would like to contribute a member of your family's story and photos for a panel.

Visitors Enjoy One of OTM’s Largest Artifacts

On May 6 we had a visit from the Murphys of Algona, Iowa, where Rick is the mayor and Julie is an artist and musician. Julie wrote about the museum, “What a treasure! . . . We learned so much in 30 minutes. Plus the fun chance to play the well-preserved pump organ. Stop by the museum! Well worth it!” It was special to hear her play the circa 1920s organ, which was donated by Jacob Baker (principal of Jefferson Elementary School from 1953 to 1979) and has a history at Winslow’s Catholic and Methodist churches. You can learn more about the organ and hear it being played on the OTM Website's Videos page, which features additional vignettes on artifacts in the OTM Collections.

OTM Celebrates America250

OTM was invited by the Snowflake-Taylor Public Library to join the other Navajo County museums in setting up their own displays for the March 27 visit of the Road to 250: Arizona Traveling Museum, which is Arizona America250’s signature initiative. Along with an exhibit on state and national history, the traveling museum toured Arizona’s replica Liberty Bell to all 15 counties before returning it to the Arizona State Capitol for permanent installation. The event counted 1,000 visitors on the day thanks to participation from the Snowflake Unified School District.   

Donate or become a member to support our mission: Founded in 1997, the Winslow Historical Society receives, preserves, and interprets information and artifacts representing the history and cultures of the Winslow area, in order to engage and enlighten all visitors to the Old Trails Museum’s exhibits and programs.