Maturango Museum, Natural history museum in Ridgecrest, California
Maturango Museum is a natural history museum in Ridgecrest that presents collections of minerals, indigenous artifacts, and regional animal specimens to show the nature of the Northern Mojave Desert. The exhibits explain the features and ecosystem of this desert landscape.
Founded in 1962, the Maturango Museum was originally designed to highlight the history of Ridgecrest and the nearby China Lake area. It was named after Maturango Peak, the highest summit of the Argus Range east of town. Since 2014, Debbie Benson has served as its director.
The museum displays information about petroglyphs from the Coso Rock Art Area created by indigenous peoples of the region. Visitors can learn about the artistic works and tools that reflect the lives of the people who lived here long ago.
The museum is easy to visit and located in central Ridgecrest on a street with good access. Visitors should plan to go on cooler days since the desert region can become very hot.
The museum is a federally recognized curation facility under 36 C.F.R. Part 79, storing prehistoric and historic artifacts from the Upper Mojave Desert, from the Sierra Nevada and Kern River Valley to Death Valley and northwestern San Bernardino County. Since 2013 it has run summer internships for history and archaeology students, who catalog artifacts and build exhibits.
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