POWELL MUSEUM & ARCHIVES
OUR COLLECTION OF OVER 100,000 PIECES OF
COLORADO PLATEAU HISTORY
Sale of the Powell Museum Building
Glen Canyon Conservancy Announces Sale of the Powell Museum & Archives Building
Page, AZ — With deep regret, Glen Canyon Conservancy (GCC) announces its decision to list for sale the building that houses the Powell Museum at 6 North Lake Powell Blvd. Despite sustained efforts to support and strengthen museum operations, GCC can no longer continue subsidizing its ongoing costs. As a result, the organization has made the difficult to move forward with the sale of the property. As part of this process, the GCC Board of Directors is seeking potential buyers who may be interested in continuing museum operations—ideally in a way that could include a continued partnership with GCC. A listing broker will be selected in the coming weeks who will provide additional information about the scope of the sale.
WHY IS THE MUSEUM BUILDING BEING SOLD?
Over the last two years, the GCC board and staff have sold property, closed poor-performing visitor center stores and cut staffing and expenses by more than 50% to subsidize the Powell Museum & Archives and fulfill its original mission as a partner to Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. These operational changes were made to operate more efficiently and to pay the debt service on a Small Business Administration Emergency Injury Disaster Loan taken out by the previous GCC administration to renovate the museum after a black water flood. While these efforts were impactful, they were not enough to support both GCC operations AND museum operations.
Because the current board recognized the continued strain on the organization, the GCC board president, vice president and staff requested a partnership with the City of Page on May 14, 2025, to provide funding for the community’s museum and archives. Informally, we were told that the City Council decided to not support any aspect of the GCC proposal. After multiple requests by the GCC board president for a formal follow up and negotiation of our request, GCC did not receive an answer or support. Therefore, hard decisions had to be made.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO CURRENT EXHIBITS AND ARCHIVES?
Although GCC is in the process of selling the physical building at 6 North Lake Powell, the current exhibits in the museum and collections housed at a rented facility on Vista Avenue are NOT a part of the sale and remain a priority for the organization. As stated previously, ideally, a potential buyer would be interested in continuing museum operations, but that is not a guarantee.
GCC is exploring options to ensure ALL collections are properly preserved and remain accessible to the public through digital initiatives and/or partnering with other museums. Other plans include moving the popular 3D map of Glen Canyon back to the Flagship Store and designating a portion of the store as a space for rotating exhibits that highlight the diverse history, culture and natural heritage of the region. Donors of items in the museum’s collection will be contacted in the near future regarding these ongoing preservation and accessibility efforts and given the option to retrieve their items if necessary.
GOING FORWARD
For decades, the Powell Museum & Archives has served as a cornerstone of community history, education and exploration, preserving the legacy of John Wesley Powell and the cultural heritage of the Colorado Plateau. This closure marks the end of an important chapter in our story, but GCC remains committed to our partnership with the National Park Service and our mission of connecting people to Glen Canyon through visitor services, education and retail sales at Carl Hayden Visitor Center, Navajo Bridge Interpretive Center and the Flagship Store.
We want to thank our supporters, staff, volunteers and community members who have stood by us over the years. Your passion and commitment have made the Powell Museum a treasured institution, and your support continues to inspire our work moving forward.
ABOUT THE MUSEUM
POWELL MUSEUM & ARCHIVES
Founded in 1969, the John Wesley Powell Memorial Museum, now known as the Powell Museum & Archives, holds over 100,000 objects in trust for the people of Page, as well as other areas of the Colorado Plateau. Our collections focus primarily on the natural and cultural history of northern Arizona and southern Utah. To keep our collections in line with the passions of John Wesley Powell, the museum has focused on acquiring items that fall under cartography, archaeology, geology, paleontology, anthropology, as well as a focus on the unique city of Page’s history with the Glen Canyon Dam.
Powell Museum & Archives
Current exhibits
Powell Museum & Archives
DIGITAL COLLECTIONS
Journey through a selection of the Powell Museum & Archives’ permanent collection from the comfort of your own home. Since its inception in 1969, the Powell Museum & Archives has accepted materials from the Bureau of Reclamation, hobby photographers and many others.
As a consequence, the museum has outgrown its ability to showcase it all. As of 2019, the museum has been aiming to digitize the full collection so that visitors can search or browse images and specimens through our online portal.
PALEONTOLOGY
Around 240 million years ago, creatures large and small lived in this region. Some left their mark in the mud, and if the conditions were just right, those prints were preserved under a protective layer of sediment. See the many types of fossils in the collection here.
PHOTOGRAPHY
The Powell Museum is proud to have such a large collection of Bureau of Reclamation photos, Sanderson River rafting photos, and so much more. See photos touching on the early …
NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE
The Colorado Plateau has been home to many indigenous groups for thousands of years. See works from Navajo, Hopi, Southern Ute, Ute Mountain, Zuni, Paiute and many other indigenous groups here.
JOHN WESLEY POWELL
Major John Wesley Powell is credited as the man who led the first U.S. Government Expedition down the Green and Colorado rivers, through the Grand Canyon in 1869. He would later retrace his first trip and finish the expedition in 1871. See various reference photos from his trips down the rivers, as well as numerous related pieces commemorating his history voyages here.
GLEN CANYON DAM HISTORY
The Glen Canyon Dam was constructed from 1956 to 1966 by the United States Bureau of Reclamation. The 710-foot-high arch-gravity dam not only created Lake Powell, but it created the town of Page, Arizona as well. See the many pieces of history from the Dam’s construction here.
GEOLOGY
The Colorado Plateau is composed of Neoproterozoic, Paleozoic, and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks. Sandstones, shales, and limestones are common, as are fantastic rock formations molded by wind and water. See geology examples from the various formations here.
Powell Museum & Archives
Page oral history project
Experience the vibrant history of Page through its residents in this new digital exhibit from the John Wesley Powell Museum. Stories and memory combine to weave a personal narrative unlike any you’ve heard before. From dam construction and the development of Page to life before the first surveyors came with dreams of a giant reservoir. Tune in below, no need to set your radio dial.
