Quartzsite Historical Society operates Tysons Well stage Station Museum

The Quartzsite Museum, also known as the Tysons Well Stage Station Museum, provides an introduction to pioneer and mining history of Quartzsite including mining equipment and the Assay Office from the Margarita Mine. Larger mining equipment is displayed in outside exhibits. The original adobe stage station, built in 1866 by Charley Tyson, “was an important way station on the California-Arizona line because of excellent water and grass for the horses. Miners and freighters, hauling mining equipment

and military supplies from the river port at Ehrenberg, to the Territorial Capital at Prescott, also stopped here.   The Quartzsite Historical Society opened Tyson’s Well Museum in February 1980, after extensive restoration work. The original structurally sound walls were retained and others were rebuilt. A shell of stabilized adobe brick was built around the original walls to protect them. Historical artifacts were gathered from interested citizens, as well as photographs and old mining equipment. When the building was finished, these articles were placed inside as well as outside the building. The dirt floor in one of the rooms was maintained for authenticity. The ceiling of the main room consists of saguaro ribs, and the original fireplace. Outside in the yard is the original assay shack from the Mariquita Mine, which offers a peek into the everyday life of the miners. Also, in the yard is the handiwork of Walter Barrett, a little village of cement and stone houses built during his retirement and donated to the museum. Just to the west of the Museum are the ruins of the Oasis Hotel, which is our next restoration project, with fundraising currently underway.  

The Quartzsite Museum is a 501(c)3 charitable organization. Our Tax ID Number is 860259359. We accept only certain historical items for donation. These items are within a certain year and certain area. Some items include books, maps, other papers and materials illustrative of the described area of principal interest from 1850 to the present. Some past donations have been pictures, mining items, etc. Financial Donation can be made at the museum, by mail and soon on this website. lso, please consider making a gift to the museum in your Will or Trust. We sincerely appreciate your support! Contact the Historical Society directly for more information