Iraan Archeological Society

PO Box 183 Iraan, Texas 79744-0183

IRAAN MUSEUM

CURRENTLY CLOSED

The Iraan Archeological Society was instrumental in the creation of the Iraan Museum.  The Iraan Museum is located in the Fantasy Land Park in Iraan, Texas. The park was begun as a means of promoting tourism to Iraan, based upon a unique claim to fame of the town. In the early 1920s, when Iraan was an oil boom town, one of those who came there to work was V. T. Hamlin. As he worked in the surrounding mesas, Hamlin observed the fossil record in the rocks, the dinosaur tracks in the area, and the shallow rock shelters where Native Americans lived, he conceived an idea that he later successfully turned into the comic strip, Alley Oop.

The city of Iraan gained permission to use ideas from the Alley Oop strip in a park. This included the creation of a large version of Oop's pet dinosaur, Dinny.

When completed, the pipe, concrete, and chicken wire Dinny weighed in at over 80,000 pounds! He was dedicated at the first Alley Oop Day, May 8, 1956. Over 3,000 people turned out to see V. T. Hamlin, who had traveled from his home in Florida, unveil the dinosaur. Over the next several years, Alley Oop events became a regular occurrence in Iraan and new features from the comics were added to the park.

The Iraan Archeological Society obtained permission to also establish a museum as part of the park. When Dinny was dedicated, all that existed of the museum was a sign on the site of its future location.

The Iraan Archeological Society (IAS) was founded in 1964 by a group of ten locals with an interest in the local history and prehistory of the region.

Several of the founders had extensive artifact collections, but they had no place to display these items. The new museum would provide a place to house them. With few funds, but great ambitions, the Society initiated the project.

Over the next several months, funds were raised and beginning in the latter part of 1965, construction began. Additional donations of money and volunteer labor helped speed the museum construction.

The opening ceremony took place on July 2, 1966. Dalton King, President of the IAS, cut the ribon and the Iraan Museum was open to the public. A large crowd had gathered for their first look at the new museum.

The original building of cinder block tile measured 40 feet by 30 feet.

Volunteers from the IAS opened the museum on weekends and holidays for over two and a half years. They registered visitors, cataloged incoming artifacts donated to the museum and helped maintain the museum and park. The Mildred Parker Garden Club helped provide trees and shrubs to plant on the park grounds.

In June, 1967, the City of Iraan took over the maintenance of the Alley Oop Park and Museum and hired the first museum curator.

As more artifacts, both historic and prehistoric, became part of the Museum collection, the museum building became too small to properly display them. A fund-raising project began in 1970 to expand the museum facility. One of the more popular, and successful, fund-raising events was the performance of "Panic on the Pecos" a humorous production starring citizens from Iraan and Sheffield.

Work on the expansion began in 1973, with final completion in 1975. The addition, also of cinder block, was 20 feet wide and 50 feet long.

Marathon Oil Company donated historic oil field equipment, including one of the last three standard oil derricks standing in the Yates Field, which was placed on the park grounds.

The Iraan Museum is located on the western outskirts of the city of Iraan, Texas, at 1000 Alley Oop Lane in Alley Oop Fantasy Land Park. The museum is currently closed by the city.