Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology
- Museum
- In Claremont, California
- 1.1 mi from Route 66
The Alf Museum, named for Raymond M. Alf and devoted to paleontology, stands on the campus of The Webb Schools in Claremont, CA, less than half a mile from the Route 66 line. No other high school campus in the country has a nationally accredited museum. Most of its roughly 140,000 specimens were dug up by Webb students, which makes it a memorable stop for families and fossil fans alike.
What is Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology?
The museum has two round exhibition halls, each about 4,000 square feet, and welcomes around 20,000 visitors a year. Its collections include fossils of animals with and without backbones, as well as fossil tracks. The track collection is known worldwide for its variety, ranking among the most diverse anywhere.
Six staff members run the museum full time. Two are research paleontologists who carry out studies with Webb students as part of a special science program, so the museum is a working research center as well as a place to visit. There are restrooms on site.
History of Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology
The museum dates to 1968 and is named for Raymond M. Alf. About 95 percent of its specimens were found by students on fossil-hunting expeditions known as Peccary Trips. These trips have mostly focused on California, Utah and Montana, so the collection is a record of decades of hands-on student fieldwork.
That student-driven story is what sets the museum apart. Many of the bones and footprints on display were first spotted, dug out and prepared by teenagers, working alongside trained scientists.
Visiting Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology: tips
Allow an hour or so to see both halls. Children tend to enjoy the fossils and tracks, and the round halls are easy to walk through at any pace. Nearby, the California Botanic Garden is about 1.5 miles away, a stretch of Route 66 is about 1.7 miles away, and the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery about 2 miles.
Practical info
- Address
- 1175 West Baseline Road, Claremont, CA 91711
- Phone
- +1 909-624-2798
- Website
- alfmuseum.org
- Hours
- Wed–Fri 11–5 · Sat 10–5
- On site & nearby
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2.3 mi from Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology
2.3 mi from Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology
2.3 mi from Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology
Questions about Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology
What makes the Alf Museum unusual?
It holds national accreditation while sitting on a high school campus, which no other museum in the country does, and students found most of its fossils.
How big is the collection?
About 140,000 specimens, including backboned and backboneless animal fossils and a large, varied collection of fossil tracks.
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