Posted in New Mexico July 02, 2016 by David Cooper, Guest Contributor

This One Of A Kind Museum Is A Must See Along The Turquoise Trail In New Mexico

This colorful museum in New Mexico is the brainchild of Ross Ward, an avid collector of all things old, unusual, and miniature. Ward was a self-taught woodcarver and was fascinated by the world of small figurines. He spent nearly 30 years traveling across country as a show painter, saving one-of-a-kind finds to add to his display. The Tinkertown Museum is a place to see his beautiful collection of oddities, artwork, and imagination.

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David Cooper Photography
Not only was he a collector, Ward was also a preservationist and arranger of many unexpected related objects. The museum is filled with his unusual projects both inside and outside exhibits.
David Cooper Photography
David Cooper Photography
His fascination with colored bottles led him to collect and display them as integral elements in the walls of the amazing buildings.
David Cooper Photography
One of the gems of his museum are the old signs for actual snake oil salesmen, a job that has become a term to describe con artists!
David Cooper Photography
One of Mr. Ward's fascinations was in creating an enormous circus display, complete with amazingly detailed and intricate scenes drawn from the circuses of America's past.
David Cooper Photography
David Cooper Photography
A recreated ghost town named Buzzard Gulch contains all sorts of discarded and forgotten objects collected from actual abandoned places. Many of the items displayed can still be found scattered in other real ghost towns throughout the Southwest. By bringing these elements to his museum, he gives the visitor a quick peek into the history of the area.
David Cooper Photography
Additionally, he has preserved a sailing ship that had circumnavigated the globe. Information about the history and the actual trip are displayed in the building containing the well-preserved craft. No one wanted to buy it or preserve it after its journey, so Mr. Ward decided to give it a home in his museum.
David Cooper Photography
David Cooper Photography
Should you need a palm reading, a handy guide is on display.
David Cooper Photography
Tinkertown is home to numerous devices that will tell your fortune and astound you with their mechanical motions and faces.

Ross Ward worked over 40 years on this project. At age 57, much of his involvement in these projects ceased due to the early onset of Alzheimer’s disease in 1998, but when Mr. Ward passed away in 2002, his wife and family carried on his work and continued his creative dreams through the Tinkertown Museum.

You can come witness Ross Ward’s artistic vision and honor his commitment by visiting his masterpiece, which is only a few miles west of Albuquerque. This amazing museum is open every year to visitors in mid March through the end of October. The Tinkertown Museum is open 7 days a week and definitely worth a visit. Ross Ward’s creativity, innovation, and dedication live on in this little hidden gem in New Mexico.

Photographer David Cooper travels across the Southwest and Western states, exploring the beautiful, unique, and little-known spots along the way. His adventures have carried him to Tent Rocks and Chaco Canyon in New Mexico, a Viking Castle at Lake Tahoe, and Bryce Canyon In Utah.