See American Meteorite Museum (Meteor Crater Observatory) Ruins, Meteor Crater, Arizona

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In the mid-1930's, Harry and Hope Locke built the impressive Meteor Crater Observatory on Route 66 near the Meteor Crater in Arizona, west of Winslow. It was soon closed down due to lack of visitors, and a huge debt incurred during construction. Harvey Harlow Nininger (January 17, 1887 – March 1, 1986) was an American meteoriticist and educator. Although he was self-taught, he revived interest in scientific study of meteorites in the 1930s and assembled the largest personal collection of meteorites up to that time. In 1942 Nininger founded the American Meteorite Museum, which was first located near Meteor Crater, Arizona (1942–1953) at the site of the Meteor Crater Observatory. Visitors could pay 25 cents to peer through the telescope in the observatory tower at the huge meteor crater 6 miles to the south. American Meteorite Museum was later moved to Sedona, Arizona (1953–1960). Part of the Nininger Collection was sold to the British Museum in 1958, and the remainder of the collection was sold to the Arizona State University Center for Meteorite Studies in 1960 which displays a selection of these meteorites in their public museum. There are a few old rusty cars next to the road.

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