Smiley-faced water towers? A gas station that looks like a coffee pot? Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox? Ah, all great attractions. But there’s one in Williams, Arizona, that outclasses them all. A tribute to fossilized feces. A reliquary of ancient excrement. Yes, it’s George Frandsen’s poop museum, the Poozeum! The museum just opened in May and is ready to guide you into the past.
Not a stinky side trip
Lest you think we’re offering you a stinky side trip, think again. The Poozeum houses only ancient dung. So ancient that bacteria and smell passed away eons ago. The poop museum celebrates the excreted remains of dinosaurs and other ancient critters.
While the members of the Poozeum’s collection start with the letter “c” they don’t rhyme with trap. Rather, these amazing glimpses into the past are coprolites. What’s that? Coprolites are fossils, “trace” fossils, as opposed to body fossils. Instead of a petrified T-Rex bone, coprolites are what T-Rex gave up after a good meal. The term comes from the Greek words κόπρος (kopros, meaning “dung”) and λίθος (lithos, meaning “stone”).
And Frandsen’s poop museum is full of it. Step into the Poozeum and you can actually behold the Guinness World Record holding title of the largest coprolite left by a carnivorous animal. Scaling in at more two feet (61 centimeters) long and over 6 inches (15 centimeters) wide, it’s thought to be from a T-Rex.
The poop museum—from large to small
The Poozeum’s collection ranges from the giant T-Rex BM to something a LOT smaller. Teeny, tiny, termite turds.
Poozeum’s president and curator, George Frandsen, got into the petrified poop game early. When he was 18, he bought his first coprolite in dinosaur-rich Utah. He was already a dino enthusiast, but it was the first he’d heard of fossilized poo, and it sparked his imagination—and his collection.
Today Frandsen is the proud certified title holder of the largest collection of coprolites—some 1,277 pieces. That title came to him in 2015 when it was verified at the South Florida Museum in Bradenton, Florida. But those are just the “certified” pieces. All in all, Frandsen’s collection of petro-poo numbers more than 8,000 specimens. That’s far too much poop for his Poozeum, but you can still see 7,000 examples in his museum in Williams.
Not far from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, a visit to the poop museum is a great side trip. Located at 109 West Railroad Avenue, you can’t miss it. Just look for the sign with the dino sitting on the pot. Oh, and did we mention that it’s FREE? Check out the website here.
The Poozeum – #1 for fossilized #2.
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Thank you, Russ and Tina! 🙂 It will take me a bit before I can embrace the idea of a poop museum. Substituting “coprolite” for “poop” certainly is a big help. Thank you for the information and discussion! Have a great week, safe travels, and safe stays! 🙂
Kind of a “crappy” subject for a Sunday article..🤣
🤣👍 At least it no longer stinks.😉 –Diane
Thank goodness for that !
I was thinking when I read about the museum, before I got to the part that said the exhibits don’t smell, that maybe they handed out clothespins at the door for the visitors. But, not necessary.👍 –Diane
An answer to the brain teaser…
A couple other guys made comments along that line in the Subscribers edition of the newsletter, Bill. You guys!😲🤣 –Diane
Maybe Dave Solberg’s article today got it all started? 🙃
Have a nice night .
Maybe. But I’m looking forward to tomorrow when, hopefully, the subject changes.🤞 Have a good night, Bill. 😀 –Diane