Our History & Our Team |

Recognizing the need to preserve the rich heritage of the Lower Verde River Valley, in 1989 several Fountain Hills residents gathered to form the Fountain Hills and Lower Verde River Valley Historical Society.

The museum was named after one of the town’s first residents and owner of the local newspaper, Alan Cruikshank and was originally located in Fountain Park.

In 2003 the River of Time moved to its current location when a $3.7m bond issue funded construction of a joint library/museum building on town property, adjacent to the community center. The Town of Fountain Hills continues to provide the property, along with building services, a relationship that has helped sustain the River of Time since the opening of this location in 2003.

The appearance of the coronavirus in 2020, and the subsequent two-year pandemic including an 18-month shutdown of our facility gave us an opportunity to reset and refocus. The Verde River has always been central to our mission, but a tweak has given us a new direction, a new focus, and a plan for future sustainability. 

We are only at the start of this new journey. We will not abandon 30+ years of our own history, but we must move forward with the times. Our goal is to engage, entertain, educate, and inspire families about the Lower Verde Valley, and the Verde River that runs through it – The River of Time. The water of the Verde River has been the foundation of communities in this area throughout history.

Our aim is to share the continued importance of water to our way of life in the desert through education and visitor interaction. Through our interpretive exhibits, experiential local tours, dynamic programming, and engaging community events, we want to showcase the importance of water in the desert in the past, and more importantly, the importance of water conservation in the future.