Vega, Texas: Dot's Mini Museum - Cowboy Boot Tree

We pulled up and saw the "End of Route 66" sign in an empty parking lot. Then we looked to the right, behind Betty's (daughter of Dot) truck, and saw the little buildings that house the collections of the Old West, Avon bottles, guns, you name it. Within a couple of minutes Betty came out, greeted us, and started in with stories about many of the museum's pieces. A great place to stop if you are heading thru. Thank you Betty.

We stopped here for the tree, but stayed for the remarkable museum. The three small buildings on the site are crammed full of amazing antiques, and we were lucky enough to run into Dot's daughter Betty, who now runs the museum. She told us wonderful stories about the various items, which included a chair from Judge Roy Bean's courtroom, and a US Mail bag with bloodstains that one of her ancestors had found out in the pasture...probably shot right off the horse that was carrying it.

There were ancient pistols, an enormous collection of antique Avon perfume bottles, and wonderful old hats, chaps, boots, and riding tack. Definitely a highlight of our Route 66 trip.

No one was there when we stopped by, so we had a quick look around and then left. It was pretty neat. The cowboy boot tree is fun, and the signs out front have some stellar road trip advice.

There's a Cowboy Boot Tree on the grounds of Dot's Mini Museum," which is a shed of miscellaneous stuff from about 1950 or earlier in someone's side yard. The "museum" is about the only thing in Vega, whose claim to fame is that it's halfway between Chicago and LA along Route 66.