Among the collections in the museum that have been added since Richard and Rita Erickson passed away in 2018 and 2007, respectively, is Building 22’s collection of mint-condition muscle cars. Photo: Neighbors of the Wasatch Back // Sarah Severson.

In the bucolic Wasatch County outpost of Wallsburg, Starks Lane meanders past pastures, farmyards, and paddocks. But at the end of that road is a definitively unexpected destination: the Richard W. Erickson Antique & Classic Power Museum. Located just 20 minutes south of Heber City, this beautifully curated indoor-outdoor museum is chock-full of rare and antique cars, motorcycles, and tractors, as well as relics of yesteryear in America.

The museum’s namesake, Richard Erickson, first became acquainted with Utah in the early 1950s, while he was on his way to California to serve with the U.S. Army during the Berlin Crisis, where he earned top honors for his marksmanship. When his tour of duty was up, Richard returned to his native Minnesota, packed up his belongings, and—with his wife, Rita—moved to Salt Lake Valley. There, they launched an excavation, trucking, and paving business and raised their children, Pam and Todd.

Rita and Richard Erickson moved to Salt Lake City from Minnesota in the 1960s, then purchased the land where the Antique & Classic Power Museum is located, outside of Wallsburg, in the 1970s. The museum includes Richard’s car and motorcycle collection, as well as Rita’s vast collection of Americana memorabilia. Photo: Neighbors of the Wasatch Back // Sarah Severson.

Long before moving West, Richard had developed a deep fascination with the internal combustion engine, with 1930s-era Ford vehicles and motorcycles being his machines of choice. “He was a factory hillclimber for a Harley-Davidson dealer in Minnesota and spent a lot of time participating in hill climbs in Wisconsin. Back then, he was like the Fonzie of Litchfield, Minnesota,” said Pam Erickson in 2023. (Pam served as a trustee for her parents’ foundation before she passed away from cancer in 2025.)

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In 1972, the Ericksons purchased 350 acres in upper Provo Canyon just outside of Wallsburg, “thinking they’d store tractors on it,” Pam had said. The land soon became a repository for Richard’s power-engine passion and Rita’s vast Americana collections. In 1999, the couple started a foundation with the mission of “keeping history alive” and, over the following years, slowly developed the property into a museum.

Richard Erickson was particularly passionate about collecting Model T Fords from the 1930s, ’40s, and ’50s, and they are now on display in Building 21—the Ford Building—at the museum. Photo: Neighbors of the Wasatch Back // Sarah Severson.

It was a breezy, early-spring day when the foundation’s chairman and executive director, Robert Muir, led me and photographer Sarah Severson on a tour of the Antique & Classic Power Museum buildings and grounds. Robert grew up on a farm in Wallsburg just down the road from the Erickson ranch and spent much of his childhood “helping Mr. Erickson with property and restoration projects,” he recalls. Robert went on to become a general contractor, but he remained close with the Erickson family and has been a part of the foundation since its formation. “Our mission is ‘keeping history alive,’ but the foundation also gives back by supporting several local charities and causes, including veterans organizations like Continue Mission, Future Farmers of America, and Primary Children’s Medical Center,” he says.

Hundreds of motorcycles representing multiple eras reside in Building 16, where a special section is dedicated to Steve McQueen, an actor known as the “King of Cool” and was also an avid motorcycle collector and rider. Photo: Neighbors of the Wasatch Back // Sarah Severson.

Since muscle cars are Robert’s personal interest, our tour of the Antique & Classic Power Museum began in Building 22, home to the foundation’s eye-popping collection of muscle cars and Salt Flats racing vehicles, many of which were procured by the museum after Richard’s passing in 2018. (Richard was preceded in death by Rita, who passed away in 2007.)

For the uninitiated—which, before my visit to the museum, included me—muscle cars are 1960s- and ’70s-era American-made vehicles, typically two-door coupes, that are modified by placing a powerful V8 engine into the intermediate, affordable chassis. Muscle cars are designed for straight-line acceleration, rather than cornering, making them ideal for drag racing.

This extremely rare 1913 Pierce-Arrow convertible represents the pinnacle of luxury during the time it was produced. The 1913–1914 models introduced iconic headlights molded directly into the front fenders, a patented feature that allowed for better illumination and a distinctive appearance. Photo: Neighbors of the Wasatch Back // Sarah Severson.

Among the rare and dreamy rides within Building 22 is a pristinely restored 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge, a vehicle recognized by both General Motors of Canada and the Pontiac Historic Society for its dedicated adherence to factory correctness, like its Carousel Red body-paint color, Rally II wheels, and hood-mounted tachometer. Pontiac produced less than 7,000 GTO Judges, making it highly sought-after by collectors.

Next, Robert led us into Building 21, which is the Ford Building. “These cars represent what Richard was really passionate about. The Fords here start with the Model T and progress through models from the ’30s, ’40s, and ’50s,” Robert explains. Among the dozens of literally sparkling vehicles housed in the Ford Building is a 1938 Lincoln-Zephyr Convertible Coupe driven by Annette Bening in the 1991 film Bugsy; Rita Erickson’s 1966 Mustang; and a 1996 Excalibur Cobra, one of only 178 built in the 1990s by Excalibur under the direction of Ford.

Among the museum’s collections of rare cars, motorcycles, and tractors, there are a few odd-looking vehicles, like these two pictured here, which were used for racing on Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats. Photo: Neighbors of the Wasatch Back // Sarah Severson.

Our next stop was Building 16, a repository of hundreds of motorcycles—dating to the early 1900s—that chronicle the evolution of two-wheeled mobility, beginning with the bicycle. Among the collection is a steam-powered bicycle, several hill climbers, board track racers (motorcycles used to race around an oval track lined with wooden planks) and, the pièce de résistance, the 1946 Indian Chief, which was once the personal motorcycle of Steve McQueen. “This collection includes lots of rare motorcycles, or those where only a few were made,” says Robert.

All told, the Antique & Classic Power Museum encompasses 24 buildings housing more than 3,000 items, which, along with the motorcycles and cars, spans more than 100 farm tractors and a belt-driven sawmill. “This is probably the largest collection of its kind in the Western US,” Robert notes. The museum also features a pioneer village that has a church furnished with a functioning pump organ; several 1800s-era log cabins; a print shop with presses that once printed the Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune; and the original Erickson family home, moved to the site from Minnesota.

Robert Muir, chairman and executive director of the Richard W. Erickson Foundation, stands in front of his great-grandparents’ store, which served as the center of life in Wallburg for more than 80 years. Two years ago, the foundation relocated the building to the Antique & Classic Power Museum grounds. Photo: Neighbors of the Wasatch Back // Sarah Severson.

At the edge of the pioneer village is a building—labeled “Elmo Ford’s Merc”—that’s particularly personal to Robert. “This store belonged to my great-grandparents, who ran it into the 1980s,” Robert shares. “We moved it here from down the road in Wallsburg two years ago.” Built in 1890 as an official outlet of ZCMI (Zion’s Cooperative Mercantile Institution), a retail chain founded in 1868 by Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints prophet Brigham Young, the store installed the first telephone in Wallsburg and housed the town’s post office, as well as sold a variety of goods, from hardware to penny candy. “We still sell penny candy for a penny out of the store during the Power Show,” says Robert.

The Richard W. Erickson Antique & Classic Power Museum, located at 50 Starks Lane in Wallsburg, is open from May through October by appointment only, bookable at richardericksonfoundation.org. The museum is also open during three annual events: the Antique Power Show, June 26–28, 2026 (tickets are $15 per person and free for kids ages 12 and younger); TedFest, a multiday, family-friendly bluegrass-and-roots-based music festival, July 17–19, 2026, tedfestmusic.com; and Powermountain Music Festival (formerly Wasatch Boomerfest), August 28–30, 2026. For details, visit richardericksonfoundation.org.