Dan Starks didn’t initially envision a museum when he began collecting historic tanks and military vehicles.

However, as news of his collection spread, more and more people expressed interest in seeing it. This public curiosity was partially sparked by the annual appearance of some of the vehicles in the Fourth of July parade in Dubois, Wyo., a quaint mountain town near Starks’ ranch. The buzz around the collection grew as word of mouth spread, and the requests to see it increased.

Starks found joy in sharing his collection, but it soon became overwhelming. “It finally got so that in the summer I was doing a morning tour and an afternoon tour, day after day,” he recounts.

The collection attracted a diverse crowd, transcending age, gender, income, education, and experience levels. Everyone from children and seniors to veterans and tourists, from enthusiasts to those new to military vehicles, was drawn to the tanks.

Initially, the vehicles were crammed into two storage barns, lined up side by side and end to end, without any formal displays or interpretive information. Despite this, the interest did not wane.

“I could see that it was a significant experience for these visitors. Parents wanted their kids to have that experience,” Starks notes. “It was the same with veterans, seeing the level of enthusiasm.”

Realizing the potential, Starks saw an opportunity in the intersection of his passion for the collection and the public’s fascination. “This process has been very interesting,” says Starks. “The vision has expanded, starting with a small kernel, as a result of feedback from so many different people.

“I came to think there actually is a lot of interest in this kind of an experience, and to the extent that I can better organize the stories, the education element, and historic preservation — man, this could be something good.”

His primary motivation for establishing the museum was to “just to build something good that could prove to have appeal to more people than we had expected.”

Moving away from the cramped sardine-can displays, Starks planned an organized exhibit space, complete with historical notes, technical specifications, and realistic settings that not only showcased the vehicles but also honored the people who operated them.

Dan Starks is enjoying the journey: “It’s been exciting, absorbing and fun — and a great reason to get out of bed in the morning.”

The $100 million, 160,000 square-foot National Museum of Military Vehicles, situated approximately eight miles southeast of Dubois, Wyoming, along U.S. Highway 26, welcomed the public for the first time in the fall of 2020. Its Grand Opening celebration was held on Memorial Day, 2022.