JOLIET, Ill. – Downtown Joliet has a new attraction: Treasures Out West, a museum dedicated to the history of western transportation. Located at 110 S. Main Street, the museum celebrated its grand opening on Friday, offering visitors a glimpse into the past with displays featuring a replica of an original wagon wheel and other western artifacts.

A Tribute to Montana Culture

Beyond the transportation exhibits, Treasures Out West aims to honor Montana culture. The museum includes a gift shop stocked with handmade items from local crafters and artists, and also Wilcoxson’s Ice Cream, providing a taste of Montana.

Dave Engel’s Passion Project

The museum is the culmination of Dave Engel’s lifelong passion for restoring and recreating antique wagons. Engel, a YouTube personality, has been dedicated to this craft since the 1970s. This is a part of the American West. It’s the roots of America, how all the settlers moved from eastern areas, St. Joe, Missouri, to this country, all happened with what I work with. Engel said. All the pioneers came out here, the whole country was opened up on wagons. And that’s just part of who we are.

Engel has been working on opening the museum as last summer, and he already envisions expansion. This isn’t near big enough. I’m beginning to realize that fairly quickly. We could easily triple, or quadruple this room here, he noted.

Featured Exhibits

The museum’s centerpiece is an original restored manure spreader from Engel’s personal collection. However, Engel’s favorite item is a large wagon wheel, a meticulous recreation based on an original antique. This is a project that I got involved with the beginning of 2014, and it is a project that has never been done before, Engel explained. These wagons were built in the early 1880s, and no one has ever rebuilt these since.

Engel’s Coach Shop: Where History Comes to Life

Across the street from the museum is Engel’s workshop, where he restores and builds old wagons and films his YouTube videos. Since 2015,Engel has shared his craftsmanship on his YouTube channel,Engel’s Coach Shop, demonstrating his skills to a wide audience.

People watch this project and then they can come and actually see it hands on, first hand, of what they watched on their television, Engel said, highlighting the connection between his online content and the physical museum.

Rich Bischoff’s Lamp Collection

Adding another layer of historical significance, the museum features a collection of restored carriage and early automobile lamps by Rich Bischoff, Engel’s brother-in-law. Bischoff has been restoring these lamps for nearly as long as Engel has been working on wagons.

Just the fact that,well,some of this machinery that I’ve used,it’s really cool to see here that Dave got a special spot for,honoring me by doing that… It’s just real exciting, Bischoff said.

Engel and Bischoff previously collaborated on reproducing carriage lamps about 40 years ago before pursuing their individual interests. Bischoff’s collection spans from the 1850s to the 1920s, encompassing lamps from buggies, carriages, and early automobiles.The only thing that isn’t represented here is hearse lamps. But everything from buggies, to small carriages, to large carriages… to early automobiles (is represented), Bischoff noted.

engel dedicated a portion of the museum to Bischoff’s collection,recognizing their shared history and Bischoff’s expertise. I never dreamed that this would be in a display like that for people to come and look at it, Bischoff said.

Visit Treasures Out West

Treasures Out West is currently open on weekends. The owners hope to expand the business to be open every day.