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Postcard view of National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center, Oklahoma City By Unknown author –

Top 10 Interesting Facts about the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum

Founded in 1955, the national cowboy and western heritage museum collects, preserves, and exhibits an internationally renowned collection of Western art and artifacts. in addition, it also sponsors dynamic educational programs to promote interest in the famous legacy of the American West.

Continues to be a beacon for the great American west, it passes the nation’s cultural legacy for generations to come. through it tells the story of the west, native Americans, cowboys, and world-renowned western artists.

1. It was founded by Chester A. Reynolds

The idea for the museum originated in the early 1950s when Chester A. Reynolds of Kansas City became concerned over what he considered the nation’s loss of Western heritage. He started a campaign to create an institution that would honor the men and women who settled the American West.

Reynolds received proposals from scores of cities vying to be the home of the new facility. Oklahoma City won the designation with its donation of property on Persimmon Hill in the city’s northeast section.

The organization was incorporated as the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center under the laws of the District of Columbia on October 16, 1955. The institution was designed to represent seventeen western states, and its board of directors includes a representative from each

2. The Dickinson Research Center keeps the museums records

The Donald C. & Elizabeth M. Dickinson Research Center (DRC) houses the Museum’s archival and photographic collections, institutional records, and library. It shares the Museum’s mission to preserve and interpret the evolving history and cultures of the American West through exhibitions, education, research, and publications.

3. It’s home to the largest collection of rodeo photography in the world

The photograph shows a side view of a cowboy on a horse, looking toward the camera. By John C. H. Grabill –

The National Cowboy Museum holds the finest and most extensive collection of rodeo memorabilia in the nation, representing the sport from its early development. There are 75,461 American Rodeo Premium High-Resolution Photos and images available.

There are huge collections, amazing choices, 100+ million high quality, affordable RF and RM images

4. The famous end of the trail sculpture is found here

This gorgeous nationwide known stone sculpture by James Earle Fraser depicts a weary Native American man hanging limp as his weary horse comes to the edge of the Pacific Ocean. It was meant as a symbol of the damage inflicted by Euro-American settlement on the Native Americans. A large plaster version of the work was displayed at the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco.

The statue was awarded a gold medal with prints and photographs of the statue became popular. Many copies of the 1915 statue have been put on display. The original was moved from Visalia to Oklahoma City, in 1968, where it was restored and is now displayed at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.

5. It hosts a yearly exhibit

Hall of Great Western Performers By LittleT889 – Own work –

The museum’s collection includes over 2,000 works of western art, including the “William S. and Ann Atherton Art of the American West Gallery”. The 15,000 sq ft exhibit space contains landscapes, portraits, colorful still lifes, and sculptures by 19th- and 20th-century artists.

6. The museum boasts large art collections

Postcard view of Western art exhibit at the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center, Oklahoma City By Unknown author – 

The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum commands a rare view of the American West. It has grown from a Hall of Fame honoring the American cowboy to a world-class institution housing an extraordinary collection of history, material culture, and art.

The Museum today collects a broad array of materials that reflects the variety of peoples, cultures, and historical currents found in the West. More than 28,000 artworks and artifacts compose the museum’s extensive collection.

Permanent exhibits include the American Cowboy Gallery, the Native American Gallery, the Museum of the Frontier West, the Fine Firearms Gallery and more. The facility also houses the world’s most extensive holding of American rodeo memorabilia, such as photographs, barbed wire, saddlery and trophies

7. It’s buzzing with tones of activities for all ages

There are all kinds of fun activities and interactive hands-on activities. Examples of some of the opportunities —walk through the many different Native American tribes. Admission for adults costs $12.50; entrance for kids 6 to 12 costs $5.75. Children 5 and younger enter for free.

The museum is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Parking is free. You’ll also find a museum store and café on-site

9. The name has been changed thrice

It was established in 1955 as the Cowboy Hall of Fame and Museum, from an idea proposed by Chester A. Reynolds, to honor the cowboy and his era. Later that same year, the name was changed to the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Museum.

In 1960, the name was changed again to the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center. The American Alliance of Museums gave the museum full accreditation in 2000, the year the museum took on its present name

9. The museum hosts Award ceremonies

Every year, the museum gives “The Wrangler”, an original bronze sculpture by artist John Free, annually during the Western Heritage Awards to principal creators of the winning entries in specified categories of Western literature, music, film, and television.

The Rodeo Hall of Fame recipients is not honored during the Western Heritage Awards. They celebrate at another event and inductees receive medallions instead of “The Wrangler”.

In 1974, the western painter Arthur Roy Mitchell of Trinidad, Colorado received a special award, the “Honorary Trustee Award”, having been cited as “the man who has done the most for southwestern history” through his collective art.[2]

In 1975, the gelding horse Steamboat was inducted into the Cowboy Hall of Fame. Along with Clayton Danks, the rider, Steamboat is the model of the Wyoming state trademark, Bucking Horse and Rider.[3]

In 2012, Guy Porter Gillette (1945-2013) and his brother William Pipp Gillette born 1946, sons of the photographer Guy Gillette received the Wrangler Award for Best Original Composition of the year for the Waddie Mitchell song, “Tradeoff.

10. More than 100,000 square feet of the museum is dedicated to learning and family fun

This $15 million project encompasses more than 100,000 square feet of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. It offers activities and learning by bringing history to life for museum guests of all ages.

A lot of emphasis has been put on the purposeful play at Liichokoshkomo’. The  play encompasses guided learning and expert-led classes give families a different way to experience history and culture. 

These have been 10 Interesting Facts about the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum!