National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum

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National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum logo.png
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
Established1955
Location Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.
Type Hall of fame
Website Official site
Fountains in front of the imposing entrance to the then named National Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City in May 1972. National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum (May 1972).jpg
Fountains in front of the imposing entrance to the then named National Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City in May 1972.

The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, with more than 28,000 Western and Native American art works and artifacts. The facility also has the world's most extensive collection of American rodeo photographs, barbed wire, saddlery, and early rodeo trophies. Museum collections focus on preserving and interpreting the heritage of the American West. The museum becomes an art gallery during the annual Prix de West Invitational Art Exhibition and Sale each June. The Prix de West Artists sell original works of art as a fund raiser for the museum. The expansion and renovation was designed by Curtis W. Fentress, FAIA, RIBA of Fentress Architects.

Contents

History

Bulldogging photo of "Cowboy Morgan Evans", 1927 World Champion Cowboy Morgan Evans.jpg
Bulldogging photo of "Cowboy Morgan Evans", 1927 World Champion

The museum 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, when it took on its present name.

To maintain the memory of the founder, the museum grants the Chester A. Reynolds Memorial Award. This prize is granted to a person or institution contributing to the preservation of American West history and heritage.

Exhibits

The museum encompasses more than 200,000 sq ft (19,000 m2) of display space. The museum's collection includes over 2,000 works of western art, the "William S. and Ann Atherton Art of the American West Gallery". The 15,000 sq ft (1,400 m2) exhibit space contains landscapes, portraits, colorful still lifes, and sculptures by 19th- and 20th-century artists. Its over 200 works by Charles Marion Russell, Frederic Remington, Albert Bierstadt, Solon Borglum, Thurmond Restuettenhall, Robert Lougheed, Charles Schreyvogel, and other early artists lead to the museum's prize collection of contemporary Western art created over the last 30 years by award-winning Prix de West artists. The first winner was a large oil by Clark Hulings, "Grand Canyon - Kaibob Trail", about a mule team barely crossing a Grand Canyon trail in deep winter snow. The collection also includes over 700 pieces by Edward S. Curtis, and over 350 from Joe De Yong, along with the large plaster sculpture of James Earle Fraser's End of the Trail.

The Hunters' Supper (detail) by Frederic Remington, circa 1909 The Hunters' Supper.jpg
The Hunters' Supper (detail) by Frederic Remington, circa 1909

The historical galleries include the American Cowboy Gallery, a look at the life and traditions of a working cowboy and ranching history; the American Rodeo Gallery, fashioned after a 1950s rodeo arena, provides a look at America's native sport; the Joe Grandee Museum of the Frontier West Gallery exhibits some of the more than 4,500 artifacts once belonging to Western artist Joe Grandee; the Native American Gallery, focuses on the embellishments that Western tribes made to their everyday objects to reflect their beliefs and histories; the Weitzenhoffer Gallery of Fine American Firearms houses over 100 examples of firearms, by Colt, Remington, Smith & Wesson, Sharps, Winchester, Marlin, and Parker Brothers.

The museum also houses Prosperity Junction, a 14,000-square-foot (1,300 m2) authentic turn-of-the-century Western prairie town. Visitors can stroll the streets, peek in some of the store windows, listen to antique player pianos, and actually walk into some of the fully furnished buildings. The town comes alive with historical figures once a year during the museum's annual holiday open house, "A Night Before Christmas".

The museum also is home to an interactive children's museum titled Liichokoshkomo’. Making its debut to the museum in 2020, this outdoor space, meaning "let’s play", encompasses more than 100,000 square feet and offers hands-on learning through purposeful play and engaging activities, such as dodging a geyser, grinding corn, and loading a pioneer wagon. [1]

In September 2022, it was announced that the museum's American Rodeo Gallery would house the Professional Bull Riders Hall of Fame. [2] It opened the following year. [3]

Western Heritage Awards

"The Wrangler" in bronze Bronze Wrangler.png
"The Wrangler" in bronze

Every year, during the Western Heritage Awards, the museum awards the Bronze Wrangler, an original bronze sculpture by artist John Free, to principal creators of the winning entries in specified categories of Western literature, music, film, and television. Past winners have included Owen Wister, William S. Hart, Tom Mix, Hoot Gibson, Ken Maynard, Tim McCoy, Harry Carey, John Kent Harrison, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Tex Ritter, Rex Allen, John Wayne, Randolph Scott, Joel McCrea, Richard Widmark, James Stewart, Buck Taylor, Howard R. Lamar, Ben Johnson, Pernell Roberts, Arthur Allan Seidelman, Skeet Ulrich and Tom Selleck.

The Rodeo Hall of Fame recipients are 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. [4]

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. [5]

Rodeo Halls of Fame

"Cowboy Morgan Evans" 1928 World Series Rodeo Contest entry chit Cowboy Evans World Series Rodeo CONTESTANT.jpg
"Cowboy Morgan Evans" 1928 World Series Rodeo Contest entry chit

Rodeo Historical Society (RHS) awards the Hall of Fame awards, which are determined through voting by the society membership. [6] The museum includes three halls of fame, including the Hall of Great Westerners for actual people who lived through the frontier era to present. Other halls include the Hall of Great Western Performers, for actors only, and the Rodeo Hall of Fame.

These are a few of the members of the Rodeo Hall of Fame, followed by the year they were inducted:

Award yearNameNotes
1982Chris LybbertAlso inducted in 2006 in the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. [7]
1988J.C. "Doc" Sorensen
1995 Dale D. Smith
2002Bonnie McCarrollAwarded posthumously
2006 Dan Collins Taylor
2009Cotton Rosser
2009 Reg Kesler Awarded posthumously
2013 Earl W. Bascom Awarded posthumously. [6] [8]

Donald C. and Elizabeth M. Dickinson Research Center

The Donald C. and Elizabeth M. Dickinson Research Center (originally known as the Research Library of Western Americana) opened on June 26, 1965. [9] Today, the center serves as the library and archives of the museum. The center is a closed-stacks library, containing books, photographs, oral histories, and manuscripts focusing on western popular culture, western art, ranching, Native Americans, and rodeo. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hall of Great Western Performers</span> Hall of fame for cowboys

The Hall of Great Western Performers is a hall of fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It is a 4,000-square-foot (370 m2) presentation that explores how the American West has been interpreted in literature and film. Each year, the museum inducts performers to the hall in conjunction with the awarding of the Western Heritage Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lane Frost</span> American bull rider (1963-1989)

Lane Clyde Frost was an American professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in bull riding, and competed in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). He was the 1987 PRCA World Champion bull rider. He was also the only rider ever to score a qualified ride on Red Rock, the 1987 PRCA Bucking Bull of the Year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cowboy culture</span>

Cowboy culture is the set of behaviors, preferences, and appearances associated with the attitudes, ethics, and history of the American cowboy. The term can describe the content or stylistic appearance of an artistic representation, often built on romanticized impressions of the wild west, or certain aspects of people's lifestyle, such as their choices in recreation, apparel, and western or southwestern cuisine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheyenne Frontier Days</span> Annual festival in Cheyenne, Wyoming

Cheyenne Frontier Days is an outdoor rodeo and western celebration in the United States, held annually since 1897 in Cheyenne, Wyoming. It bills itself as the "World's Largest Outdoor Rodeo and Western Celebration." The event, claimed to be one of the largest of its kind in the world, draws nearly 200,000 annually. Lodging fills up quickly during the peak tourist season throughout southern and eastern Wyoming, into northern Colorado and western Nebraska. The celebration is held during the ten days centered about the last full week of July. In 2008, Cheyenne Frontier Days was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame.

Carl A. Nafzger is an American Hall of Fame horse trainer. Before he was involved in horse racing, he was a champion rodeo bull rider.

Michael John Gaughan is an American casino owner and operator in Las Vegas, Nevada, who is the owner of the South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa. He is the son of Jackie Gaughan and was the owner of a NASCAR race team, South Point Racing, for which his son, Brendan Gaughan, used to drive. The team was dissolved at the end of the 2007 season.

Robert Edward "Rob" Smets, known professionally as The Kamikaze Kid, is an American former professional rodeo bullfighter.

Larry Mahan was an American professional rodeo cowboy. He won six all-around world championships and two bull riding world championships in the Rodeo Cowboys Association circuit at the National Finals Rodeo.

James A. Shoulders was an American professional rodeo cowboy and rancher. He is commemorated at the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. At the time of his death, he was one of the most successful contestants in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), having won 16 World Championships, which was the most of any performer at that time. He was known as the 'Babe Ruth of rodeo'.

Cody Lambert is an American former professional rodeo cowboy. He specialized in saddle bronc riding and bull riding. He was also a co-founder and vice president of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR). He created the protective vest that professional bull riders have been required to wear for many years, after witnessing the death of his friend, Lane Frost at the Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo in Cheyenne, Wyoming, on July 30, 1989. Since 2022, Lambert has been the head coach of the Texas Rattlers during the PBR Team Series season. In 2023, the Rattlers won the PBR Team Series Championship title.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tuff Hedeman</span> American bull rider

Richard Neale "Tuff" Hedeman is an American former professional rodeo cowboy who specializes in bull riding. He won the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) bull riding world championship three times, as well as the 1995 Professional Bull Riders (PBR) world championship. He also won the 1993 world championship for the now-defunct Bull Riders Only (BRO) organization. He is also one of the co-founders of the PBR and is known for having been one of rodeo icon Lane Frost's closest friends. He and the infamous bucking bull, Bodacious, had a few historic clashes. He later served as the President of the PBR and then the President and Ambassador of Championship Bull Riding (CBR). In 2018, he formed his own bull riding organization: the Tuff Hedeman Bull Riding Tour (THBRT).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Steagall</span> American singer-songwriter

Russell "Red" Steagall is an American actor, musician, poet, and stage performer, who focuses on American Western and country music genres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casey Tibbs</span> American rodeo cowboy and film actor (1929–1990)

Casey Duane Tibbs was an American professional rodeo cowboy, and actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hall of Great Westerners</span> Hall of Fame for Cowboys

The Hall of Great Westerners was established by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in 1958. Located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S., the Hall was created to celebrate the contributions of more than 200 men and women of the American West. Inductees include explorers, Native American leaders, writers, poets, politicians, statesmen and others.

Charles Osgood "Charlie" Sampson is an American former professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in bull riding. He was the 1982 Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) World Champion bull rider. He is the first African American cowboy to win a world championship in professional rodeo. He was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 1996.

Myrtis Dightman is an American former professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in bull riding. He is a ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductee. Known as the "Jackie Robinson of Rodeo", Dightman was the first African-American to compete at the National Finals Rodeo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Professional Bull Riders: Heroes and Legends</span>

The Professional Bull Riders Heroes and Legends celebration honors five divisions in the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) and Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), including the best bucking bulls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bull Riding Hall of Fame</span> Hall of Fame in Texas, United States

The Bull Riding Hall of Fame, located at Cowtown Coliseum in the Fort Worth Stockyards in Fort Worth, Texas, United States, is a hall of fame for the sport of bull riding. It is incorporated as a non-profit organization in the State of Texas, and created to "recognize, memorialize, and applaud the bull riders, bullfighters, bulls, stock contractors, events, and individuals who have made a historic contribution and attained stellar performance in the sport." Membership is open to fans worldwide.

Phil Lyne is an American former professional rodeo cowboy who competed in the Rodeo Cowboys Association (RCA)/Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). He was the RCA Rookie of the Year in 1969. Two seasons later at the National Finals Rodeo (NFR), in 1971, he won the all-around cowboy world championship and the tie-down roping world championship. At the NFR in 1972, he repeated as the all-around world champion cowboy and added a second tie-down roping world championship. Lyne won his first and only steer roping world championship at the National Finals Steer Roping (NFSR) in 1990.

Brent Cullen Thurman was an American professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in bull riding. He competed in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), Bull Riders Only (BRO), and Professional Bull Riders (PBR) circuits; the last organization of which he was one of the founding members.

References

  1. ↑ "Liichokoshkomo'". National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Retrieved 2021-11-07.
  2. ↑ "National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum to Open PBR Hall of Fame". National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. 5 September 2022. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  3. ↑ "PBR Hall of Fame". Professional Bull Riders. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
  4. ↑ A.R. Mitchell Museum exhibits, 150 East Main Street, Trinidad, Colorado
  5. ↑ "Questions & Answers". lemen.com. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  6. 1 2 "Rodeo Historical Society Announces Rodeo Hall of Fame Inductees for 2013". Oklahoman.com. 2013-08-06. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
  7. ↑ "Chris Lybbert". Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
  8. ↑ McKinlay, Michael Ann (2013-11-06). "Earl W. Bascom: LDS cowboy receives national award". Deseret News. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
  9. ↑ Rand, Charles E. (2009). "About the Museum". Donald C. and Elizabeth M. Dickinson Research Center.
  10. ↑ "National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum". 2010. Donald C. and Elizabeth M. Dickinson Research Center.

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