National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame

Last updated
National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame
National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame Logo File.jpg
Fort Worth Cultural District June 2016 06 (National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame).jpg
National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in Fort Worth, Texas
National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame
Established1975
Location1720 Gendy Street, Fort Worth, TX 76107
Coordinates 32°44′36″N97°22′9″W / 32.74333°N 97.36917°W / 32.74333; -97.36917
Type Hall of fame
Website NCMHoF
Interior of the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame January 2017.jpg
Interior of the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame

The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame is located in Fort Worth, Texas, US. Established in 1975, it is dedicated to honoring women of the American West who have displayed extraordinary courage and pioneering fortitude. The museum is an educational resource with exhibits, a research library, and rare photography collection. It adds Honorees to its Hall of Fame annually.

Contents

Background

The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame honors and documents the lives of women of the American West. The museum was started in 1975 in the basement of the Deaf Smith County Library in Hereford. [1] It was removed to Fort Worth in 1994. [1] The museum then moved into its 33,000 square feet (3,100 m2) permanent location in the Cultural District of Fort Worth on June 9, 2002.

As of 2013, there are over 200 Cowgirl Hall of Fame honorees, with additional women being added annually. Honorees include women from a variety of fields, including pioneers, artists, businesswomen, educators, ranchers and rodeo cowgirls. Women already in the hall of fame include Georgia O'Keeffe, Sacagawea, Annie Oakley, Dale Evans, Enid Justin, Temple Grandin and Sandra Day O’Connor. [1]

Construction and design

Groundbreaking took place on February 22, 2001. The 33,000 square foot building was designed by the Driehaus Prize winner David M. Schwarz/Architectural Services, Inc. Linbeck Construction Company built the structure and Sundance Projects Group, provided project management. Additional members of the construction/design team included: Gideon/Toal Architects, architect of record; Datum Engineers, structural engineers; and Summit Engineering, mechanical engineering.

There was a threefold goal in its design: to relate the building to the historic context of the site, to create a vibrant new space as the home for the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, and to provide expansion possibilities for the Museum as its collections grow. The building's location was part of the Western Heritage Plaza to be formed by the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, the Cattle Raisers Museum and the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. The style of the building is compatible with the nearby Will Rogers Memorial Center. The exterior is constructed with brick and cast stone with Terracotta finials formed in a ‘wild rose’ motif and glazed in vibrant colors. A large painted mural by Richard Haas, bas-relief sculpture panels, and a series of hand-carved cast relief panels show scenes related to the Cowgirl's story and depict thematic messages such as ‘East Meets West’ and ‘Saddle Your Own Horse’ that represent the story told inside the Museum.

The Museum's interior is designed to provide a clear circulation path for visitors and creates central spaces for after-hours functions. In addition to administrative offices, the building also includes three gallery areas, a multipurpose theater, hands-on children's areas, a flexible exhibit space, research library, catering area, and a retail store. A 45–foot-high domed rotunda serves as an orienting point and houses the Hall of Fame honoree exhibits. Two grand staircases providing overlooks into the rotunda are made of different metal finishes and colors with art deco inspired ornamental railings. The floors are a honed Corton Bressandes French limestone on the ground floor. Doors of stained walnut mark the entrance to the theater. Western themes are found throughout including native flowers, horse heads and the wild rose motif. The current interior was designed by Projectiles architects.

Exhibits

A 1915 photograph by Walter S. Bowman, of Bonnie McCarroll being thrown from a horse named Silver at the Pendleton Round-Up (Part of the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame photography collection) Bonnie-McCarroll-thrown-fro.jpg
A 1915 photograph by Walter S. Bowman, of Bonnie McCarroll being thrown from a horse named Silver at the Pendleton Round-Up (Part of the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame photography collection)

The areas of the museum include the Spirit of the Cowgirl Theater, the Lifetiles murals, the children's Discovery Corral, the retail Cowgirl Shop, and a large Rotating Exhibit Gallery. Permanent galleries include:

The Rotating Exhibit Gallery has hosted past exhibits including: Donna Howell-Sickles: The Timeless Image of the Cowgirl; Georgia O'Keeffe and the Faraway: Nature and Image; Going to Texas: Five Centuries of Texas Maps; Paniolo: Cowboys and Cowgirls of the Hawaiian Frontier; Photographing Montana 1894-1928: The World of Evelyn Cameron; Ride: A Global Adventure; Texas Flags; The Cowgirl Who Became A Justice: Sandra Day O'Connor, Hard Twist: Western Ranch Women - Photographs by Barbara Van Cleve and No Glitz, No Glory.

Hall of Fame honorees

The following people have been honored: [3]

Source: [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slim Pickens</span> American rodeo performer, film and television actor (1919–1983)

Louis Burton Lindley Jr., better known by his stage name Slim Pickens, was an American actor and rodeo performer. Starting off in the rodeo, Pickens transitioned to acting, and appeared in dozens of movies and TV shows. For much of his career, Pickens played mainly cowboy roles. He is perhaps best remembered today for his comic roles in Dr. Strangelove, Blazing Saddles, 1941, and his villainous turn in One-Eyed Jacks with Marlon Brando.

<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">Lucille Mulhall</span> American rodeo cowgirl

Lucille Mulhall was a well-known cowgirl and Wild West performer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Aviation Hall of Fame</span> Aviation museum, annual awards ceremony, learning and research center

The National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) is a museum, annual awards ceremony and learning and research center that was founded in 1962 as an Ohio non-profit corporation in Dayton, Ohio, United States, known as the "Birthplace of Aviation" with its connection to the Wright brothers. In 2017 the annual induction was held in Fort Worth, Texas, as the organization began rotating the ceremony among various cities.

Western lifestyle or cowboy culture is the lifestyle, or behaviorisms, of, and resulting from the influence of, the attitudes, ethics and history of the American western cowboy. In the present day these influences affect this sector of the population's choice of recreation, western wear, partaking of western cuisine and Southwestern cuisine, and enjoyment of the western genre and western music.

Anna Lee Aldred was an American jockey and trick rider in rodeos. She was the first woman in the United States to receive a jockey's license. She pursued her professional horse racing career from 1939 to 1945, winning many races at state and county fairs. She then pursued a second career as a trick rider from 1945 to 1950. She was inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame in 1983 and the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame in 2004.

History of rodeo tracks the lineage of modern Western rodeo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame</span> Hall of Fame for Cowboys

The Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame is a museum and hall of fame in Fort Worth, Texas, dedicated to the sport of rodeo.

Roy Dale Cooper is an American former professional rodeo cowboy who competed in Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) events for more than two decades. He won the All-Around Cowboy world championship in 1983 and claimed seven individual discipline championships, including six tie-down roping titles. Cooper won the PRCA's Rookie of the Year award in 1976, and was nicknamed "Super Looper" for his roping ability. The ProRodeo Hall of Fame inducted Cooper in its Tie-Down Roping category in 1979.

The Art Directors Club Hall of Fame was established in 1971, by the Art Directors Club of New York, a professional organization in the design and creative industries. The Art Directors Club selects its honorees from those "who have made significant contributions to art direction and visual communications, and whose lifetime achievements represent the highest standards of creative excellence."

Tillie Baldwin, born Anna Mathilda Winger, was an American rodeo contestant and performer in Wild West shows. She is credited as being one of the first women to attempt steer wrestling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vera McGinnis</span> American rodeo rider

Vera McGinnis was a champion American rodeo rider. She was inducted into the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in 1979, and into the Rodeo Hall of Fame of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1985.

Mary Ellen "Dude" Barton was an American cowgirl. She was born Mary Ellen to Wilburn Barton and Ella Orr Barton. She was the granddaughter of Al Barton, an early cowboy and rancher of the area. She was the last child born of the family, and grew up on the family ranch on the North Pease River east of Flomot, Texas. She had learned how to handle horses and mules while doing farm and ranch work in her youth. Dude loved playing basketball but entered her first rodeo competition at age 15 in 1939 at a local contest in Matador.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charmayne James</span> American barrel racer

Charmayne James is an American former professional rodeo cowgirl who specialized in barrel racing. In her career, She won 11 Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) barrel racing world championships, the most in history. She won ten consecutive world championships from 1984 to 1993, and then a final one in 2002. She qualified for the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) 19 times and also won seven NFR barrel racing average titles in 1984, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1993, and 2002. James retired her horse, Gills Bay Boy, nicknamed Scamper, whom she won the bulk of her titles with, in 1993 after winning her tenth world championship. James herself would retire from barrel racing in 2002 after winning her 11th world championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wanda Harper Bush</span> American barrel racer (b. 1931)

Wanda Harper Bush was an American professional rodeo cowgirl. She competed in the Girl's Rodeo Association (GRA), now known as the Women's Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA), and won two barrel racing world championships, in 1952 and 1953. She was inducted into the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in 1978 and the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2017. The August 2017 induction ceremony was ProRodeo's 38th annual event, and marked the first time in the event's history that the class of inductees included barrel racers from the Women's Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA).

Jimmie Gibbs Munroe is a ProRodeo Hall of Fame barrel racer inductee for 2019. Munroe is also the granddaughter of Zack Miller of the renowned Miller Brothers 101 Wild West Show. In addition, she also served in many positions on the Women's Professional Rodeo Association and helped advanced many causes for women competitors.

Mary Lou LeCompte was inducted into the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in 2011. She is recognized as a leader in preserving the history of rodeo cowgirls.

Rose Bascom also known as Texas Rose Bascom is a 1981 National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame trick rider inductee.

Lucyle Richards was a champion bronc rider and a 1987 National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame inductee.

Alice Greenough Orr, was an internationally known rodeo performer and rodeo organizer who was inducted into the Rodeo Hall of Fame, the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, and the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame. She has been described as "hands down the first rodeo queen."

References

  1. 1 2 3 Allen R. Myerson, Where Cowgirls Go to Get Their Due, The New York Times , June 2, 2002
  2. "National Cowgirl Museum". Archived from the original on October 14, 2012.
  3. All past Honorees, National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, USA. Accessed April 28, 2010.
  4. , National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame. Retrieved February 15, 2011.
  5. "Jan Youren". National Cowgirl Hall of Fame. Retrieved October 28, 2010.