Thursday, July 25, 2013

National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum

Sometimes you hear of a place, and you file it away in your memory banks as a “must do” someday…..added to your bucket list, so to speak.  The Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma was such a place for Ron, and we finally had the opportunity to visit it this month.

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The large modern facility is filled with statues,  memorabilia from all the westerns movie and television stars, and historical artifacts.

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Several galleries make up the museum, such as Native American, Western Performers, American Cowboy, American Rodeo, etc.  Then there’s Prosperity Junction, where you feel as if you’ve stepped into a 1900 western cattle town at twilight.

Although the art galleries did not permit photography, most areas did, as long as you did not use a flash.  Here are a few of our favorite photos.

From the Native American Gallery:

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In the Western Performers Gallery, there was a small area set up as a theatre where we watched a documentary on the first westerns.

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There were several displays of items from such memorable stars as Roy Rogers and Gene Autry.

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The American Cowboy Gallery covered the history of the cowboy, including the first Spanish and Mexican cowpunchers, along with the role cowgirls played

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When you stepped into the American Rodeo Gallery, you felt as if you had left the building and entered the rodeo grounds.

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Even more of an illusion was Prosperity Junction, as you walked the streets of the town and peered into the windows at dusk.

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Outside, hoofprints in the concrete guided you among the beautiful gardens.

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Although there were many areas of the museum we didn’t cover, we thoroughly enjoyed the hours we spent there and would recommend it to anyone who loves a good western movie.

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