The Chisholm Trail Heritage Center and Garis Gallery of the American West is a
museum
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...
and cultural center in
Duncan, Oklahoma
Duncan is a city and county seat of Stephens County, Oklahoma, United States. Its population was 22,310 at the 2020 census. Its main claim to fame is as the birthplace of the Halliburton Corporation. Erle P. Halliburton established the New Me ...
,
which celebrates the historic
Chisolm Trail
The Chisholm Trail was a trail used in the post-American Civil War, Civil War era to Cattle drive, drive cattle overland from ranches in Texas to Kansas wikt:railhead, railheads. The trail was established by Black Beaver, a Lenape guide and ran ...
. Located just north of the Red River on the historic Chisholm Trail in Duncan, Oklahoma, this is not your typical “stop-and-stare” museum. It is an interactive adventure for cowboys and cowgirls of all ages.
Toss a rope around a Longhorn steer; ride a bucking bronco; create your own brand or sit a spell near the campfire and listen to Jesse Chisholm as he offers advice to a young cowboy on his first cattle drive. In the multi-sensory Experience Theater, smell the wildflowers of a springtime Oklahoma prairie, listen to the thundering hooves of a cattle stampede, and feel the wind and rain on your face as a storm rages. Meet our extremely rude chuckwagon or sit a spell in the Duncan Store.
Among other exhibits, is the bronze monument “On the Chisholm Trail,” by artist Paul Moore.
History:
In the early 1990s, a group of concerned citizens from Duncan, southwest Oklahoma, and northern Texas came together to form a partnership to increase the quality of life in the region, help educate people of all ages on the courage, struggles and successes of settlement in this hostile area, and provide an information stop on the route of modern-day explorers of the Chisholm Trail.
From the beginning, the facility hosted children and visitors with the highest quality educators and static exhibits to celebrate the men and women who rode the Trail, settled the area, were stationed at nearby Ft. Sill and Ft. Arbuckle, started businesses and raised families or were indigenous peoples forced to drastically alter their lifestyles due to the encroachment of the other travelers and settlers.
Construction began on the Chisholm Trail Heritage Center (CTHC) in 1997 with expansions in 2003, 2005 and 2007. Guests visit the Heritage Center from all over the country and from around the world.
There are other museums dedicated to the Chisholm Trail in
Kingfisher, Oklahoma
Kingfisher is a city in and the county seat of Kingfisher County, Oklahoma,. The population was 4,903 at the time of the 2020 census. It is the former home and namesake of Kingfisher College. According to the ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History ...
(the
Chisholm Trail Museum), in
Waurika, Oklahoma
Waurika is the county seat of Jefferson County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,064 at the 2010 census, a 4.36 percent decrease from 2,158 at the 2000 census.
An article from 1985 in ''The Oklahoman'' claimed that Waurika promoted ...
(the
Chisholm Trail Historical Museum The Chisholm Trail Historical Museum was a museum in Waurika, Oklahoma which celebrated the historic Chisolm Trail. It covered the history of the Chisholm Trail and the people associated with it. Operation of the museum at one point was given to ...
), in
Wellington, Kansas
Wellington is a city in and the county seat of Sumner County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 7,715.
History
19th century
Wellington was platted in 1871 and named for the Duke of Wellington. It w ...
(the
Chisholm Trail Museum), in
Cleburne, Texas
Cleburne is a city in and the county seat of Johnson County, Texas, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 29,337. The city is named in honor of Patrick Cleburne, a Confederate general. Lake Pat Cleburne, the reservoir that pro ...
, and in
Cuero, Texas
Cuero ( ) is a city in and the county seat of DeWitt County, Texas, DeWitt County, Texas, United States. Its population was 8,128 at the 2020 census.
History
The city of Cuero had its start in the mid-19th century as a stopping point on the Chisho ...
.
References
Museums in Stephens County, Oklahoma
Chisholm Trail
History museums in Oklahoma
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