National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum(18)

Jonathan Elmore
Jun 28
3 min read

Updated: 6 days ago

OKLAHOMA CITY

"I grew up dreamin' of bein' a cowboy and lovin' the cowboy ways.

Pursuin' the life of my high-ridin' heroes I burned up my childhood days."

These are the word Willie Nelson sang in his song "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys" and it couldn't be more accurate for me too. Of, course I also wanted to be a professional baseball player and a rock star so I'm not sure where I got off track with all of that.

Anyway, I went to the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum for the third time this year. Thinking I should go ahead and get a membership! They keep having shows, exhibits, and lectures that I want to go see and this week was no different. They currently have the annual Prix de West art exhibition and sale. A little history about the Prix de West, it started in 1972 as an event for artists that focused on Western themes to showcase their work, possibly win some prize money, and sell their art. All these years later, the event is still going strong and the crop of artists is ever expanding. For the first part of this page, I'm including the pictures I took of some great pieces I saw in the exhibit. I'm not posting all of them. That would be too much so you should go check it out while you can. And if I had a spare $100,000, I would have a bunch of new artwork at my house when the exhibit comes down. But alas, I'm going to be glad I took photos so I can relive this trip to the Museum from time to time. More from the permanent collection is further down the page and it's just as great as the seasonal show. For now check out the art from the Prix de West.

When I was a kid, we had a field trip to this museum. At the time, it was called the Cowboy Hall of Fame and I still catch myself calling it that. People who don't know look at me like I'm a lunatic calling it a name it obviously isn't. Ah, well. Let them think what they want. Ha!

The permanent collection at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is quite extensive and very impressive. They have everything from past winners of the Prix de Art to saddles, a barbed wire collection to Native regalia. There is so much to see in the labyrinth of galleries, you'll wonder if it ever ends, but you hope it doesn't. Eventually you'll run out of exhibit halls, and at that point, you'll have a glimpse at what it was like to be part of the western cultures that live in the imaginations of so many people.

A couple of great things that you will see here is a replication of an old west town. A dimly lit street shows you banks, merchants, and liveries that made up most small western towns. There is a small theater near it to give you a brief film about the reality of where cowboys came from. In the entertainment part of the museum is another theater that shows the history of cowboys and Indians in films. There are great movie memoribilia exhibits of everyone from Roy Rogers to John Wayne. There's really too much to talk about here. This is one of those museums where even the highlights are extensive. I love this museum and I hope you go see it. Here are some pictures from this great collection.

1700 NE 63rd St. Oklahoma City

405-478-2250