Simpson's Old Time Museum & Skeleton Creek Productions(58)
- Jonathan Elmore
- Nov 3
- 4 min read
Updated: Dec 2
ENID
I grew up about a half hour away from Enid, Oklahoma so it was a little bit of a thrill to go back and see it again. I tried really hard not to point at storefronts and say "That used to be an arcade! Oh, that's was a Taco Mayo." It was difficult to not blurt things out. But since I was by myself that day, I was only annoying me. HA! There was one place that changed and it was kind of a shock for me to see it. Simpson's Mercantile turned into the Simpson's Old West Museum. Sometimes the memory of a place is so etched in your head that seeing it changed can make you pause a minute. Since it was the best place to buy boots and jeans, that's where my family always went and even back then, I loved that place. But as with so many things, the Mercantile's time had passed and the museum has taken up residence there. I feel absolutely lucky that I was able to talk to Rick Simpson for over an hour and a half about his family's store, his and his brother's movie company, and the museum and film sets that live in their old store.
I got to Enid pretty early. The internet said that the museum opened at 8:00 am, so I wanted to get there early and get a jump on the day. I had five or six places I wanted to see before driving back to Oklahoma City, so I parked across the street from Simpson's Old West Museum at about 8:15. I hadn't quite planned my day out so I sat there getting addresses before I went in my first stop. Good thing I didn't try because after about 10 minutes, I look in my rearview mirror and see a guy unlocking the museum. I laughed and thought it was a good sign for the day that my timing was on point. I cross the street and step in the front door. The gentleman was nowhere to be found. I didn't want to startle him so I stayed there by the front door. I hear a "Hello!" from the back of the museum and see that he had been busy turning on all the lights in the cavernous space that used to be an enormous retail store. He made his way up to the front and I learned then that it was none other than Rick Simpson, son of the guy who started the retail store which he and his brothers ran for years. He told me 40 years in the retail business was quite long enough for them so they decided to turn it into a museum. Good idea!
Rick gave me the option of doing a self guided tour or letting him show me around. To me, there is nothing better than being shown around a museum by someone who actually put it together and lived the life. Not only was it a Western Heritage Museum, but it was also a museum of his family's history as you can see in a few photos below. Rick still had a few opening duties to attend to so I said I would snoop around a little until he was ready to give me the grand tour. And for the next hour and a half, that's exactly what he did. The next to last photo shows him telling me a story about the history of Enid in the "Enid Room" and I think I wore him out with all of my questions about the amazing collections they have. Not only was he excited to tell me about the museum artifacts, but he also told me about Skeleton Creek Productions, the family's movie production company. To make their lives easier making movies, they built actual Old West movie sets inside the building. There is a Chapel, which is used for films AND real life weddings. There is also a General Store, a Hotel, a Main Street, a Saloon, and a Bank. I was regaled with stories of bank robberies, fist fights, shootouts, and church services that all happened within the walls of the old Mercantile building. Since I had been in a few films before, we had a good talk about production woes, filming triumphs, and funny on set stories. His stories were way better than mine. I could have easily stayed another couple of hours, but I didn't want to use up his whole day gabbing.
Going to museums like this is so much fun for me even when I don't get a personalized tour. But man, when I get to chat with an elder about history and memorabilia and movies and whatever else, that makes for an unforgettable experience. I appreciate Rick so much for showing me around. I also appreciate him and his family for having such a great store for us to shop in as we grew into and out of jeans and boots. (My poor parents buying clothes to two ever growing boys!) If you ever get the opportunity to visit Enid, an absolute must see place is Simpson's. You can also book your wedding in the Chapel and have the reception on Main Street or in the Saloon. So cool!!
228 E Randolph, Enid
580-234-4998
Entry Fee: Free, but donations are appreciated
Hours: Tue to Sat-8:00 to 11:00 & 1:00 to 4:00
Jonathan Elmore ©2025
