Western District of Oklahoma Historical Society Museum(41)

This is not going to be a typical article from me. Let me explain why before I get to the museum part of the post. I went down to the Western District of Oklahoma Federal Courthouse on Dean A. McGee Avenue in downtown OKC. Since it was a federal place, I left all my weapons and metal things in the truck because I knew there would be a checkpoint. Not a big deal. I go to federal building all the time for other things. However, unlike the other fed buildings, the courthouse doesn't allow phones or cameras. I also had to take off my shoes. Weird but whatever. Once you're through security, you have to put your phone in a little locker before you proceed. Well, that's my main source of information and my only source of photos of these museums. So for this particular post, I took a lot of notes and tried to remember all the things I saw in the two galleries. When I got home, I searched the internet for some images that reminded me of some of the things I saw. For this post, the photos are not mine, which sucks. But that's the rules when it comes to Federal Courthouses.

The two galleries were on either side of the security checkpoint. One guard said, "They're not really museums. They're just a few things in a hallway." When I saw the galleries, I understood what he was talking about. They're small and there isn't a lot there, but I was still interesting in what someone thought should be displayed. Sometimes small galleries hold some pretty important things. The first gallery was basically a gallery about the Osage Nation. Around the first corner was a giant movie poster of Flowers of the Killer Moon. It was a good movie and the Osage had a say in its production and were featured in the film too. Pretty cool. Some clothing and bead work were behind glass, things like a ribbon shirt, a marriage belt, and some finger weaving. There were also some kiosk with information about the Osage, Indian Territory, and the history of Tribal areas within Oklahoma.

I passed back by the security hang out and into the other gallery. It had to do with crimes and criminals that had lived Oklahoma, passed through here, died here, or went on trial here. A lot of names you recognize were represented on the kiosks in the other gallery, names like Machine Gun Kelly, Pretty Boy Floyd, and Ma Barker. There was only one object in that gallery, a Thompson gun. Everything else was photos and descriptions of the history and trials of these outlaws. Since I'm a nerd about things like that, I knew quite a bit of what was in the second gallery. But I still like looking at how someone else puts all the information together.

Like I said before, the photos below were pulled off the internet to represent some of the things I wasn't allowed to take pictures of. The only real one is the front of the very impressive building. If you don't mind the hassle of checkpoint charley, go have a look at the two galleries in the courthouse. I'm glad I got to have this experience. It makes me thankful that I can snap pictures at every other museum.

Jonathan Elmore ©2025