On this Veteran’s Day, we spoke with Michael Grauer, McCasland Chair of Cowboy Culture & Curator of Cowboy Collections and Western Art, about the museum’s large collection of artifacts, stories and paintings from men and women across the West who either served or helped support the troops.
The Cowboy’s story of the U.S. Military begins in our Frontier Army Gallery, which is one of the best collections of military history from that time frame outside of Fort Museums across the country, according to Grauer.
“The Frontier Army and the families that supported them played a vital role in building the West as we know it,” said Grauer. “They were tasked with many important duties including protecting supply routes and defending both settlers and Native Americans alike. The Frontier Army included regiments of Black, Native and Hispanic soldiers who worked to keep the territories West of the Mississippi safe and trade flowing freely.”
The Frontier Army Gallery is part of the Joe Grandee Gallery of the Frontier West, which presents the history of the region through exhibits encompassing 6,500 square feet and some 450 artifacts reflecting military as well as Native American, early frontier and hunting activity.
