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Living History: Bass Reeves at the Crossroads

Enjoy dinner and a living history presentation of the life of Bass Reeves. Ernest Marsh portrays Reeves, one of the first black men to be named deputy U.S. marshal in Indian Territory. Discover the true story behind the legendary lawman, from being born into slavery, to becoming one of the most feared U.S marshals, and …

Event Series Stitchin’ Good Time

Stitchin’ Good Time

Want to try embroidery but don’t know where to start? Join Darci Lenker for a two-night workshop learning and experimenting with different stiches to create your own embroidered piece! Classes will be held within the Western Wares exhibition where you will be inspired by fanciful embroidered embellishments. Perfect for beginners or those that enjoy a …

Curator Conversations: Chuck Wagon Chuck: History vs. Mythology

Follow the invention of the chuck box and the chuck wagon from Charles Goodnight in the mid-1860s to the chuck wagon’s use on ranches in the American West today. Learn who the cooks were who sometimes — intentionally or not — spoiled the broth, er, beans, on the trail and on the ranch, and who …

Read the West Book Club: Charles Goodnight: Cowman and Plainsman

Celebrate the Museum’s Annual Chuck Wagon Festival by learning about the inventor of the original chuck wagon — Charlie Goodnight. Discover the exciting story of a Texas Ranger, adventurer and immigration officer who became a symbol of his age while gambling with death in the wild frontier regions of Texas, Arizona and Old and New …

Read the West Book Club: Braiding Sweetgrass

In Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer draws on her experience as botanist, Native American and mother. As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, Kimmerer holds to the idea that we have much to learn from plants and animals about living in reciprocal relationship with the world around us. Through a braid of memoir, scientific …

Prix de West Workshop: Landscape Painting — Simplifying with a Purpose

Prix de West artist Skip Whitcomb presents an energetic workshop designed for those interested in acquiring and/or honing their outdoor/field skills and for gathering information essential to the creation of more developed works. Whitcomb has designed various visual and intellectual exercises to illustrate key elements of the picture making process. These fundamental “truths” are based …

Curator Conversations: Treasures from the Gilcrease

Explore the nineteen works of art at the National Cowboy Museum currently on loan from the Gilcrease Museum located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Examine why these works of art were selected specifically to be exhibited at The Cowboy and how they contribute to the story of the American West. Discover master artists and their significant contributions …

Prix de West Workshop: Painting the Portrait and Costumed Figure

Prix de West artists Sherrie McGraw and David A. Leffel team up to teach how painting works in relationship to the human figure. Learn how to make beautiful brushwork that will bring portraits to life. Break through the confining aspect of “drawing with paint” to what it means to “sculpt” with paint. Learn from two …

Date with the Duke: Big Jake (1971)

In 1909 New Mexico, ruthless outlaw John Fain and his gang attack the opulent McCandles ranch. More than ten men, women and children are killed or seriously wounded, including Jeff McCandles, whose nine-year-old son, Little Jake, is kidnapped. To help track down the kidnapped boy, and to deliver a massive $1 million ransom, Martha McCandles …

Read the West Book Club: Yellow Bird

When Lissa Yellow Bird was released from prison in 2009, she found her home, the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota, transformed by the Bakken oil boom. In her absence, the landscape had been altered beyond recognition, her tribal government swayed by corporate interests and her community burdened by a surge in violence and addiction. When …

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