H.W. Brands tells the thrilling, panoramic story of the American West's settling from John Jacob Astor's fur trading outpost in Oregon to the Texas Revolution, from the California gold rush to the Oklahoma land run. The West was where riches rewarded the miner's persistence, the cattleman's courage and the railroad man's enterprise; but El Dorado was at least as elusive in the West as it ever was in the East. Read the West Book Club meets in July, August and…

Inspired by Margaret Verble’s family history and told from a Native American point of view, Cherokee America is a different kind of Western. In the Civil War's aftermath, complex alliances and simmering race and culture clashes unite and divide the people living on Cherokee lands. Tensions mount and violence escalates, and the long arm of white law encroaches further into Indian Territory. Determined to survive and thrive on her own terms, Cherokee America Singer must come together with family and friends…

Drawing on the Museum’s vast photographic and art collections, Michael Grauer, McCasland Chair of Cowboy Culture/Curator of Cowboy Collections and Western Art will describe life for women in the American West. It will feature the depth and breadth of the Museum’s ability to show women of different cultures and lifeways. Bring your lunch or purchase one at The Museum Grill. Reservations are not required. Free admission to the Board Room and The Museum Grill.

September 7 - 10 Designed for those interested in honing their outdoor/field skills and gathering information essential to creating more developed works. Join Prix de West artist Skip Whitcomb in various visual and intellectual exercises to illustrate key elements of the picture making process. These fundamental “truths” are based in classical traditional training — the same principles the great painters have historically utilized. Demonstrations and teaching will be conducted in oils; however, watercolor, pastel and acrylics are welcome. Suitable for…

The American cowboy/cowgirl and rodeo communities, the horse and cattle ranches and the remarkable landscape of America's Wild West are celebrated by award-winning photographer Anouk Masson Krantz. Born and raised in France, Krantz read many Western books set in Montana, Wyoming and Texas, envisioning the Wild West full of adventure, danger and intrigue. After marrying a Kansas rancher, she determined she would see the West for herself and capture on camera what she experienced during her 20,000-mile trek. Krantz shares…

Retracing women's history is often a problem due to challenges including name changes, allocating their property to their husbands, omission of occupations in census records, and clerical errors. While it is unequivocally true that men have always been the main characters in the livestock industry, many women participated in the livestock industry and supported their families as they accumulated vast wealth. Join Deborah Liles, Ph.D., Assistant Professor and W. K. Gordon Chair of Texas History at Tarleton State University as…

Based on a true story, James Alexander Thom tells the story of Mary Ingles. She was 23 years old, married and pregnant when Shawnee Indians invaded her peaceful Virginia settlement, killed the men and women and then took her captive. For months she lived with them, unbroken, until she escaped, and followed a thousand-mile trail to freedom — an extraordinary story of a pioneer woman who risked her life to return to her people. Read the West Book Club meets in…

During the early 1920s, journalist Elizabeth Shepley Sergeant participated as one of four founders of the Indian Arts Fund in Santa Fe, today’s Indian Arts Research Center’s collection at the School for Advanced Research. Sergeant’s network of reformers included Willa Cather, John Collier, Mary Austin, and Mabel Dodge Luhan. Join Patricia Loughlin, Ph.D., Professor of History in the Department of History and Geography at the University of Central Oklahoma, as she deepens our understanding of the network of writers, artists, and anthropologists…

Led by Basketweavers Guild of Oklahoma, participants will create their own Pumpkin Basket. Basket dimensions measuring approximately 10 inches in diameter and 7 inches high. Perfect for holding Halloween candy! Suitable for beginners with at least one previous class to advanced, all supplies provided; lunch is on your own. $35, $30 for Museum members. Register by September 22. Register Here.

September 29 - October 1, 2020 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. In conjunction with the Traditional Cowboy Arts Association (TCAA), this hands-on workshop will address the construction of quirts, their different styles and regional differences. Function, balance and decoration will also be addressed. Skill level required: Intermediate to advanced, participants should have some experience braiding bodies over cores and basic long and short buttons. Register Here.

York: Explorer is the story of the enslaved man who traveled west with the Lewis and Clark expedition in 1803. As a Corps of Discovery member, York found his spirit of freedom and was an important team member. That new spirit nearly got him killed when he returned to “civilization” at the expedition’s conclusion. York was never permitted to tell his story, but the expedition journals, William Clark’s letters and other accounts provide a sketch of the man and his…