Rio Grande Explorations

National Cowboy &

Western Heritage Museum

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

March 22, 2015

 

Once again I did some traveling for work. This time I had to spend the weekend in Oklahoma City. Saturday was spent in the office, but I managed to get Sunday free. The local railroad museum was closed, so I followed up on a suggestion from my buddy Rich to check out the National Cowboy Museum. It did not disappoint!

 

In the middle of the museum, the generic frontier town of "Prosperity" has been faithfully re-created. The setting is early morning, just before daybreak. When I got there, I was the only person around... essentially, I had the town to myself.

 

The town, complete with sound effects, is strikingly real. Didn't take much imagination to feel like I was really there and hearing my boots on the wood sidewalks sure helped the illusion!

 

Inside the recreated Union Pacific Depot

 

 

 

 

 

Freight Room in the Depot

 

Waiting room

 

Outside the Depot sits a UP Stock Car

 

Looking down the main street from the Depot

 

Prosperity Depot

 

 

UP Stock Car

 

 

 

 

 

Rumor has it that Rich Murray works here when he creates the quarterly newsletter for Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stables

 

 

 

 

I half expected to see Raylan Givens walk out...

 

... or perhaps, Wyatt Earp.

 

 

Marshalls Office

 

Jail

 

 

 

 

 

The General Store was WELL stocked

 

 

Local Church

 

 

 

Bank

 

 

 

 

School House

 

 

 

Lots of neat details here

 

 

 

 

 

My mother has a sewing machine EXACTLY like this

 

 

 

Inside the church

 

View from the Pulpit

 

Hymnal

 

 

 

Main Street looking back towards the Depot

A soundtrack of a train arriving came on that sounded suspiciously like it was recorded on the Durango & Silverton

 

 

The greatest US President in my lifetime... at least so far...

 

 

US Calvary

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hunting Buffalo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Could almost be my closet... =)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cowboy camp on the frontier

 

 

 

 

Native Americans used these to carry infants.

This was especially poignant as I was sorely missing my 11 month old son, Noah.

 

 

Map of Native American Lands/Territories

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All-in-all, it's an extremely impressive collection and these photos don't do it justice.

I highly recommend taking a look for yourself.