Updated: 4/11/2018 
Chisholm Trail Heritage Center & Garis Gallery of the American West
Duncan, Oklahoma
Description
Oklahoma's Outstanding Attraction 2017!

Not your Average Rusty-Dusty Museum! See the Old West in a Whole New Way. We like to do things a little differently at the Chisholm Trail Heritage Center in Duncan, Oklahoma, USA.

A Top Ten Western Museum - True West Magazine

We want you to love the history of the Chisholm Trail as much as we do, and to get that done, you have to experience the trail. Well, with air conditioning and plumbing, please.

Put on a cowboy hat, swing a rope, lasso a lost steer, feel the rumble of a stampede ...

What's this? A smile, a little giggle, a story remembered from years past?

We want you to touch and talk and laugh and learn while you are on your journey with us.

Please visit our website and Facebook to stay current of upcoming exhibits and events.

Mission

"To celebrate and perpetuate the history, art and culture of the Chisholm Trail, the American Cowboy and the American West."

History

In the early 1990's a group of citizens from Duncan, southwest Oklahoma and northern Texas formed a partnership to increase the quality of life in the region, educate people of all ages on the courage, struggles and successes of settlement in this area and provide an informational stop on the route of modern day explorers of the Chisholm Trail. Please visit our website for more information.

Artifact Collections

Includes cowboy, Chisholm Trail, Native American artifacts -found along the Chisholm Trail. This collection grows as people donate items they have discovered. Most recent acquisitions include a sandstone dated to the 1880s found on the Chisholm Trail, and some handcrafted saddles dating to the 1940s. Other artifacts include longhorn skulls, a taxidermy exhibit featuring animals who live on the trail (bison, longhorn, wolf, badgers, prairie dogs, turkey, quail and more). About 95 percent of our artifacts are on public display.

Research Collections

Special emphasis is placed on the history of the Chisholm Trail and art associated with the Garis Gallery of the American West. Much of that involves living and deceased artists, associated with Oklahoma and Native American culture. We maintain a growing digital collection of newspaper articles featuring articles on the facility, exhibits, events and other items associated with the history of the Chisholm Trail. Our library consists of art and educational books for Chisholm Trail, Oklahoma and Native American history. We also have an extensive photograph database of all exhibits, artifacts and art.

Programs
Great Expectations Model School Certification

The Chisholm Trail Heritage Center has earned the Great Expectations Model School Certification for 11 consecutive years. The only non-profit to have this award.

Chisholm Trail Heritage Center is the only facility in this region that focuses on academic standards set forth by the Oklahoma and Texas Departments of Education. All of our educators are Great Expectations certified, and also have public school instruction backgrounds. Teachers can sit back and enjoy the experience along with their children, while our educators lead the way 'along the trail.'

We offer educational tours and interactive field trips for public, private and home school groups; and for groups such as horse clubs, art groups and business organizations.
We have a gift shop, with many items online.
Our educational programs meet Oklahoma and Texas standards; fulfill the PASS, Steam and Great Expectations requirements.
We offer workshops throughout the year for specialized interest (i.e. art, writing, handcrafts, cowboy poetry, to name a few).
Please visit our website, look for the Educators section to learn more about the extensive programs we offer for students.
More than 10,000 students participated in programs during the 2017-18 academic year.
Facilities
Our facility includes:

The Garis Gallery of the American West,

The T.H. McCasland Jr. Experience Theater that features our exclusive move, "The Chisholm Trail Experience",

The Campfire Theater featuring animatronics Jesse Chisholm and Tex,

The Duncan Store (replica),

Interactive area,

Romancing the Trail,

Folks Along the Trail,

You're The Trail Boss exhibits,

a place to rope "Hollywood" our longhorn steer from an authentic saddle!

Performance Areas
Services
Tour Information

All guests are greeted and provided tours; we offer specialized tours for groups of 12 or more and ask those be booked at least a week in advance. We offer educational tours and interactive field trips for public, private and homeschool groups; and for groups such as horse clubs, art groups and business organizations.

We have Trail Space for your Events!

Our facility also includes a main lobby, two educational rooms, an exhibit room, a large multipurpose room used for educational groups, workshops, lectures, business conferences and event rentals (family reunions, weddings, birthdays, etc.)

Gift Shop
Online Gift Shop
Event Rental
Group Tours
DISCLAIMER
This information, including business hours, addresses and contact information is provided for general reference purposes only. No representation is made or warranty is given as to its content or the reliability thereof. User assumes all risk of use. Stories USA, Inc. and its content suppliers assume no responsibility for any loss or delay resulting from such use. Please call ahead to verify the dates, the location and directions.

MUSEUM CONFERENCES

April 27 - April 29, 2025

Oregon Museum Association 2025 Conference

TBA

Independence, Oregon

Beginning in 2025, the OMA annual conference will be held in Spring rather than Fall

The conference this year is all about trying new things. We are hoping to organize the conference into the following four tracks: Collections Care, Leadership, Emergency Preparedness, and Tourism

Check our website for more details in early 2025

The OMA newsletter is emailed every month with updates on OMA events, museum news, other events, trainings, jobs, grants and more for the museum community in Oregon.

For more information, please email connect@oregonmuseums.org.

October 1 - October 4, 2025

Western Museums Association’s (WMA) 2025 Annual Meeting

TBA

Reno, Nevada

Save the Date for WMA 202

As we celebrate our 90th anniversary, join us to build relationships and soar higher than ever before. With the theme of ELEVATE, WMA 2025 will explore ways to lift up the experiences of cultural professionals and the communities they serve.

In Reno, Nevada, 4,400 feet above sea level, we will forward the progress of museums by looking to the future.

May 6 - May 9, 2025

2025 American Alliance of Museums (AAM) ANNUAL MEETING & MUSEUMEXPO

Los Angeles Convention Center

Los Angeles, California

AAM 2025 will focus on the theme, Museums & Trust.

Museums have long inspired high levels of public trust, surpassing news outlets, government organizations, researchers and scientists, corporations, and social media platforms. This consistent finding underscores our institutions’ unique position in society as stewards of knowledge, culture, science, and history—areas where credibility and reliability are paramount

In an era marked by mistrust and misinformation, museums have a rare ability to counterbalance the proliferation of false narratives and polarized perspectives. Using our trusted position, we can cultivate a more healthy, empathetic, and informed society.

But to do so, we must maintain our credibility proactively, embracing thoughtful, transparent, and collaborative practices that will defend against influences like bias, resource challenges, abuse of power, and social injustice

An Incredible MuseumExpo

AAM is again partnering this year with the Museum Store Association to host an incredible combined expo hall. Find the most innovative services, products, and solutions in the museum field. With 350 exhibitors, you are bound to find the right partner for your museum’s current challenges and opportunities.

May 5 - May 9, 2025

Museum Store Association FORWARD 2025 in LA

The Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles, California

Join MSA in LA

We’re excited about our next MSA FORWARD Conference & Expo in “The City of Angels” – Los Angeles, California in conjunction with the American Alliance of Museums

Join the Museum Store Association (MSA) and hundreds of nonprofit retail professionals for the 70th Annual MSA FORWARD Retail Conference & Expo, taking place May 5-9, 2025 at The Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California

Once again, MSA FORWARD will be held in conjunction with the 2025 American Alliance of Museums (AAM) Annual Meeting & Expo

Learn best practices and new ideas for store merchandising, operations, marketing, and sale

Participate in dedicated networking events and create connections that will inspire new ideas

Meet with over 200 MSA vendors about your product needs

Hear from knowledgeable industry experts during session breakouts and keynote presentations

Network with AAM attendees and exhibitor

September 10 - September 13, 2025

2025 Am Assoc for State and Local History Annual Conference

TBD

Cincinnati, Ohio

The 2025 AASLH Annual Conference, in partnership with Ohio Local History Alliance, will take place as the history field makes the final preparations to kickoff off the 250th commemoration of the founding of the United States.

The 2025 conference theme, inspired by AASLH’s Making History at 250: The Field Guide for Semiquincentennial, is an opportunity to broadly explore one of the guide’s themes, The American Experiment. For many in the American colonies in 1776, independence from Britain represented a “leap into the dark” into an unknown future

We are excited for you to join us in Cincinnati as we encourage discussion about our democracy and civic institutions and how they can help strengthen understanding, inspire action, and reveal ways that all of us can participate in and shape the ongoing American experiment.

For more information, please call 615-320-3203 or email info@aaslh.org.

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