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Listen to the latest episode
Pawnee Bill and May Lillie’s Wild West
In the late 19th century, traveling Wild West Shows became a popular form of entertainment. One of the largest and most successful Wild West Shows was created by Gordon W. “Pawnee Bill” Lillie and his wife, May, in 1888. It later merged with Buffalo Bill’s show and continued until 1913. In this newest episode of A Very OK Podcast, Oklahoma Historical Society Executive Director Trait Thompson and Dr. Bob Blackburn discuss the climate that led to the creation of Wild West Shows, the impact that Gordon Lillie made on the genre, and May Lillie’s role as performer, business partner, wife, and mother. They are joined by Ronny Brown, site director at Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum, and Anna Davis, historical interpreter at Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum.
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Pawnee Bill Cannon Dedication Ceremony
On Saturday, July 2, at 10 a.m., the Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum will host a special cannon dedication ceremony on the front lawn of the site to return one of the cannons used in the original Pawnee Bill Wild West Shows to the home of the former Wild West Show entertainer. After more than 70 years in Oklahoma City, the cannon will be unveiled on the front lawn at the historic site in Pawnee.
Opening remarks will be delivered by Oklahoma Historical Society Executive Director Trait Thompson, followed by remarks from Lieutenant Governor Matt Pinnell, Senator Chuck Hall, and Representative Ty Burns. The Pawnee VFW Color Guard will present the colors at the ceremony. The celebration will include a ceremonial firing of a reproduction cannon, as well as musical performances by the Pawnee High School Band and the Pawnee Elementary School chorus with Gary Vance Jr.
This event is free and open to the public. For more information about the event, contact the Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum at 918-762-2513 or email pawneebill@okhistory.org. The Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum is located at 1141 Pawnee Bill Road in Pawnee.
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Home on the Range: Dallas Mayer Art Show
On Tuesday, June 28, a new exhibit titled Home on the Range: Dallas Mayer Art Show will open at the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center (CSRHC). It will feature the works of Oklahoma artist Dallas Mayer.
The self-named “Ranch Lady” paints figures from everyday life, inviting viewers to experience her heartfelt connections to the animals and people of the Great Plains. With painterly, soft brushstrokes and deep, saturated hues, her paintings convey a lightness of spirit. Dallas Mayer has developed her own unique style as a painter and has discovered a healthy art/life balance in the last ten years, exploring the joys of traveling around the region painting en plein air (in the open air).
The exhibit will remain open until July 30, 2022.
Mayer’s work is known throughout the region and has shown at the Oklahoma State Capitol as well as art centers, galleries, and museums across the United States. Contact the CSRHC for more information at 580-237-1907.
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Early Influencers Overholser exhibit opens in style
A new exhibit, Early Influencers: How Anna Overholser & Henry Ione Overholser Perry Set the Style for Oklahoma City Women, 1903–1929, will open to the public at the Henry and Anna Overholser Mansion on Friday, July 1.
The exhibit will feature fashions and accessories worn by/inspired by Anna and Henry Ione displayed on every floor of the historic home. A fashion timeline, as well as archival photos of the Overholser women and other trendsetters of the period, will be dotted throughout the displays.
A member preview of the exhibit will take place on the evening of Thursday, June 30, from 6 to 8 p.m. for Preservation Oklahoma and Oklahoma Historical Society members only. The exhibit will remain open through the summer until August 31.
The mansion is located on the northwest corner of North Hudson Avenue and Northwest 15th Street. For more information, please contact 405-525-5325 or Lisa@PreservationOK.org to make a reservation.
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Selections from In Citizen's Garb exhibit opens
Beginning on Tuesday, July 5, a selection of modern gelatin silver prints from the exhibit In Citizen’s Garb: Native Americans on the Southern Plains, 1889–1891 will be on display in the Sam Noble Gallery located on the third floor of the Oklahoma History Center.
The Oklahoma Historical Society Research Center was recently gifted the original glass plate negatives from the photography studio of Lenny and Sawyers, and the traveling exhibit materials of In Citizen's Garb. The Lenny and Sawyers Studio was in operation for a short period of time from 1889 to 1891. Many of the photographs taken by William Lenny and William Sawyers in that time period depicted Indigenous people in the Lawton and Fort Sill area. The tribal nations represented in the collection include the Comanche, Kiowa, Apache, Wichita, Delaware, and Caddo.
The donors of the collection are Joe and Frances Swalwell. The original exhibition was organized by the Museum of the Great Plains in Lawton and was previously toured by Exhibits USA.
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Comanche Chief Quanah Parker, modern silver print from original glass negative, c. 1889–1891 (courtesy Joe and Frances Swalwell).
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"Functional Fiber Arts" living history program
On Friday, June 24, and Saturday, June 25, Fort Gibson Historic Site will host a living history program to demonstrate the many uses of functional fiber arts. Visitors will be treated to examples of crafts such as twined bags and finger woven belts, along with a discussion of the wide variety of uses for these beautiful pieces of functional art.
This program is free with regular admission, and will be conducted in the Commissary located at 907 N. Garrison Ave. from 10 a.m. to noon and 1–3 p.m. on both days. For more information contact 918-478-4088.
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Oklahoma Route 66 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
On Saturday, July 9, 2022, the Oklahoma Route 66 Association and the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum will host the Oklahoma Route 66 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony beginning at 2 p.m. at the museum located in Clinton. At the ceremony, two special Oklahomans will be inducted into the Oklahoma Route 66 Hall of Fame. Inductions are held every two years for individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the promotion or preservation of Route 66. The selection includes a nomination and committee process conducted by the association. The winners’ plaques will be unveiled with the others on display in the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum’s Hall of Fame, located in the WOW! exhibit room.
Past inductees into the Oklahoma Route 66 Hall of Fame
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Route 66 Transitions, 1981–1991: Jerry McClanahan's First Decade of Route 66 Photography exhibit opening
Following the hall of fame induction ceremony on July 9, the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum will open the exhibit Route 66 Transitions, 1981–1991: Jerry McClanahan's First Decade of Route 66 Photography.
McClanahan is a noted Route 66 authority, artist, and photographer. He first began photographing and mapping US 66 in 1981, on a trip from Texas back to visit his boyhood home in Southern California. Over a period of 10 years, Jerry captured many lost and forgotten scenes during this decade of decline and revival, some of which are presented in this exhibit for the first time.
The Oklahoma Route 66 Museum is located at 2229 West Gary Boulevard in Clinton. To find out more information about these events, call 580-323-7866.
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OHS COVID-19 safety measures
We recommend that visitors who are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 wear face masks in indoor public areas. We ask that you avoid visiting OHS museums, sites, and affiliates if you have COVID-19, are experiencing symptoms, have a fever, or are otherwise feeling sick or unwell.
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Click event listings below for more information.
20–22 - Will’s Wild West Kids Camp, Will Rogers Memorial Museum, Claremore
21 - Summer Solstice Walks, Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center, Spiro
22 - Oklahoma Historical Society Executive Committee meeting, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
23 - Thursday Night Lecture Series featuring Lynn Riggs film A Day in Santa Fe (1931), Will Rogers Memorial Museum, Claremore
24 - Movie Night featuring Route 66: An American Odyssey (1995), Will Rogers Memorial Museum, Claremore
24–25 - “Functional Fiber Arts” living history program, Fort Gibson Historic Site, Fort Gibson
25 - Guided tours, Honey Springs Battlefield, Checotah
28 - Home on the Range: Dallas Mayer Art Show opens, Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, Enid
28 - “Shut the Door! Barns in Oklahoma: Use of Stone and Bank Barns in Oklahoma” webinar (VIRTUAL), State Historic Preservation Office, Oklahoma City
30 - Vintage Snack Sets exhibit closes, Fred and Addie Drummond Home, Hominy
1 - Early Influencers: How Anna Overholser & Henry Ione Overholser Perry Set the Style for Oklahoma City Women, 1903–1929 exhibit opens, Henry and Anna Overholser Mansion, Oklahoma City
2 - Pawnee Bill Cannon Dedication Ceremony, Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum, Pawnee
2 - Guided tours, Honey Springs Battlefield, Checotah
2 - History Alive! on the Cherokee Strip, Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, Enid
5 - Selections from In Citizen's Garb: Native Americans on the Southern Plains, 1889–1891 exhibit opens, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
8 - Overnight at the Chuck Wagon, Will Rogers Memorial Museum, Claremore
9 - Oklahoma Route 66 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, Oklahoma Route 66 Museum, Clinton
9 - Route 66 Transitions, 1981–1991: Jerry McClanahan's First Decade of Route 66 Photography exhibit opens, Oklahoma Route 66 Museum, Clinton
9 - Quilting workshop with Martha Ray, Sod House Museum, Aline
12 - Tuesday Tunes featuring Hunter Thomas, Henry and Anna Overholser Mansion, Oklahoma City
16 - Will’s Cowboy Trader Days at the Ranch, Will Rogers Birthplace Ranch, Oologah
16 - Guided tours, Honey Springs Battlefield, Checotah
16 - Battle of Honey Springs Memorial Service, Honey Springs Battlefield, Checotah
16 - History Alive! on the Cherokee Strip, Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, Enid
16 - Family Day at the Birthplace Ranch, Will Rogers Birthplace Ranch, Oologah
16 - Heritage Plants lecture, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
16 - Let’s Talk About It: Cowboy Life: Reconstructing an American Myth (1975) by William W. Savage Jr., Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum, Pawnee
20 - Oklahoma Historical Society Executive Committee meeting, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
21 - Historic Preservation Review Committee meeting, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
21 - Thursday Night Lecture Series featuring Pawnee Bill Ranch’s Anna Davis, Will Rogers Memorial Museum, Claremore
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The Oklahoma History Center has a wide variety of e-exhibits you can view from the cool comfort of your home!
Each of our e-exhibits explores an Oklahoma history topic and includes historic images, activities, a glossary, and a bibliography. Experience the full selection of e-exhibits by clicking here.
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