A Trip To Woolaroc!

With this post I thought we’d bring you along to a recent trip to Woolaroc Museum in northeasern Oklahoma.  I’m fortunate enough to have had the Museum add my largest scenes to their permanent collections.  It’s quite a thrill to see my carvings setting along side such artists as Remington, Russell, Beeler, Moran, and numerous other painters and sculptors.  Me? Proud?  You betcha!

I’ve attached quite a few photos of the museum, it’s setting and how it came to be, but I will start with a little history of the place and the man responsible for it.  Here is a link that will tell the story much better than I can about it’s history: https://www.woolaroc.org/history-of-woolaroc.  Quite a story.  Take a moment to check out the rest of the Woolaroc story by moving around their website. 

As for the photos….The museum is constructed out of the native sandstone from the Osage hills surrounding the place.  As mentioned in the story of the place it was originally meant to house his airplane but with the addition of his growing collections it grew far beyond that.  Christies, the New York auction house said that Woolaroc is one of the top 10 western museums in the US.   Impressive! 

Now for a little bragging…..One of the largest displays inside is the Chuckwagon scene which shows it’s important role in the cattle drives of the old west and those that continue on today.  That wagon was donated to the museum by Judy and I.  We used it for years travelling around neighboring states  doing cooking  demonstrations at western events.  As Jebediar Nightlinger said in the movie “The Cowboys”, Judy could “Make an Apple Pie that would make you slap your Mama!”  Fun times for sure!  Setting close by is my scene “Biscuits, Beans, & Buckaroos”.  If you look closely at the wrangler leaning against the front wheel of the wagon that’s Me with my mouth full along with my horse Biscuit saddled up close by.  Continuing on to the next room is my “Road Agents At Prairie Dawg Junction” scene setting next to the historic Stage Coach.  The painting of the Buffalo hunt is by Charles Russell, my favorite artist. Continuing on to the lower level you will find the “Golden Nugget”, “The Medicine Show”, and in the glass cabinets my carving of Frank Phillips dressed in his Cowboy gear. The painting shows Frank out on the range with his good friends, Osage Chief Lookout and Pawnee Bill, the showman. 

Finishing up outside is the Lodge which Frank used to entertain his guests.  Watch out though, there’s Buffalo everywhere!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little trip and I also hope that if you’re ever in this area that you have time to visit one of the highpoints of any trip to Oklahoma. 

Comments welcome.