Pioneer Woman Museum

Opened in 1958, the Pioneer Woman Museum is dedicated to women who have contributed to Oklahoma's development. In addition to displays of everyday household items used by pioneer women, the museum features an exhibit dedicated to women journalists and a Walk of Fame showcasing Oklahoma women who broke new ground. Craft demonstrations and special exhibits are also held in the facility. The museum sits adjacent to the 30-foot bronze Pioneer Woman statue unveiled in 1930.

About the Pioneer Woman Museum and Statue

Oklahoma oilman and future governor Ernest Whitworth Marland held a design competition in 1926 for a statue dedicated to pioneer women. Invited artists submitted twelve three-foot-tall bronze statues, which toured the country. Bryant Baker, an English immigrant who had served in the U.S. Army during the First World War, won by a wide margin with his design, which he entitled Confidence. A reported 40,000 attended its dedication on April 22, 1930, the anniversary of the first Oklahoma land run [1]. When, in the 1950s, an accompanying museum was planned, architect Rand Elliott fronted the building with a copper awning to echo the statue's sunbonnet. Stamped through the copper are the words I see no boundaries [1; 2].

Opened in 1958, the Pioneer Woman Museum is dedicated to women who have contributed to Oklahoma's development. In addition to displays of everyday household items used by pioneer women, the museum features an exhibit dedicated to women journalists and a Walk of Fame showcasing Oklahoma women who broke new ground [1; 2]. Some of the women in the Walk of Fame include historian Angie Debo, whose groundbreaking works on Western history were some of the first to address the mistreatment of Native Americans by the U.S. government; civil rights activist and educator Clara Luper; journalist and Oklahoma first lady Elva Shartel Ferguson; and aviator and NASA trainee Gerrie Cobb [3]. Craft demonstrations and special exhibits are also held in the facility, which was expanded in 1998 [2].

1. Oklahoma Historical Society. "Pioneer Woman Museum and Statue." Accessed February 3, 2018. http://www.okhistory.org/sites/pioneerwoman.php.

2. Ponca City. "Pioneer Woman Museum." Accessed February 3, 2018. http://www.poncacity.com/attractions/pioneer_woman_museum.htm.

3. Travel Oklahoma. "Pioneer Women Museum Video." Accessed February 7, 2018. https://www.travelok.com/listings/view.profile/id.5920.

Prescott, Cynthia Culver. Pioneer Mother Monuments: Constructing Cultural Memory. Norman, Oklahoma. University of Oklahoma Press, 2019.