Museum of the Western Prairie

Follow the activities of Native Americans, frontier soldiers, cowboys, and homesteaders. Revisit economic development, from assurances that "rain will follow the plow," to "Dust, Drought, Depression," and beyond.

The Land - The People

The Museum of the Western Prairie tells the story of Southwest Oklahoma, from the distant past to the present day. The narrative begins with the Wichita Mountains, the low, granite peaks that formed almost 300 million years ago. At first the Wichitas towered above the landscape; later they were islands in an ancient sea. Today the modest hills that remain serve as a connection between every era of Southwest Oklahoma history.

During the last Ice Age, the climate of the region supported animals that would later become extinct, such as the mammoth and mastodon. Their remains have been found repeatedly throughout the area. Ancient forms of bison, the ancestors of what were later called " buffalo" in North America, have also been found. Archaeological evidence reveals that humans hunted these animals in Southwest Oklahoma at least 11,000 years ago.

By 7,000 years ago, Paleo-Indians were present in Southwest Oklahoma. These people were hunters and gatherers who wandered on foot. Six-thousand years later, permanent settlements were established in some areas and farming began. One of the cultures connected with the historical period after European contact developed at this time, that of the Wichita.

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