The Woolaroc Museum presents one of America's most unique displays of Western art and artifacts; Native American pottery, baskets, beads, blankets, and cultural art; historical displays; and one of the most complete collections of Colt firearms. It is one of the most outstanding Western art collections in the world, which also represents the culture and lifestyles of the people of America and the American West.
Collections
American Indian
Woolaroc Museum relates the story of man's cultural development in the New World. Artifacts of early man trace the prehistoric civilizations in Oklahoma. Baskets, pottery, and Navajo blankets show the Native American civilization of the Navajo, Apache, Hopi, and Pueblos located in Arizona and New Mexico.
Beaded buckskins and feather bonnets from the Plains tribes are prominently displayed. Material from approximately 40 different tribes is displayed in the collection at Woolaroc Museum.
Fine Art
Paintings
The Woolaroc collection includes a broad representation of paintings by many of the "Old Masters" of western art, such as: Frederic Remington, Charles M. Russell, William R. Leigh, Frank Tenney Johnson, Thomas Moran, and many others.
Also represented are more contemporary artists such as Wilson Hurley, John Clymer, Clark Hulings, and Bettina Steinke. Five of the original six Taos Society Artists are represented: O.E. Berninghaus, E.I. Couse, Herbert Dunton, Bert Phillips, and J.H. Sharp.
Much of the collection was personally acquired by Frank Phillips during his lifetime, and has since been greatly enhanced by donations from other members of the Phillips family. The more recent additions include works by many leading contemporary Western artists and various landscape artists, including an exquisite work by Albert Bierstadt.
Sculpture
The Woolaroc sculpture collection also includes pieces by many of the greats of Western artists, including Remington and Russell. In addition, the 12 bronzes that were entered in the 1927 Pioneer Woman contest, created by the best sculptors of the day, are prominently displayed in the collection.
Heroic-sized sculptures by Bryant Baker and Jo Mora are located both inside and outside the Woolaroc Museum, where they illustrate the history of Oklahoma and the American West.
Works by contemporary sculptors such as Harry Jackson, Joe Beeler, and John D. Free also grace the Woolaroc collection. Woolaroc displays a complete collection of the sculptures of Joe Beeler, including two heroic-sized pieces on the Woolaroc grounds.
Other Collections
Western
Woolaroc Museum displays several other collections, such as the saddles and gear of cowboys and several carts and wagons. There is a large display of 101 Ranch memorabilia, including many old photographs.
Colt Firearms
Thanks to the donated collections of Phil Phillips and Waldo Wilson, Woolaroc has one of the finest collections of Colt firearms in the world. The collection is significant in that it includes some of the very first revolving cylinder repeating weapons made in the United States and traces the development of Colt firearms into the post World War II era. This room also houses the Russell Straight collection of Winchester rifles, a gun that closely identifies with the history of the West.
Also in Room 8, guests can take a peek “behind the curtain” into one of the back rooms where unique items that are normally not part of the Woolaroc exhibits can be seen.
