Chisholm Trail Heritage Center

The Chisholm Trail Heritage Center Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public organization. It depends on members, donations, and private foundations to maintain our mission: "To celebrate and perpetuate the history, art and culture of the Chisholm Trail, the American Cowboy and the American West."

As soon as you step onto the Chisholm Trail walkway, you realize you are walking into history of the old west as seen through the eyes of artists and visionaries.

The oval bronze and rock monument gives you a quick story of the Chisholm Trail, 1867-1875, and the artistic path leads you to the “On the Chisholm Trail” life size bronze, by Oklahoma artist Paul Moore. The Garis Gallery of the American West (added in 2005) houses some of the finest western art created in the world – George Catlin, Frederic Remington, Charlie Russell and Allan Houser pieces have a permanent home.

You’ll also find more contemporary art, like that of Ramona Swift, a Canadian artist, who is also with the Artists for Conservation and continues to pursue her passion for art. The Garis Gallery is also home to two early works by John Coleman, who has been a member of the Cowboy Artists of America since 2001. A leading western artist and award-winning bronze sculptor, he lives and works in Arizona. Pictured above is a Coleman resin, “Song for the Spirit.”

Once inside the facility, you can get a closer look at the “On the Chisholm Trail” tabletop bronze replica on display to the left entrance of the Garis Gallery of the American West.

When the gallery first opened, Ken Davenport, owner of Arkansas Art Gallery in Little Rock, Arkansas, said it was the most concise snapshot of western art as seen from an Oklahoma perspective that exists anywhere.

“This should be the first stop of a student of western art in the exploration of the Chisholm Trail, Western and Native American Art. From Duncan, you can go to Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Fort Worth, Denver and Santa Fe,” Ken Davenport said.

T.H. McCasland, Jr. Experience Theater
Giddy-Up and Yee Haw! Experience the closest thing to a real stampede you would ever want to be a part of, right in the comfort of your theater chair. From the smells of the prairie to the final hoof beats, you are sure to enjoy this unique “experience.”

Campfire Theater
Cowboys and Indians and Robots, oh my! Eavesdrop on a campfire conversation in our “Campfire Theater” with our animatronics, a weather-worn Jesse Chisholm – talkin’ trail history and future with first-time cowpoke, Tex.

Exhibits

Jilli Jones, photography exhibit will be on display. Jones will be the featured artist in CTHC’s Garis Gallery of the American West July through September. Her work features portraits, landscapes, and mixed media photography. Her career began in Boulder, Colorado, when she fell in love with the mountainous region there. Jones’ work has been featured in outdoor publications such as the New York Times, Harper’s Bazaar, and Martha Stewart.

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