Friday, October 11, 9:00 am- 4:00 pm
Explore Guthrie, Oklahoma – Oklahoma’s first capital
Cost: $50
Travel by bus to Guthrie, Oklahoma, which served as Oklahoma’s state capital from 1907 to 1910. Located approximately thirty-two miles north of Oklahoma City, Guthrie is one of the largest contiguous Historic Districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1999, the downtown area was designated a National Historic Landmark with many beautifully restored buildings as examples of late 19th and early 20th Century architecture, including several designed by architect Joseph Foucart.
The first stop upon arriving in Guthrie will be the Scottish Rite Temple, among the top three Masonic edifices in North America in overall architectural beauty and interior design. Many European artisans were imported to work on the building and it is a “virtual storybook of architectural history.” Following a tour of the Temple, we will travel a short distance to Guthrie’s downtown district. After lunch on their own, group members will meet back up and take a narrated trolley ride of Guthrie’s historic areas. For the last part of the trip, group members will visit the Oklahoma Territorial Museum which documents the creation of the Unassigned Lands, the Land Run of 1889, the homestead experience, and territorial and state government. The steps of the adjoining Carnegie Library were the location of the 1907 ceremonial wedding of Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory to create the state of Oklahoma. The bus will return guests to the Skirvin Hilton.
Saturday, October 12, 9:30-12:30
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
Cost: $45
Travel a short distance by bus to the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, America’s premier institution of Western history, art and culture. The museum was founded in 1955 and collects, preserves and exhibits internationally renowned collections of Western art and artifacts. The American Cowboy Gallery, comprising 8,000 square feet, interprets the cowboy’s history and culture from Spanish colonial times to the 20th century. The gallery represents the most extensive exhibition on the working cowboy in the United States. The 6,500 square feet American Rodeo Gallery celebrates the history, people and events of the West’s truly indigenous sport. The Art of the American West Gallery contains outstanding examples of paintings and sculptures from the museum’s collection. The Native American Galley displays nearly 190 individual cultural items. Other galleries spotlight firearms, the Frontier West, and western performers among other items. The Museum also features a restaurant and gift store.
The tour group will meet in the Skirvin Hotel lobby at 9:15. Tour cost includes bus travel and admission to the museum.
