Museum of the Western Prairie

10/14/2026

10/08/2026

Monday night was a wonderful night at the Museum with Hyunsoon Whang and Victoria Stjerna!

10/07/2026

Today is World Cotton Day!
Cotton is one of the area’s largest crops and has grown in Jackson County since before statehood. Cotton crops have consistently provided jobs to the area, from planting and harvesting, to the ginning process.
Please enjoy these photographs that show how cotton has dominated our area!
The first photograph, circa 1900, is of the Farmers Cotton Oil Mill in Mangum, Oklahoma.
The second photograph, circa 1900, shows wagons loaded with cotton bales around the courthouse square in Mangum, Oklahoma
The third photograph, circa 1900, is of 7 men, 4 women, and 11 children picking cotton on George Boyls’ farm near Elmer, Oklahoma.
The fourth photograph, circa 1903, shows a cotton loading dock in Olustee, Oklahoma, with the Olustee gin in the background.
The fifth photograph, circa 1910, is of the Farmers Union Gin, with cotton bales piled in the gin yard, in Duke, Oklahoma.
The sixth photograph, circa 1912, shows the Chickasha Gin Co. in Tipton, Oklahoma, with cotton bales sitting in 2 lines and a pile of cotton covered by a sheet.
The seventh photograph was taken on April 23, 1936, to celebrate the men that made Jackson County the first “one variety” cotton crop county in the state. The photograph includes County Agent M. G. Tucker, G. S. Smith, Harlie S. Garrison, Mick Elliot, E. L. Foster, G. W. Roberson, H. Z. Graham, Gover C. Cates, D. M. Weyrick, Ward Perryman, Charlie Evins, Frank Easley, A. B. Barr, W. J. Neal, B. T. Holdridge, R. G. Lee, Francis Lackey, S. M. Jones, Tray Hunter, T. R. Governat, W. Summer, Theodore Alexander, G. W. Ashley, M. R. Thrush, L. C. Edwards, Lewis F. Drury, J. H. Leonard, E. A. Cleavland, Joe Leis, and N. A. Farmer.
The eighth photograph, circa 1950, shows a Jackson County cotton field being irrigated.
The ninth photograph, circa 1952, shows Randy Wilson from the Victory School 4-H Club, after being awarded the title of “Cotton King.”
The last photograph, circa 1954, is of a group of Airmen taking resting on a pile of cotton they picked. The photograph includes Airman 1st Class Coyle J. Rowe of the 96th Food Service Squadron form Cordell, OK, Staff Sgt. R. C. Dabois also of the Food Service Squadron, from Ft. Kent MO, Airman 2nd Class Edward R. Hoffman of the Food Service Squadron, from Gettysburg PA, Staff Sgt. William M. Gilliam, Airman 3rd Class James H. Butler of the 96th Motor Vehicle Squadron, from Pompano Beach FL.

10/02/2026

Don Ray had seen and helped make a lot of history since he moved to Jackson County as a boy in 1912. He attended school at old Locke School southeast of Altus. He’s been a farmer and worked for the International Harvester Company for 27 years. He owned filling stations in Altus and was one of the first television distributors in the southwest.
For several years, Don was a grounds keeper at the Museum of the Western Prairie. His dedication was unbelievable. Although he was only employed to work one-half day, 5 days a week, you could find him watering, mowing, or tending to the flowers, almost every day – including Saturdays and Sundays. A happy and cheerful man, Don gave a lot of himself to other people.
Don had been a member of the First Baptist Church for over 50 years. He belonged to the Elk Club and Woodmen of the World.

09/29/2026

Today we have the handsome family of Ben Chambers (1889-1970) of Elmer, Oklahoma, 1942.

Benjamin James Chambers was a Texas man who married a Texas woman: Margaret Josephine "Maggie" Thrash Chambers (1893-1986). Their children were Maggie Juanetta Chambers Lovett, Gaither Hamilton "Sonny Boy" Chambers (deceased before this photo was taken), Oleta Mary Chambers Powers, Edward E. Chambers, Alvin George Chambers, Dorothy Lelia Chambers Ware, Kenneth Joseph Chambers, and Etta Jean Chambers Gray.

Do you have anymore information about the Chambers family? We'd love to hear it!

~Museum of the Western Prairie