National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame

The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame is a museum and association which honors women of the American West who have displayed courage or spirit and who have distinguished themselves while exemplifying the pioneer spirit. The facility is located in the Cultural District of Fort Worth, Texas, adjacent to the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History.

The museum was begun in the small basement of the library in Hereford, the seat of Deaf Smith County in West Texas by Margaret Clark Formby (1929-2003), wife of the radio broadcaster Clint Formby. Formby sought for a larger city to take over the exhibits, and Fort Worth won the competition. Formby's husband's uncle was the Texas politician Marshall Formby, a state senator, highway commissioner, and gubernatorial candidate.

Inside the museum

  • The Hall of Fame: Photographs, artifacts, and in-depth information on Cowgirls honorees. The center of the building is an empty rotunda propped up by twelve Corinthian columns.
  • "Kinship with the Land": a 15-minute film about the cowgirls' relationship with the land.
  • Connie Reeves Discovery Corral: This is a hands-on play area for children.
  • "Into the Arena": is about the cowgirls who where in the rodeo, from victories to heartaches.
  • "Claiming the Spotlight": The tremendous influence of cowgirls on pop culture: from matinee idols to musicians, from television stars to the cowgirls portrayed in literature and advertising.
  • Juke boxes with earphone with ten cowgirl songs, including "My Adobe Hacienda" by Louise Massey and the Westerners.
  • The preceding exhibits are located on the second floor, but traveling exhibits are housed on the first floor to the right of the rotunda. Early in 2010, a cross-section of the art of Georgia O'Keeffe, was on temporary display. The short film The Spirit of the Cowgirl, narrated by Michael Martin Murphey, is also shown on the first floor.

Hall of Fame inductees

  • Alice Greenough Orr (1975)
  • Sacagawea (1977)
  • Enid Justin (1978)
  • Tad Lucas (1978)
  • Linda Burch (1980), winner of National Cutting Horse futurity; amassed $2.5 million in her career
  • Caroline Lake Quiner Ingalls (1984)
  • Rose Wilder Lane (1984)
  • Carrie Ingalls Swanzey (1984)
  • Laura Ingalls Wilder (1984)
  • Willa Cather (1986)
  • Patsy Montana (1987)
  • Georgie Sicking (1989)
  • Mary Ann Dyer "Molly" Goodnight (1991)
  • Margaret Formby (1994)
  • Wilma Mankiller (1994)
  • Patsy Cline (1994)
  • Cynthia Ann Parker (1998)
  • Sandra Day O'Connor (2002)
  • Glenna Goodacre (2003)
  • Gail Davis (2004)
  • Wantha Davis (2004)
  • Ann Lowdon Call (2005)
  • Elaine Kramer (2005)
  • Anne W. Marion (2005)
  • Lulu Bell Parr (2005)
  • Minnie Lou Bradley (2006)
  • Esther Hobart Morris (2006)
  • Bonnie McCarroll (2006)
  • Dale Evans Rogers
  • Texas Rose Bascom
  • Annie Oakley
  • Cornelia Ritchie Wadsworth Bivins (2009)

References

External links

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Tips & Hints
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Robert Dwight Charter
20 June 2011
American women have often been overlooked and underestimated in the taming of the west. This museum attempts to share what it has and point out that women too, have contributed equally.
DailyCandy
25 February 2014
See more than 10,000 photos and artifacts that highlight the spirited lifestyles of female ranchers, pioneers, and entertainers. Then test your own cowgirl skills with a ride on a model bronco.
Eugene Kimberg
30 October 2021
Great place for a family visit especially if you have a little girl in your family
Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo
Ton of Cowgirl History and memorabilia to take a part in and now part of our "Moo-seum Experience" - entrance is included with your Stock Show grounds admission pass. Awesome!
Rebecca
17 April 2016
You can ride a bucking bronco, but it's entirely manual. Great ab workout.
Karen Burke
30 March 2019
The west was not tamed only by Cowboys! The Cowgirls did their share to tame the Wild West.
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785 people have been here
Map
1600 Gendy Street, Fort Worth, TX 76107, USA Get directions
Fri 11:00 AM–7:00 PM
Sat 9:00 AM–6:00 PM
Sun 11:00 AM–5:00 PM
Mon 10:00 AM–3:00 PM
Tue 11:00 AM–5:00 PM
Wed 10:00 AM–6:00 PM

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