Museum of the Great Plains facts for kids
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Southwest Oklahoma Great Plains Museum
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| Location | Lawton, Oklahoma |
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| Type | Natural history museum |
| Accreditation | American Alliance of Museums |
| Founder | Comanche County Historical Society |
| Owner | City of Lawton |
The Museum of the Great Plains is an exciting museum in Lawton, Oklahoma, USA. It's a great place for kids and families to learn about history. The museum shows how different groups of people lived in the Great Plains area. This includes the very first people, like the Clovis culture, who arrived around 11,500 BCE. You can find many fun and educational programs there all year long. The museum is also part of the Oklahoma Museum Network.
Contents
Discover the Museum's Purpose
The Museum of the Great Plains has an important job. Its main goal is to collect, protect, and study items from the past. These items help us understand the cultural and natural history of the Great Plains. By showing these items, the museum helps everyone learn more about humankind.
A Look at the Museum's History
The museum started from a group called the Comanche County Historical Society (CCHS). This group began in 1952. At first, they showed their growing collections in a building at Fort Sill. Soon, they decided to build a new, permanent home for their exhibits.
With help from the McMahon Foundation, the new Museum of the Great Plains opened in 1961. The museum building is about 18,000-square-foot (1,700 m2) in size. It is located in Elmer Thomas Park and is managed by the City of Lawton. In 1972, the museum became the first in Oklahoma to get special approval from the American Alliance of Museums. This means it met high standards for museums.
In 1997, the museum grew even bigger. Again, with support from the McMahon Foundation, it expanded to 25,000 square feet (2,300 m2) of gallery space. They added a large entrance area and a gift shop. The original building space was then used for storing collections, a library, research areas, offices, and a classroom.
For many years, the museum was run by the Institute of the Great Plains and the City of Lawton. In 1998, the museum became its own non-profit organization. The Institute still helps the museum with research and programs.
What You Can Learn at the Museum
The museum wants to help you learn about history in many ways. They want you to:
- Enjoy learning about history, especially the history of the Great Plains.
- Ask questions and explore historical topics.
- See how your own life connects to bigger stories of your community and the world.
- Understand today's events better and see your place in them.
- Learn about different viewpoints on the history of the Great Plains.
The museum believes that the best way to learn is by doing things. They create programs that are fun, new, and important to people's lives. They also make sure to include many different cultures and learning styles.
The museum covers a huge amount of time, from when the first people arrived around 11,500 BCE, all the way to today. You can explore themes like:
- Prehistory on the plains (before written records).
- Understanding the land.
- Hunters and horsemen.
- Traders and trappers.
- Builders (how people settled the Great Plains).
- Plains warriors.
- Farmers and ranchers.
Amazing Exhibits to Explore
The museum has many cool exhibits. You can find them in the main gallery, a special gallery for changing exhibits, and on the mezzanine level.
Outside the main building, you can see a real 1902 Elgin Depot. This old train station was moved to the museum in 1962. Right in front of the Depot, there's a huge 1926 Baldwin Locomotive train. It's a great spot for photos!
