Quarter Circle A Ranch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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The Brinton Museum
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 Location in Wyoming
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | Big Horn, Wyoming |
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| Area | 611 acres (247 ha) |
| Built | 1893 |
| NRHP reference No. | 76001961 |
| Added to NRHP | August 10, 1976 |
The Brinton Museum is a cool place to visit in Big Horn, Wyoming. It's located on the historic Quarter Circle A Ranch. This museum used to be called the Bradford Brinton Memorial Museum. It's a museum and a historic ranch all in one!
The ranch was first built in 1893 by William Moncreiffe. He was a Scottish immigrant and a very successful businessman. Later, in 1923, Bradford Brinton bought the ranch from Moncreiffe. Brinton made the ranch even bigger and more beautiful. He loved collecting art and historical items. He was especially interested in things about Native American history. After he passed away in 1936, his sister, Helen, turned the ranch into a museum. This way, everyone could see his amazing collections.
The Brinton Museum is surrounded by the beautiful Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming. This amazing landscape has inspired many famous American artists. Think of artists like Frederic Remington and Edward Borein! It's also a place where important cultural traditions of American Indian tribes have taken place. Today, the museum shows how Wyoming has changed over time. It keeps inspiring artists and visitors from all over the world.
At the heart of The Brinton Museum is Bradford Brinton's original collection. It includes art, old documents, books, and furniture. These items show how elegant and interesting this Western gentleman's tastes were. You can see the permanent collection in new galleries. You can also see it in its original spot, the Brinton Ranch House. The museum also has changing exhibits. These shows feature art from the 1800s, 1900s, and today. Each exhibit tells a unique story about the American West. They show both historical and modern views. The Brinton Museum is known for taking great care of its art. It also adds new pieces to its collection. The museum truly honors the art and craftsmanship of the West. It also continues Bradford Brinton's goal to support artists.
The museum has a fantastic team that helps visitors. They help you understand famous artists from the past. You learn about their artworks and how they inspire today's artists. This helps people explore and expand Western American art. The museum offers tours of the house and museum. They also have hands-on learning programs. There are special events and artist series too. All these activities help students of all ages. Visitors leave The Brinton Museum feeling more connected to art. They also learn more about American history. And they get to enjoy the spectacular nature around them.
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A Modern Museum for Western Art
The Brinton Museum opened its new, super modern building on June 15, 2015. It's called the Forrest E. Mars, Jr. Building. This new building is located on the 620-acre historic Quarter Circle A Ranch. It's in Big Horn, Wyoming. The new museum is 24,000 square feet big! It cost $15.8 million to build. It's also designed to be eco-friendly.
Amazing Art Collections
This museum holds one of the most important art collections in the U.S. It features Western and American Indian art from the 1800s and 1900s. You can see works by famous artists like Frederic Remington and Charles Marion Russell. Other artists include Thomas Moran and Edward Borein. The museum also has the largest collection of art by Hans Kleiber in the world!
The new building has four art galleries. There's also a museum store where you can buy souvenirs. The Brinton Bistro is a restaurant with indoor and outdoor dining. It offers amazing 180-degree views of the Bighorn Mountains. Many kind people and groups donated money to make this new building possible.
Building Design and Features
The new three-story building was designed by Malone Belton Abel P.C. This architecture firm is from Sheridan, Wyoming. They designed the building to fit in with the natural beauty of the area. It also matches the land's shape on the ranch. The building is tucked into the hillside. It has a huge, curved wall made of rammed earth. This wall is two feet thick and 51 feet tall. It's also 209 feet long! It's the tallest rammed earth wall in North America.
Timothy Belton, the main architect, explained the design. He said it connects the space symbolically. It honors the family who started the collection. It also respects the spiritual side of its American Indian Art collections. The galleries have special climate control. There's also a 4,000-square-foot high-tech storage area. This space can hold thousands of artworks. It helps the Brinton Museum protect and show its current and new art.
The Gallatin Collection
Because of the new spaces and storage, the Brinton Museum received a special gift. It's called the Gallatin Collection. This collection was given to the museum by Fr. Peter Powell. He is from the Foundation for the Preservation of American Indian Art and Culture in Chicago. The Gallatin Family in Big Horn first put this collection together. Parts of it were shown at the Art Institute of Chicago for over 45 years.
The complete Gallatin Collection has more than 100 pieces of American Indian art and artifacts. Sixty of these pieces are now always on display. You can see them in the Brinton Museum's new John and Adrienne Mars American Indian Gallery.
History of the Museum
Bradford Brinton's sister, Helen Brinton, started the Brinton Museum in 1960. It opened to the public in June 1961. Back then, it was called the Bradford Brinton Memorial. Helen wanted to share Bradford's original collection. This collection included art, old documents, books, and furniture. Bradford had put it together in the early 1900s. It showed his elegant and unique tastes. He was a well-educated gentleman from the West. He also became friends with and supported the best artists of his time.
Today, the Brinton Museum displays its historic and modern collections. You can see them in long-term and changing exhibits. These are shown in the original Brinton Ranch House. They are also in the new Western, American Indian, and contemporary galleries.
The Quarter Circle A Ranch
The Quarter Circle A Ranch is more than just the museum building. It also has large gardens and a greenhouse. There's a building called Little Goose Creek Lodge. Plus, there are many other buildings from the 1900s. For example, the Carriage Barn holds a historic car. It also has an old J.I. Case truck and various farm tools. There's also a saddle barn full of horse riding gear. In the next two years, the Brinton Museum plans to change its original museum space. It will become a 5,000-square-foot education center.
A museum leader, Schuster, once said something special. He said, "The Brinton Museum is the only museum in the U.S. that keeps a significant historic and growing Western and American Indian art collection on a beautifully kept historic property at the foot of a mountain range." He added, "The art, as well as the Quarter Circle A Ranch property, are an American treasure."
The ranch was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 10, 1976. This means it's recognized as an important historical site.
