Woolaroc facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Woolaroc Museum & Wildlife Preserve
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 Location in Oklahoma
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | Barnsdall, Oklahoma |
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| Area | 3,700 acres (1,500 ha) |
| Built | 1925 |
| Architect | Ambler Associates; et al. |
| Architectural style | Bungalow/Craftsman, Rustic |
| NRHP reference No. | 08001151 |
| Added to NRHP | December 05, 2008 |
Woolaroc is a special place in the Osage Hills of Northeastern Oklahoma. It's a museum and a wildlife preserve! You can find it about 12 miles (19 km) southwest of Bartlesville, Oklahoma.
A rich oilman named Frank Phillips started Woolaroc in 1925. It was his private ranch retreat. Today, it's a huge 3,700-acre wildlife preserve. Many animals live here, like bison, elk, and longhorn cattle.
Woolaroc also has an amazing museum. It's filled with Western art, American Indian artifacts, and one of the world's largest collections of Colt firearms. You can even see the famous Woolaroc airplane. This plane won a big race in 1927! Visitors can also explore a nature trail and a living history area. This area shows what life was like in an 1840s mountain man camp.
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What Does "Woolaroc" Mean?
The name Woolaroc is a mix of three words: woods, lakes, and rocks. These words describe the beautiful natural landscape of the Osage Hills in Oklahoma. Frank Phillips first thought of the name for his ranch house. But soon, it became the name for his entire ranch and preserve!
The Story of Woolaroc
Woolaroc is owned and run by The Frank Phillips Foundation, Inc. Frank Phillips and his wife, Jane Phillips, started this foundation in 1937. In 1944, the Phillips family gave all their personal Woolaroc property to the foundation. This included the land, buildings, animals, and all the art collections.
The main goal of the foundation is to keep Woolaroc running and preserve it for everyone. Frank Phillips wanted Woolaroc to save the history of the American West. He also wanted it to educate and entertain people.
In 2025, Phillips 66 announced a big gift to Woolaroc. They closed their company museum in Bartlesville. They gave their entire collection, plus $5 million, to Woolaroc. This means even more amazing things for visitors to see!
Amazing Museum Collections
The Woolaroc museum has many incredible items. It started small but grew over the years.
The Woolaroc Airplane
The museum actually began as a hangar in 1929. This hangar was built for the Woolaroc airplane. This was a special single-engine plane designed by Clyde Cessna. Frank Phillips sponsored this plane in the Dole Air Race in 1927. The race went from Oakland, California, all the way to Honolulu, Hawaii!
The Woolaroc is the only plane from that famous race that still exists today. You can see it in its original hangar at the museum. Frank Phillips also sponsored another plane, the Oklahoma. But it had mechanical problems and couldn't finish the race.
Art and Artifacts
Over time, the museum grew much larger. It now covers 50,000 square feet! It holds over 600 paintings and 300 bronze sculptures. There are also more than 2,300 pieces of Native American art and artifacts. Many taxidermy animals also decorate the museum walls.
The galleries show works by famous American Indian and Western artists. Some of these artists include Remington, Russell, Leigh, and Moran.
The Pioneer Woman Models
In 1928, a very wealthy oilman named E. W. Marland had an idea. He wanted to build a huge statue called the Pioneer Woman. This statue would honor the brave women of the American West.
Marland asked twelve sculptors from around the world to create small models. These models were about 3 feet tall. Each sculptor was paid for their work. The models then traveled to twelve different cities. About 750,000 people saw them and voted for their favorite design.
Many people loved the exhibition. It showed how much Americans admired the pioneer women. One visitor, 91-year-old Betty Wollman, shared her own pioneer experiences. She praised Marland for honoring these strong women.
The winning statue nationwide was called Confident. It was made by a sculptor named Bryant Baker. This statue shows a woman walking forward, holding a Bible, and leading her young son.
After some financial difficulties, E. W. Marland had to sell some of his art. He wrote to his friend Frank Phillips in 1940. Phillips sent an art expert to look at the sculptures. In the end, Phillips bought all twelve miniature Pioneer Woman models. They became part of his collection at Woolaroc. Today, you can see them on display at the museum.
Visiting Woolaroc
Woolaroc is open most of the year. You can visit from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST, Wednesday through Sunday. It is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. During the summer, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, it is also open on Tuesdays. Please remember that bicycles are not allowed inside the preserve.
