Visit Pawhuska OK

03/23/2026

This is what Jeff Foxworthy has to say about folks from Oklahoma...

If someone in a Lowe's store offers you assistance and they don't work there, you may live in Oklahoma .

If you've worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you may live in Oklahoma .

If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you may live in Oklahoma .

If "vacation" means going anywhere south of Dallas for the weekend, you may live in Oklahoma .

If you measure distance in hours, you may live in Oklahoma .

If you know several people who have hit a deer more than once, you may live in Oklahoma .

If you install security lights on your house and garage, but leave both unlocked, you may live in Oklahoma .

If you carry jumper cables in your car and your wife knows how to use them, you may live in Oklahoma .

If the speed limit on the highway is 55 mph -- you're going 80 and everybody is passing you, you may live in Oklahoma .

If you find 60 degrees "a little chilly," you may live in Oklahoma .

If you see a tornado warning on the television but don't get too awfully excited about it until you actually SEE it coming toward you, you may live in Oklahoma .

If you actually understand these jokes and forward them to all your Okie friends & others, you definitely live in Oklahoma . We're friendly folks

photo credit: Cheryl Shull Photography

03/06/2026

This poster from 1903 was used to advertise some of Pawnee Bill’s shows. It highlights features such as daily performances, seating for 10,000 people under waterproof canopies, and more than 1,000 people and horses in the show.

(Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum Collection, OHS)

12/26/2025

11/21/2025

“I intentionally distort portraits because people have a distorted idea of Native people. As artists and keepers of culture, we have a responsibility to promote the truth.”—Chris Pappan (Osage/Kaw/Cheyenne River Lakota)

Happening on a brand-new ledger book in the supply room at his day job led Chris Pappan to create a series of twenty-first-century ledger drawings. In his work he often uses antique ledger paper to layer additional meaning onto stories he tells through portraiture. Pappan purposely breaks with the pictographic style seen in much of Plains narrative art. “Traditions have to evolve and change in order to survive,” he says. “This is my way of keeping the tradition of ledger art fresh, new, and exciting.”

Drawn as solid dots inside circles, stars form the background of this portrait of Chief Bacon Rind, a political leader of the Osage Nation in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The stars reference the Wah Zha Zhe, or Osage, creation story about people stepping down from the stars.

Pappan continues to make ledger art fresh and exciting. These days, his practice still includes drawing and painting, but at a larger scale. He is also exploring mixed media collages, all while staying true to the narrative spirit of ledger art.

Visitors can see more of Pappan’s work on view at our Washington, DC museum in the exhibition “Unbound: Narrative Art of the Plains.” The exhibition juxtaposes historical hides, muslins, and ledger books with more than 50 contemporary works commissioned by the museum. Illustrating everything from war deeds and ceremonial events to family life, Native identity, and pop culture, the artworks are as diverse as the individuals who created them. Pappan joined artists Lauren Good Day (Arikara/Hidatsa/Blackfeet/Plains Cree), and Dallin Maybee (Northern Arapaho/Seneca) for a panel conversation about their work in the exhibition in 2024, watch it now on our YouTube channel. https://s.si.edu/46gKFUq
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Chris Pappan (Osage/Kaw/Cheyenne River Lakota, b. 1971). “Wah Zha Zhe Creation, 21st-Century Ledger Drawing No. 54,” 2012. Antique ledger paper, graphite; 57.5 × 41.4 cm. 26/8975

11/18/2025

🦬 "Bring Them Home," narrated by Oscar-nominated Lily Gladstone, tells the story of the Blackfeet Nation's efforts to restore the bison population to their lands.

📺 The documentary airs on PBS Monday, Nov. 24.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/4pkShM9?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook_KWTV_-_NEWS_9

11/18/2025

11/17/2025

11/17/2025

Let owner, Denise Webster, show you around when you come in to at Sunset Ridge Gallery on Kihekah Avenue in downtown , Oklahoma!

11/17/2025

11/16/2025

We couldn't be more thankful to the people of Oklahoma Oil and Natural Gas for partnering with us to give free admission to Oklahoma school groups during our centennial year! This will ensure that future generations can experience the rich history and world-class collection on display at Woolaroc.