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National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame: A Fort Worth Diamond-in-the-Rough

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Tony Maples Photography

 

Located in the heart of the Fort Worth Cultural District sits the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame. Honoring women, past and present, who have lived their lives demonstrating what resilience, courage, and independence looks like, and how it helped to mold and model the American West. It’s the only museum in the entire world that is dedicated to fostering an appreciation for the ideals and spirit of self-reliance that its role models and inductees inspire, and it sits right here, in beautiful Fort Worth, Texas.

The National Cowgirl Museum And Hall of Fame: A Fort Worth Diamond-In-The Rough

Photo: Pinterest/National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame

Exhibiting astonishing courage and pioneering essence in spearheading establishment in the western frontier, the museum includes interactive exhibits featuring the very artifacts that belonged to or were used by the cowgirls that embodied that spirit. In addition, it also includes a permanent collection, a traveling exhibit gallery, a gift shop, two theaters, and even a research library with archives. All of this entails the more than 4,000 artifacts and details/documentation for over 750 amazing women.

The National Cowgirl Museum And Hall of Fame: A Fort Worth Diamond-In-The Rough

Photo: Pinterest/Deep South Magazine

Originally established in 1975, in Hereford, Texas, the Museum and Hall of Fame relocated to Fort Worth in 1994 in order to plan for and construct a new and permanent home. Now sitting in a 33,000 square-foot space at the Will Rogers Memorial Complex, the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame shares the Cultural District with other notable galleries and institutions. These include the Amon Carter Museum, the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, the Kimbell Art Museum, and the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.

The National Cowgirl Museum And Hall of Fame: A Fort Worth Diamond-In-The Rough

Photo: Pinterest/Johanna Ost

National Cowgirl Hall of Fame honorees and inductees include 288 pioneers, ranchers, rodeo cowgirls, humanitarians, artists, writers, business women, entertainers, and educators. Such noted women as Georgia O’Keeffe (painter), Annie Oakley (sharpshooter), Enid Justin (creator of the Nocona Boot Company) and Dale Evans (Hollywood western icon) are among the honorees and inductees. So, when visiting the museum as well as the hall of fame, you know you’re in the finest of company.