National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame

Museums, Historical Sites, and ZoosTexas, United States11-50 Employees

The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame honors and celebrates women, past and present, whose lives exemplify the courage, resilience, and independence that helped shape the American West, and fosters an appreciation of the ideals and spirit of self-reliance they inspire. The museum was founded in 1975 in the Texas Panhandle community of Hereford, TX, about forty miles southwest of Amarillo. Housed in the basement of the Deaf Smith County Library, its first collections were modest: a few belt buckles, bandannas and some Western artwork. But by the time they were moved to a private home in 1982, artifacts had blossomed into vintage photos, rare books, saddles, costumes and more. The Museum’s purpose wasn’t just to preserve cowgirl history. It was to share it – every dusty piece of a dream, every unsung feat, every broken barrier. In 1993, the board led by Executive Director Margaret Formby began a search for a new site to broaden their Museum’s educational reach. When Fort Worth leaders got wind they were scouting for a new home, they immediately threw their hat in the ring. Their city’s rich western heritage would be a perfect setting for this authentic Western jewel. On June 9, 2002, a glimmer of an idea conceived 27 years earlier became reality. From a small library basement to a vibrant new 33,000-square-foot facility, the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame threw open its doors, poised to show all how Women Shape the West…and Change the World.

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