Knowing Nowata: The Smithsonian & Nowata

The Smithsonian & Nowata

Special Exhibit Coming to Nowata this Month

by Carroll Craun

Have you ever wished to visit the premier museum in America, the Smithsonian, to experience the many exhibits and activities provided by it? Now you can get a small taste of its wonders through the efforts of the Nowata County Historical Society Board. Under the leadership of Project Director and Board Member Frank Wallace, the board decided to stick its collective neck out and reach for what seemed impossible — bringing an exhibit to Nowata.

The dream began with tasks assigned, reports completed, application forms filled out, potential partners found, matching funding procured, space identified, and finding patience — lots of patience. One of the partners procured is bmonthly, whose editors wrote a letter of support and recommendation. The needed documentation was sent in and the wait began. In November 2020, notification came saying the Nowata Historical Museum was in the final nine sites selected in Oklahoma to host a traveling exhibit. Site visits and interviews followed. In December, official notification came that the museum was one of the official six sites chosen in Oklahoma to host a six-week exhibit Crossroads: Change in Rural America. What excitement!

The exhibit is a part of Museums on Main Street (MOMS), a unique collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), state humanities councils (Oklahoma Humanities) across the nation, and local host institutions. Funding is provided by the U.S. Congress.

The Crossroads exhibit explores how rural American communities changed in the 20th century. From sea to shining sea, the vast majority of the United States landscape remaind rural, with only 3.5 percent of the landscape considered urban. Since 1900, the percentage of Americans living in rural areas dropped from 60 percent to 17 percent. The exhibition looks at these remarkable social changes and how rural Americans responded.

For generations, Americans have relied on rural crossroads, places where people gather to exchange goods & services, political discussions, and culture. Despite the massive economic and demographic impact brought on by changes, America’s small towns continue to creatively focus on new opportunities for growth and development. Crossroads is composed of six sections — introduction, rural identity, community, land, and perseverance & managing changes from a national perspective. Seeing the exhibit first hand, Historical Society members have been amazed at how our communities can be dropped into the exhibits.

“The Crossroads exhibits allow us to reflect on the history of Nowata County and surrounding areas, present and future,” said Carroll Craun, president of the Nowata Historical Society. “Our desire is to create opportunities through the exhibit for conversations about what makes our communities unique, how we can grow and make needed changes, and as a part of the exhibit have developed a number of local and public programs to complement it.” Do you want to pet a bull, meet a rodeo clown, learn about powwows, learn about living in the Dust Bowl era, see vintage cars and antique gas engines, enjoy music? That’s just a few of the many possibilities you can experience with the exhibit.

A few of the Historical Society members took part in the installation of the first exhibit in Tishomingo and received training on how to set it up when it arrives in Nowata in December.

The exhibit opens in Nowata at the museum, located at 136 Oak Street, on December 18, 2021 and will remain there until January 29, 2022.

From Nowata, the exhibit will travel to Woodward and Pawnee before its final stop in Boley. Earlier sites were Tishomingo and Fort Gibson.

The exhibit is free and everyone is encouraged to come and enjoy the different programs and exhibits — some change weekly or daily. Call the Museum 918-273-1191 or look at their Facebook page at nowatamuseum or their website nowatamuseum.org with questions and for updates.