Pictured from front to back are the Woolaroc’s trail guides who host the twice annual bring your own horse fund raiser rides. Guest are treated to two meals on Saturday and an on site dry camp location Friday prior to the two Saturday day rides. Interviewees Wes Butcher (second from the left) and Roger Butcher (second from the right) are full time year around employees of the preservation. Photo by Alana Owen
A Window into a Remarkable
NORTHERN OKLAHOMA PRAIRIE EXPERIENCE by ALANA OWEN Last year when a group of friends decided to ride horses together at a benefit trail ride in Bartlesville, we had no idea what to expect. Not being native to Oklahoma, I was not even sure where Bartlesville was. After registering for the trip, paying fees, and signing waivers, we pulled out the trusty old atlas and away we went. When we arrived at the Woolaroc Museum & Wildlife Preserve, we set up dry camp for a night and watched the buffalo meander alongside us just feet away on the opposite side of a fence. We drank wine and watched the sun go down, amazed at how beautiful it was. It was an easy decision what I wanted to write about for the travel edition this month. The timing was perfect because we were getting ready to sign up for the annual ride at Woolaroc again. This year we continued to explore the grounds and meet new friends during the benefit ride. The Woolaroc Museum & Wildlife Preserve is situated in a remote area OKLA HOMA CORRID OR M AGAZI NE / J U NE 2 0 2 2 6
on 3,700 acres. It was founded by oilman Frank Phillips (founder of Phillips Petroleum and marketed as Phillips 66) as a retreat in the Osage hills of northeastern Oklahoma. In 1925, Will Rogers referred to the location as “the most unique place in the country.” Phillips named the location Woolaroc to reference the presence of woods, lakes, and rocks. Today the preserve contains over thirty different species of native and exotic wildlife including bison, elk, water buffalo, exotic deer, and longhorn cattle. The museum is mesmerizing with a large collection of western art and artifacts and one of the largest collections of Colt firearms in the country. My personal favorite inside the museum is the Woolaroc airplane which won the Dole Air Race in 1927. I will not spoil the details of the plane or the race because it is much better to experience the story during your visit while viewing the plane suspended in the air inside the museum. The preserve was once a
