Family Saturdays at the Oklahoma History Center

Every Third Saturday through October 2011

Every third Saturday through October you are invited to come and participate in new family-friendly programs at the Oklahoma History Center.

Come and visit on February 19th and celebrate President's Day from 10am to 2pm.  Part of the family activities on that day will include children dressing up as Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt.  They will be able to make a short video of the experience.  The family adventures for the day will also include a presidential-themed scavenger hunt through the galleries.

Please call (405)522-0785 with questions about Family Saturday programs at the Oklahoma History Center.   

The next Dutch oven cooking class is set for 1pm - 5pm on March 26, 2011.  This hands-on class is open to adults and teens. Learn a variety of recipes as you create a dish and discover how to use a Dutch oven in your backyard. $10 per person, all materials provided. During the class students will learn the fundamentals of Dutch Oven cooking and prepare a meal. The majority of the class is spent outdoors.

Registration is required. For more information contact Jason Harris at (405)522-0785 or jharris@okhistory.org.

Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center

to Open April 1, 2011 at 11am

Enid, OK

All is in order, now is the time and the date is set!  The public is invited to celebrate the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center's grand opening April 1 at 11 a.m., 507 S. 4th Street in Enid, Oklahoma.  The Enid community working in partnership with the Oklahoma Historical Society created the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center to tell the extraordinary stories of settling the Cherokee Strip and share the inspiring lessons of leadership with future generations.

"Enid has a history that reflects the courage and tenacity of American pioneers," said Lew Ward, board chairman of the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center. "The center's collection shares these stories and the history of the area through engaging exhibits and a Smithsonian-quality experience."

At the center, visitors learn about the 1893 Land Run - the largest land run in American history opening 6 million acres to settlement. Visitor's also explore how the Cherokee Strip was formed, life on the prairie, the Dust Bowl, area railroads, agricultural development, the discovery and development of the oil industry and Phillip's University, the first private university in the state.

On Sept. 16, 1893, Enid's only permanent structure was the newly constructed U.S. Land Office.  By sundown, an estimated 10,000 people inhabited the new town. The center's living history area, Humphrey Heritage Village features the U.S. Land Office as well as other authentic historical buildings including a 1902 Church, an 1895 one-room school, Turkey Creek School, and the 1905 Victorian home and family belongings of J.W. and Alice Glidewell. Visitors touring the Village get a comprehensive look at what it was like to live in the Cherokee Strip in the early 1900s.

Please contact Andi Holland, Director, with questions at (580)237-1907x223 or by email at aholland@okhistory.org.