The Ben Johnson Cowboy Museum is a must-visit while visiting Pawhuska, Oklahoma. There's so much to find out about Osage County's rich history! From the origin of all the local ranches like the famous Drummond Ranch, to Osage County's rodeo world champions. Pawhuska is considered the "Steer Roping Capital of the World". Did you know more rodeo world champions come from Osage County than anywhere else in the world?
The museum is named after Ben Johnson Sr and his son Ben Johnson Jr. Ben Johnson Sr was a legendary Osage county cattle rancher and a champion steer roper. Ben Johnson Jr was a famous award-winning Hollywood Western movie actor, stuntman, and world champion rodeo cowboy. A cowboy in real life and on the movie screens, winning awards for both acting and roping. Until this day in honor of Ben Johnson Sr, Pawhuska holds a Ben Johnson Memorial Steer Roping event at the Osage County Fairgrounds every year. To find out the latest about this event, check out their page.
Osage County is the home of the world's greatest cowboys and this museum showcases that perfectly! So many great cowboys, craftsmen, and ranchers come from this area and have all majorly contributed to the Western heritage and cowboy culture that we know so well. Walking through this museum you will be amazed by seeing all the world champions in one place and the legacies of all the ranches in this area. Definitely check out the historic map of all the Osage County ranches. If you're a Pioneer Woman fan, this is a great place to learn more about the Drummond empire and their fascinating history! Did you know that the Drummond family has been ranching for over a century?
For some hands-on fun, have a try at the steer roping experience! See how well you can rope a steer (a fake one of course). Definitely don't miss out on reading the "Ropin' penn rules". Like true cowboy language it points out; "Do not fall off, it will hurt. Ropin ain't for sissies". Haha. If you'd like to experience the prairie and see real bison, check out my previous post about the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve just outside of Pawhuska.
There's so much to see here and many things you'll probably not get to see anywhere else. You can tell this museum was put together with lots of heart and soul and friendly collaboration. The pieces you will see here like the antique guns, saddles, chaps, and so many other western heritage items are all part of the legendary cowboy culture that Osage County is so well known for.
The Treasures At The Gift Shop
A place worth visiting as well is the gift shop - it is full of treasures! One of the only places where you can buy real bison hide and bison fur clothing items. They have a great Western art collection and also sell beautiful original Navajo Folk art, Turquoise jewelry, traditional Osage Dance Regalia, Cowboy chaps, and so much more. It is worth checking out because these items are a rare find and a must for Western cowboy fans!
** Experience the Old West at Home **
Wake up like a cowboy and brew a cup of the original cowboy coffee at home! Arbuckle's Ariosa Coffee is known as “The coffee that won the West” and was the most popular coffee in the Old West. The coffee has a very interesting history. Back in the day, to motivate cowboys to complete the tedious job of grinding the coffee beans, they would hide a stick of peppermint candy in each batch of coffee beans and the toughest cowboys would volunteer for the job just because of the sweet treat! Haha. Still till this day you will find a peppermint stick in each package of Arbuckle's Ariosa Coffee. (I found the candy in my bag of coffee - see picture in the gift shop gallery below)
Buy the Arbuckle's Ariosa coffee here or at the museum's gift shop and get a taste of the West at home!
Until the next departure!
The Ben Johnson Cowboy Museum
A tribute to Osage County's rich Western history and rodeo world champions.
The Museum Gift Shop
A collection of treasures that you can only find here.
