Black American West Museum

Category: Museum

Nearly one-third of the cowboys in the Old West were black, and this museum chronicles their little-known history, along with that of black doctors, teachers, miners, farmers, newspaper reports, and state legislators. The museum's founder and curator emeritus, Paul Stewart, loved to play cowboys and Indians as a boy, but his playmates always chose him to be an Indian because “There was no such thing as a black cowboy.” He began researching the history of blacks in the West after meeting a black cowboy who had led cattle drives in the early 20th century.

Stewart explored almost every corner of the American West, gathering artifacts, memorabilia, photographs, oral histories, anything to document the existence of black cowboys, and his collection served as the nucleus for this museum when it opened in 1971. Families will enjoy hands on experiences exploring the customs, traditions, and crafts of the African American pioneers of the West. Tour lasts about an hour; Adults $6, children, $4.