(PCM+) From Zero to Sixty(Six) Rebranding Zooms Former Western Trails Museum from Last to First

by Carey Head, Staff Writer / Staff Writer

The following article appeared in the print issue of Ponca City Monthly magazine, which includes hyperlocal stories about Ponca City. Get full access to all online articles, videos, and content by becoming a paid subscriber. We offer free and paid subscription plans. Find rack locations to pick up your free print copy here, or subscribe here to get online access plus exclusive content.

Clinton’s Western Trails Museum didn’t attract much traffic to its displays. Opened in 1968, the museum sought to tell the story of the Chisholm Trail. The name, like its mission, competed with other Oklahoma museums seeking to tell their stories of prairie history. Or, as Pat Smith says, “too many with the same ol’ country history.”

As a tourism traffic generator, Western Plains Museum ranked at the bottom. Something needed to be done to help both the Museum and its host city. Turns out, the Museum’s location on the famous Route 66 was a potential game changer.