(FREE) Troubles A’Brewin’
(FREE) Troubles A’Brewin’
Possible Name Change Inspires Storm of Controversy, By Carey Head Staff Writer
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“Preserving the legacy of women from all races, creeds and nationalities who have made significant contributions to the history of Oklahoma.” — Pioneer Woman Museum
Few topics, in recent memory, have sparked such debate as the possible renaming of the Pioneer Woman Museum. In reviewing comments, most, if not all, are based upon sentiment rather than fact.
The Pioneer Woman Museum has been under the governing arm of the Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) since its legislative-decreed transfer from Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation in 1991. Nearly all operational decisions, including displays, are in OHS control. Locally, Friends of the Pioneer Woman is an important advisory board providing guidance, volunteers and resources enabling the PWM to stay in touch with its community and hold important fundraisers.
Discussion of the possible rebranding of the Pioneer Woman Museum among OHS staff and stakeholders began two years ago. January’s local reporting of this conversation ignited a friendship-testing firestorm that begs for a deep breath and a press of the “pause” button.
It also inspired a statement from the OHS following the reporting of the conversation. According to the Oklahoma Historical Society,
As a part of a broader strategic initiative, the Oklahoma Historical Society has had internal conversations regarding the mission and branding of the Pioneer Woman Museum in Ponca City for the past year or so. While no final decisions have been made, any future changes will recognize the unique role the museum plays in the community and will seek to engage visitors in an enhanced manner. If any changes are made, the OHS will keep the public informed.
The tight lips of the Oklahoma Historical Society and absence of any further clarification adds fuel to this rumor’s fire.
Trait Thompson, OHS Executive Director
“The (Pioneer Woman) Statue is not being renamed. The Statue is not being moved.”
These statements were made by Trait Thompson, OHS Executive Director, during an interview following the January 17, 2024, OHS Executive Committee meeting.
But for one exception, Thompson’s response to further questions was, “I stand behind my statement,” referencing the official OHS statement above.
The exception he made to his mantra? “Ree Drummond has absolutely nothing to do with the possible re-branding of the Pioneer Woman Museum,” Thompson said.
Editor’s Note: Trait Thompson’s Office submitted a Letter to the Editor of Ponca City Monthly magazine on February 12. A copy of that statement can be read here: Letter to the Editor Statement from Trait Thompson
Ree Drummond Shares Her Side
Ree, herself, underscored this statement by providing one of her own through an email interview. She wrote, “Thank you for asking me about the Pioneer Woman Museum name change. The first I heard of this was the recent public dialog on Facebook.
“To confirm, I am not part of the effort to change the name of the Pioneer Woman Museum—and no one who works with me (or on my behalf) would ever have requested this. I have zero trademark concerns with the museum—on the contrary, I know how beloved a place it is for Ponca City and for so many who have visited through the years. I have met so many visitors at The Mercantile who have stopped at the museum and loved their experience there.”
Where Do Our Elected Officials Stand?
Senator Bill Coleman and Representative Ken Luttrell provided insight into the proposal during a recent lunch interview. When asked if he thought the rebranding rumor was true, Sen. Coleman replied, “Well, I would say it’s valid. But we are at Step 1 of Step 2,000. Nothing has been brought before the Oklahoma Historical Board.”
He continued, “It was only a passing conversation, ‘What if we could rebrand this museum to be a museum for all Oklahoma women who were pioneers, not just in settling the State?’ I think that is what they are looking into and until they get that concept figured out there really isn’t anything that will change at that Museum including the displays.”
However, Coleman believes the subject of the displays is a concern. “That’s one of the things that spurred this conversation is the fact that they have not changed out displays in quite some time. I think they are just looking at freshening it up.
“Now, whether that includes a name change? Only time will tell. But they’ve certainly been notified that Ponca City does not want a name change on the Pioneer Woman Museum,” he added.
Representative Ken Luttrell said, “We had the opportunity to sit down with Trait Thompson and we had a robust discussion with the Mayor, City Manager, Carl Renfro and other people that were present, at Standing Bear Museum, and I can give you a little background – I don’t know how this conversation was leaked – from a conversation just going on around the Historical Society – but what brought it about was they looked at the old (Western Plains) Museum out at Clinton which was the least visited museum in the state of Oklahoma. Nobody cared, nobody driving up and down the highway cared about stopping at (there).
“That’s the one they rebranded the Route 66 Museum. Now it’s the most visited Museum in the State of Oklahoma. And the people didn’t want the name to change. The old-timers said ‘but this has always been the name … Why would we want to change it?’ Well, sometimes change is good,” he said.
“We learned, as I already knew, that Ree Drummond has absolutely nothing to do with this, absolutely nothing,” Coleman emphasized.
“So that’s been false. The statue has nothing to do with it. The statue will remain where it is and will retain its name of ‘Confident,’” explained Coleman. “So, the only thing that could possibly change, and remember, we’re talking ‘possibly’ here,” is the museum’s name.”
He added, “The Cowboy Hall of Fame rebranded and became the Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Museum, which opened up a whole lot more for them to draw visitors to the museum. So, we’ll see where it goes but right now there is no name change that’s gonna happen. It’s far, far away.”
Bottom line? Sen. Coleman said, “The Oklahoma Historical Society’s vision hasn’t been discussed or determined other than ‘could we make it more all-encompassing to draw people to Ponca City to visit the Museum’?”
Ponca City Monthly invites you to share your opinion by participating in an informal online poll. You can view the poll below.
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