How the
Story and photos by Hayley Leatherwood
T
raci Boyd had a feeling the fragile pages she held in her hands were special. The book’s leather-like covering seemed so delicate it would soon disintegrate. She knew it was aged, but could not resist the temptation to gently turn the fi rst page. Inside, the yellowed linen paper displayed an elegant, handwritten script of days past. Boyd always had a love for old books. Her
aunt, Effi e Bernice Minter, encouraged this cu- riosity as a child with various books and stories. After her aunt passed in 2001, she cleaned her home and reviewed the beloved titles on the shelf in her back room one last time, but this particular untitled volume was different than the others.
Little did Boyd know, she had discovered the handwritten journal of Jack Bailey and his 1868 cattle drive from Texas to Kansas and back to Texas again, what experts now refer to as one of the earliest post-Civil War narratives by a participant in a cattle drive. “I called a friend and we sat propped up on a headboard, holding the diary like a newborn baby,” Boyd, the Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives safety and loss control assistant says. “We stayed up half the night un- til we read the entire thing.” The Donald C. & Elizabeth M. Dickinson
Research Center (DRC), part of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum (NCWHM) in Oklahoma City, Okla., pur- chased and transcribed the journal. It is now an exemplary piece in the center’s collections.
West
is won
Oklahoma’s own renowned National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum gives an extraordinary glimpse into the life of rare fi nds
From acquisition to preservation to display, the lifespan of an artifact continues through new generations with the internationally re- nowned collection of western artifacts and art.
Discovering History
The path from trail to treasure begins with acquisition through the museum’s curatorial department. “The events and actions of the past come alive for me when I hold an artifact,” Eric Singleton, curator of ethnology, says. “This not only speaks to our current lives, but also helps us understand the thousands of families who have inhabited our beautiful West for thou- sands of years.”
Singleton is an avid researcher of Native American history, and he specifi cally acquires and “curates” objects to create new exhibits for museum visitors. His goal is to reach out to communities and put together inventive ideas with accuracy.
“In working with history, I fi nd truth is even better than fi ction,” Singleton says. Curators typically become aware of artifacts
through contacts. The vast majority are indi- viduals and families who want to donate. A simple phone call or email is all it takes to get in touch with the appropriate curator for the specifi c artifact in question. The museum’s artifacts are typically divided into three sections. Documents, books and photographs fall into the “archives” category, 3-D objects are anthropological or historical, and 2-D items, or paintings, make up the art collection. When deciding if an artifact will be accepted into the museum’s collection, Singleton exam-
Left, Top: Librarian Karen Spilman holds one of thousands of rare records in the museum’s possession. Middle: An excerpt from Jack Bailey’s 1868 diary of a cattle drive depicts one of many sacrifi ces he made. His last ilne reads, “This is my birthday, wish I had a cake.” Photo courtesy of the Dickinson Research Center. Bottom: A children’s chair made from a buffalo hip is one of many unique fi nds archived in the museum’s vault.
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