Anadarko: Museums, Art and History

Anadarko’s cultural and historical attractions explore a range of themes throughout the city: sculpture gardens, museums with art and history collections, and murals. This gives you a clear way to plan your trip based on your interests: Would you like to view portraits and outdoor art, discover exhibits, or explore Kiowa history through large-scale paintings? Each place has its own focus and tells its story in a different way.

Sculpture Gardens and Art Collections

The National Hall of Fame for Famous American Indians offers a self-guided walk through gardens with outdoor statues. The Hall of Fame also includes more than 40 bronze busts of notable Indigenous people, including Sequoyah, Captain Black Beaver, Sitting Bull, Geronimo and Pocahontas. This brings together an outdoor walk and the chance to view individual portraits. Delaware Indigenous person and scout Black Beaver was the first person honored with a sculpture there in 1953.

The Southern Plains Indian Museum displays authentic art and crafts in three galleries. The art on display comes from Indigenous peoples in western Oklahoma, including the Kiowa, Comanche, Kiowa-Apache, Southern Cheyenne, Southern Arapaho, Wichita, Caddo, Delaware and Ft. Still Apache. Exhibits include historic clothing, shields, weapons, cradleboards and dolls. Four dioramas by Allan Houser complement the collection. Visitors interested in specific objects and artistic works will find a different perspective here than in museums focused on the history of a place or people.

Wichita and Caddo County History

The Wichita Tribal History Center features several exhibitions on the Wichita people’s history spanning centuries. This long historical timeframe gives the exhibitions a different focus from a collection that is explored primarily through individual objects. The Center’s research library includes books, monographs, journals and other resources on the history of the Wichita and the tribes associated with them.

The Anadarko Heritage Museum is housed in the old Rock Island Depot. It was founded in the 1930s by the women of the Anadarko Philomathic Club. Its topics range from railroad memorabilia and Indigenous artifacts to military memorabilia from World Wars I and II. There is also a historic photo archive, along with recreations of an old-fashioned general store and a pioneer-era doctor’s office. The museum also provides historical information about Indigenous, European and African descendants who settled in the Caddo County area. It thus combines collection objects with the history of a broader region.

Murals and Their Stories

The 16-panel mural “Kiowas Moving Camp” is located in the Anadarko Post Office. Stephen Mopope conceived it in 1936 and created it with James Auchiah and Spencer Asah. The mural can be viewed during the post office’s business hours; these hours may change. Check them before your visit. The Gallery of Art in Anadarko is also home to the 120-foot-long mural “Transcending the Plains.” Through depictions of Kiowa warriors, scissor-tailed flycatchers and ten Kiowa faces, it tells the story of the Kiowa.

Another work at Anadarko’s Gallery of Art is the “Native American Dancer Mural” by Kiowa artist Robert Redbird. It honors Kiowa heritage and culture. Together, the murals showcase different artistic approaches: “Kiowas Moving Camp” is divided into 16 panels, “Transcending the Plains” brings together several visual motifs in a 120-foot-long work, and Redbird’s mural connects a dance to Kiowa heritage. Each date in the history of local art and museums has a distinct significance: the Heritage Museum was established in the 1930s, Mopope conceived his mural in 1936, and Black Beaver was the first person honored with a sculpture in the Hall of Fame in 1953.

Discover more destinations: Cyril, Hinton.

Return to the main travel overview: Caddo County.