Farm and Ranch Museum, Oklahoma, United States

4ellenbee56 5:00 PM Jan 19, 2022

great displays here
My husband and I recently drove from our home in southeastern PA to OKC to learn about Oklahoma’s history, settlement, and flora & fauna. We spent a few hours visiting the Elk City Museum Complex and enjoyed it. We liked how we could visit five different museums for one low admission charge. They are scattered throughout a village-like setting, which you can tour at your own pace. In addition to the five main museums (this site being one of those), there are displays in other buildings between them, which you can see from outside. The entire complex is worth exploring and is right on Route 40/66. It has plentiful parking and restrooms. This large building held many interesting items—artifacts, tools, equipment, and furnishings related to the Plains farm and ranch lifestyles. We spent a good hour perusing the items here and enjoyed it very much. Highly recommended!

4The_Real_Birdcatcher 5:00 PM Aug 6, 2014

Outstanding Collection
Positives: Variety of artifacts in great condition, easy access from adjacent attractions Negatives: Lots of stuff packed into a tight space, closes promptly at 5:00 p.m. Agriculture is not our life's interest, but we have a great appreciation for the essential work performed by farmers and ranchers. Living as we do in the farm belt, we're accustomed to well-preserved agricultural equipment. But we've never been in a place with as many pieces in such good condition as here. Three Museums in One - This museum is one of three in the "Old Town Complex" on the west side of Elk City. One price buys admission to all facilities. Because of it's higher name recognition, the National Route 66 Museum is arguably the flagship attraction in town. However, all three museums contain great collections and are worth visiting. Apparently, the Farm and Ranch Museum was at one time a separate entity, located near the airport on the other side of town. Several online references still list the airport address, but the museum now sits on the northeast corner of Pioneer and west Second Streets. Windmills and More - The museum's collection of windmills is a real eye-catcher and a great photo-op. A few windmills feature plain metal blades while others are painted. The variety of designs is quite surprising. One resembles a Native American headdress. Evidently, each manufacturer thought they had a better way to harness the ever-present wind. A couple of modern red steel barns sit behind the windmills. The main building contains an extensive collection of vintage farm vehicles including tractors, trucks and wagons. There's also a wide assortment of authentic tools. A few more windmills, including a 14-foot turbine that dwarfs everything around it, are displayed inside. Most artifacts are worn from years of use, but all are remarkably clean. Some exhibits seem better suited to the nearby Old Town Museum as they don't fit the agri-theme. A section containing old telephone equipment in the back room comes to mind. By and large, however, displays are true to the museum's agricultural heritage. The Bottom Line - We spent an entire day, minus a couple of hours off-site for lunch, touring the three-museum complex and still didn't see everything on display. Because we spent so much time elsewhere our tour of this facility was relatively short. We arrived about 4:00 p.m. and were ushered out promptly at 5:00 p.m. Fortunately, outside exhibits remain accessible even after buildings close. That enabled us to photograph windmills in the favorable afternoon light. Full admission to all three facilities is just $5.00 for adults. Discounts apply to seniors and members of certain groups. The Farm and Ranch Museum alone is worth that much.