A Hidden Gem

Day 8:  We had another night of heavy rain and thunderstorms that lingered through the morning, so we waited it out at the Holiday Inn Express where we had spent the night in Purcell, Oklahoma.  Thankfully we didn't have any set schedule for the day and we were only intending to go about 155 miles, so a late start didn't matter.   

It also didn't matter that we made an unscheduled stop this day.  We had been driving about an hour when we came to the little town of Anadarko, Oklahoma.  We were ready for a rest stop and saw a sign for their visitor center.  Only I was looking at the visitor center while DH, who was driving, thought I was looking at the Southern Plains Indian Museum which was just a little further down the block.  Since we missed the turn for the visitor center, we stopped at the museum.

The Southern Plains Indian Museum is part of the U.S. Department of Interior.  It is free admission.  There were exhibits of traditional Indian artwork and crafts on display, and a temporary exhibit with beaded work which was beautiful.  No photography was allowed inside.  There was also information about the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 which contains laws to protect Indian cultural art and handiwork to help prevent fraud and appropriation.  They describe the act as being "truth in advertising" related. 

Much of the work they do involves investigations into arts and crafts being either held/owned by people who don't have a right to it, or by people making things and claiming them to be made by a particular group when it's not.  

We spent about 45 minutes looking at the exhibits and talking with the woman who was working in the museum.  It was interesting to learn about the work they do and why it is important.

Here are some pictures from outside.

While Anadarko is probably not on your bucket list, if you do find yourself passing through, we would recommend a stop.  Or if you're where one of the other museums are, you might want to make a visit then.  The Sioux Indian Museum is in Rapid City, South Dakota, and the Museum of the Plains Indian is in Browning, Montana.

~ Cindy D.