museum of the western prairie

I lived in Altus as a teenager. I visited this museum several times during those years. I always found it to be very interesting. I have been since 1994. I am glad to see it still exists.

My husband and I visited this museum in October 2013. Half of the indoor exhibits were closed and being renovated. The open area was brand new. Interesting displays of prairie life and history with 3 touch screen exhibits that told the history of the area and showed lots of great pictures. Really enjoyed the movie of a man who back in the early 1900's caught coyotes by hand (you don't see that everyday!) Outside they have a half-dugout that was built locally during the dustbowl days and moved to the site, a restored ranch headquarters, windmill that's pumping and vintage farm equipment. The staff were very knowledgable about the area and we enjoyed our visit, it will be nice when the new exhibits are completed. It's a small museum but well done.

Tucked on Falcon Road in the heart of Altus Oklahoma is a small museum that is worth a visit if you are ever in the area. The facility offers a view of life in the area and a great place to get a feel for the plains history.

This museum deserves 3 1/2-4 stars based on content, but I lowered it based on our families experience. We moved to Altus a month ago and our kids asked if they could visit this museum, since it is located near their favorite park. My husband and I took our three children ages 7, 5 and 3, all of whom have been to museums and know how to act. When you enter there is a nice little gift shop full of Native American items. The lady we paid asked us in a very serious voice, "Have your kids been in a museum before?". We answered in the affirmative. There are two main rooms inside. The first room has Native American and early pioneer/settler artifacts. Most are behind glass, but there is a wagon to look at and a stage coach. There are also some touch screens where you can see pictures or hear recorded histories. The second room contains items that have to do with Altus, especially the military base. There is a display about the cold war, military base and the missile program. None of it is hands on, but the kids enjoyed looking at it. When we went back into the 1st room my 7 year old daughter touched the touch screen to look at some pictures. The lady up front came right in and told us only adults are allowed to touch them because they cost 6K each.That was our sign to go since she had checked in on us a couple times before. Our kids were very well behaved the entire time, so it was disappointing that she felt the need to monitor us. They have two out buildings that we weren't able to see because it had sprinkled in the morning so they kept them closed. We will return to see those and possibly change my review when we're done. For a museum in a small town in Oklahoma it was interesting, I just wouldn't recommend taking smaller children regardless of how well behaved they are.