The Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center is a museum in Enid, Oklahoma, that focuses on the history of the Cherokee Outlet and the Land Run of September, 16, 1893. Previously named the Museum of the Cherokee Strip, the museum has undergone renovations expanding the museum space to 24,000 square feet. The Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center is home to permanent and temporary exhibit galleries, a research center, and the Humphrey Heritage Village.
History
The Museum of the Cherokee Strip was officially opened on September 13, 1975. The Garfield County Historical Society, Sons and Daughters of the Cherokee Strip Pioneers, and Cherokee Strip Historical Society preserved and collected historical artifacts from Cherokee Outlet which are displayed at the museum. In 2005, through a partnership between the Oklahoma Historical Society, the Sons and Daughters of the Cherokee Strip, and the Phillips Legacy Foundation, the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, Inc. was formed to build a new facility. The Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage was opened to the public on April 1, 2011. The Heritage Center is operated by the Oklahoma Historical Society.
Galleries and Exhibits
Permanent exhibits tell the story of early settlement of the region after the Land Run of 1893, the development of agriculture, the discovery of oil, and the early rail industry in the region. Additional exhibits focus on Phillips University and Enid, Oklahoma history. The Heritage Center has a temporary exhibit gallery that houses traveling exhibitions. At a gala on September 16, 2010, the museums featuring David Fitzgerald's "Cherokee Nation: Portrait of a People" photography exhibit. It was the museum's first exhibit in its temporary exhibit hall, which predated the opening of the rest of the permanent exhibits.
Research Center
The Heritage Center houses a research center with an archival collection that includes photographs, oral histories, newspapers, genealogical information, and a reference library. A full-time archivist is on staff to help visitors with research requests.
Humphrey Heritage Village
The Humphrey Heritage Village is a living history village on the grounds of the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center. The village includes historic buildings from northwestern Oklahoma, such as Enid's U.S. Land Office from the Land Run of 1893. Other buildings include the Glidewell house, Enid's first Episcopal church, and the Turkey Creek School House.
