Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center

Voted 2012 Outstanding New Attraction in Oklahoma, the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center in Enid stands on one of the most famed spots in the American West, on the Chisholm Trail.  The Heritage Center celebrates the spirit of the Cherokee Strip pioneers through engaging exhibits and living history events.  Come experience one of the most significant heritage visitor destinations and educational resources in northwest Oklahoma.

The Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, a property of the Oklahoma Historical Society, tells the story of the largest land run in American history. The 1893 Land Run, settlement and the development of northwest Oklahoma is explored through the Heritage Center’s five permanent exhibit galleries. On the grounds of the Heritage Center complex is Humphrey Heritage Village, a living history village featuring four historically significant buildings including the only remaining 1893 U.S. Land Office.

Voted 2012 Outstanding New Attraction in Oklahoma, the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center in Enid stands on one of the most famed spots in the American West, on the Chisholm Trail.  The Heritage Center celebrates the spirit of the Cherokee Strip pioneers through engaging exhibits and living history events.  Come experience one of the most significant heritage visitor destinations and educational resources in northwest Oklahoma.

The Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, a property of the Oklahoma Historical Society, tells the story of the largest land run in American history. The 1893 Land Run, settlement and the development of northwest Oklahoma is explored through the Heritage Center’s five permanent exhibit galleries. On the grounds of the Heritage Center complex is Humphrey Heritage Village, a living history village featuring four historically significant buildings including the only remaining 1893 U.S. Land Office.

Connect to the excitement, hardships and determination of the people who made the land run in the museum's Land Run Theater, or visit the "End of the Day" exhibit to witness a three-dimensional, authentically reproduced camp scene complete with a covered wagon and other items settlers brought with them.   The Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center also features beautifully landscaped grounds including replicas of the Phillips University columns and bronze works of art by renowned Western artists, Harold Holden and Deborah Copenhaver Fellows.

The Heritage Center houses a varied collection of historical material including numerous eyewitness pioneer accounts, oral and video histories and more than 9,000 original and reproduced photographs, many of which depict the drama of the historic Cherokee Strip Land Run.  The Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center houses over 10,000 artifacts including the first portable drilling rig invented by George E. Failing in 1930.

In addition to the vast amount of information on exhibit in the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, there is also a research center on-site.  Resources for genealogical or historical research relate to the Enid area and the 1893 Land Run.  These resources include area newspapers dating from the land run to 1920 on microfilm, city directories, land records and maps.  Historical and biographical books are available, and the research center holds a large historical photo collection.  Computers with Internet access are offered in the research center, and the subscription-based website Ancestry.com is available for genealogy research.

Come and browse through exhibits containing household objects and agricultural implements that were necessary for homesteading in the Outlet.  The center also documents the beginnings of the United States Air Force and the creation of Vance AFB that trains 1/3 of the United States military pilots.  The center features material related to the discovery and development of the region's oil and gas industry and items documenting the development of the nation's first fully-integrated petroleum company.  Using its rich collection of artifacts, photographs and documents, the museum expertly traces the history of the Cherokee Outlet and the people who settled there, making the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center a must-see.