Exploring History, Art and Culture at the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum

(StatePoint) Explore the vast, diverse history of the Panhandle-Plains region at the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum in Canyon, Texas.

Here is just a bit of what you can expect to experience during a trip to PPHM, which is the largest history museum in the state:

An Iconic Pioneer Town: Step back in time and walk through a recreated Texas pioneer town embodying the diversity and culture of the Texas Panhandle from 1890-1910. From the adobe casita to the Chinese laundry to the jail to the church, each of the 26 buildings in the Pioneer Town was thoroughly researched to embody the businesses and homes from that period in the Panhandle. Kids and adults alike immerse themselves into life as a pioneer, tapping out messages on the telegraph at the depot, playing poker at the saloon, weighing and pricing necessities at the mercantile, peeking in the two-seated outhouse, and even trying on the leg shackles in the jail.

A Stunning Art Collection: Since the first acquisitions in 1933, the art collection has grown to some 8,000 art objects. PPHM holds the finest Southwestern American art collection between Fort Worth and Santa Fe, reflecting collecting taste in the Panhandle-Plains region. Both the Santa Fe and Taos art colonies are well represented, and the museum has the most comprehensive historic Texas art collection in the state.

Natural History and Paleontology: Step back in time—way back in time—with a stroll through the paleontology exhibit, which contains fossils from the Cambrian period to the Quaternary period, with locally-discovered reptiles and amphibians from the Late Triassic Period (225-200 million years ago) and mammals from the Late Cenozoic era (10-1 million years ago). Here you will discover that the Texas Panhandle was once a swampy, tropical rainforest, ruled by creatures like the giant crocodile-like phytosaur, the salamander-like metoposaurus, a 6-foot-long amphibian, shovel-tusked mastodons, saber-toothed cats, giant land tortoises, glyptodons which resemble and are related to giant armadillos, and the unique slingshot deer, named for the slingshot-shaped bone formation on its nose.

Texas’s Oil History: Follow a timeline of significant events from the Panhandle’s petroleum history to place it in a broader historical perspective. Find real-life portrayals of past oil field workers along with contemporary career opportunities in the petroleum industry. Exploration techniques and technologies from the early 20th century to the early 21st century are presented, along with several interactive exhibits that allow you to experience for yourself the risks and rewards involved with exploring for oil. Other additions address modern petroleum industry innovations and the new mix of energies alongside them.

Rotating and Special Exhibits: Even if you’ve been to PPHM many times, there is always something new to see thanks to the range of temporary and seasonal exhibits always on offer.

With budget-friendly admission and free parking, PPHM offers affordable fun and discovery for people of all ages on topics as wide-ranging as dinosaurs to the Dust Bowl and Native American culture to Texas art. To plan your visit and learn more, visit panhandleplains.org or call (806) 651.2244.