Welcome to the Autry!
Use the map below to help you find your way.
Heritage Court
Who were the first people living in the American West?
How many different kinds of animals can you find?
Opportunity Gallery
People moved West for many different reasons, but they all had one thing in common. They
were all looking for new opportunities. Some wanted to strike it rich in the gold fields, some
started new farms, and others sought freedom from slavery or religious persecution.
Whether you traveled west in a covered wagon or by sea on a ship, the journey was long and
hard.
People who came to the west over land usually traveled in a covered wagon. Movies show
families riding inside their covered wagons, but the inside of the wagon was actually filled to the
brim with tools and supplies. People most often walked the 2,000 miles. Find the shoes in
the gallery that were actually worn by a traveler! Can you believe it took 4,400,000 steps to
walk from Missouri to California! What’s the furthest you’ve ever walked?
Examine the display cases to see some of the things pioneers took with them on their
journey west. Imagine you were getting ready to travel west in a wagon. What would you
take with you on your journey and what would you leave behind?
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Conquest Gallery
Conquest and settlement of the West in the 19th century inevitably meant destruction of native
peoples and their ways of life. By killing off millions of bison and by confining tribes to
reservations, Americans dominated the West. While Native Americans and many of their
traditions survived, they and their homeland were changed forever.
The American bison, also known as the buffalo, is the largest land animal in North America.
Buffalo played an important role in the daily life of the Plains Indians who followed the herds of
bison across the Great Plains. With the arrival of European settlers the bison almost became
extinct in the 1880's due to over hunting. Did you know that an average bison weighs up to
2,000 pounds and can to run up to 35 miles an hour?
Plains Indians relied on the bison for food, clothing, shelter and other necessities of life. Look in
the display case below the bison. What objects can you find that were created using
parts of the bison?
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The completion of transportation and communication lines went hand-in-hand with the rapid
spread of western settlers. Stagecoach lines and railroads, as well as telegraph and telephone
services, helped to speed settlement throughout the West.
Journeys by stagecoach were long, dusty, and hard. Coaches were suspended on leather
straps that served as springs, swayed like a ship, sometimes causing seasickness for
passengers crammed inside. It was not unusual for as many as twelve to fifteen people to be
aboard at one time, some riding up front with the driver and on top with the luggage. These
crowded conditions required the establishment of company rules; a list of acceptable and
unacceptable passenger behavior while aboard. Here are a few of the rules for riding in a
stagecoach:
1. Buffalo robes are provided for your comfort during cold weather. Hogging robes will not
be tolerated and the offender will be made to ride with the driver.
2. Don't snore loudly while sleeping or use your fellow passenger's shoulder for a pillow; he
or she may not understand and friction may result.
3. Firearms may be kept on your person for use in emergencies. Do not fire them for
pleasure or shoot at wild animals as the sound riles the horses.
4. In the event of runaway horses, remain calm. Leaping from the coach in panic will leave
you injured, at the mercy of the elements, hostile Indians and hungry wolves.
5. Forbidden topics of discussion are stagecoach robberies and Indian uprisings.
6. Gents guilty of unchivalrous behavior toward lady passengers will be put off the stage.
It's a long walk back. A word to the wise is sufficient.
Why do you think following these rules was important to people traveling in a crowded
stagecoach?
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Community Gallery
The Spirit of Community gallery highlights eight different communities living in the West in 1890.
Each case focuses on themes that each community shared, such as work, family life, school,
religion and recreation, while revealing what also made each community unique.
As you walk around the gallery, take your time and try to discover how these eight
communities are similar to and different from each other. You can find clues that show
how people of different backgrounds shared traditions and ideas by asking the following
questions for all eight communities.
 What did people in this community build their homes with?
 What did people in this community do for leisure?
 What did people in this community do for work?
 Do you see any similarities between this and other communities in this gallery?
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Cowboy Gallery
The first cowboys in the West were Native American, Mexican, and Spanish.
More than 500 years ago, Spain owned Mexico and much of what is now Texas, New Mexico,
Arizona, and California. They brought horses and cattle and created ranches. People working
on those ranches were known as vaqueros. When American settlers finally came out west,
Indians and vaqueros taught them how to be cowboys!
Look for objects in the gallery that show Spain and Mexico’s rich vaquero tradition. One
of the things a vaquero did was brand cattle. A brand let everyone know who owned that cow.
Find the brands in the gallery. What symbol would you create for your brand?
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Cowboys still exist today. Today cowboys work on modern ranches. Cowboys and horses
often move to pastures with trucks and trailers. They may even use helicopters to herd cows in
rugged areas! One thing that hasn’t changed much, though, is their traditional cowboy “uniform.”
 What did the cowboys wear to protect their head from the sun?
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 What did they put on top of their pants to protect their legs from cactus thorns &
bushes?
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 What did they strap to their boots to communicate to their horses?
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Romance Gallery
In the 1800s, before photography was popular (or even possible), paintings were an important
way of showing the world what the American West looked like. Many artists traveled west and
painted the people, animals, and landscapes they saw. Others created images of the West
without even traveling to it, painting pictures of the West based on what they thought it should
look like. Some artists who actually did visit the West created images that weren’t entirely true.
They might make a mountain higher or a river a deeper color of blue, because that is what they
thought people would like to see.
Mountain of the Holy Cross by Thomas Moran, 1875
This is a painting of a real mountain in Colorado. When Thomas Moran joined an expedition to
Colorado to paint the mountain, he added many details to the landscape that were not actually
there.
Look at the photograph on the label. What did Thomas Moran add or change? Which
image do you like better? Why?
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American Progress by John Gast, 1872
This painting was commissioned to promote tourism and settlement of the
West and was used in many tourist guides. Many elements of “progress”
are shown in the painting. What symbol is used to show the beauty and
protection that will be given to the travelers?_______________________________________________________