Creative Connections

Infectious disease has always been a presence in Anglo-settled North America. Some of the earliest were dysentery and fevers in 17th-century colonial settlements. Then came about the smallpox and diphtheria of the early 18th century. And then there was the yellow fever and cholera of the late 18th and 19th centuries.[1] Emergency hospital during influenza epidemic, Camp Funston, Kansas. Emergency hospital during influenza epidemic (NCP 1603), National Museum of Health and Medicine. Public Domain. And by far one of the world's most serious natural catastrophes of the 20th century was the influenza pandemic of 1918-1919. In the American [...]

The Lucas gusher at Spindletop, January 10, 1901, Original photo by John Trost On January 10, 1901, Spindletop, the famous oil field in Beaumont, Texas, “gushered” in an era of transformation for the state of Texas. The development of oil in Texas helped transform its once rural economy to one spearheaded by the petroleum industry and, likewise, steered its population from rural to urban. In 1900, only 17% of Texans lived in urban centers while 83% of the state’s population was rural. Flash forward to a little over a hundred years later in 2010, when we see those numbers flipped [...]

**Researched and written by independent scholar Deborah Reed** How did the seventh child of an East Texas peach farmer and saloon owner become America’s richest man and host to the President of the United States?  Like any good story involving Sid Richardson, one should settle down for a spell of swapping spit over the fence. The first time Sid Richardson hosted a president was in the summer of 1937.  President Franklin D. Roosevelt left Washington for a fishing trip on the Texas coast Friday, April 30.  However, Richardson’s part of the story starts much earlier with meeting the President’s second [...]

Memories of Carroll Smith, Chief Draftsman for the Richardson/Bass Companies – 2006, Oral History conducted by former museum staff, Debi Carl. Debi Carl:  Tell me about the island.  I’ve never had the opportunity to go there.  I think I know the story about how Sid acquired it.   What I’ve heard Clint Murchison owned the one adjacent to it and Sid spent so much time down there that Clint said, “The one next door’s for sale, why don’t you just buy it?”  (Laughter) And he did. Carroll Smith:  He got it for a song.  He didn’t have to pay very much [...]

Our upcoming exhibit, Another Frontier: Frederic Remington’s East, explores a different side - an Eastern side - of this iconic Western artist. Although Remington traveled throughout the American West on assignment for many of the popular magazines for which he worked, most of his compositions were completed in his New York-based studio. One of his favorite places to paint was in his beloved North Country in the northern-most tip of New York state, where Remington spent most of his summers. The North Country could be defined as the forested region stretching from the Adirondack Mountains across the St. Lawrence River [...]

Charles M. Russell, When Blackfeet and Sioux Meet, 1908, Oil on canvas, 20 1/2 x 29 7/8 inches In our ongoing efforts to learn more about the various American Indian cultures represented in our collection - like the Blackfeet depicted in many of Charlie Russell’s paintings - The Sid recently hosted a training for our docent volunteers led by Dr. Michael Wise, an Assistant Professor of History at the University of North Texas, where he specializes in the history of the American West. Dr. Wise has studied many aspects of the food histories and cultural environments of the [...]

If you took an art class in school or just for fun, you’ve probably had the opportunity to make some kind of sculpture, whether with clay, plaster, play-doh, or other materials. But how many of us have experienced casting a sculpture out of bronze? Bronze is the most popular metal for casting sculptures, and was a material with which both Charlie Russell and Frederic Remington cast their many bronze pieces, including those currently on display in our galleries. How does one cast a bronze sculpture? Photo credit: OKFoundryCompany When casting metal, there are a lot of challenges you [...]

In 1907, Charlie Russell paid tribute to Montana resident, Millie Ringgold, in his painting “Utica.” A musical person, Millie often played songs while drumming her empty five-gallon coal oil can, which can be scene prominently in Russell’s painting. In honor of Black History Month, join us as we follow the story of a freed slave, her favorite song, and the first great cautionary tale of the oil age. The following article was researched and written by SRM docent, S. Mark Clardy. Millie Ringgold Millie Ringgold was born a slave in Maryland in about 1845.  After the Emancipation Proclamation, [...]

Three of the often cited reasons for the closing of the frontier of the American West typically include the telegraph, the transcontinental railroad, and barbed wire. Display of different types of barbed wire. Cattle Raisers Museum. Fort Worth, TX. So you may be surprised to learn that large scale manufacturing of barbed wire began first in the Mid-West in central Illinois (1874-75) before expanding to the American West. The invention of barbs also made its way into other preventative products, such as calf weaners, cattle yokes & pokes, and even into poison bottle designs. Joel Horn Breachy Cattle [...]

From September 15 – October 15, as a nation we observe and celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month. This time is an opportunity to recognize and honor the histories, cultures, and contributions of fellow Americans whose families and ancestors immigrated from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central & South America. By Doerr & Jacobson -- Photographer - Original source: Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views. / United States. / States / Texas. / Stereoscopic views of San Antonio, Texas. (Approx. 72,000 stereoscopic views : 10 x 18 cm. or smaller.) digital record. This image is available from the New [...]