Museums - Gene Autry Museum of the American West

Performing legend Gene Autry first conceived of this museum as a means of interpreting the American West for the general public. When the museum opened in 1988 as the Autry Museum of Western Heritage, its exhibits were intended to tell the story of the region from prehistory to the present, and each artifact on display was selected to fill a particular role. It also contained memorabilia relating to the life and career of the “Singing Cowboy.” Since then, the museum has grown and its focus has evolved. Today the collection numbers more than 78,000 art objects and artifacts from Native American cultures and the western expansion of the United States.
In 2002 the museum merged with the Women of the West Museum in Boulder, Colorado. The following year it also merged with the Southwest Museum of the American Indian in Los Angeles. The Autry changed its name to the Museum of the American West with the governing organization of all three museums being the Autry National Center. Today, the three museums and the center’s Institute for the Study of the American West provide different lenses, curatorial specializations, and distinctive lines of intellectual inquiry to delve into the multifaceted study of the American West.