Crossroads: Change in Rural America exhibit closes

The Smithsonian Institution Museum on Main Street traveling exhibition Crossroads: Change in Rural America will be on display at the Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum until May 7, 2022 in the historic Big Barn of the property.

Americans come together at the crossroads. They invest in places and build their futures where their paths cross. Small towns became centers of commerce, trade, local politics, and culture. For some, the crossroads affirmed a new life in a new place. For others, the crossroads meant hard work and hard times.

Oklahomans will have a unique opportunity to consider their crossroads stories through the exhibit’s themes of rural identity, community, land, perseverance, and managing change. Each site will engage visitors in complementary programming, celebrating their town’s history and accomplishments and addressing community concerns.

Crossroads: Change in Rural America is part of Museum on Main Street, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and state humanities councils nationwide. Support for Museum on Main Street has been provided by the US Congress. This exhibit will visit six communities in Oklahoma on its tour of the state, including two OHS sites—Fort Gibson Historic Site and Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum. See a full list of the Oklahoma Museums hosting the exhibit.

Funding for this program is provided in part by a grant from Oklahoma Humanities (OH). Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of OH.