Shortgrass Country Museum seeks to reopen in Sayre
It’s sad to drive by and see the Shortgrass Country Museum closed. Sayre has such an important and interesting history that is sought by not only residents, but thousands of tourists that travel Route 66 each year. With hopes to remedy the lost opportunity for sharing this history and to promote Sayre, the museum’s board has made it their goal to have the museum re-opened this summer.
“We’ve got to get the museum open, but we don’t have the money to do it just yet,” said John Hill, who currently serves as the president of the 12-member board. “We’re working on getting the funding lined up…. we are planning fundraisers.”
The Shortgrass Country Museum became a reality for Sayre with its official grand opening on April 11, 1992, coinciding with the centennial of the opening of western Oklahoma for settlement and homesteading in 1892. Displaying historical artifacts, photographs, and replicas of early day life in the shortgrass prairie, the museum generated a renewed interest in Sayre at that time.
The history of Sayre is closely linked with the railroad, even its namesake comes from a prominent railroad man, Robert H. Sayre. You could say that the existence of Sayre came to be because of the railroad, and you would not be wrong. In 1901 the Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf Railway began extending a line through western Oklahoma Territory while at the same time, the Choctaw Townsite and Improvement Company began surveying the area for possible townsites. The town of Sayre came into being on September 14, 1901, just a few steps ahead of the railroad which opened for business in the area on September 26, 1901.
At about the same time that the railroad completed its line through Sayre, the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway Company leased the line from the Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf Railway. The Rock Island subsequently completed the line through to Amarillo, and eventually to Tucumcari.
Built as the town was just beginning to develop, the original depot was located about a mile west of downtown Sayre. Located outside of city limits, the location proved to be an inconvenience to the citizens of Sayre. Plans were announced in 1914 for the construction of a new depot in Sayre but were delayed for many years. It wasn’t until January of 1928 that the first train pulled into the new Sayre Rock Island Depot, located just north of the tracks and east of the Sayre City Hall. At the time the new depot was being built, another major transportation means was also under construction in Sayre, U.S. Highway 66. In addition to being a competitor to the railroad in the transportation of people and goods, the development of U.S. Highway 66 foreshadowed the eventual demise of passenger travel along the railroad. Rail-related traffic would fall significantly by 1932 as both passenger and freight traffic were diverted to automobiles and transcontinental highways.
The depot that houses the museum was deeded to the City of Sayre in 1972 years after ending its passenger service. In the late 1980s, a local historical society was established and took over the depot with grand plans of opening the Shortgrass Country Museum. The museum opened with H. Cliff Ivester as curator in 1992, and only two elaborate exhibits. According to records from the museum, much time and effort went into preparing an exhibit of early day Sayre establishments and a photo exhibit “From Land Run to Statehood,” presenting visitors with a visual image of life in Oklahoma territory between the Land Run of 1889, which first opened the Indian Territory to white settlement, and Statehood in 1907.
Few visitor records are available today, but the museum operated with regular hours and greeted many visitors from near and far for over two decades. A former museum volunteer even recalls a visitor from Nova Scotia!
Following Ivester’s reign, only a few others have taken on the role of museum director, including Joan Ellison, Sharon Ivester, and most recently, Bob Carey. Sadly, a decline in funding led to the eventual closing of the museum. The museum underwent an exterior renovation in 2015 thanks to a “Keep Oklahoma Beautiful” grant. Through generous donors and renewed local interest, the museum’s firehouse annex building west of the depot was given new life just a few years ago and currently houses a beautifully restored 1923 American LeFrance fire truck, and a 1936 John Deere tractor along with wagons for hauling broom corn and other early day transportation pieces. The interior walls of the depot have new plaster and paint designed to match the original color scheme of train depots, but a lot of heavy lifting is needed in the depot and firehouse annex as well as extensive work on building new exhibits.
While the museum does remain closed, board members are optimistic that through volunteers and with a little funding, the re-opening could soon be a reality, and a much-needed boost for Sayre. The City of Sayre has allocated $6,000 to the museum with hopes of a re-opening ahead of the summer season. The museum board remains active with 12 members including President John Hill, and his wife Brenda, Mike Blevins, Marvin Stewart, Denice and Philip Keahey, Allen and Tracy Fisher, Tom and Penny Patten, Troy Shook and Dedra Gravitt.
Board members have learned through the Oklahoma Historical Society that a museum in a neighboring town along Route 66 attracted 31,000 visitors in 2019. A statistic that easily addressed the need for the re-opening of the museum and the tourism it could bring to the community. “If we could get some signage and get our museum open…we have the courthouse that was in the Grapes of Wrath, if we could get just 5% percent of that!” said Blevins.
As the centennial of Route 66 approaches, the historical significance of the Shortgrass Country Museum, along with its proximity to the Mother Road, is now more important than ever for Sayre. According to the Oklahoma Route 66 Centennial Commission Act, recently signed into law by Gov. Kevin Stitt, the centennial is “an opportunity to celebrate the important history of Route 66 in Oklahoma through commemorative, educational and community events, including programs and exhibits about the history of how local communities grew and changed with the construction of the highway...” Time is of the essence, if you are interested in the revitalization of the museum and would like to contribute to its re-opening, either through volunteering your time or a financial donation, contact Blevins at 580-928-2100 or any of the above listed museum board members.
Board members note that once open, admission will be by donation and hours of operation would be established when a plan for the re-opening is in place. “It would be nice if it was open regularly, particularly during the summertime,” Blevins said.
Interestingly, the depot was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 9, 2000.