The mural End of the Trail on the brick wall of the Owasso Historical Museum illustrates more than James Earle Fraser’s iconic image of a weary Native American man on horseback. It also paints a picture of community support. In 1996, more than 250 would-be artists came together, made a donation, and added a brushstroke or two to the artwork. Kaye Gibson, a charter member of the Owasso Historical Society, recalls someone pushing their ninety-year-old mother up to the wall in a wheelchair so she could leave her mark on history.

It’s been that way from the society’s founding in 1979. This tangible show of pride in the community brought Owasso’s story to life as the area’s oldest families began donating heirlooms saved in attics, businesses, and barns: ration coupons from World War II, a 1920s wooden incubator, a mid-length corduroy cheerleading skirt from the ’50s. Originally displayed in the local public library, the ever-increasing bounty of artifacts outgrew the space, so the OHS found a home of its own in the Komma Building, the city’s oldest commercial structure. The 2,800-square-foot museum opened its doors in 1991 and houses a collection of items and documents spanning more than 150 years. The museum traces Owasso’s past from Indian Territory settlement to railroad depot to a landscape dotted with more than three hundred dairy farms. It also chronicles the town’s post-World War II emergence as a vibrant bedroom community fueled by the arrival of nearby aeronautical industries.

Sherryl Johnson, a retired third-grade teacher, routinely brought classes to the museum and remembers a field trip with more than eighty excited children in tow. They were told that in order to hear the piano, they must be quiet. Not a wiggle, not a single reprimand does Johnson recall—just rapt fascination while the music roll rotated, and the keys magically went up and down playing “Happy Birthday” and “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow.” After their field trips, Johnson always encouraged students to come back with their parents and grandparents if they could.

“The museum brings generations together,” Johnson says. “Children, parents, and grandparents can engage in some serious conversation. It really does make history come alive.”

As museum director, Marilyn Hinkle recognizes the importance of telling Owasso’s story and explains the local provenance of donated items that continue to arrive. One of her favorites is the original butcher block donated by the daughter of John and Rose Komma. Hinkle points out that it sits in the spot where it would have been used during the building’s life as a grocery store from 1928 through 1957.

Hinkle and a corps of OHS docents happily field questions from museum-goers young and old, challenging them with a scavenger hunt as they explore the various themed rooms. It’s all quite personal; Hinkle can point out her great-grandmother in one of the black-and-white photographs on the wall.

“I grew up in a tiny town, and I have always felt it was important to take the time to look around and to hear stories about how people helped each other, how they lived, and how they succeeded,” Hinkle says.

Despite its local roots, the museum’s appeal extends well beyond the city boundaries. In a 2020 Tulsa World article, the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department recognized it as a top destination. In 2019 alone, visitors from across Oklahoma, twenty-two states, and overseas signed the registry. That all goes to show the museum tells a broader, relatable story and offers numerous delights for those who revel in seeing the sweep of history through the details of everyday life.