ENID — Enid museums were the highlight of the day Thursday for many Oklahoma Historical Society members.
One particular museum, Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, especially caught the eye of the Enid visitors Wednesday and Thursday.
“It’s really great — really, really outstanding,” said Lewis Stiles, who came all the way from Broken Bow in the southeast corner of the state.
Other Oklahoma Historical Society members, who were eating lunch at the society’s annual meeting at Cherokee Strip Conference Center, lauded the museum.
“It was fantastic,” said Judy Forehand, the office manager of Old Greer County Museum in Mangum.
Carolyn Shumaker, who was sitting next to Forehand, also gave her approval of the museum and appreciation of Enid’s history preservation.
“I’m impressed with the way the people are into the history of this area,” said Shumaker, who also is from Mangum in the southwest corner of the state.
Oklahoma Historical Society had a reception Wednesday night at Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center to open its annual meeting, the first OHS annual meeting in Enid since 1995. About 165 people were in attendance.
There were five informational sessions throughout the morning at the conference center as part of the meeting. The subjects ranged from a discussion on Plains Indian cultures to droughts and the land rush to Cherokee and Choctaw history and culture.
The meeting will conclude today with eight informational sessions on topics including the Civil War, farming and ranching on the Southern Plains and oil and gas entrepreneurs.
Bob Blackburn, executive director of Oklahoma Historical Society, said Enid turned out to be an excellent place to host the meeting.
“This convention center is first class,” Blackburn said. “It’s as good as anything in Tulsa or Oklahoma City.”
Blackburn, like many others, had positive words for the heritage center.
“(The museum) is now a model or standard for where we want to take our entire organization,” he said. “It will be nationally significant. It is that good.”
Blackburn said the heritage center is a museum not only for Enid, but for the entire Southern Plains region.
Kathy Dickson, director of museums and historical sites for Oklahoma Historical Society, also said she was happy with the heritage center and was impressed by what Enid has to offer.
“Everybody’s liked it so far,” Dickson said. “All the comments I’ve heard have been positive.”
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