Press Release
May 19, 2016
Contact: Jennie Buchanan
Museum of the Western Prairie, Oklahoma Historical Society
Office: 580-482-1044
jbuchanan@okhistory.org
www.okhistory.org/westernprairie
Cold War Workshops at the Museum of the Western Prairie in Altus
ALTUS, Okla. — The Museum of the Western Prairie in Altus will host workshops featuring scholars involved in the annual Oklahoma Chautauqua event at 2 p.m. each afternoon from Tuesday, May 31, through Saturday, June 4. These workshops will explore topics relating to this year’s theme, “The Cold War: The Early Years.”
Afternoon workshop attendees also will have the added benefit of exploring the Atlas Missile exhibit at the museum. This exhibit uses narrative, photographs and graphics to detail the influence of the Altus Air Force Base as the location of the 577th Strategic Missile Squadron in 1961. It explores the construction and operation of the sites and explains the reasons for phasing them out in 1965.
The exhibit showcases an actual launch control console, which is positioned so that visitors can see the front of the console as well as its “innards” reflected in a mirror situated behind the opened back of the console. Central to the exhibit is a hand-carved replica of the squadron’s patch that symbolized its mission: to be on constant alert, day and night, around the world.
The workshops are free and open to the public. For more information please call 580-482-1044 or email muswestpr@okhistory.org. The Museum of the Western Prairie is located at 1100 Memorial Drive in Altus.The Museum of the Western Prairie is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society. The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains 30 museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit www.okhistory.org.
