National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum

The Cowboy Hall of Fame and Museum was established in 1955 from an idea proposed by Chester A. Reynolds to honor the cowboy and his era. Later that same year, the name was changed to the National Cowboy Hall of fame. In 1960 the name was changed again to the "National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center." The American Association of Museums gave the museum full accreditation in 2000, the same year the museum acquired its current name.