Now showing at the Marion County Museum and Archives are two expanded exhibits and one new exhibit added for viewing this past month.
The new exhibit highlights the reenactments at the John Ford Home. An “Encampment” at the Ford Home will be coming up Sept. 13 to Sept. 15.
The two expanded exhibits are in the “Sports Hall of Fame” and “Rodeo” areas. The museum will be rotating exhibits every few months to display more of its artifacts and to highlight more of Marion County’s history.
Of interest for cowboy and art enthusiasts is an expanded exhibit surrounding the Earl Bascom painting for the first-ever lighted rodeo, which was held in Columbia in 1936. In fact, Columbia has several “firsts” on this rodeo list. Earl Bascom was a rodeo champion and a “cowboy artist” who was influenced by Western artist cousins, Charles Russell and Frederick Remington.
The museum is looking for rodeo articles that could be “on loan” to enhance this exhibit.
They might include a hornless rodeo bronc saddle, one-hand bareback rigging and high-cut rodeo chaps. All were designed and introduced by Earl Bascom in the 1920s.
If you have items of historical interest which you would loan to the museum for a period of three months, please contact Carol Durham, curator, at (601) 731-3999. These items will be photographed, given a specific ID number and listed in the museum accessions as “on loan” and attributed to the owner.
The Marion County Historical Society and its board are instrumental in supporting the museum with these revolving exhibits. If you would be interested in joining the society, please contact Durham at the museum.
Pictured Above: A 1936 Columbia rodeo banner painted by Earl Bascom is part of an exhibit at the Marion County Museum. Inset is a bronze sculpture by Bascom called, “The Last Ride.”
