Butler Longhorn Museum slates open house Saturday
If you are dying to see what's going on with the Butler Longhorn Museum, now's your chance.
The museum will host a public preview on Saturday, April 18 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., allowing League City residents to finally see the
fruits of Curator Jennifer Wycoffs labor.
Purchased by the City of League City in 2002 with a $400,000 grant from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the former home of
local banker Walter Hall has been transformed into a museum dedicated to telling the story of local resident Milby Butler and his role in
saving Texas longhorns from extinction.
Located on 10 acres on the northern edge of the city's historic district in Heritage Park, the museum is an 8,000-square foot, three-
story, ADA-compliant structure that houses unique artifacts, art and science exhibits,
a meeting room, gift shop and office space for the director.
SAVED FROM EXTINCTION
Think of Texas, and you think of longhorns. From the western art of Charles M. Russell to the University of Texas mascot, the longhorn
is synonymous with Texas and its ranching history.
Yet few Texans or visitors to this state realize that by the beginning of the 20th century, longhorns were on the verge of extinction.
In fact, by the mid-1920s, buffalo outnumbered longhorns; an especially remarkable fact given that just 40 years earlier, the North
American longhorn population was estimated at 40,000 head.
Today, the longhorn is alive and well due to the efforts of six pioneer breeders and a few far-sighted federal employees who refused to
allow these animals to become extinct
The Butler Longhorn Museum tells the story of this amazing comeback, and in doing so, tells a compelling chapter in the story of the
American West.
FUN FOR ALL
Saturday's event will include entertainment from the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, dancers, singers cowboy gear den:ra:rodeo
clowns. children's games from the 1800s, storytellers and small animals such as ferrets, rabbits and pygmy goats.
The NASA/CCISD Longhorn Project will bring Longhorns with a holding chute so that the public can touch and brush the animals,
along with educational blasts of history of the longhorn cattle and the importance of safe and efficient livestock production.
Handouts and coloring activities will be available for the little ones.
