Shopping Western heritage museums

Sunset, Dec, 1994 by Daniel Gregory

Where to find unique girls with a regional character

IS THERE A SINGING cowboy on your holiday girl list? Or a Hawaii history buff? Then a Western heritage museum store may be the place to lasso the perfect present. Here are the West's three largest museums of Western history and culture that have shops with mail-order catalogs.

Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum, Los Angeles. "Back in the Saddle Again" was a song made famous by singing cowboy Gene Autry, and you may need a horse to carry away all the saddlebag-stuffers available here. The museum and the store concentrate on the history and romance of cowboy life. Posters, T-shirts, and mugs decorated with a dazzling array of cowboy-boot designs are especially popular. A wallpaper border depicting galloping wranglers in brown, blue, red, green, and black is yours for $36.50 a roll. Western-oriented books and music (tapes and compact discs) are another specialty. Something for your feet? How about a limited edition, reproduction pair of the custom cowboy boots made for Gene Autry in the 1940s--they'll set you back about $5,000. A far less pricey gift that might still inspire a written "thank-you" is a set of 12 notecards ($10.95) depicting images of women's wearable art, from Native American beaded moccasins to cowgirl rodeo outfits.

To place an order or request a catalog ($1), call (213) 667-2000 (ext. 227). The museum is at 4700 Western Heritage Way, Griffith Park, Los Angeles 90027.

Bishop Museum, Honolulu. The shops at this great museum of Pacific Islands cultures are devoted to books and traditional craft items. You'll find volumes on Hawaii legends and archaeology, arts and crafts, native plants, petro-glyphs, the impact of tourism on popular culture, and volcanoes. Among the most striking artifacts are goose-feather hat-bands and leis. A handsome red and yellow feather tel is about $200, a pheasant-feather hatband about $350. Koa calabashes (bowls) range from $50 to $350, depending on size and style. An elegant array of etched glassware, platters, and bowls sporting Hawaii flower designs--including hibiscus and plumeria--cost from $20 to $93. A striking tropical print umbrella is $48. To order an item or request a free catalog, call (808) 848-4134 or write Box 19000A, Honolulu 96817. The museum is at 1525 Bernice Street, Honolulu.

Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, Wyoming. Native American culture, the history of Western firearms, 19th- and 20th-century painters of Western scenes, and Buffalo Bill Cody himself are some of the subjects explored in this remarkable institution. It's really a collection of separate but related museums. The store is a huge strongbox of items representing each of the center's collections. You'll find maps of North American Indian tribes ($5) and of the Oregon Trail ($5); a child's tepee ($68); a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle depicting Custer's last stand ($14.50); and a T-shirt sporting a portrait of Annie Oakley ($12). Among the more rarefied gifts, the Frederic Remington-inspired, limited edition bronzes sell for around $485 each. To order or request a free catalog, call (800) 533-3838 or write Box 2630, Cody, Wyo. 82414. The museum is at 720 Sheridan Avenue in Cody.