Clemens to lead state Chamber executives

Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City), Dec 19, 2001

The theater, along with galleries and other exhibits, is set to open next fall. The Duncan City Council has approved construction of the 10,000-square-foot addition to the museum, which will triple its size.

Workers plan to start construction on the project in January. By next fall, two phases of a three-part, $5.2 million expansion plan should be completed, Jefferies said.

Plans are to build a children's gallery with interactive learning displays and activities. A campfire theater will resemble a cowboy camp.

Two talking mannequins, one mimicking Jesse Chisholm and the other a cowboy, will swap memories of the 25 years or so in the late 1880s when the Chisholm Trail came to represent the Old West.

The 60-seat Chisholm theater will offer shows lasting about 15 minutes.

The expansion is funded mainly by a federal transportation grant, which is administered by the state Transportation Department. The rest of the cost, about 20 percent, will come from private donations to the On the Chisholm Trail Association, a nonprofit group.

The $1.2 million first phase is the construction of a new wing. The second phase will include $3 million in displays and galleries.