Hells Angels, Great Bucking Horse - Oklahoma City, OK
Posted by: 
hamquilter
N 35° 32.075 W 097° 28.956
14S E 637563 N 3933387
When visiting the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, be sure to go out to their gardens on the south side to enjoy the scenery and learn so much more.
Waymark Code: WMATVG
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 02/24/2011
Views: 6
This museum located at 1700 N. E. 63rd Street is a wonderful place to visit. You will learn so much about western heritage through the interactive videos and displays, and be awed by the sculptures and paintings.
On the south side of the museum is a lovely garden area, complete with walks, ponds, waterfalls, benches, grassy areas and sculptures. This memorial is to Hells Angels, a Great Bucking Horse. The memorial is a two-sided concrete and rock pedestal, setting in a small garden. A plaque shows GREAT BUCKING HORSE / HELLS ANGELS / Era 1940."
Beneath this is the complete story of this famous horse. This plaque reads: "Hells Angels was foaled on the Lew Parks ranch near Dillon, Montana in 1927. He was by a Percheron sire out of a Pinto mare. His cowboy tried to break him to ride and did gather horses on him for two months, but he never could get the buck out of him and gave up. In 1932 the horse was sold as a bucking horse for $65. The following year Mike Hastings, bucking horse scout for Colonel W. T. Johnson bought the horse from Wyoming Rodeo Producer Buck Yarbrough. While in Johnson's herd and, from 1937 on, in the Everett Colburn string, Hells Angels gained a reputation as the toughest bucking horse in rodeo. Only a handful of cowboys ever made qualified rides on him; most notable was Fritz Truan, who rode him five times out of seven. Hells Angels died on a train returning from New York in 1942. He was one of the greatest bucking horses of all time."
NOTE: Admission is required to visit the outdoor garden area. The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is open every day except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years.
Address: 1700 N. E. 63rd Street
Phone: 405-478-2250
Admission (2011)
Adults $12.50, Seniors 62+ & Students $9.75
Children 4-12 $5.75 - Children under 3 Free