Four Main Exhibits
Why Collections Matter, Hall of Ancient Life, The People of Oklahoma & Hall
of Natural Wonders
The four main exhibits offered at the University of
Oklahoma Sam Noble Museum of Natural History uniquely demonstrate and preserve
the history of Oklahoma. Each exhibit is interactive and includes realistic
sets to portray history properly.
The exhibit ‘Why Collections Matter’ demonstrates the
importance of grouping findings to understand and portray certain topics to
fullest potential. One of the main parts of ‘Why Collections Matter’ explains
that world knowledge is increased
through the accumulation of information and articles that all explain one
topic.
The Hall of Ancient Life is one of the museum’s largest
exhibits, which includes the Pentaceratops with the world’s largest 10.5-foot
scull. The exhibit as a whole demonstrates many different ancient life
scenarios through sets. Many of the sets include dinosaurs, and a large portion
of the area focuses on the stories fossils tell through their location and
aging.
The People of Oklahoma exhibit explains the many different cultures of Oklahoma, the
initial hard times and the locations, and it includes life-size replicas of
people and their typical working situation. The front of the exhibit is outlined by cultures. Dalton,
Folsom and Colvis are the three cultures that were prevalent initially. This
explains where the people were located, how they got there and their typical
day. The life-size portrayals show the worn body type, the
ethnicity, their typical work and the environment they worked in on a daily
basis. The exhibit expresses that in order to obtain information
about early Oklahomans, “they examine artifacts, plant and animal remains,
soils, and even pollen grains for clues about what the environment was like,
how long people occupied a site and what they did there.” That is how the
information in the exhibit was concluded upon. Eventually the U.S. government allotted the land of
Oklahoma to Indians and sold the excess, which created the state of Oklahoma.
The final exhibit is the Hall
of Natural Wonders. The exhibit is located upstairs, and the majority consists
of life-size demonstrations of different lifestyles.
Life in the Ozarks, in an
upland stream, in a cave and on a mixed grass prairie (pictured below) are some
of the examples of different demonstrations. The depictions of the different
landscapes are accurate and appeal to all ages.
A Forrest Journey: How Trees Shape our World
Available at the Sam Noble Museum January 17-May 3, 2015.
The new exhibit ‘A Forrest Journey’ is available at Sam
Noble Museum during the college spring semester. The exhibit outlines different
trees, how they grow and what differentiates them. The use of wood from trees
and the different seasons trees experience is outlined through the
demonstrations. Located upstairs in the far corner, the exhibit contains
different stands that provide accurate examples and detailed information, which
inform about trees.
Sam Noble Museum of Natural History is open Monday-Saturday
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 1-5 p.m., and the admission fees are free for OU students,
$3 for children, $4 for seniors and $5 for adults. The first Monday of each
month the museum is free to all guests. As a Blue Star Museum, the Sam Noble
Museum of natural History is a necessary destination for all to learn about the
history of Oklahoma and see the many different life-size demonstrations,
including the Pentaceratops in the Hall of Ancient Life.
