The Pioneer Woman Museum is just a gem of a museum, not because it has super glamorous displays or fun interactive exhibits, but because it inspires wonderful conversations about the challenges of being a pioneer and what that meant for women and families. After looking at the vignettes and displays of pioneer life, I imagined what it was like for many of these women. I tried to put myself in that time an space as the single mom that I am to my 3 kids. How difficult would it be to seek out a new life of the frontier without the things we take for granted today. I though about what it would be like to ride in a wagon with my three kids worried about what unforeseen dangers we might encounter on the road to a better life. I wondered what motivated these women to come out west, some who even came alone without husbands or children. I thought about all the conveniences that I take for granted and what it would mean to find food, farm, cook and take care of my family. Who would build me a cabin, where would I get supplies? Would I be strong enough and brave enough? This museum left my head spinning and also left me with total admiration for those brave pioneer women who faced head on the dangers of the frontier. In the gift shop I bought a wonderful book that was filled with true stories of pioneer women. Reading about their can do spirit is something I often think about when I need inspiration and a push to get through something that seems pretty rough. In light of what those women had to face, my issues seem pretty insignificant. Learning about these brave women at this incredible museum helped me put everything in my life into perspective.
