Family Adventure Part 4: The Black Cowboy Museum

We had a good time on our trip, learned a lot, and before long we were on our way to our last stop from the High on the Hog series (on Netflix, Season 1 Episode 4), and the Black Cowboy Museum didn’t disappoint. When we walked in we were immediately greeted by Cowboy Larry Callies, who was for sure a cowboy through and through! He stands with a presence, almost larger than life, but with a strong kindness about him. Larry looked every bit the cowboy and you could tell he lived it as well. No window dressing here. As he told us, “I am a Christian first and a cowboy second!”  

While the museum was small, there was an enormous amount of history there, and he proceeded to take us through it, imparting knowledge about how the Black cowboys survived, and in some cases, thrived. This also included Larry’s life as a Western musician before vocal Dysphonia took his vocal cords. He was also involved in the rodeos and showed us pictures of his own bull-riding exploits of him and his contemporaries. He also showed us actual sheriff and marshall badges, and one I had never seen before: badges worn by men whose job it was to round up escaped slaves. We also got to see a myriad of old west pistols, including a replica of Wyatt Earp’s Peacemaker, which for the life of me I couldn’t see how he could shoot it with how long the barrel was. We surmised the pistol was more ceremonial than anything else, and not something he would wear day to day.

Larry was very open to questions, and we peppered him with many of them, and he was gracious and patient with us. The day ended with Larry showing my son how to use a lasso, and in return was shown how to do the griddy!

Third Time’s the Charm!

Larry proved he could hang tight on the dance floor too! Larry and I spoke at length about Bass Reeves, Nat Love and others, and their recognition in pop culture. We spoke about my novel The Girl With Strawberry Hair and the next book in the series, and of course, I had to give him a copy! I also expressed an interest in writing non-fiction accounts of some of the history he knows. We agreed to talk some more down the line. That was where our fun pre-thanksgiving adventure ended, but wait! I was delighted to find, on Christmas Day, my wife had an additional present for me:  Larry’s book, “ Here Comes Larry Callies, Stepping Out In Faith”! 

We had an amazing time, and it was the right way to end our family adventure. I can’t recommend enough taking a day and just going out and about, learning things you didn’t know. Go with family, or friends, to the places you see on TV, or read about. You’ll have a great time, and expand your mind all at once! I would also recommend reading the book High On the Hog, which you can purchase here, or watch the Netflix series of the same name, and if you happen to find yourself in the Houston area, how about a trip to the Black Cowboy Museum?

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