Cartwright Gallery
The Cartwright Gallery is home to two exciting exhibits at a time.
The Life & Times of Charles Goodnight by Lee Cable & Settling the Frontier
Painting historical scenes from one of America’s favorite real-life stories can mean you don’t get a lot of leeway in how you depict things. Lee Cable was approached by Jim Parkman about painting a series of pieces depicting the life and accomplishments of Charles Goodnight, a hero among Texans and cattlemen of all kinds. Goodnight found a way to drive cattle to market that exposed the drive to the smallest amount of hostilities with Native Americans and outlaws. He also pioneered the marketing of longhorn cattle, which could survive the rough conditions on the trail through Texas and up through New Mexico to Fort Sumner. He invented the concept of the chuckwagon.
This is a pictorial interpretation of our view of his life. It is historical. I want the focus to be on Charles Goodnight. That’s why we are doing this series. Most people just know “Lonesome Dove”, the miniseries based on Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving.
“This is my concept of what I read”, says Cable. “People will be hard pressed to say that it didn’t happen the way I depicted it, but still, it is my conjecture of what happened. There weren’t any photos on a cattle drive in his time!”
{Excerpts taken from an article by Bob Bahr for the SKB Foundation]
In the case of Charles Goodnight, much is written, but not much is illustrated. That meant Cable had to read journals, letters, and other research material carefully to determine what Goodnight probably wore, rode, and saw on his historic cattle drives. But it became clear to Cable that he was going to have to invent much in the paintings. That suited him fine.
Parkman asked Cable for some ideas for paintings, and Cable came up with 95 of them. They decided to shoot for 25 concepts. The first seven paintings went on view at the Museum of Western Art in Kerrville, Texas. Cable admitted to being a little nervous before the opening.
Settling the Frontier
The second area in the Cartwright Gallery contains our Settling the Frontier Exhibition which explores how early settlers made their way to Texas and Parker County and the dwellings they built when they arrived. This exhibition features artifacts from the Bowie-Holland Collection donated by Mr. And Mrs. Barney Holland, it also contains an interactive Log Cabin building area for kids!
Tour The Doss
The museum is self-guided 5 days a week, however staff is available to answer questions and enhance your experience. Visitors spend anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours in the Museum, and do not forget to check out the Museum Shop where you can find collection reproductions, great books, and more!
If you wish to schedule a guided tour, click here.
Our Mission & Vision
The mission of the James and Dorothy Doss Heritage and Culture Center is to collect, preserve, and interpret the history of Parker County through cultural and educational events that raise awareness and pride in our western heritage
Get Involved
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Museum Hours
Tues – Sat : 10am - 5pm
Thurs : 10am-8pm
Sun & Mon: Closed
Contact Us
(817) 599-6168
info@dosscenter.org
Organizational Info
Mailing Address
PO Box 215
Weatherford, TX 76086
Mission Statement
The mission of the James and Dorothy Doss Heritage and Culture Center is to collect, preserve, and interpret the history of Parker County through cultural and educational events that raise awareness and pride in our western heritage.