Red Steagall films at Ben Johnson Cowboy Museum

Television show host, author, poet and cowboy Red Steagall last week did some filming for his show, “Somewhere West of Wall Street,” at the Ben Johnson Cowboy Museum, in Pawhuska.

The cowboy museum, which is less than a year old, features memorabilia regarding champion cowboys and cowgirls and the Cowboy Way of Life in Osage County. It’s all about this county’s considerable Western heritage.

Steagall was a friend of Ben “Son” Johnson Jr. and helped to publicize charitable activities for children’s causes that he undertook.

Lauren Garnett, who along with her husband, Cody, recently established the Ben Johnson Cowboy Museum, explained that Cody had contacted Red Steagall when the museum grand opening, which took place in June 2019, was being planned and Red had expressed an interest in getting together.

Lauren related how one morning recently, Cody woke up and commented that he planned to get ahold of Red Steagall. The same day, Steagall got in touch with Cody, before Cody had a chance to call him.

“I just couldn’t believe it was the same day that Cody had in mind to get ahold of him,” Lauren Garnett said. She explained that this was not the first pleasant stroke of conicidence that had been visited upon them as they worked to develop the Ben Johnson Cowboy Museum, which is located at the intersection of 6th Street and Leahy.

For example — Cody’s grandfather, Pete Garnett, was a chuck wagon cook and Cody had badly wanted to include something about chuck wagons in the museum, but he had to find a way to do it and remain true to his Osage County theme. He lost sleep over the problem, Lauren said.

Then the couple handled an auction that included artwork by the late Jim Hamilton, a Pawhuska artist, and unexpectedly ended up buying a bronze by Hamilton of chuck wagon cook C.A. Bromley, who retired to Pawhuska. So there it was, a bronze of a Pawhuskan by a Pawhuskan, and a way to weave the chuck wagon element into the museum.

Cody Garnett said Tuesday he doesn’t know yet when the museum may appear on “Somewhere West of Wall Street,” but keep your eyes peeled and we’ll tell you here in the Journal-Capital as soon as he tells us.