John Wayne's Life, Career On Display In The Fort Worth Stockyards

Above, some of John Wayne's costumes he wore. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It is amazing that it has been over a year since Mitch Geriminsky and I headed to Fort Worth, Texas to see the new John Wayne: An American Experience at the Fort Worth Stockyards. We visited other places while there, such as Southfork Ranch and Dealey Plaza. It was the John Wayne exhibit that drew us there.

The exhibit opened in December 2020. Our visit came a month later.

Above, an exhibit of photo of John Wayne's Arizona cattle ranch. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

KRLD News Radio posted an article on the John Wayne: An American Experience a few days ago.

They began it with:

When you find yourself in Fort Worth, you can stop by a museum dedicated to one of America's greatest actors.

John Wayne might not have been a Texas native, but he always had a fondness for the Lone Star State.

"He's done a lot of movies about Texas and certainly about American heritage," says son Patrick Wayne, who became a Hollywood actor in his own right, "and the core values of what it means to be an American are strongly felt here down in Texas."

In the Fort Worth Stockyards, you can learn all about The Duke at "John Wayne: An American Experience."

"It covers my dad's professional life, his public life and his private life," says Patrick Wayne, who is now 82. "Very comprehensive."

The museum opened about a year and a half ago. 

"We've had (around) 55,000 paid customers come through it," says Wayne; "and to a person, everybody has been very, very pleased with what they saw."

The museum has artifacts from Wayne's legendary career, including costumes he wore in various films he starred in.

Above, yours truly with John Wayne and Robert Mitchum. Photo by Mitch Geriminsky.

It is indeed worth a visit. If you fly to Fort Worth, I recommend flying to Dallas Love Field instead of the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Love Field is much smaller and far easier to navigate yourself around. And, it is easier on the feet.

To read more, go here.