But for two votes in the 1866 legislature Wickenburg would have been the capital of the new territory of Arizona. Instead, Wickenburg today is a sleepy town, pop. approx. 8000, a worthwhile stop on the scenic route from Phoenix to Prescott and Sedona — or a destination unto itself —because of the surprising Desert Caballeros Western Museum.
Desert Caballeros is two museums in one: art and history. The permanent collection of western art and special exhibitions are presented on the ground level, and the lower level is dedicated to the story of Wickenburg.
Thomas Moran 
Maynard Dixon 
Ed Mell 
Native American Pots 
Georgia O’Keeffe 
Frederic Remington
The permanent collection includes paintings, sculpture, pottery and more by the likes of Albert Bierstadt, Thomas Moran, Maynard Dixon, Allan Houser, Ed Mell, Maria Montoya Martinez, Paul Pletka and of course, Frederic Remington and Charles Russell. But each Spring, much of the collection is put in storage, so the annual Cowgirl Up! exhibition can be installed.
Twenty years ago the museum embraced a revolutionary idea: an annual juried exhibition showcasing the brightest contemporary female artists working in the Western genre. In the male-dominated world of Western Art, Cowgirl Up! turned the spotlight squarely on women’s voices and perspectives, serving up a new, deeper understanding of the American West.
Gallery view 
Gallery view 
Miniatures Gallery view
This year two- and three-dimensional work in a range of subjects and materials produced by 60 artists were selected for the show. In 194 larger pieces and 212 miniature works, these accomplished women give us big skies, big landscapes, big dreams. Livestock, large and small. The wild West and a gentler West. Visions of history and of possibilities.
Linda Glover Gooch, Sonoran Thunder
Patron’s Choice Award
Cory Garman, Into the Deep 
Lauri Ketchum, Inquisition 
Heather Johnson Beary, Morning’s Promise, bronze 
Lisa Danielle, Hopi Treasure Bowl,
acrylic on panel
Gail Sundell, Star Gazing,
Colorado alabaster
Judges awarded prizes to eleven artists for outstanding work during the opening weekend celebration in March. Best in Show went to Stephanie Revennaugh for her Bison (glass and steel, ed. 35, 17″ x 36″ x 8″) and Yun Wei’s Back in the Day, (oil on panel, 12″ x 16″) was awarded Best in Show Miniature. Two Museum Purchase awards went to Julie Nighswonger for Spring Training, and Margaret Drake for her bronze The Descent. Linda Glover Gooch’s Sonoran Thunder(above) was the Patrons’ Choice.
Julie Nighswonger. Spring Training. Museum Purchase Award
Stephanie Revennaugh, Bison
Best in Show
Yun Wei, Back in the Day
Best in Show Miniature
Margaret Drake, Descent, bronze
Museum Purchase Award
The Cowgirl Up! exhibition runs through May 25, 2025. Artworks are for sale and can be bought throughout the run of the exhibition at the Museum or online, to support women artists and the museum.
Lisa Gleim, The Burro of Labor 
Delores Purdy, Horse Power 
Teri Sweeney, Loner
After we’d feasted on the 400 works in the the Cowgirl Up! show, we wandered down to the lower level to see the cleverly curated history of the town. Life-size dioramas set with historic furnishings, clothing and artifacts collected from local residents and businesses portray Wickenburg as Arizona approached statehood, just after the turn of the last century. As if we were wandering the streets of the town, the touchable exhibits introduced us to the lives of the townspeople and ranchers of Wickenburg who learned to work with the land, coexist among the native peoples, and survive the challenges of the Sonoran Desert.
Desert Caballeros is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and is an affiliate museum of the Smithsonian. The museum opened in1969, but just three years later a fire consumed the entire building along with the foundational collections. Amazingly, due to the efforts of a purpose-chartered auxiliary called Las Señoras de Socorro, the museum reopened in its current location on Dec 21, 1975, just three years to the day after the devastating fire.
The modest number of art works in the collection at that time has grown considerably, and there has been a long-standing need for more gallery space. Wouldn’t it be nice not to have to move the permanent collection into storage every year in order to make room for the Cowgirl Up! show?
An expansion project is underway. Adjacent property has been acquired, a $27 million capital campaign is well under way, and in June 2023 site work began on a new art museum. The selected architectural firm, Studio Ma, designed the Scottsdale Museum of the West and has worked for the Heard Museum and Phoenix Art Museum.
When complete, the art collection will be moved into the new building, and special exhibitions will be mounted without disrupting the display of the permanent collections. The existing building will become a dedicated History museum.
The growth of Desert Caballeros is a testament to strong community support, good management and curation, and the success of the annual Cowgirl Up! exhibition program for which the museum has become known well beyond Arizona state lines.
Hmmm … maybe it’s time to plan a little trip …
Desert Caballeros Western Museum
21 North Frontier St., Wickenburg, AZ
928-684-2272
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