CANYON, TX.-Time is running out to see one of the most outstanding exhibitions of Western art, ever exhibited in this area. This nationally touring exhibition was organized and circulated by the Glenbow Museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, in Canyon, is the only venue west of the Mississippi to host this remarkable collection of more than 100 paintings, sculptures and artifacts. Showcased are many paintings from rarely seen collections, bringing to light new knowledge about these legendary artists in a storyline that will delight both the casual visitor and the connoisseur. Both Russell and Remington created legendary images that continue to define the “Old West” today.

One of the many extraordinary paintings in the exhibition is Charles M. Russell’s Keeoma. Being a natural storyteller and never one to dispel a colorful rumor abut himself, Russell never corrected the tale about his alleged Blackfoot lover (some stories had her as his wife). Many believed that the painting, Keeoma, was a portrait of that lover.

Did Charlie Russell really have a Blackfoot lover while he was in Alberta? Does this sensual painting portray her? Russell became very familiar with the native people in the region around High River, in southern Alberta, when he spent the summer there in 1888. And Russell hinted that he could have married into an important family. But he didn’T. His wife, Nancy, was probably the model for this alluring young woman.

Many are the stories created by both artists, through their work. They captured a moment in time in a period of transition with the western frontier, and achieved unparalleled success in the genre of western art. Museum visitors will explore the North West frontier where the Blackfoot people roamed the landscape, the fur trade was a dominant industry; and the ranching industry straddled the borders between Canada and Montana.

Additionally, the museum has chosen “The American West” as the exhibit theme for 2005. Textile, firearms, art, and history exhibits explore the many facets of the American West. Educational programming also focuses on the history and the influence of the West.

When “Capturing Western Legends” closes at the PPHM on August 21, the artifacts will be returned to the Glenbow Museum, the Sid Richardson Museum, the Amon Carter Museum, Buffalo Bill Historical Center, the C.M. Russell Museum, the Frederic Remington Art Museum, and to private collectors.