MUSEUM UPDATES:

IN PREPARATION FOR THE EXPANSION GRAND OPENING, THE COWGIRL WILL BE CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC BEGINNING OCTOBER 19TH AND WILL RE-OPEN NOVEMBER 7TH WITH A MEMBER ONLY PREVIEW AT 10 A.M. AND A PUBLIC OPENING AT NOON.

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1984

Nel Sweeten Cooper

1898-1990ArizonaInducted 1984

Nel Sweeten Cooper came to Arizona looking for adventure. She married a rancher and homesteaded one of the largest Mohair goat ranches in the state. After her husband died, she successfully managed the ranch as the only woman goat rancher in Arizona, converting it to a cattle ranch just as the prices for mohair began to fall. A pioneer and community leader, she recorded the hardships of ranching life in books and articles, including an autobiography.

A smiling woman in a black cowboy hat and blue embroidered shirt stands indoors with western decor in the background.

Two young girls in patterned dresses look up at hanging art and photos on display in a white, columned museum with a domed ceiling.

A woman looks closely at books and old posters in a glass display case at a museum, with horse saddles and two other people in the background.

A person in traditional Native American attire sits atop a decorated horse, overlooking a scenic landscape with blue skies and distant hills.

Two ornate white sombreros with blue floral embroidery are displayed on stands. In the background, theres a bright red traditional dress and a silver horse sculpture, slightly out of focus.

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A porcelain figurine of a girl in a lavender dress hugging the neck of a white horse with gold-trimmed tack, set against a light blue glittery background.