About
About the Draper Natural History Museum
The Draper Natural History Museum opened to the public on June 4, 2002, to become the newest addition to what was then the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, now the Buffalo Bill Center of the West.
The Draper Museum became the first American natural history museum established in the twenty-first century and it has garnered international acclaim for its innovative, informative, and inspiring exhibit experiences.
This museum bears the name of Center trustee and benefactor Nancy-Carroll Draper, who tirelessly championed the addition of a natural history museum to the humanities museums of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. In 1997, the Center’s Board of Trustees approved a proposal to begin development of the Draper Natural History Museum as a vehicle to integrate natural sciences with humanities, and therefore present a broader perspective on the American West.
Conservation and Education with the Draper
The collections of the Draper Natural History Museum—both specimens in our lab and our live birds of prey—help the museum further conservation efforts and educational programming.