at the ranch
Behold the magic of Woolaroc Museum, wildlife preserve a lasting monument to Frank Phillips’ vision BY MIKE TUPA
E
ven though Frank Phillips died 66 years ago, the Woolaroc Museum & Wildlife Preserve remains a monument to his vision and a thriving salute to both the past — and the future. More than 90 years ago, Phillips established Woolaroc as a place of renewal and feral beauty at its best. Indeed, if West Virginia is “almost heaven,” Woolaroc is a close second. No less a worn and weary traveler than world-renown entertainer Will Rogers said the following — as is quoted on the Woolaroc website — about Phillips’ 3,700acre ranch resort: “When you are visiting the beauty spots of this country, don’t overlook Frank Phillips’ ranch and game preserve in Bartlesville. … It’s the most unique place in this country.” Whenever Phillips felt burdened by the stress and pressure of running an oil empire — which he established in the hidden heart of Green Country — Woolaroc awaited him like a comfortable pair of slippers. Within less than 15 minutes, he could escape the demands of his corporate office, drive a few miles southwest of Bartlesville and walk through the front door of his ranch. Once there, he could stroll the paths of Woolaroc and witness nature put on its calmest and unadorned, rugged beauty — a family of buffalo grazing for their dinner meal, elk prancing in the dusky dust and the countless tree leaves reflecting the beauty of the current season. The preserve has changed little in the nearly 70 years since “Uncle Frank” last visited it. Every autumn, the trees still turn gold like
A buffalo forages for grass at Woolaroc. Chris Day/Bartlesville Magazine
they did when he still was there to watch them. Spring still paints the trees green, the pastures rich with new life and the flowers in a kaleidoscope of colors, just as they did when he was alive. Perhaps nothing might bring a bigger smile to Phillips’ face than the teeming calendar of museum events that keep throngs of people making pilgrimages to this favored spot. “To me, it’s easy,”Woolaroc CEO Bob Fraser said in describing the facility’s ambiance. “I refer to it as the magic of Woolaroc. The
history and magic is around every corner from the time you drive through the front gate. I always think when you drive through the front gate is where you enter the museum. … The look on children’s faces when they’re getting off the bus and running up to the museum is incredible and special.” The primary structures for visitors include the Lodge Home, where Frank and Jane Phillips lived on the ranch, the 50,000-square-foot museum and the Bunkhouse.
Bartlesville Magazine VISITOR’S GUIDE 2017
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