Lonesome Dove exhibit on display at Kilgore’s East Texas Oil Museum

KILGORE, Texas (KLTV) - It was first broadcast in 1989, but people still love it, and there is an exhibit right here in East Texas that really captures the heart of it.

Lonesome Dove at the East Texas Oil Museum features more than 50 photographs taken during the filming of that miniseries.

East Texas Oil Museum Manager Olivia Moore says it’s time to saddle up and lope on in to take a look at a behind the scenes like you’ve never seen before.

East Texas Oil Museum Director Olivia Moore talks about the new Lonesome Dove exhibit. It... — East Texas Oil Museum Director Olivia Moore talks about the new Lonesome Dove exhibit. It features more than 50 images taken during filming of Larry McMurtry’s epic. (Jamey Boyum/KLTV Multimedia Journalist)

It’s: “The Lonesome Dove Art Exhibit. There are 55 photos of the Lonesome Dove miniseries that were taken during production of the 1989 series,” Moore said.

The 30-year-old series was based on the:

“Pulitzer Prize winning book by Larry McMurtry. These were taken by Bill Wittliff who was the person who adapted Larry McMurty’s book to the television screenplay,” Moore revealed.

So Witliff reigned in that book for television, and lassoed some impressive images from the West Texas shoot and beyond.

“This is the story of two Texas Rangers that go on their first cattle drive from southwest Texas all the way up to Montana,” Moore stated.

And producers herded in some pretty big actors like:

“Tommy Lee Jones and Robert Duvall, as well as Diane Lane and Ricky Schroder,” Moore said.

A new exhibit at the East Texas Oil Museum features images captured during the filming of Larry... — A new exhibit at the East Texas Oil Museum features images captured during the filming of Larry McMurtry’s epic Lonesome Dove. The exhibit features more than 50 images. (Jamey Boyum/KLTV Multimedia Journalist)

And Anjelica Huston and Danny Glover. Olivia says the exhibit has roped in a stampede of visitors and it’s been:

“Overwhelming, actually. The folks that come in seem to absolutely love the exhibit,” Moore said.

World War II Veteran Al Stevens was spurred to take a look.

“I like these pictures, and it just makes you want to wish you was back there for a while. But I think really, I was elk hunting in the saddle of a horse, so I don’t believe I could handle but one or two days on a horse if I was really back in those times,” Stevens laughed.

Obviously if the actors fell off, they had to get back on that horse.

“They are beautiful just to look at even if you’re not familiar with the story line,” Moore added.

So, partner, you best take a gander before the exhibit rides off into the sunset.

The exhibit is presented in partnership with The Wittliff Collections at Texas State University in San Marcos and Humanities Texas and will be on display at the East Texas Oil Museum through August 31.

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