March 28, 2024

'Cowboys, just like the word says'

Grand opening of the John Wayne Birthplace Museum in Winterset slated for May 22-25

WINTERSET — John Wayne is one of America's most iconic western figures for his big presence on the screen and for his big focus on American values.

Now, Wayne is immortalized as a big, bronze statue in the new John Wayne Birthplace Museum plaza, keeping a watchful eye over guests who come to visit his birthplace.

Born May 26, 1907 in Winterset, Marion Robert Morrison worked as an extra and prop man before landing his first lead role with “The Big Trail” in 1930. He struggled with several B-level movies for different studios before his next big break with “Stagecoach” in 1939.

The grand opening of the John Wayne Birthplace Museum is slated for May 22-25. The event coincides with the annual John Wayne Birthday celebration in Winterset.

“It’s a reflection of John Wayne’s fan base,” said Brian Downes, executive director of the John Wayne Birthplace Museum. “Everybody loves him.”

A full weekend of activities are scheduled around Winterset. Ranch Rodeo is at the Madison County Fairgrounds Friday at 6:30 p.m. Saturday kicks off with a 5K at the John Wayne Birthplace Museum and a breakfast at the Winterset fire station.

The ribbon cutting ceremony starts at noon followed by a benefit dinner at 5:30 p.m.

Breaking ground

Construction on the $2.5 million, 5,000-square-foot John Wayne Birthplace Museum started in April 2013.

The entrance showcases new streetscaping provided by the City of Winterset and the $175,000 bronze statue of “The Duke” donated by Wayne’s family welcomes guests in the museum’s plaza.

Steve Andrews of Colorado Springs, Colo., attended the ground breaking ceremony in full costume as John Wayne.

“I found a few clothes, put them on and the re-enactment group I was with said you have to have an alias,” Andrews said. “I picked Pat Duncan, but they said, ‘No, that isn’t going to fly. ‘You are “The Duke.’”

Andrews, like many others, donated money to have his name placed on a brick at the museum. He said he has always been a John Wayne fan and was excited to see the start of the museum expansion project.

Also present for the groundbreaking ceremony was Wayne’s daughter Aissa Wayne and fellow movie star Maureen O’Hara. Wayne and O’Hara were love interests in several films.

“She is a legend, it is almost as if John Wayne came to town,” Downes said of O’Hara. “They were the best of friends. She still gets pretty emotional when you talk about John Wayne. She always played John Wayne’s love interest and they always did battle and they always made up at the end of the movie.”

Funding the project

Two-thirds of the funding came from individual donors and fans who sent donations from $5 to $500 from around the globe.

“We are growing in leaps and bounds,” Downes said. “It is unprecedented, the way we are growing as a city.”

Downes said Winterset’s atmosphere adds to the experience for visitors who come to visit the John Wayne Birthplace Museum.

“The town square looks almost identical to how it did in the 1930s,” Downes said. “If you look up, it is almost the same view they saw. Our town square is a part of the museum.”

Inside, the large gallery is divided into three sections — American, Actor and Family Man — to highlight the major events of Wayne’s personal life and career. The museum features a one-of-a-kind collection of original movie posters, film wardrobe, scripts, letters, photos, contracts, artwork and Wayne’s personal date and address books.

The collection was donated by Joseph Zuckshwerdt, who has fine tuned his collection for more than 40 years. It is appraised at $2 million.

Another prominent and popular item on display is Wayne’s custom-built, green 1972 Pontiac Grand Safari Station Wagon. It was built to comfortably fit Wayne’s six-foot-four-inch build and was used in the final scene of his final move, “The Shootist.”

The tour starts with a short documentary inside the museum. The mini theater has 1930s style seating and vintage seats.

Tickets will be $10 during the grand opening and are limited. They price jumps to $15 after the event. Downes said the price is reflective of similar museums built in honor of Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash.

“Even though a majority of his life was not spent here — not by a long shot, somebody said he hadn’t learn to tie his shoes yet when he left here — but his parents were Iowans and he took that Iowa character with him to the big screen,” Downes said. “Aissa Wayne, talking about her father said, ‘My father always knew how marketable he was, he knew his value as a motion picture star, but never in his life did he know how much he was loved.’”