Cowgirl Museum opening exhibit on Sandra Day O'Connor's childhood

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Sandra Day O'Connor made her mark in history as the first woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, but she's still a hardworking cowgirl at heart, she said Wednesday.

An exhibit about her life opens this week at the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in Fort Worth, a tribute to the 30th anniversary of her appointment to the high court.

"It is odd that a cowgirl ended up on the court, isn't it?" she said Wednesday, joking that her 1981 nomination by President Reagan stemmed from his own love of ranching. "Probably because I had grown up on the back of a horse, he had more interest in me than other candidates."

O'Connor, 81, is an El Paso native who spent summers on her family's Arizona ranch that initially didn't have electricity or water. It later had two large windmills providing water from wells underneath.

Before touring the exhibit Wednesday, she said her time on the ranch taught her responsibility and how to solve problems on her own.

"Cowboys don't spend a lot of time telling you things. They just expect you to get things done and done right," O'Connor said. "But it's a great way to grow up."

The exhibit called "The Cowgirl Who Became a Justice: Sandra Day O'Connor" features spurs, chaps and a branding iron from the ranch and photos of O'Connor as a girl. The 3,000-square-foot exhibit also features a section from her time on the Supreme Court, including the 1981 White House press release announcing Reagan's intent to nominate O'Connor, one of her robes as a justice and a photograph from her swearing-in ceremony. She retired in 2006.

After touring the exhibit, which opens Thursday and runs through March, visitors can play iCivics in an adjacent area with about two dozen computers. O'Connor helped develop the web-based computer game to teach students about the government, legal system and federal budget.

In 2002 O'Connor was inducted into the Cowgirl Hall of Fame, which honors women whose pioneer spirit typifies the American West. She is among nearly 200 women inducted since 1975.

Diana Vela, the museum's associate executive director for education and exhibits, said the Cowgirl Museum was humbled to create an exhibit "that honors one of our own." It shows the stark contrast between O'Connor's childhood on the isolated, rural ranch and her being thrust into the national spotlight decades later, Vela said.

As nine women were inducted into the hall of fame at a luncheon later Wednesday, O'Connor said the Cowgirl Museum is serving "a wonderful purpose."

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