An exhibit featuring four wandering Westerners that was created by the Bainbridge Island Historical Museum has earned honors from the American Association for State and Local History.

The Overland Westerners exhibit tells the story of four horseback riders, including the two Beck brothers from Bainbridge and a dog named Nip, that set out to ride to every state capitol in the lower 48 states and have their picture taken in front of the capitol building with the state’s governor. Their historic ride covered more than 20,000 miles, and stands as the world record for a continuous horseback journey. They accomplished this feat during 1,127 strenuous days in the saddle from May 1912 to June 1915.

The exhibit has been named a 2014 Merit winner of the “American Association for State and Local History’s Leadership in History Award.”

Bainbridge museum officials learned of the honors in a May 15 letter from the American Association for State and Local History: “The AASLH Leadership in History Awards is the nation’s most prestigious competition for recognition of achievement in state and local history.  We congratulate you for the work that has brought this honor.”

The 2014 awards will be presented at a special banquet on Friday, Sept. 19 as part of the AASLH annual meeting in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The Overland Westerners exhibition is mounted on eight display panels that are currently being featured at the Bainbridge Public Library.