My mama fancied herself a Cowgirl.
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| Cowgirl June |
Of course, she spent much of her life in cities and suburbs.
Still, the
Heart knows what it wants. My mama’s heart Texas Two-Stepped to the rhythm of Roy
Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers.
Mama passed along her love of tumbling tumbleweeds to me.
Granted, I don’t know the
tail-end of a horse from the back-end of a Maserati. (I, too, have spent much of my life in cities and suburbs.)
But you
know what? Cowgirls come in all shapes and sizes.
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| Cowgirl Otts |
So, imagine my delight when I visited the Old Cowtown Museum, in Wichita, Kansas.
I admit, when I first visited Kansas, I was puzzled. I thought I would see more cowboy hats.
I grew
up watching Gunsmoke. Everybody knows Marshal Matt Dillon, Chester,
Festus, and even the good Doc wore cowboy hats.
Granted,
Dodge City is a fer bit “that-away” from Wichita.
There’s also the matter of breezy days in Kansas. One blustery afternoon schooled me on what
happens to hats on a windy day in Kansas. (Hint: they go “that-away!”).
Happily, when I visited Old Cowtown, I saw cowboy hats every-which-way. (I figure Kansas folks super-glue their hats onto their heads on windy days.)
As you can imagine, Old Cowtown became one of my favorite destinations.
The property sits on the bank of the Arkansas River. That is pronounced ArKANSAS, by the way.
Once you leave Kansas, how you pronounce Arkansas is your business. But, when in Kansas, the emphasis is on you-know-what.
Old Cowtown is a 23-acre, indoor/outdoor interactive museum (accredited by the American Alliance of Museums).
It consists of 54 buildings that represent the latter part of the 19th century (especially the 1860s and 1870s,).
Some of the structures are originals. Some are historic replicas.
The buildings include a schoolhouse, a church, a printer’s press, a blacksmith’s shop and, of course, a saloon (complete with saloon gals and the best Sarsaparilla this side of the Rio Grande).
The Old Cowtown Museum is located off the original Chisholm Trail (the major route out of Texas for cattle drives - hence, the name Old Cowtown).
The Old Cowtown Museum provides educational experiences and knowledgeable historical guides.
And, of course, the museum showcases entertainment - including gunslinger showdowns and (you guessed it) dancing saloon gals.
Holidays and special occasions often bring about extra hoopla - such as Steampunk celebrations, the Headless Horseman, Zombie gunslingers, hayrides, Christmas carolers, and even an Old West Santa.
At times, Old Cowtown stretches its western theme to include 1920s mystery events, ghost tours, belly dancers, and educational presentations about local history-makers.
Old Cowtown provides wheelchair ramps to various buildings.
There are also a number of benches and sit-down places throughout its property.
Oh, and the museum has a great shop, full of neat stuff.
On weekends, the Old Cowtown Museum often presents special events.
I can’t think of a better place to spend an enjoyable
afternoon.
1865 West Museum Boulevard
Wichita, Kansas 67203
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