Beloved, I grew up watching Westerns on the television. Perhaps this is where it all started, but I'm sure that being born in Wichita, Kansas and then living so close to Dodge City in my youth added to the excitement and mystery of the Wild West. At a early age we had school Plays about Pioneer Days and when I got to dress up in a pioneer dress with bonnet it added to the desire to know more about this era. My Home Town of Liberal, Kansas had a statue of a busty pioneer woman plowing away at life on the front lawn of the Public Library. How can you go wrong with that?
Television programs like Gun Smoke, Bonanza, The Lone Ranger, Wagon Train, Maverick, Have Gun Will Travel, Roy Rogers, The Virginian, High Chaparral, Big Valley were all watched by my family. Later, Little House On The Prairie sparked my interest in days gone by.
I had a large dose of the West from TV Westerns, but my Grandpa was a Rancher as well and I think I have it running in my blood. Television was fantasy, but my Grandparents offered real life scenerios.
Recently while visiting Old Cowtown Museum in Wichita, I quickly photographed some points of interest. Until I run out of photos, I will be sharing on Wednesdays pictures of a time gone by. How people managed to live and get by interest me. I can almost hear the conversations that were carried on about politics, everyday events, avoiding dangers from wildlife and wild people. How to stay out of trouble and out of harms way as well as the Hell Raisers that made it difficult for the Honest Folk desiring to make a honest living. How to stay healthy, get wealthy and wise.
Cowtown is a living history museum on 25 Acres owned by the City which houses about 40 furnished buildings with over 12,000 artifacts. Visiting 1865-1880 Cowtown you'll experience life common to a Midwestern Cattle Town which presents a dramatic clash of Victorian ideals with economic realities competing forces striving to create an economically viable cattle town and a Victorian metropolis.
Can you imagine life on the prairies with such luxuries as a log cabin and no running water or heating? I can.
WILD WEST WEDNESDAYS. Hope you'll enjoy.
God Bless,
~Deanna~
4 comments:
WoW! Wild on Wednesday. Been waiting all morning to see the post!
Cowtown is one of my favorite places to visit. Really enjoy the blacksmith and carpenters shops. I guess I like the hands-on work required to make useful and necessary items of that time. As a child I used to pound nails flat on my Grandfathers huge anvil. He was a blacksmith as a young man. Guess he knew how to keep me occupied, give him a bag of nails and a hammer and he'll stay busy all afternoon. Great post!
Rg
Deanna, I loved this write. I used to as a child in fantasy 'live' in the wild west where John Wayne would save me from all the rough & rugged wilderness ... AND THEN he up & married Pilar P. ... I came back to reality & forward into the real world.
May you autumn day be beautiful . TTFN ~Marydon
We have a old homestead that looks very much like this just mins from my house. I love to go there and just walk for miles in the woods behind it. Thanks for sharing.
Oh how fun, that looked like a great time, and a wonderful place to visit.
Blessings,
Heidi
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