COWBOY CULTURE
Where the myth of the Cowboy is part of everyday life
...”, the first words of what was eventually to become the Kansas State Song, extolling the freedom of life in the wide expanses of the prairies. In both Kansas and Oklahoma, cowboys, cattle drives and cow towns are not just part of the legendary image of the Wild West; they are an important cultural element.
In 1872, the poet Brewster Higley wrote “Home, home on the range
Hats and boots, lassos and chaps, spurs and saddles - the cowboy myth is longstanding and universally known. It was shaped by the bold “cow punchers” who in the years between 1860 and 1880 drove around 20 million cows, mostly longhorns, from Texas up to the North, to the railway stations in Kansas and beyond. It is
still possible to follow some of these legendary cattle trails; one such, and the most significant, is the Chisholm Trail. The US highway 81 tracks it for over 1000 kilometres through the middle of the Heartland between Fort Worth/ TX and Abilene/KS. Halfway along, a stop in the small town of Duncan/OK is essential, as the Chisholm Trail Heritage Center located here is well worth a visit.
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Today, cattle breeding is still a feature of western Kansas and Oklahoma; farmers are keeping longhorns again and it is even possible to see bison on the endless grassy fl atlands of the prairie. Cattle have changed hands at one of the largest auctions in the country, at the Oklahoma National Stockyards in Oklahoma City since 1910. Nowadays only calves and fat stock are sold on Mondays and Tuesdays – as many as 10,000 each day! Once the work is over, the buyers and sellers, cowboys and ranchers go to the Cattlemen’s Café and Steakhouse. This establishment has been here as long as the cattle market and is considered an institution in the Historic Stockyard City. Once upon a time there were rows of saloons and brothels, bars and hotels here; today the restored buildings are occupied by offi ces, pubs and shops, such as Shorty’s Hattery, Little Joe Boots and Langston’s (western wear) – and places of entertainment such as the Centennial Rodeo Opry (Country Music).
Cattle are one mainstay of the city; horses are the other. Each year up to 15 major horse shows and competitions are held here and OKC designates itself as the “Horse Show Capital of the World”. It is also fi tting that one of the largest and most important Wild West museums in the world can be found here: the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.
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