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In the Western United States during the late 1800s, cattle were driven to market along the old Chisholm Trail. The trail stretched from Southern Texas northward to Abilene, Wichita, and eventually to Newton, Kansas, where they were shipped eastward. The adventure-packed life of a cowboy always appealed to me, so just last month I decided to trace part of the Chisholm Trail.
I flew into Wichita. Then I drove 10 miles north along the Chisholm Trail to Wild West World, America's newest theme park, which is located smack damn in the middle of cow country.
I went there to meet up with developer Thomas Etheredge, the CEO of Wild West World. Thomas is a good cowboy. You can tell because he always wears a white cowboy hat wherever he goes. In the movies good cowboys always wore white hats. Not only is he a good cowboy, but he's a fourth generation rancher who, along with his wife, cowgirl Cheryl, still raise cattle today on a 500 acre spread about 10 miles from the park.
Their children will continue their cattle operation as mom and dad manage Wild West World plus the Prairie Rose Chuckwagon Supper and the Hopalong Cassidy Cowboy Museum complex.
It was at Wild West World I expected a showdown. If I was going to out-cowboy Cowboy Tom, I had to cowboy up. You know, I had to look the part, right down to the bad guy's black hat and a six-shooter. How do I look? You should know that in real life I'm in favour of gun control but might just shoot anyone who disagrees.
Before I met Thomas I encountered two other cowboys who shared some wise cowboy advice. “Always drink upstream from the herd,” one said, and “don't squat with your spurs on.” The other was more profound. “There's two theories to arguin' with a woman,” he explained. “Neither one works.”
While I eventually found Thomas, the showdown never happened because I was distracted by two rollercoasters in his new park. Before I rode them (numbers 731 and 732) I had to leave loose objects behind, including my six-shooter, and then I needed to sample many of the other rides; it's my job. Along the way I met up with two old friends, Cowboy Len Soled of Rides-4-U and Cowboy Dick Chance of Chance Morgan, there for the park's grand opening. They had supplied many of the park's rides.
Wild West World's theming is thorough. The rides are reminiscent of the old Chisholm Trail, and classic icons are found throughout the park. There's a Conostoga Wagon, a Stage Coach, even an ATM Machine. You can read more about Wild West World in the June issue of Park World, see the link below.
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