The Old (Wild) West

Guthrie was first known as a railroad station stop. After the Land Run of 1889, the opening of the land for settlement, Guthrie's population skyrocketed and the city became first the Territorial Capital, then, in 1907, the first state capital of Oklahoma. In 1910 Oklahoma City took over. The collection of late 19th and early 20th century architecture in the Historic District is unrivalled. 

 

Since many of the stores and cafés were closed on a Monday, we left early and drove to Stillwater, where OSU (Oklahoma State University) is headquartered. Founded in 1890 as "Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College", making a college education more accessible to everybody, this university with about 25,000 students has a huge campus with massive buildings: they are home for five academic colleges, plus a veterinary school and an osteopathic medical school. In addition, there is a huge American Football stadium (pic below). "We are all Cowboys!" is the motto, and, the Cowboy Code is what counts.

 

Pawnee, our next stop, is the hometown of Chester Gold, the creator of Dick Tracy (mural on the left). Besides being the main character in the comic strip, he has also been the hero in a number of films. 

Highlight of the day was the Pawnee Bill Ranch & Museum. Everybody knows Buffalo Bill, while Pawnee Bill is not so well known, but equally interesting. And, he left a luxurious 14-room ranch house (pics far below), fully and nicely furnished and decorated, and many relics, whereas Buffalo Bill went bancrupt at the end. Besides the ranch house there is a museum, a barn and a funny watchtower. A herd of bison, longhorn, and several draft horses are living on pastures around the ranch.

 

The Pawnee Bill Ranch was once the showplace of the world-renowned Wild West Show entertainer Gordon W. “Pawnee Bill” Lillie. Wild West shows were popular around 1870-1920, open-air shows that depicted stereotypes of cowboys, Native Americans, outlaws and wild animals using many actors and equipment to reenact certain scenarios. In 1883, Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show had come up, it was the first one, and, the troup was also touring in Germany. Pawnee Bill invented the "Pawnee Bill’s Historic Wild West" in 1888 and lateron it became "Pawnee Bill’s Great Far East Show".  In 1908, Pawnee Bill and Buffalo Bill joined forces and created the "Two Bills' Show" which ran until 1913.  

Our day ended in Pawhuska, home town of the "Pioneer Woman", more on that tomorrow,,,