Chuckwagon Dinners
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Dates
July 10th
Music by Greeley's own Kathi & Kaysi LaPoint
Part One of the Chuckwagon Chronicles
July 24th
Music by the Still Stompers
Part Two of the Chuckwagon Chronicles
August 7th
Music by Hazel Hue
Stories by Larry Rogstad
August 21st- Fiesta Night Catered by Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant
Music by Rusty 44
Part Three of the Chuckwagon Chronicles
September 4th
Music by Greeley Western Philharmonic Ensemble
The Final Installment of the Chuckwagon Chronicles
Tickets
Adults $18
Seniors $15
Children $12
Times
5:30 Family Activities
6:15 Dinner Served
7:00 Entertainment
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Menu
Sun of a Gun Cowboy Stew with Whistle Berries*Beef, Tomatoes, Corn, Onion, Spices and Beans
Vegetarian Salad*
(Replaces Cowboy Stew)
Lettuce, Tomatoes, Carrots, Cucumbers, Onion, and Gluten Free Dressing
-By request 48 hours in advance
Cornbread*
Dill Pickles*
Apple Sauce*
Peach Cobbler
Gluten-free cobbler- by request 48 hours in advance
Water or Lemonade
*Gluten Free
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Presenting the 2019 Pulse of the Poudre Chuckwagon Chronicles
Unsaddle your horse, take off your spurs, pull up a chair, eat some authentic grub, and settle in for an evening of history and music at the Poudre Learning Center! From the 19th Century to the present, cattle have had a “mooooving impact” on the history, culture and economy of Greeley, Weld County, and northern Colorado. Esteemed historian and valued community treasure, Peggy Ford Waldo of the City of Greeley Museum, in this four-part series, will provide lively stories and anecdotes about the colorful characters and times associated with the cattle industry from 1859 – 1919.
July 10: Longhorn and Short Grass: A Profitable Combo:
The Civil War (1861 – 1865) impacted the course of the Texas cattle industry. A few lucky entrepreneurs saw huge profits in driving surplus cattle to new markets where miners and immigrants had an appetite for beef. Learn about the partnership of Oliver Loving and Charles Goodnight, the Goodnight-Loving Trail and the invention of the chuckwagon. Learn about Colorado’s “Cattle King”, John Wesley Ilif and how the open range in northern Colorado contributed significantly to his fortune.
July 24: No Fences and No Rum!
On his only visit to his namesake town on Oct. 12, 1870, Horace Greeley explained his vision that the town would have no fences and no rum. Unfortunately, longhorns were ravaging the colonists’ yards, gardens, and farms, so $20,000 was spent on 50 miles of fence that surrounded the town and adjacent Union Colony lands. Barbed wire was the nemesis to the open range, as homesteaders staked claims, and new towns were platted along railroads. Learn about native peoples who hunted bison, and how Greeley became the “Buffalo Robe Capital of Colorado” in the 1870s. Hear stories about early pioneers who settled along the Cache la Poudre--Robert Boyd, Benjamin H. Eaton, and Peter Winne.
August 21: The British, Blizzards, and Branding:
The Cattle Industry in the 1880s: Foreign investors saw great potential in establishing business ventures in the American West, including raising cattle and improving herds through selective breeding. In Weld County, the four Painter brothers and Lyulph “Lord” Ogilvy established important livestock ranches. Learn about the “remittance men”, round-up districts, branding, the proposed national cattle trail, and changes in cattle raising after the disastrous blizzards of the 1880s.
Sept. 4: Weld County Cowboy Tales:
By the 1890s, railroads, homesteaders, and new communities would bring result in the end of the open range. Learn about communities that became important cattle shipping centers (Carr, Hardin, Cheyenne), and the adventures of some notable cowboys and cattlemen, including Frank Benton, who predicted in his book, Cowboy Life on the Sidetrack, that in the future water might become more valuable than cattle.
History
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Chuckwagons
Prior to the chuckwagon, cowboys relied on eating whatever was in their saddlebags. Crews of young men would travel for months at a time with up to 3,000 head of cattle from Texas. In 1866, Charles Goodnight took a Army wagon and added a pantry box to the rear, knowing his crew worked harder on a full stomach. This became known as the chuckwagon and was the first one in Colorado. The canvas cover, or bonnet, of the chuckwagon protected the crew’s supplies from the unpredictable weather along the trail. The chuckwagon went on to revolutionize the cattle industry.
"Cookie"
The chuckwagon would be managed by the cook, or "Cookie”. Cookie was not only relied on for food but also acted as the dentist, doctor, barber, banker, and letter writer. Cookie had a reputation of being ill tempered as he received little sleep. His morning started by making coffee and sourdough biscuits before the rest of the crew woke up.
Meals
The crew often ate biscuits, dried pork and beans (whistle berries) as Beef stew often took about 3-4 hours and was difficult to make while on the move. If Cookie was in a good mood he may have made a pastry or pie for the crew.