 | Ed LeRoy is Old Cowtown Museum’s Manager of Special Projects.
A 5th generation Kansan (“Born on the Santa Trail and turned twenty-one on the Chisholm Trail”) the history of the Old West and particularly the part Kansas played has always been close to Ed’s heart.
As early as 1973 he was working in the western field, starting out as the ‘Hat man” at Sheplers ‘The World’s Largest Western Stores’. Over the course of the next ten years he was promoted into areas of increasing responsibility as manager/buyer for Gifts and Jewelry, manager/buyer Menswear and Western Boot/Jean Buyer for Sheplers international catalog. With a thorough education in the commerce of material goods, retail and sales management he then moved out into the broader corporate world before returning six seasons ago to his first love: sharing the adventure of the Old West.
Whether he’s officially ‘Storytelling’, merchandising or structuring Special Event weekends, he’s never far away from “… the Exciting Days of Yesteryear!” |
Arts & Entertainment
2006-08-01 13:21:00
Big event at Cowtown
: What hours are you open?ANSWER: Although AGE OF THE GUNFIGHTER weekend is a special event its part of Old Cowtown’s regular season where we are open Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from Noon to 5 p.m.QUESTION: Just how common were gunfights in the historical old west?ANSWER: Although there were certainly many individuals who openly wore their guns for all to see, there was very little gunplay in the real Wichita of the 1870s. As with most towns, Wichita enacted and posted a gun control ordinance that was never evenly enforced. But because of that open display, there was always an excitement from the threat that ‘something could happen’. Throughout all of the Old West, gunfights didn’t occur with the frequency that Hollywood and the small screen would have us believe. But they did happen often enough to become an exciting part of the legend and myth of the Cowboy. However what did happen during the 1870s was a literary phenomenon known as the Dime Novel where gunfights were an important part. These magazines contained short fictions detailing adventures, exploits and exaggerations of actual events that would rival any motion picture's content today. Their heroes and heroines performed extraordinary feats against incredible odds and prevailed. Dime Novels were so popular that they influenced fashions of the day. People wanted to dress like their favorite characters. Cowboys would return home after a cattle drive and read
ANSWER: We call theweekend’s activities the “AGE OF THE GUNFIGHTER”. Gunfight reenactments have proved to be one of the most requested presentations at every Old West or Cowboy venue. At Cowtown we daily receive inquiries about whether there are going to be any gunfights. We find that with especially our out-of-state and international guests that gunfights are eagerly anticipated and we’re delighted to be able to fulfill their request.During the AGE OF THE GUNFIGHTER weekend Cowtown hosts the Kansas Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association contests and the American Frontier Reenactment Guild’s Grand National Championships with Classic Gunfights and Living History competitions. After gathering points competing in state and regional gunfight and living history tournaments, groups of re-enactors head to Wichita to see who can take home the prize.QUESTION: What hours are you open?ANSWER: Although AGE OF THE GUNFIGHTER weekend is a special event its part of Old Cowtown’s regular season where we are open Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from Noon to 5 p.m.QUESTION: Just how common were gunfights in the historical old west?ANSWER: Although there were certainly many individuals who openly wore their guns for all to see, there was very little gunplay in the real Wichita of the 1870s. As with most towns, Wichita enacted and posted a gun control ordinance that was never evenly enforced. But because of that open display, there was always an excitement from the threat that ‘something could happen’. Throughout all of the Old West, gunfights didn’t occur with the frequency that Hollywood and the small screen would have us believe. But they did happen often enough to become an exciting part of the legend and myth of the Cowboy. However what did happen during the 1870s was a literary phenomenon known as the Dime Novel where gunfights were an important part. These magazines contained short fictions detailing adventures, exploits and exaggerations of actual events that would rival any motion picture's content today. Their heroes and heroines performed extraordinary feats against incredible odds and prevailed. Dime Novels were so popular that they influenced fashions of the day. People wanted to dress like their favorite characters. Cowboys would return home after a cattle drive and read of "their adventures" in the latest novel (probably wondering how they managed to miss all that excitement in the story). Occasionally they would emulate the men in those stories on the next drive. Children in Wichita likely wanted to live in Abilene "where all. the excitement was" and kids in Abilene probably wanted to be in Wichita for the same reason. Many people living east of the Mississippi River thought these stories to be true although most Americans embraced the dime novel for what the stories actually were: entertainment. These stories offered an escape from a world of hard work and harsh realities.Every culture in every era develops its own ‘action heroes’. The United Kingdom has its Robin Hood, France has the Three Musketeers and America has the heroic cowboy who sometimes has to use the ‘six-shooters he’s packin’’ to save the day.
