When we have a ranch feature, we always include places that depict the West. More and more we find that “the west” is not always west, as in some cases here that are definitely east but help interpret history further west and long ago.
Kids West
If you’re in the vicinity of the Rockwell Museum of Western Art in Corning, New York, you’ll want to join their July weekend fun-on-the-range Kids West, which coincides with the community-wide Festival of Art.
Kids can design a toy from yesteryear, create corn husk dolls and enjoy Tex-Mex cuisine. Family activities include a cowboyologist who recreates the Old West with his authentic chuck wagon, and a mini-trading post for pretending what life was like in the old West.
The Rockwell Museum of Western Art houses the largest and finest collection of Western art on the east coast and features Western and Native American art spanning more than two centuries.
Contact Rockwell Museum of Western Art, 111 Cedar Street, Corning NY 14830; 607-937-5386.
Wild West Wisconsin
For 35 years, Doug Watson collected everything in his Wild West Museum: antique tins, saddles, branding irons; stuffed elk, bears, mountain lions, buffalo heads; copper kettles and cowboy boots. Watson uses his costume, memorabilia, tall tales and photos to teach. He wears an old cowboy hat, a kerchief around his neck and leather cuffs, chaps and boots, spurs and a holster. There is room for special catered reunion dinners, a medicine show or a history lesson at the museum May through October.
Watson’s Wild West Museum is at W4865 Potter Rd, Elkhorn WI 53121; 262-723-7505.
From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
