Spent most of the day in and around Duncan, Oklahoma. First stop was the Chisholm Trail Heritage Center, which was one of the major trails for the great cattle drives of the old west. From San Antonio, Texas to Abilene, Kansas an estimated 10 million Texas Longhorn cattle made this one way trip. We learned the Jesse Chisholm (the trials namesake) was a trader, not a cowboy. That the Longhorn was introduced into the Americas by the Spanish and that most of the Longhorns on these drives were open range (feral) animals.
The Center had a 4D movie - when the Longhorn stampeded the ground shook, you felt the wind blowing, smelled the campfire, and when the thunderstorm hit, it actually rained. Quite the experience. Then we sat around the campfire as Jesse Chisholm and Tex reminisced about their days on the trail. The Center also had a nice gallery showcasing Western art.
After the Heritage Center we backtracked a bit to watch a couple of hours of (get ready for this) - barrel racing. It's primarily a radeo event for women and this was a "jackpot" competition at the local arena. Fun family atmosphere and some amazing horsemanship.
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| The "Zamboni" for dirt |
