Old Cowtown Museum facts for kids
Darius Sales Munger House, built in 1868 at 901 N. Waco
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| Established | 1952 |
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| Location | 1865 West Museum Blvd, Wichita, Kansas 67203, United States |
| Type | Old West Museum |
The Old Cowtown Museum is a cool history museum in Wichita, Kansas, USA. It sits right by the Arkansas River in the middle of Wichita. This museum opened in 1952. It is one of the oldest outdoor history museums in the central United States.
The museum has 54 old and rebuilt buildings. These buildings are spread across 23 acres of land. This land is near the original Chisholm Trail. Cowtown is a mix of a fun place to visit, a museum, and a living history site. It also helps save old buildings. The City of Wichita works with a special group called Historic Wichita Cowtown, Inc. This group helps the museum with its goals.
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What is Old Cowtown Museum?
The Old Cowtown Museum shows what life was like in Wichita in the late 1800s. It tells the story of how Wichita changed. It went from a small frontier town to a busy cattle town. Later, it became a place for farming and making things.
The museum has over 12,000 items from that time. These items include big farm wagons and tiny tea spoons. You can also see live animals there, like two Texas Longhorn cows and two sheep. When you visit, you'll see people dressed in old-fashioned clothes. They act like people from the past. You can also try fun hands-on activities. The museum has many educational programs and special events all year.
Cowtown is a very special museum. It has been approved by the American Alliance of Museums. This is the highest award a museum can get in the United States. Only about 3% of all museums in the country have this award.
Wichita's Early Days
The first people to live permanently in Wichita were the Wichita tribe in 1864. They lived in grass houses. A trader named Jesse Chisholm set up a trading post there in the 1860s. The famous Chisholm Trail was named after him.
Wichita was started by business people in 1868. It became a city in 1870. The Chisholm Trail was used for cattle drives from 1867 to 1871. It ran along the east side of Wichita. In 1872, a train line was built to Wichita. This connected Wichita to the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway at Newton.
Because of the train, Wichita became a major stop for cattle drives from Texas. This is how it got its nickname, "Cowtown." A town across the river, Delano, was known for being a bit wild. It was a place where cowboys would go after their long cattle drives.
Many famous lawmen, like Wyatt Earp, helped keep order in Wichita. They made sure the east side of the river stayed more peaceful. Later, new train lines were built further west and south. This meant cattle drives no longer ended in Wichita. So, the rowdy cowboys stopped coming. In 1880, Delano became part of Wichita. By 1890, Wichita's population grew very fast to almost 24,000 people.
Movies Filmed at Old Cowtown
Many movies have used the Old Cowtown Museum as a place to film scenes:
- The Bender Claim - filmed in 2013
- Bloody Dawn - filmed in 2006
- Midnight Shanghai - filmed in 2016
- The Only Good Indian - filmed in 2007
- Road to Valhalia - filmed in 2013
- Skylark - filmed in 1992
- Touched by Fire - filmed in 2004
- Wichita - filmed in 2013
Visiting the Museum
- Summer Hours in 2025
- Monday and Tuesday = Closed.
- Wednesday to Saturday = 10:00 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Sunday = Noon to 5 p.m. Every Sunday (April to October) is free.
- Admission in 2025
- Senior (62+) = $11.00
- Adult (18-61) = $12.00
- Youth (5-17) = $10.00
- Children (under 4) = Free
- Cowtown Members receive free admission
- Special prices for groups (15+ people and schools)
See also
