Pepperoni Pizza

Pizza anyone? What's your favorite toppings? Thick crust, stuffed crust, or thin and crispy? Wichita is the home of the very first Pizza Hut, maybe I'll take a photo of the original "Pizza Hut" and post it sometime. I have fun remembering the old advertisement of "Putt, putt, to the Pizza Hut". To see it click here: http://iblogmustang.com/2007/04/17/put-put-the-pizza-hut/

High and Low

Oh! ye'll take the high road and I'll take the low road,
And I'll be in Scotland afore ye; But me and my true love
Will never meet again On the bonnie, bonnie banks of .... The Arkansas.

Native wisdom

The statue in the header of my blog is called "The Keeper of the Plains", he stands at the confluence of the Big and Little Arkansas rivers. The Keeper Plaza, located around the base of the statue, incorporates the history of the Native Americans and embodies a “sacred hoop” and the 4 elements that make up life (Earth, air, fire and water).
I've noticed some American cities are named after places in Europe. Ever wondered how Wichita got it's name? It's named after the Wichita Indians that first inhabited this area. Back in the days when all that was needed was - Earth, air, fire and water. Could you get by on those basic needs, these days?

Windows

Pink

Pumping water

Anyone remember using your whole body to pump water from an old fashioned water pump like this one?

Munger house

This log home was built in 1868 near the Arkansas River, by a Mr Munger. The logs used for it came from cottonwood trees in the area. It served as a 2-room hotel, a post office, and pioneer hospital. A lot of action for this little log home. The dresser drawers in the guest rooms, have a lock on each of them. The paying guests, were given a key to their dresser drawer. The plaster between the logs, included buffalo hair in the mixture. This home has been well preserved as it was for many years housed within the walls of a larger home that had been built around it. It is now in Wichita's Old Cowtown. It's furnished inside, as it would of been during it's early days in Wichita history. It has two front doors, the one on the left is entry to the "living room" which served as Mr Munger's office. It has a desk and dining table in it. The door on the right enters into the kitchen area. The two guest (hotel) rooms are on the back. Not sure what's upstairs, but am thinking that's where the Munger family slept. That's just a guess though, not a fact. Remember the picture of the Carey-Eaton Hotel - quite a difference a few years made. Cattle business must of been booming around the time span of when the two hotels were built 1868 - 1887.

Cowtown businesses

Old fashioned swing

If you ever go to Old Cowtown and you are taking young children - be sure to allow extra time for them to play on the old fashioned "tree swing". It's a rope tied to a tree branch (way up high), with a bag of sand tied to the other end. It's big fun for little ones. And, it doesn't cost extra. This swing is in an area near the one room schoolhouse shown in an earlier post. The red building in the background is the public restrooms.

Old wagon

This old wagon, complete with arrows and missing a wheel, is seen while walking along the path from Old Cowtown's nice, new and modern entrance building.

Great Egret

I'm not sure of the actual name for this bird. It was down by the river, and was very quiet and slow moving, as if trying to not be noticed. As I got too close to try to get a photo, it took flight. Later it was back, again walking very slowly, and quietly. It was a fun bird to watch. It had an amusing strut as if it was trying to "walk like an egyptian", but much slower than Steve Martin's strut. Does anyone know what kind of bird this is? I'm thinking it's a crane. I don't see many like this one in Wichita.

Boy and bird

When I look at this boy and bird, I think of Abe and his beautiful bird photos. Have any of you ever had a bird perch on your finger?

Mother and child

This statue is found outside the entry (and exit) to Botanica - Wichita's Botanical Garden. I imagine some mothers leave Botanica, carrying a tired child to the car after an afternoon spent walking amongst the flowers and butterflies. Can anyone relate to this pose? I think they both look ready for a nap, and the child has a headstart, over mom.

1887

This second photo of the Eaton Hotel shows a date on the building, of 1887. When built it was called the Carey Hotel, later it was purchased and renamed The Eaton. In it's early days it was among the grandest of hotels in the midwest. It's also an historical site where Carrie Nation and some of her followers "busted up the bar" inside this hotel, in effort to shut it down. She had began her efforts to close down liquor establisments with the help of the law, but later took matters (and a hatchet) into her own hands. She would swing the hatchet (and throw objects) at fixtures, paintings, mirrors, glassware, etc - trying to cause enough damage to force the bars, or saloon, to close.

Alcohol was big business and was growing throughout America. Saloons would find ways to entice new customers to come in and drink. If interested in reading more about Carrie Nation, click here: http://www.kshs.org/cool2/hammer.htm

Eaton Hotel

Light

The other night we had an electical storm, and power went out in parts of the city. Had to light the old kerosene lamp. Also, had a flashlight - which is positioned in this photo directly behind the lamp, shining through the pretty blue oil. I was having fun staging the photo with two forms of light. By morning, electicity had been restored.

One room schoolhouse

This is the one room schoolhouse in Old Cowtown. It's where the school desk photo was taken. Back in the days when one room schools dotted the American country, children of all grades and ages attended school together. School has come a long ways from the days when all grades and ages were taught by a common teacher. Notice the bell tower on top? Inside the school is an open closet area where children would hang their coats and hats, and also in that area is a rope which could be pulled to ring the school bell. I imagine it was rang at the beginning of school, and also when recess (outdoor play) was over. Centered near the back of the school was a large wood burning stove for keeping warm in the winter. Also, notice the wooden sidewalks? Just think some of our own family members - parents, grandparents and further back may of attended a school such as this. From what I've read, these schools began being replaced by larger schools as early as the 1930's, but some in rural areas lasted into the 1960's. Many have now disappeared, but this one is well protected in it's Old Cowtown living museum setting. This photo shows nicely when clicked on to enlarge.

Barnstormin'

Wichita is not only known as a cowtown from the early cattle drives. It's also known as "The air capital of the world". Many major aircraft manufacturing companies got their start here. Because of Wichita's airplane history, it's not uncommon to see unusual airplanes like this one. Each having their own theme. This one is called "Barnstormin'" and is located near the entrance of the parking lot for Old Cowtown.

School desks

This was taken inside the one room schoolhouse at Old Cowtown. These desks have a hole cut out in them for a bottle of ink to be placed in (for their old fashioned "inkless" pen).... and individual chalkboards were sometimes used in place of paper, when learning to write. You can see one of the chalkboards on the desk to the right of the photo. Walking through Old Cowtown is like being on the set of Gunsmoke, or Little House on the Prairie, only it's not a movie set - it's historical buildings showing what life was like in the newly forming city of Wichita, during the years of 1865 to 1880. Remember Wichita began as a settlement along the Arkansas River, as a place where cattle drives would stop overnight, giving the cowboys and cattle a place to eat, drink and rest. Thus, the name of this living museum being - Old "COW"town.

Pond (where sign was posted)

It was just peaceful waters, surrounded by greenery. No wildlife swimming in it. Guess they couldn't read the sign.