A perfect spot for cowboy cooks is along the Chisholm Trail

KINGFISHER, Okla. – Before a town ever sprang up, this hilly spot along the old Chisholm Trail might have made for a good camping spot for Old West cowboys.

Generations later, one weekend every spring, even if it is a ‘Cold and Frosty Morning’, as the old camp song goes.

“It is a cold and frosty morning,” laughs banjo player Wayne Cantwell as he tries to limber up his fingers to play it.

Justin Harris and the Chisholm Trail Museum invite chuckwagons to gather round their fires and feed as many people as they can.

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He says, “We invite wagons from a 5-state region to come in and give us a taste of the old west.”

Close to the fire is a good place to be on this March Saturday where Territorial Gov. Frank Seay built a big house in Kingfisher, Oklahoma Territory.

It’s also where ‘cookies’ doled out their best wisdom, like keeping sourdough starter warm for good biscuits.

“At about body temperature,” advises one cowboy cook. “Old rumors are that the chuck wagon cook would sleep with his sourdough crock to keep it warm at night.”

The best cornbread, many say, comes from good eggs.

Cooking it successfully in cast iron over a fire depends on where you place your wind breaks.

“Wind makes a big difference on how your fire reacts and cooks,” states another experienced chuckwagon cook.

Sweet recipes like ‘spotted pup’, which is cowboy lingo for bread pudding, crisps and cobblers have lots of sugar in them, so they take extra attention to keep from scalding.

“I’ll give my recipe to anybody,” says longtime cook Lyn Shackleford, “But I won’t tell them my secrets.”

If you can boil water, you can make potatoes, but that’s just the start.

Good cooks take over from there.

“We put a little more love in our mash potatoes than most people,” smiles a cowboy cook.

Dried beans were always a staple on the cattle trails.

They were an excellent source of protein as well, but they always come with their own caution for after the meal.

“When you go to the outhouse leave the door open,” laughs another experienced cook.

Organizers tell us chuck wagons have to wait their turn for a chance to cook on Horizon HIll where Jesse Chisholm himself blazed a trail, and where ranch wagons loaded with food still stop to feed hungry crowds.

You can find more information on the Chisholm Trail Museum in Kingfisher, including events held there on their website.

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