Shepler's Western Wear -- 6501 W Kellogg Dr, Wichita KS - Murals on Waymarking.com

A series of four scenes on the south wall of the Shepler's western Wear store outside of Wichita KS break up a giant blank wall. The murals depict snapshots of life on the Kansas Plains from Indian times to the era of the Chisholm Trail.

The first mural nearest the door shows three members of a Kansas Plains Indian tribe on horseback somewhere in the American Southwest. The dramatic red landforms in the background look like Utah or Northern Arizona to us. The horses seem tired on the dusty trail. It must have been a long hard day for everybody. The Indian brave in the center carries a quiver of arrows over his shoulder. They are dressed like Indians of the 1880s, in American clothing instead of buckskins.

The second vignette is a cowboy in midair as he holds on to a bucking bronc. Is he at a rodeo, or is he trying to break a wild mustang on the Plains? Without more background to give clues, we cannot say for sure, but it looks to us like the cowboy has captured a wild horse, and is trying to tame it to be his new cow pony.

The third mural is a camp at the end of a long day on the Chisholm Trail. Cowboys gather around the fire by the chuck wagon at mealtime. The cook has finished serving the beans, which a cowboy, so hungry he sat down without taking off his chaps, enjoys. The Dutch oven with the beans is off the fire and empty. A second Dutch oven with camp cobbler for dessert is on the fire, keeping warm. A cowboy on the other side of the fire has finished his meal and is entertaining his friends with a sad song on the harmonica. A third cowboy crouches next to the chuck wagon.

The final scene is of the loyalty and bravery of the cowboy. A cowboy races to the aid of his friend, who is being bucked off his spooked horse. The cowboy reaches his friend a split second too late. The 2nd cowboy is off the horse, but is still holding the reins. If he doesn't let go, he may be seriously injured. At the same time, the friend is trying to control the runaway horse. This mural reminds us that life on the Chisholm Trail was fraught with danger.

City: Wichita Location Name: Shepler's Western Wear 6501 W Kellogg Dr, Wichita KS Artist: Kent Wilson Date: 2006 Media: Paint on plaster Relevant Web Site: [Web Link]

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Date Logged Log User Rating   03/16/2013 Benchmark Blasterz visited it