by Tawsha Brinkley-Davenport
Shown are chuck wagon historical re-enactors master chuck wagon cook Lynn Shackleford (left) and Dr Jason Harris, director of the Chisholm Trail Museum in Kingfisher (right). They will be the special guests at the FHC museum chuck wagon event March 1. (Contributed photo)
Get ready to relive the pioneer spirit when master chuck wagon cook Lynn Shackleford and Dr. Jason Harris, executive director of the Chislom Trail Museum in Kingfisher, present “Chuck Wagon and the Turn of the Century Saturday,” from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 1 at the Forest Heritage Museum, (FHC).
Together, the two of them will be presenting demonstrations of what life was like for a cowboy on a cattle trail during the Wild West.
“I am the director at The Chisholm, Oklahoma’s farming and ranching museum, located in Kingfisher, Okla. One of our outreach programs is traveling with the chuck wagon and doing historic cooking demonstrations. Lynn and I have been cooking on chuckwagons for more than 15 years together at various museums and as a hobby. Part of our goal with our outreach programs is to engage with community members that we do not normally interact with, promote the museum, and promote our annual Chuck Wagon Gathering in Kingfisher,” said Jason Harris.
Those in attendance at FHC will be able to sample some of the food Shackleford will prepare.
“We will be cooking cobblers, bread pudding, beans and corn bread, just like the cowboys on the trail ate years ago. Samples will be available as long as they last,” said Lynn Shackelford.
“We will be doing various cooking demonstrations throughout the day. Along the way we will talk about historic foods and share stories. It is a very informal setting and visitors to the center are free to interact with us, ask questions, and catch a taste of some chuck wagon cooking,” said Jason Harris.
“Programs such as these highlight the culinary history of early Americans as they expanded and tamed this nation. It gives us a glimpse into the daily lives of American folk figures, such as cattle drive cowboys, and helps us feel more physically connected to that era in American history,” said Kenny Sivard, president of the McCurtain County Historical Society and member of the Board of Directors of the Oklahoma Historical Society.
Chuck wagons were basically the first traveling food trucks. Charles Goodnight, a successful cattle rancher from Texas, is often credited with inventing the first chuck wagon in 1866 after the Civil War an expansion of settlers exploded across the southwest. This created a large demand for beef. Along with Goodnight’s friend Oliver Loving, they created a 2,000-mile cattle drive, entitled the Goodnight-Loving Trail which extended from Texas, to Colorado, to Wyoming.
Goodnight knew he needed a way to feed the cowboys along the trail, so he took a “chuck box,” a 4’ x 3’ hinged box, two to three feet deep, and placed it on the back end of a horse drawn army surplus wagon. He added a barrel to one side for water and a box on the other side for tools and such for wagon repairs.
Inside the hinged box, the cook could flip it down during the trail ride and prepare the meals for everyone. Inside the depth of the “chuck box,” the majority of the food was kept, along with medicines. The bed of the wagon carried the necessary supplies such as bed rolls, large food supplies, weapons and other necessities needed for the long ride that lay before them. The wagon was covered by a canvas on a bowed wood frame for protection from the elements.
Like those first trail cooks in 1866, Shackleford and Morris use much of the same utensils as authentic as possible.
“We bake in cast iron Dutch ovens, cook beans, stews and cobblers. We make a dessert called the “spotted pup,” which is a type of rice pudding, in cast
iron pots. We fry in steel skillets,” said Lynn Shackleford.
How Shackelford became a chuck wagon historian
Shackleford learned how to cook from watching and learning from his mother.
“When I was a boy, I remember my mother was the best cook ever. I remember her biscuits, pies and cobblers. I strive to cook like my mother did,” said Shackleford.
He began his cooking career at the age of 11 when he was in the boy scouts.
“I was cooking on wood fires then. I cooked a meal for the then Oklahoma Lt. Governor George Nigh at the 1960 National Boy Scout Jamboree,” said Shackleford.
One of his most challenging meals to prepare was for the U.S. Army.
“They issued us one live chicken and a gallon can with two cups of rice for five soldiers. That was interesting,” said Lynn Shackleford.
He began his chuck wagon interest more than 30 years ago.
“I attended the Chuck Wagon Gathering at the Cowboy Hall of Fame which is now the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. I was fascinated with the chuck wagon. After I retired from Tinker Air Force Base, I was fortunate enough to meet up with B.K. Nuzum who graciously let me help on his chuck wagon,” said Shackleford.
Nuzum is famously known throughout the chuck wagon culture. He recreates what life and food were like during the chuck wagon days of the late 1800s by cooking, recreating and building chuck wagons and telling stories.
“He put me to work making biscuits and cobblers and that, as they say, was the beginning of a whole new passion for cooking. Five years later, I bought a John Deere farm wagon and made it into my own chuck wagon,” said Lynn Shackelford.
The name of his chuck wagon is the “Little Dixie.”
“I have enjoyed building and equipping my own chuck wagon from the research to the physical construction, trying to be as authentic as possible. Finding an original antique item for my wagon is a real thrill,” said Lynn Shackleford.
Some of the places the “Little Dixie” has visited are the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Cheyene, Wy., Palo Duro Canyon, Texas, Lubbock, Texas, the Oklahoma History Center Museum, the Chisholm Museum in Kingfisher Okla., Ft. Washita and Ft. Towson, Okla. and Texarkana, Ark.
Historical reenactments
“We use the chuck wagon as a way to engage with people of all ages by demonstrating historic cooking and meal preparation. It is a chance to see, hear, and smell the past and engage with us. And who doesn’t like delicious food samples?” said Jason Morris.
Shackleford and the “Little Dixie,” along with Morris, has visited the Forest Heritage Center several times over the years, which include the annual folk festival.
Many involved in chuck wagons participate in cookoffs where prize awards are given to the most authentic chuck wagon and best traditional recipes. These competitions are another way cattle drive history is being preserved.
“We have participated in many chuck wagon cook-offs, but don’t anymore. We prefer “shuck wagon,” gatherings which are less formal,” said Shackleford.
Shuck wagons are a smaller version of chuck wagons. They are lighter and don’t carry as many supplies.
Like their visits to the FHC, Morris and Shackleford enjoy doing living history programs for schools and civic organizations.
“Once a year, I donate my time and services also to the Hope Retreat Ranch in Choctaw, Okla. for their annual fund raiser. The HRR uses horses to treat autistic children. I am their “unofficial” chuck wagon,” said Shackleford.
He has enjoyed being a part of the chuck wagon culture by recreating history and teaching about life on the cattle trails of the late 1800s.
“I relish in sharing what I’ve learned about chuck wagons and cattle drives. I really love to talk to folks, especially ladies my age. They always share their old-time recipes and ways to cook. I think of these conversations as opportunities to ask questions I wish I could have asked my own mother,” said Shackleford.
“We are so blessed and excited to have Lynn and his team back. They attend our annual Folk Festival and are a crowd favorite. Plus, they make the best cobbler from scratch,” said Shalee Buzan, director of the Forest Heritage Center.
“Both, Lynn Shackleford and Jason Harris are masters of their craft and bring to life, not only the hardships, processes and tools of the old west, but also the aromas and tastes of this unique period in American history,” said Kenny Sivard.
A must-see experience for American history enthusiasts of all ages, the chuck wagon demonstration brings the Wild West alive through captivating trail stories and authentic cowboy cuisine. Harris and Shackleford provide a small glimpse into the rugged lives of cattle driver cowboys and pioneers who helped to shape the American frontier.
“This episode in our nation’s history is something that is truly unique to the American experience,” said Sivard.
For more information about the Chislom museum visit their website www.thechisholm.org.
For more information about the chuck wagon program call the FHC museum at (580) 494-6497.
