Representing a business district of an 1870’s town, Cowtown’s commercial buildings depict the types of businesses common to most towns in the “Old West.” Here are a few samplings of the business and industrial areas:

Train Depot

The Wichita and Southwestern Railroad Company linked with the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad to the north, increasing the flow of people, goods and cultural influences from the East.

Drugstore

See medicines made from herbs, roots, bark, berries, various oils and dry powders.

Blacksmith

America experienced the industrial revolution as the railroad carried products from the eastern industries , turning the blacksmith into a repair man.

Meat Market

As hunters supplied local and Eastern markets with wild game such as buffalo, elk, deer, and antelope, meat markets like this one thrived by providing local residents with a steady supply of domestic meats and wild game.

Fritz Snitzler’s Saloon

A popular saloon and restaurant, Fritz Snitzler’s Saloon provided a setting for eating, drinking and gambling. Monthly license fees for gambling and prostitution paid for many city services, preventing the need for taxes.

Arkansas Valley Grain Elevator