Colorado Chuckwagon Dinners
Colorado’s Western heritage is celebrated on a regular basis at chuckwagon dinners and shows around the state. Some of our favorites and ones that we recommend if you’re in the area:
- The M Lazy C at Lake George is a scenic drive west from Colorado Springs, with dinner and a show awaiting.
- Two Below Zero between Breckenridge and Frisco is great family fun and good eatin’.
- Bar D Chuckwagon in Durango is a spread of wholesome food and lively cowboy music.
- There’s a Chuckwagon Cowboy Gathering in eastern Colorado near Wray.
The Chuckwagon Tradition
The concept of the chuckwagon came from the old Western frontier days. Charles Goodnight, a Texas Rancher known as the father of the panhandle (Texas), introduced the concept of a traveling food wagon in 1866. In the glory days of the expansion of the American West, the open range was the dominant way of having a cattle operation. The chuckwagon was an integral part of the cattle drive. Commonly, cowboys, many of them working together, would drive huge herds of cattle across the plains or from one large cattle operation to another. Often, these cattle drives would take weeks, if not months, and feeding the cowboys along the way was a big part of the operation.
A Typical Chuckwagon Dinner
The traditional dinner was fairly standard as the cuisine was mostly on hoof or brought along as a dry good.
- Sourdough biscuits, biscuits & gravy – bags of flower, gravy from beef.
- Beans – bags of dry pinto beans. Sometimes, all you got were beans.
- Beef or game – unfortunates butchered along the way.
- Occasional vegetables – acquired from homesteaders along the way.
- Coffee – beans boiled in pots, cowboy-style.
- Liquor – as long as it lasted.
Today’s dinners include much of these basic foods but usually with a bit more flare, such as smoked meats or a selection of steaks, fish, backed beans flavored to our liking, jams and jellies, pies and other deserts, and more.
The Cowboy Hoedown
You might wonder why chuckwagon dinners usually have a hoedown, a dance, or music associated with them. Well, often, when the cowboys reached their final stop or roundup, it was pretty much a party. Saloons would be in full tilt, music a playing, card games in full swing, and you can guess the rest. Sometimes, these occasions turned into rodeos. Not only cattle ended up being exchanged, but horses too. It was a full affair.
Today’s Chuckwagon Rendition
In memory of the old-time chuckwagon experience. Today’s establishments usually combine some variation of traditional foods with some sort of traditional entertainment, either a dance or live country western music or both. Often, modern-day rodeos will serve food from a chuckwagon or something along those lines.
Milquetoast & Co.
Mar 23
1080 14th Street, Denver, COMilquetoast & Co. is becoming one of the staple bands in Denver keeping the sound thread weaving; feverishly creatin
Banner Fort Collins Medical Center Bloomin’ Bunny Bash
Mar 23
4700 Lady Moon Dr, Fort Collins, COJoin us at Banner Fort Collins Medical Center (4700 Lady Moon Drive) for a Bloomin’ Bunny Bash from 9 a.m. to noon
Denver Rock Orchestra Presents: Ladies of the 80s
Mar 29
9995 E Colfax Ave., Aurora, CODenver Rock Orchestra is a female-founded 501c3 nonprofit orchestra celebrating popular music by combining the high art
Denver Rock Orchestra Presents: Ladies of the 80s
Mar 30
9995 E Colfax Ave., Aurora, CODenver Rock Orchestra is a female-founded 501c3 nonprofit orchestra celebrating popular music by combining the high art
In It’s Many Colors
Apr 07
Zion Lutheran Church, 815 E 16th Street, Loveland, COThe Rocky Mountain Chamber Singers’ concert theme this season “In Its Many Colors” is a celebration of the wonderf
Then & Now: Reel Music – Fort Collins Symphony
Apr 12
2908 S Timberline Road, Fort Collins, COSpend an evening immersed in the memorable music of Hollywood’s Silver Screen. From the iconic themes of “007 James
TAKT Trio
Apr 19
2344 E Iliff Ave, Denver, COCelebrating György Ligeti’s centennial, TAKT Trio presents the composer’s Trio for Violin, Horn, and Piano,
Earth Day Celebration of Ecotourism
Apr 20
200 West Mountain Avenue, Fort Collins, COIn a salute to Earth Day in April, the Global Adventures club at the Global Village Museum of Arts and Cultures is hosti
Brew at the Zoo presented by Three Corners Connector
Apr 27
3455 Nuckolls Ave, Pueblo, COPueblo’s favorite festival is back for its 7th year! Pueblo Zoos Brew at the Zoo presented by Three Corners Connec
Battle MMA Championships 13
Apr 27
Norris Penrose Indoor Event Center, 1045 Lower Gold Camp Rd, Colorado Springs, COAn adrenaline-fueled epic night filled with fights! Local fighters go head-to-head in battle, showcasing their skills in