Silver screen cowboy rides again

Benton, Kan.

The Hopalong Cassidy Cowboy Museum, containing what is said to be the world’s largest collection of Hopalong Cassidy memorabilia, opened Aug. 1 at the Prairie Rose Chuckwagon Supper complex, which has become one of Kansas’ fastest-growing tourist attractions.

Thomas Etheredge, a cowboy entrepreneur with big ideas, started outdoor chuck wagon suppers in 1999 at the property, which is 15 miles northeast of Wichita and near Benton, as a way to save the 700-acre Butler County cattle ranch that had been in his wife’s family for five generations.

People came in such droves to experience the cowboy way of life that he built the 380-seat Prairie Rose Opera House and Mercantile on the property. More than 60,000 people a year come to eat barbecue and be entertained by the house band, the Prairie Rose Wranglers, a trio that performed May 30 at Carnegie Hall.

The museum has 10,000 square feet of exhibit space and the 250-seat Bar 20 Theater, which continuously shows the 66 movies and 52 television shows that starred the popular cowboy.

Many of the hundreds of items on display are from the personal collection of Holger Wrede, president of U.S. Television Office Inc., which holds the rights to the Hopalong Cassidy name and film library.

“It’s amazing, just amazing,” Wrede said as he surveyed the Hoppy items in a three-room re-creation of a 1950s home. In a child’s bedroom were a chenille bedspread, clock, puzzles, clothes, books, rug, lamp, stick horse and belt, all of which bore likenesses of the cowboy legend.

In the living room, under the Christmas tree, were a black Hopalong bicycle, field glasses, a camera, a gun and holster set, games, a coloring book, a watch perched on a miniature saddle in a gift box, a wallet and a sleeping bag. In the kitchen, the table is set with Hopalong plates and glassware. Nearby are a box of Hoppy Pops, a lunchbox and a cookie jar with Hoppy’s likeness. At least two kinds of bread are emblazoned with “Hoppy’s Favorite” on the packaging.

“It’s everything cowboy with Hoppy as the centerpiece,” Etheredge said as he stood next to the mural showing the route of the nearby Chisholm Trail.

The Hopalong Cassidy character was created in novels and short stories by Clarence E. Mulford in 1907 and immortalized by actor William Boyd beginning in 1935. Hoppy’s popularity in the 1940s and 1950s spawned the licensing of more than 2,400 products, causing Hopalong to become known as the “King of the Merchandising Cowboys,” not unlike Etheredge, who has found an unusual way to package and market the family ranch.

In the past year he has added a train to tour the property, an Indian village replica, a working saddle shop and the Wagons Ho RV park.

The museum is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. Admission is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and $4 for ages 6 to 12. Cost for the Prairie Rose Chuckwagon Supper is $25 for adults, $15 for ages 6 to 12 and free for children younger than 6. For reservations (must be made 24 hours in advance), call (316) 778-2121 or visit www.prairierosechuckwagon.com.