Alyice on June 26th, 2009

Original 1880 Town

Feeding into my love of the old west, my husband took us to Murdo, South Dakota where I got to see over 30 original buildings dating back to 1880, along with lots of relics from the time period. While I’ve come to realize that I could never live in that era, there are many things about that era to appreciate—from historical figures to family traditions to glorious wide-open spaces with plenty of room to run amuck.

The name of the town, Original 1880 Town, is a little misleading since it doesn’t depict the buildings from an “actual” 1880 town. But that’s easy to get past since every building, on the lot, is dated back to 1880 and comes from South Dakota.

What really fascinated me about this town is the “hands-on” approach. You walk into a town with such historical value and you think, “Museum, no touching allowed.” And that’s not the case. You don’t just walk up to a window and door and peek into the buildings—well some buildings you do—but you actually get to step foot inside the buildings. And in many of the buildings, you get to touch the relics displayed—period furnishings, table settings, and old clothes.

The only relics you cannot touch are in the actual museums, the “Dances with Wolves” props display, and of course, the few buildings that haven’t been opened up to the public. Other than that, you can climb onto an old wagon or stage coach, walk the stairs of the hotel, step foot into the chapel, play a game of checkers, and climb inside an old railway car for that perfect picture.

I must admit that this town had a lot of photo opportunities and upon a return visit we plan to take full advantage of the $5 costume rentals and take lots of “period” photos—and why not, we’ll be back out that way when we drop our son off at college.

What was lacking, however, was the entertainment. Whether they choose to hire a few stage hands or ask for volunteers who perform for tips, they need to provide a little more for the entrance fee. A shoot out between gun fighters, a saloon act, a hay ride, something… Heck, a few hands-on crafting and/or baking classes from that period would be great, too!

It would also benefit the place to include a restaurant within the town where guests can enjoy old favorites: homemade pie, barbecue ribs right off the grill, and sarsaparilla. Currently, they have a snack stand that serves pop, popcorn, and jerky within the renovated hotel and a 1950s train diner outside the town but due to the hours of operation, it was closed when we arrived—which was a real downer! We had already been on the road for several hours and were ready for a nice dinner, the only food offered was prepackaged crap at the local gas station—not something you want to eat on a road trip/vacation.

Until next time…

Disclosure: I paid for this attraction. This is “my opinion”. I was not paid to give a positive review.

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Comments (2)

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Roy Kotz says:
Alyice,

Great photos!

I am a grandson of one of the owners and nephew of the other. I regularly look for blogs and other posts about the town and found yours.

As I read your post it was fun to see that you enjoyed and appreciated what my grandfather and uncle have worked so hard to create. They are truly committed to the 1880 Town and my grandfather who is now in his mid 90s glows when he is read posts and talks to people about the town. He has a story and knows the history for every piece displayed in the town.

In regards to your suggestions, they do have plans for stagecoach rides and a gun-slinging show, to be honest I thought they had started that already, and I will pass the others along to my uncle.

I am glad you enjoyed the 1880 Town and hope you return soon.

Roy Kotz
Posted at 11:01 am June 29th, 2009
Alyice says:
Roy, thanks for the comment. Wow, it would be really neat to actually know the history of each building.

Another idea, if I may, would be to have someone videotape your grandfather in an interview and offer a showing room where people can listen to his stories.

Or perhaps, use an audio recording for each building and do like they do in the wax museums where you push a little white button and play the audio as you explore the building.
Posted at 11:31 am June 29th, 2009

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