The Flying W Ranch is a working

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited Summit (topography), summit area, and ...

cattle ranch A ranch (from es, rancho/Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of a farm. These terms are most often ...

, and since 1953, a

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...

and entertainment venue in the foothills of

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

. From May to October, the ranch features outdoor

chuckwagon A chuckwagon is a type of field kitchen covered wagon historically used for the storage and transportation of food and cooking equipment on the prairies of the United States and Canada. Such wagons formed part of a wagon train of settlers or fed ...

supper Supper was originally a secondary lighter evening meal. The main meal of the day, called dinner, used to be served closer to what is known as lunchtime, around the middle of the day, but crept later over the centuries, mostly over the course of ...

s typical of those served on

cattle drives A cattle drive is the process of moving a herd of cattle from one place to another, usually moved and herded by cowboys on horses. Europe In medieval central Europe, annual cattle drives brought Hungarian Grey cattle across the Danube River ...

, and western style

living history Living history is an activity that incorporates historical tools, activities and dress into an interactive presentation that seeks to give observers and participants a sense of stepping back in time. Although it does not necessarily seek to ree ...

areas. After burning in the Waldo Canyon Fire in 2012, the owners are rebuilding the Ranch and reopening the Chuckwagon Supper for the 2020 season, with its first dinner and show on May 21, 2020.

Flying W Ranch History

Russ and Marian Wolfe started the Flying W Chuckwagon in 1953. During the summer, people would come out from town to ride horses over the extensive ranch lands with Russ Wolfe ramrodding the outings. Some evenings, the group would be small enough for Marian to invite the riders to share in a "potluck." Russ and Marian decided to make the affair a regular event – a scenic horseback ride followed by a home-cooked meal under the stars around an open camp fire. Over time, brick by brick, Russ and Marian built the unique and diverse Western Village. Eventually consisting of 29 structures, including the Church, Jail, School House, Taos Pueblo, Printing Press, Kiva, Library, Drug Store, Homestead, Ute Theater, Train Depot, and more. All of these structures were built or transferred to the ranch. Until the Waldo Canyon Fire in 2012, beginning the first weekend in October, meals and

entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have developed over thousa ...

moved indoors to the Winter Steakhouse, which was originally the Ute Theatre in Colorado Springs. The building was dismantled after it closed in 1968 and moved to a new location at the Flying W where it was rebuilt as a steakhouse. Shows were performed in the Winter Steakhouse from October through the third weekend in December, and again from early March through mid May. The Picketwire Bar, named for the

Purgatoire River The Purgatoire River ( es, Río Purgatorio) is a river in southeastern Colorado, United States. The river is also known locally as the Purgatory River or the Picketwire River. ''Purgatoire'' means Purgatory in French. French trappers named the ri ...

was built in the 1880s and moved to the ranch in 1969. The Flying W Chuckwagon (with the Flying W Wranglers) is part of the ''Chuckwagon Association of the West'', which consists of five other member chuckwagons located in

Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, and Colorado, all of which featured traditional chuck-wagon cooking, followed by professional-quality after-supper entertainment of comedy and western songs. The Flying W Ranch was destroyed by the Waldo Canyon fire on June 26, 2012. The owners have committed to rebuilding it and portions the ranch reopened July 10, 2020. The General Manager at the time, Jay Chladek, had his wedding and reception June 22, 2012, and left for his honeymoon the morning of the evacuation. He was still on his honeymoon when the Flying W Ranch was destroyed by the fire. He worked for the Flying W Ranch for almost 27 years. The final event at the location was a wedding in the Old Chapel on Saturday June 23, 2012, the day the fire started. The wedding party and guests were evacuated by police immediately following the service as staff and employees rushed to save as many artifacts as possible. On June 29, 2019 ground was broken on a new 8000 square foot event facility that will seat 900. Also on tap will be a donkey barn, animal activities, and garden areas, among other amenities. Flying W Wranglers 2020

Flying W Foundation

Following the destruction of the Flying W Ranch and 346 homes within the neighboring community of Mountain Shadows, the Flying W Ranch Foundation was formed. The Flying W Ranch Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Their purpose and mission is to restore and mitigate the Waldo Canyon burn area, preserve the history of the Old West, and be a blessing to the community. The Foundation does work such as: * Installing log erosion control structures to stabilize hill slopes and drainages prone to flood events * Planting seed and spreading mulch over acres of burned terrain * Planting saplings to jumpstart the restoration of the forest * Removing noxious weeds * Mastication of burned tree stands

References

External links

Flying W Ranch home page
{{coord, 38, 55, 39, N, 104, 52, 14, W, display=title Tourist attractions in Colorado Springs, Colorado Ranches in Colorado 1953 establishments in Colorado Country music groups from Colorado Landmarks in Colorado Buildings and structures in Colorado Springs, Colorado

Flying W Ranch History

Flying W Foundation

See also

References

External links