So I was riding a good kinda dark bay horse past The Long Branch Saloon. Yeah, that Long Branch
Saloon. The movie set where Gunsmoke and many other TV and western movies were shot is located outside of Apache Junction, Arizona. There was a guy who had a stable and gave horseback rides close to this movie set. He had permission to ride through this movie set if there were no movies/TV programs being shot.
I took my third daughter riding when she was six. I was told kids had to be at least eight to go on this ride. I told her if anyone asked her age she was eight. So this BIG ol' country boy, the owner, walked over, looked down at my daughter and said in a gruff voice, "How old are you?" She answered "ssseight!" 😁
I grew up watching Gunsmoke. Riding down that street was like time traveling back to my childhood. I was in Dodge City!!
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That sounds amazing.
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Sweet
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"ssseight!"
Thanks for the morning chuckle. Kids, Ya gotta luv'm 😂
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Loved Gunsmoke!! Still do in reruns. A question I have always pondered upon has to do with Doc.
Why would a doctor put his office up that long flight of stairs????? 😲
Hey Mr. Dillon! Somebody just shot BIG Willy! Chester, get him up to Doc's. 😲
It would have been very cool to have had your experience @dreher on that horseback ride with your daughter!
I don't know if my info is true or not but there was a couple of photos posted over on facebook some time ago showing the Gunsmoke, Dodge City set then, and the empty real-estate site where it once stood. If true, the whole place is no longer standing.
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In the late 80s when I had the pleasure of riding through "Dodge City" I remember thinking that that movie set was a fire waiting to happen. I figured a homeless person building a fire to cook on or keep warm or some butthole teenagers being delinquents and playing at being an arsonist and that movie set would be ashes.
I saw just how cheap that set was constructed and how dry that lumber was after sitting in the Arizona sun for over 50 years.
It was a great morning for my six (ssseight) year old daughter and myself!!
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Good stuff! I have been on Front Street in Dodge several times and the Long Branch is not there. How the hell did they get it to Arizona?!
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I believe I have been to both places. Dodge City KS recently and a few of those places in AZ - Tombstone and Old Tucson.
There was a small sign on Big Nose Kate's Saloon in Tombstone that said "No Guns Allowed." I figured it was historical and ignored it. Did note a few folks dressed up in western garb with empty holsters. I just figured they were actors.
Concealed is concealed is my personal rule.
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Never been to Dodge but did play a game of poker once with Wild Bill Hickock in the Number 10 Saloon in Deadwood SD back in '96. The game never finished as some hombre shot poor ole Bill in the back of the head right in the middle of me about to lay down my hand!! 😲
I was the "Captain" in that reenactment scene and my wife recorded it all on VHS! Priceless memories of a great vacation!
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