Old Cowtown Museum, History museum in Wichita, United States

Old Cowtown Museum is a history museum in Wichita, Kansas, with 54 historic and re-created buildings on 23 acres beside the Arkansas River. Its structures include a period farm and outbuildings, and one building shows a pale upper gable above walls of horizontal squared timbers with pale chinking, a dark shingled roof with two dormers, and brown doors and window frames.

Old Cowtown Museum opened in 1952, when private owners moved historic structures to the site beside the Arkansas River; some buildings had been relocated twice before. The grounds lie off the original Chisholm Trail, which ran along Wichita's east side from 1867 to 1871. In 1872 a rail link to Newton made Wichita a railhead for Texas cattle drives, the trade that gave the city its "Cowtown" nickname.

Costumed interpreters demonstrate tasks inside the historic buildings, and the museum keeps live Texas Longhorns, Durham shorthorn cattle and sheep on the grounds. The artifact collection holds more than 12,000 items from the late 19th century, ranging from farm wagons to teaspoons. The site has also served as a film set, including for "The Only Good Indian" in 2007 and "Midnight Shanghai" in 2016.

The best way to explore the grounds is on foot, as the buildings are spread across the property. Plan to spend several hours visiting the different structures and the working farm area.

The farm at the museum operates as it did in the 1800s, with Durham cows, sheep, and chickens that visitors can feed and interact with directly. This living aspect makes the experience far more tangible than simply viewing old objects.