The chuck wagon was invented in 1866 by Charles Goodnight as a mobile field kitchen for wagon trains, and traveling workers like cowboys and loggers. It's a tarp covered wagon pulled by horses or mules, and it uniquely carried a "chuck box" in the back that had various compartments and storage space with a hinged lid that also acted as a flat working surface.

Rich Herman relates that as he approached retirement, he and his wife, Deb, would hear people asking where they could enjoy an authentic chuckwagon dinner.  It was Deb who first proposed the idea to start the wagon dinners.  Through a connection with the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, the Hermans were able to secure a regular venue to host their dinners outside.

Deb and Rich Herman serve authentic western dinners and relate western tales of the earlier frontiersman to their guests.  Regularly sold out, and particularly popular with tourists who want to learn about Buffalo Bill and the wild west, the dinner is held regularly during the warmer summer months.

Read more about their history and recent win at the Cody Enterprise publication.