Cowboy Christmas featured in  Pioneer Town

By CAROLYN ROST | South Central Texas Edition

One of the buildings within the Village of Wimberley’s historic square was a good landing spot for Santa and his sleigh pulled by armadillos. Wimberley is also the site of a unique Pioneer Town which is also decorated for the holidays. � Staff photo by Rost

Dec. 22, 2005 - A saloon, a livery stable and a blacksmith shop ... a rarity in today’s times, so they are certainly worth a look at – especially when they are all gussied up for the holidays.

These buildings are just a few of the old Western-type buildings that make up Pioneer Town, located off Wayside Drive in Wimberley. This time of year, the town offers a holiday-decorated venture into days gone by.

The historical “town,” started by the Czichos family from Houston in the mid 1950s, offers a look back at a time when early settlers utilized businesses such as a blacksmith and livery. Today, a walk down the street brings to mind visions of cowboysgoing about their daily lives — from quenching their thirst in the saloon after a long day on the range to getting a shave and a haircut (for 2 bits) at the barber shop.

The historical Pioneer Town will be open to visitors through Jan. 1. The buildings, such as the Pioneer Emporium, offer a unique experience. � Staff photo by Rost

Other buildings include a post office, cafe, hotel (rooms for 25 cents), bank, opera house, emporium, jewelry store, assay office (where gold and ore would be analyzed), chapel, gazette, pawn shop and gun shop.

When the replica town was first built, the cafe, opera house and emporium, which was a gift shop, were fully operational. For the last 10 years, however, it’s been virtually shut down, according to Terrie Bursiel with the Wimberley Assocation of Preservation. 

Efforts are under way by the association in hopes of raising enough money within five weeks to revitalize it.

�We want to bring it back and try to make it a cultural area for students and young people in this area,� said Bursiel.

One of the buildings is a museum, which has a one-of-a-kind, complete collection of bronze Remingtons.

�It�s the only complete collection that anybody knows of in the United States,� said Bursiel. �We want to be able to build a new museum for (the guns) and a children�s museum, and just make it a cultural area for Hays County and Wimberley.

�There�s a lot of good that can be done with that property � educational and cultural,� added Bursiel.

Through Jan. 1, visitors to Pioneer Town can stroll through the unique streets, decorated with holiday lights, from 5:30 to 9 p.m.

For more information about Pioneer Town, contact Terrie Bursiel with the Wimberley Association of Preservation at 1-800-460-3909.