How the West Was Fun

With more than 100 years of history under its belt, there is no better place to go experience Oklahoma City’s rough-and-tumble past than Stockyards City. Located just southwest of downtown, Stockyards City is home to the Oklahoma National Stock Yards—the world’s largest stocker and feeder cattle market.  Originally called “Packingtown,” the area was developed as a meat processing and packing plant in 1910, and by 1915 the area was booming with cowboys and cattle drives.

By 1961, the packing plant closed and was replaced by a cattle auction. More than 102 million head of livestock have passed through the iron gates of the Stockyards since that time, and the auction is still in operation today.

Even though the days of the cattle drive are over, the area still serves up its unique Western heritage to cattlemen and greenhorns alike. The original business district is intact and still sells its wares to Oklahoma’s farmers and ranchers, and many of the area’s stores and restaurants are among OKC’s oldest establishments. Stop in at Cattlemen’s Steakhouse for food that has won the approval of everyone from U.S. presidents to Sir Charles Barkley since 1910, and rustle up some authentic cowboy gear at Langston’s Western Wear, which was established in 1916.