Tumbleweed Smith

Glenn Moreland in Fort Davis is preserving the Western way of life.  He’s a popular figure at chuck wagon cooking competitions.

“Back before they started having chuck wagon cookoffs, I was into shooting black powder rifles,” says Glenn.  “This is a great place for that because the sound of those rifles echoes up and down these mountains.  I had always wanted to do chuck wagon cooking, so I got into that.  Then I did a lot of catering, cooking on ranches.  We also did weddings and special occasions.”

He not only provided the food, he provided the entertainment, too.  He plays fiddle and guitar and sings old cowboy songs. But Glenn’s first love is old wagons.  If you want to know anything about them, just ask Glenn.

“Peter Schuttler was the Cadillac of the wagons. They were based in Chicago.  Studebaker was the only company that made actual chuck wagons.“

Glenn has been working on wagons for more than 50 years, and the wagons he has worked on are all over the United States and beyond. “Arizona, Oklahoma, among other places - they’re all over Texas,” he says.  “I built one from scratch that went to Australia.  I show off my wagons in October at the Fort Worth Stockyards for a western event. There’s a bunch of wagons there.”

This past year he opened Moreland’s Wagon Barn near his home in Fort Davis. Eight authentic wagons in pristine condition are on display. 

“I try to get the paint schemes right, like they were originally.  I make sure the hardware is correct.  I have a lot of antique hardware.  I’ve done some museum work building and restoring stagecoaches.”

Glenn works by himself, a common practice among people who are in that line of work.

“There’s a lot of small, one-man shops like mine that do restoration work.  Some of them don’t do their own wheels, so I do a bunch of work on wheels for other people.“

He started working on wagons while he was a cattle inspector in the Houston area. 

“I’d see these wagons rotting away in yards or barns and I’d ask the owner if they were for sale.  I bought my first John Deere wagon for $25.   I paid $15 for another one.“

His talents don’t stop with wagons, cooking, performing, and shooting black powder rifles. He does wood carvings of cowboys.  A glass cabinet is full of his work.  Some items are miniature authentic wagons that he made from scratch.

His wagon barn museum doesn’t have set hours of operation, but if you drop in and he’s there, he’ll give you a tour.