t The Real West Symposium

• Dates: April 28, 2023
• Location: Various locations
• Time: April 28-30

For the sixth year, Saint Jo Historical Society hosts The Real West Symposium, which explores what the West was actually like in the 1800s. Saint Jo is an authentic 1850 vintage cowtown located right on the storied Chisholm Trail. With a tree-covered town square and authentic 1800s storefronts, it is the perfect place for Western history to come to life.This year’s noted speakers include Michael Grauer, director of the Cowboy Hall of Fame; Dr. Jody Ginn, director of the Texas Rangers Museum/Foundation; Dr. Byron Price, retired director of the Charles M. Russell Center for the Study of the American West; and Art T. Burton, an authority on Bass Reeves accompanied by Ernest Marsh, a Bass Reeves reenactor.Friday night features a patrons dinner in the Windmill Grill & Saloon; period attire is encouraged. Saturday has presentations in the Saint Jo Theater followed by a lunch and evening wine reception and book signing at Davis and Blevins Gallery.Two area concerts later in the evening include Michael Martin Murphey and Shinyribs.An authentic chuck-wagon breakfast on the actual Chisholm Trail rounds out the weekend on Sunday morning.