# Delmonico’s Menu  (Dodge City)



## Bearcarver (May 1, 2022)

*Delmonico’s Menu**  (Dodge City)*​

I’ve seen this many times, but I finally had a pen & paper at the time.
So I copied it down, so I could post it for you guys.
It’s not always the same, but in the same BallPark:

This is the folding Blackboard Sign, in front of Delmonico’s Restaurant, on “Gunsmoke”. The menu is written in Chalk, and occasionally changed.

*Delmonico’s

Menu*
Antelope Stew——35¢
Ham & Eggs———30¢
Ham Hocks----------30¢
Steak Dinner———40¢
Pie—per cut———10¢
Coffee—————----5¢


Bear


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## SmokinAl (May 1, 2022)

I do remember .05 cent coffee. Gosh I’m old!
Al


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## smokerjim (May 1, 2022)

Can't say I remember prices like that so Al must be older, guess I could be losing marbles though.


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## Bearcarver (May 1, 2022)

SmokinAl said:


> I do remember .05 cent coffee. Gosh I’m old!
> Al


I remember a few "Nickel Beer" nights, but I can't think of any 5¢ Coffee.
"Gunsmoke" is set in the 1890s, so even You weren't around that far back!!

Bear


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## JLeonard (May 1, 2022)

Man for a buck you could get a good meal and tip the waitress pretty darn good. 

Jim


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## thirdeye (May 1, 2022)

At one point in time.... Antelope were almost as common as Buffalo, and there were herds of antelope in western Kansas.  And.... since they only weigh about 130 pounds, I could see killing one animal for one batch of stew (probably frying the backstraps for a real delicacy).   Ham, eggs and pie did not need refrigeration. All in all, looks like a good menu.

Here are some other good prices from yesteryear.


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## Bearcarver (May 1, 2022)

JLeonard said:


> Man for a buck you could get a good meal and tip the waitress pretty darn good.
> 
> Jim


Thank You Jim!!
We must not forget that it took the average guy all day long to make the Buck we're talking about, back in 1890.

Bear


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## thirdeye (May 1, 2022)

Bearcarver said:


> We must not forget that it took the average guy all day long to make the Buck we're talking about, back in 1890.
> 
> Bear


A regular cowboy could make between $25 and $40 a month. A top hand maybe $50.  I would think the wages for workers in other professions would be similar.  Railroad workers had good benefits, not sure if the wages were higher??


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## GonnaSmoke (May 1, 2022)

smokerjim said:


> Can't say I remember prices like that so Al must be older, guess I could be losing marbles though.


Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most...


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## Bearcarver (May 2, 2022)

thirdeye said:


> A regular cowboy could make between $25 and $40 a month. A top hand maybe $50.  I would think the wages for workers in other professions would be similar.  Railroad workers had good benefits, not sure if the wages were higher??



That's what I said.
I looked it up---Cowboys got about $1 per day, and that was a 10 hour day. Rail station, clerks, etc were all in the range of $1 to $1.70 per 10 hour day.
Plus I've seen thousands of westerns, and they all mention "A dollar a day & found", when hiring drovers for a drive they're forming.
Sheriff wasn't an hourly thing, but still generally was $30 a month, "if ya live that long."
However this thread was mainly to show what Diner's prices were in 1890.

Bear


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## Colin1230 (May 2, 2022)

Fun thread, Bear.  I grew up 90 miles west of Dodge City, KS.  Not much to see out there but what you do see you can eat.   Cattle and farm ground for as far as you can see and flat as a pancake!  There are still antelope herds in Eastern Colorado where there isn't as much tilled farm ground. My older brother still lives out there, I visit occasionally.


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## sawhorseray (May 2, 2022)

Watched an episode of Gunsmoke the other day where some Irish guy opened a bar across the street from the Long Branch so Miss Kitty would go broke and have to marry him. Whisky for 10¢ a drink! RAY


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## Bearcarver (May 2, 2022)

smokerjim said:


> Can't say I remember prices like that so Al must be older, guess I could be losing marbles though.



I believe Al's older than water!!

Bear


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## Bearcarver (May 2, 2022)

Colin1230 said:


> Fun thread, Bear.  I grew up 90 miles west of Dodge City, KS.  Not much to see out there but what you do see you can eat.   Cattle and farm ground for as far as you can see and flat as a pancake!  There are still antelope herds in Eastern Colorado where there isn't as much tilled farm ground. My older brother still lives out there, I visit occasionally.


That sounds interesting!!
I guess Miss Kitty is looking pretty rough these days!!

Bear


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## sawhorseray (May 2, 2022)

Amanda Blake, aka Miss Kitty, died in Sacramento in 1989 John. Probably wouldn't even recognize these days! RAY


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## Bearcarver (May 2, 2022)

sawhorseray said:


> Amanda Blake, aka Miss Kitty, died in Sacramento in 1989 John. Probably wouldn't even recognize these days! RAY


Yup---Amanda Blake died in 1989, and James Arness died in 2011, but Matt Dillon & Miss Kitty will never die! RIP James & Amanda.

Bear


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## bbqbrett (May 2, 2022)

sawhorseray said:


> Watched an episode of Gunsmoke the other day where some Irish guy opened a bar across the street from the Long Branch so Miss Kitty would go broke and have to marry him. Whisky for 10¢ a drink! RAY


I saw that one not too long ago.  Kitty was not happy!


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## Colin1230 (May 2, 2022)

Bearcarver said:


> That sounds interesting!!
> I guess Miss Kitty is looking pretty rough these days!!
> 
> Bear


Now that is hilarious!  Reason is my first cousin was Miss Kitty for 12 years singing and dancing for the tourists at Boot Hill.


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## GaryHibbert (May 3, 2022)

You could sure get a full meal for the price back then, for about the same as it would cost now.  But I'll pass on the antelope stew--tastes too much like goat for my liking.
Gary


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## MJB05615 (May 3, 2022)

Nice throwback, way back, John.


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## Bearcarver (May 3, 2022)

bbqbrett said:


> I saw that one not too long ago.  Kitty was not happy!


One of my favorites is when the bad guy was faster than Dillon, and shot him on the wrist. So he was laughing at Dillon & told him it wouldn't be fair to gun him now, so go to the Doc & get your arm fixed. Then come back & we'll do it again.
So Doc's out of town, and Chester has to bandage Dillon's arm. They get it fixed up, and are heading back to the street in front of the Long Branch. Everybody's worried, this time the guy will Kill Dillon, because he's faster than Dillon, but Kitty isn't worried. She shoots the guy in the back, and the game is over. Dillon lives to fight another day.

Bear


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## Bearcarver (May 4, 2022)

Colin1230 said:


> Now that is hilarious!  Reason is my first cousin was Miss Kitty for 12 years singing and dancing for the tourists at Boot Hill.


Cool Job!!!
I have a Niece who dance a few years at "Busch Gardens". Then she danced a few years on a West Coast Cruise Ship. Now she has her own Dance Studio, in East Greenville, PA.

Bear


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## 1MoreFord (May 4, 2022)

While on the subject of Gunsmoke, another bit of trivia.

The guy who gets shot by Marshall Dillon in the opening of each show was never credited but his name was Arvo Ojala.  He was the fast draw artist who taught most of the old western stars how to handle guns and draw.  He said the residuals from that one scene bought him many Cadillacs over the years.  You can look him up on the net.  He also designed the first fast draw holsters.


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## Bearcarver (May 4, 2022)

1MoreFord said:


> While on the subject of Gunsmoke, another bit of trivia.
> 
> The guy who gets shot by Marshall Dillon in the opening of each show was never credited but his name was Arvo Ojala.  He was the fast draw artist who taught most of the old western stars how to handle guns and draw.  He said the residuals from that one scene bought him many Cadillacs over the years.  You can look him up on the net.  He also designed the first fast draw holsters.


Yup---That's him!!
I've seen him thousands of times, but from far away.

Thanks,
Bear


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## Bearcarver (May 4, 2022)

More interesting Trivia:
In 2013, Marshall Trimble, the board president of the Arizona Historical Society and vice president of the Wild West History Association, documented that Matt Dillon's TV character was shot *at least 56 times*, knocked unconscious 29 times, stabbed three times, and poisoned once.

Bear


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## Chasdev (May 4, 2022)

I liked the catfish stew that sometimes showed up too.


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## OldSmoke (May 4, 2022)

10 cent coffee, and dimers nights...


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## OldSmoke (May 4, 2022)

Bearcarver said:


> One of my favorites is when the bad guy was faster than Dillon


We used to watch the show at grandma‘s. She had a color tv!

It always amazed me how you could show up unannounced, and all of a sudden, a pot roast with all the fixings would appear!


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## Bearcarver (May 5, 2022)

Chasdev said:


> I liked the catfish stew that sometimes showed up too.


Festus was crazy about it too, as I'm sure I would have been!

Bear


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## 1MoreFord (May 5, 2022)

Speaking of Festus, Ken Curtis was on Gunsmoke a few times before he became the character Festus.  The first time he was Festus he was chasing his Uncle Black Jack Haggen(Denver Pyle) to kill him for killing his twin brother Fergus.  It was never mentioned again that Festus had a brother.  He then came back another couple of times as another character before becoming Festus full time.  Cleaned up he's almost unrecognizable.

He was one of the regulars in some John Wayne/John Ford movies as he was John Ford's SIL at one time.  He was also the lead tenor for the Sons of the Pioneers.  He sang in some John Wayne movies but, being cleaned up, he was hard to recognize.


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## Bearcarver (May 5, 2022)

1MoreFord said:


> Speaking of Festus, Ken Curtis was on Gunsmoke a few times before he became the character Festus.  The first time he was Festus he was chasing his Uncle Black Jack Haggen(Denver Pyle) to kill him for killing his twin brother Fergus.  It was never mentioned again that Festus had a brother.  He then came back another couple of times as another character before becoming Festus full time.  Cleaned up he's almost unrecognizable.
> 
> He was one of the regulars in some John Wayne/John Ford movies as he was John Ford's SIL at one time.  He was also the lead tenor for the Sons of the Pioneers.  He sang in some John Wayne movies but, being cleaned up, he was hard to recognize.



Yup---I've seen him a few other places too. I liked him more than Chester, and I always get a kick out of when he's always screwing with Burt Reynolds. When Dillon is outnumbered, he could count of Festus for some help, but Chester was usually helpless.

Bear


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## gmc2003 (May 5, 2022)

I thought Newly made the best deputy. 

Chris


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## Bearcarver (May 6, 2022)

gmc2003 said:


> I thought Newly made the best deputy.
> 
> Chris


Yes he was, but I considered him "Part-time" deputy & Part-time Doctor & Full-time Gunsmith.

Bear


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## Bearcarver (May 6, 2022)

sawhorseray said:


> Watched an episode of Gunsmoke the other day where some Irish guy opened a bar across the street from the Long Branch so Miss Kitty would go broke and have to marry him. Whisky for 10¢ a drink! RAY



That's funny---We must be a couple days behind you. The "10¢ Whiskey Sign" was still up, by the front door.
I just watched that episode again yesterday. It was an old Gold Miner who bought "The Lady Gay" saloon, to try to run Kitty out of Biz. It worked too, but then his partner was going to kill Kitty, and the Miner who fell for Kitty ended up killing him to save Kitty. So they buried one & the other one sold out & left town, and Kitty opened the Long Branch back up.

Bear


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## Bearcarver (May 7, 2022)

MJB05615 said:


> Nice throwback, way back, John.


Yup---This was even before I was born!!
Thanks Mike!

Bear


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## Bearcarver (May 7, 2022)

OldSmoke said:


> We used to watch the show at grandma‘s. She had a color tv!
> 
> It always amazed me how you could show up unannounced, and all of a sudden, a pot roast with all the fixings would appear!


LOL---When I was about 5 years old, my Grandparents lived next door, about 50 yards away. We both had Black & White TV, but my Dad didn't watch "Lassie" on Sunday night, so I'd run over there & watch Lassie, with my Grand-Mom. 
Then I'd run back home, in the dark so I could watch "Bonanza" with my Dad.
Meanwhile my big brother would hide in the bushes, and jump out & scare the Hell out of me!! (RIP Brother Jim)

Bear


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## Bearcarver (May 7, 2022)

1MoreFord said:


> Speaking of Festus, Ken Curtis was on Gunsmoke a few times before he became the character Festus.  The first time he was Festus he was chasing his Uncle Black Jack Haggen(Denver Pyle) to kill him for killing his twin brother Fergus.  It was never mentioned again that Festus had a brother.  He then came back another couple of times as another character before becoming Festus full time.  Cleaned up he's almost unrecognizable.
> 
> He was one of the regulars in some John Wayne/John Ford movies as he was John Ford's SIL at one time.  He was also the lead tenor for the Sons of the Pioneers.  He sang in some John Wayne movies but, being cleaned up, he was hard to recognize.



It's funny---When I see these people, like "Festus" on another program, I call Mrs Bear in, and ask her who that guy is. Most of the time she doesn't get it.
Some times I don't even get it until I hear the voice.
Kinda like the easy one----Hot Shot Quick Draw "Sammy Davis Jr" on "The Rifleman".  Or how 'bout this one----Vic Morrow on Bonanza.
Buddy Hacket on "The Rifleman".
Then if you ever watched "Adam-12"  you'd notice they had most of the cast of "The Dick Van Dyke" show on Adam-12 as guests.

Bear


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