LODGEPOLE - Gordy Wilkins doesn't do much cooking out of his chuckwagon anymore, but still uses the unique item for history events across the area, including Alliance, Sidney and Ogallala. 

Wilkins, who lives in his wife's great grandfather's homestead of 1883 in Lodgepole, displayed his chuckwagon at the 98th Annual Old Settlers' Days Car Show on Saturday. 

The chuckwagon was converted from a 1905 Studebaker in Wyoming. Wilkins said he bought the wagon from a friend after they cooked together for three years, using the wagon.

"They (the cowboys) carried sugar, biscuits, beans, flour, and that was it," Wilkins said. "They cooked with that. Every now and then, they'd kill a buffalo, or if they could find some eggs in a nest, they'd haul that right here. That was a delicacy."

Cowboys on the trail, coming from Texas to Nebraska to work on the railroad, would use chuckwagons to feed the group of people they were traveling with. 

Wilkins, who has worked with the Pony Express since 1999, also served as the master of ceremonies for the car show. He says it was a great turnout at the show for a small town.

"All these towns, the people pitch in, and they give a tremendous family event," Wilkins said. "This was a great turn out. It was a great day." 

Wilkins has lived in Lodgepole since 1978 and recommends a visit to the village's museum, which features the third biggest Pony Express display in America. The display in Lodgepole has 110,000 pieces. 

Lodgepole's Old Settlers' Days is the second oldest festival in Cheyenne County. Sidney owns the oldest with the Cheyenne County Fair, which was established in 1886. 

While he may not cook anymore, Wilkins says he doesn't shy away from making and have a cup of cowboy coffee out of his chuckwagon. No coffee was seen on a 90-degree day in Lodgepole on Saturday.