7/6/2007:
What do you with a fifty-five foot, two and a half ton gorilla?
Rawhide City was first located seven miles south of Dickinson on Highway twenty-two. The city was the brainchild of two Dickinson men who had been connected by their interest in the old west, and antiques. Bob Watts and Harold Sweitz built their dream town inside of a 50 by 120 foot steel building, using lumber from an old Hebron school to construct the two level main street.
By the summer of 1974, Rawhide City's 13 businesses were open to the public. >From the bank to the library, visitors were able to enter and explore each business, learn about artifacts and history of the area, shop for antiques, and view over 400 of Watt's paintings in the art gallery.
Several years after Rawhide's opening, Watts added another piece to his art collection; a giant mechanical gorilla. Created by Watts from metal and foam, this gorilla, also known as Og, kept a silent, yet impressive, watch over the city where it lay outside of Dickinson.
Four years after its opening, Rawhide City and Og made the move to Mandan, in an effort to avoid highway construction near their original location in Dickinson. Newly located on Interstate 94, the Old West Town, and especially Og, received a lot of local attention. Many area residents supported a new tourist attraction, while others thought the gorilla was too over the top and had nothing to do with North Dakota or the Old West. Ignoring any objections, Og loomed over the interstate as Watts had intended him to.
Soon after relocating to Mandan, Watts sold his Rawhide City to two retired Mandan residents, Jack Hopfauf and Dean Olson, who reopened the attraction in July of 1981. Which leads to the question... What do you do with a 55 foot, two and a half ton gorilla?
On this date in 1981, readers of The Bismarck Tribune were treated to a tale of the newly revamped, reopened indoor Old West Town, and a possibly, homeless gorilla. After years of keeping watch over the tiny town, Og's place in the Old West was being questioned. Under new management, Og and Rawhide City faced separation.
Although equipped with lower admission fees, a larger concession stand, and plans to give Og a facelift, business at Rawhide City faltered. Only a couple years after reopening in 1981, and after nearly ten years of taking visitors back through time, Rawhide's doors closed forever.
But what about Og?
Og was purchased by Glen Lelm of Harvey. Lelm planned on showcasing the gorilla on the roof of his implement building, but after his insurance company shot down the plan, Og found himself on his back, forgotten, for over ten years.
Finally, in 1993, a retired Harvey resident by the name of Bert Miller thought Og might be useful in putting a "little life" back into his hometown. Og was soon relocated along highway 52, enticing visitors with the slogan, "Come to Harvey and monkey around!"
Over a decade later, Og was damaged beyond repair in a storm. One can only hope that Og is in the Old West afterlife, guarding over the Rawhide City that once entertained and educated visitors of all ages.
By Ann Erling
Sources:
The Bismarck Tribune
"Rawhide City is a 'Dry' Town". May 25, 1974.
"Rawhide City Open With New Features". July 6, 1981.
Dickinson Press
"Rawhide City is Frontier Town". April 7, 1974.
Mandan Pioneer
"Old West Alive in Mandan". June 4, 1978.
The Herald Press
"Ready or Not, Here Comes Og!". October 18, 1993.
Rawhide City Brochure, 1974.