Manchester, Maryland - River Valley Ranch - Wild West Shootouts

Drove through the "western town" at night in August. A couple weeks after, a flash flood damaged a lot of the camp. [Glenn & Rebecca Brown, 09/18/2009]

Whoa Pardner! As you pass the farms and tract houses northeast of this rural town, suddenly you find yourself in the Old West. A western "town," complete with wooden sidewalks, false front buildings, a rodeo ring and a herd of bison is the home of a retreat and summer camp owned by a fundamentalist religious group from Baltimore. During the summer, the campers stage shootouts in front of the "sheriff's office" every Saturday afternoon, followed by a rodeo.

The corner hotel and saloon is right out of the old Gunsmoke TV series, except of course, no madame and no alcohol. There's a "chuckhouse," and a "bunkhouse" and a "livery" and cowboys roaming around in chaps and 10-gallon hats. It's either a lot of fun, or completely wacky, depending on your frame of mind.

It is laid out on both sides of a public road, just like any other small village you would encounter in this rural area. So you can just park your car and wander around. [Roger, 05/05/2002]