John Moss on Hammy fires the first shot as the Mason Dixon Cowboys prepare to ‘rob’ the Northern Central Railroad in New Freedom, PA. The gang is looking for new ‘outlaws’ to join the fun. Credit: John Moss.
Imagine the rough and tumble Wild West, where outlaws like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid robbed banks, trains and stagecoaches. Now, you can experience it yourself. Grab your cowboy hat, board the train and meet the Mason Dixon Cowboys. Better yet, you can join them and become a cowboy too.
The Mason Dixon Cowboys bring the late 1800s to life, chasing trains on horseback, brandishing pistols and robbing patrons. And now, they’re looking for new recruits.
“We’ve been around for 12 or 15 years,” said cowboy reenactor John Moss of Coatesville, PA. A retired veterinary surgeon, horses have been a part of his life for as long as he can remember. Moss – who goes by Clambone Doc -- spoke of how the group was formed.
“We were all Civil War reenactors. Going from the Civil War to the Wild West wasn’t a big step,” he said. “We were at a Civil War event at Old Bedford Village when we saw they were doing a Wild West event the next week. We didn’t know what it was, but they were looking for horses and it sounded like fun.”
So, the group signed up to reenact the James Younger gang’s Northfield bank robbery, which took place in Minnesota in September 1876.
“I studied the history and actually got the court records,” Moss said. “I wrote a script of the bank robbery that involved eight horses and many people in the town. We each took specific names, like Jesse James, Cole Younger, Frank James and the others. We’re not actors, but we explained the history to the people and how the Civil war lingered throughout the 1870s.”
Fellow Mason Dixon Cowboys member, Carol Popadick of Atglen, PA, remembered it well.
“I said I would be Quail Miller, who got shot off his horse. [My horse] was really good with that, so I’d roll off the horse and die in the street. Petey knew not to run off.”
The group continued to participate in events at Old Bedford Village, moving on to robbing the stagecoach and other reenactments.
“It’s all ad-lib,” Moss said with a laugh. Sometimes it’s funny and sometimes it goes over like a lead balloon. We try to make the uniforms, tack and our clothing as accurate as possible. One of my hobbies is that I love making all the clothes and historic tack. I made an 1883 stock saddle and did a Buffalo Bill impression for several years.”
Popadick laughed too.
“It’s amazing at times, he said. “Sometimes we do generic reenactments from history, but when you’re full speed on a horse and shooting in the air it’s really exciting.”
Then, five or six years ago, someone found the Steam into History ride at the Northern Central Railway in New Freedom, PA. Moss called the train station. They had robbed banks and stagecoaches, but never a train. Would they be interested? They were.
“I had a big Percheron back then who was the best horse ever,” Moss said. “We started doing these charity train robberies. You’d go in the morning, rob three trains and be done. In New Freedom, they have an 1863 replica steam engine.”
Chris Morgan of Westminster, MD took her grandson Cole to ride the train. She said he loved it.
“When you get on the train, they give you coins and jewelry and some of the cowboys board the train too,” Morgan said. “My husband, Keith hid some coins in his hat but when the bandits came, Cole spilled the beans and said, ‘My grandfather has money in his hat!’”.
According to Morgan, everything was realistic, from the clothing to the saddles and guns.
“The guns were shooting blanks and it was loud,” she said with a laugh. “It was a lot of fun, and we would definitely do it again.”
Popadick said the reaction is always phenomenal.
“Because they love horses, people stay and talk a long time and ask us to pose for pictures,” he said. “It’s a chance to touch the Wild West and the kids love it. My horse, Petey had his own entourage of kids. Now I have a Tennessee walker named Midnight.”
Popadick bought Midnight in anticipation of retiring Petey. When he tried her out, he made sure he had his gun, to see how she reacted to gunfire.
“She jumped a little but other than that was great, so I knew she’d be okay,” he said. “There are flags, crowds, bridges, streams, steam engines, bells and whistles and there are fire engines when we’re in a parade. It’s a lot.”
The horses must also be familiar with picket lines, campfires and people who don’t know much about horses.
“I spent hours with my horse in the round pen, shooting the gun and teaching him to neck rein,” Moss said.
Outlaws and Peacemakers
Bob Alexander runs another cowboy group called Outlaws and Peacemakers. They organize the train robberies at Northern Central Railway in York County, PA.
“We’re there in costume meeting and greeting people as they come into the station and answering any questions they have,” Alexander said. “We load the money and gold into the freight car. There is a little shootout, then we board the train and engage the kids in conversation and get the history and fun going. Many cowboys, with and without badges, are walking through the train, so people trying to figure out who each one is.”
Alexander said the train stops in the small town of Seitzland before heading back to the station. A script plays out, with outlaws locking lawmen into the freight car. The loot is carried off the train. When the good guys get loose, they head for the “hideaway,” confront the bandits, and a shootout develops.
“The good guys always win,” Alexander said. “While we have other groups come in, the Mason Dixon Cowboys are the only ones mounted. They do a great job. I have so much respect for them. They know what to do, they are safe, and they’re great with their animals.”
It is a fun day that is gratifying for all.
“Seeing people, especially kids, get to touch a horse, smell a horse, and to see history that has died is satisfying,” Moss said. “When is the last western you’ve seen on TV? When people, like the kid in a wheelchair, come up and pet your horse’s nose, that means a lot.”
The group appears at various Pennsylvania locations seasonally, including the Northern Central Railway in New Freedom, three Wild West weekends at the Daniel Lady Farm in Gettysburg, PA, and the Pennsylvania Cowboy weekend. Moss encourages anyone who joins be as accurate as possible.
Popadick agreed.
“Start with a pair of pants and a shirt and we will go from there,” he said. “Between John and I we have enough gear that we can lend someone.”
Both men said cowboy camaraderie makes it special.
“We love this stuff,” Moss said. “Everybody helps each other set up, break down and load up. And studying the history is gratifying, too. One year I studied the shootout at the Okay Corral. I took courses in how to make fake wounds. I studied the wounds of Morgan, Virgil and Doc Holiday and put them on our actors.”
Those who are interested in joining the Mason Dixon Cowboys can call Moss at 610-350-7279.
“It’s pretty exciting to be galloping around shooting guns,” Popadick said. “There are times I’m in the store and I’ll tell someone, I need to go because I have to rob a bank or rob a train. Horses are exciting in themselves. Add the clothes and the guns and it is special. After all, everyone wants to be a cowboy!”
Mason Dixon Cowboys 2022 Schedule
Daniel Lady Farm, Gettysburg, PA
May 7 and 8, Aug. 6 and 7, Oct. 29 and 30
danielladyfarm.com
Northern Central Railroad, New Freedom, PA
May 21, June 18, July 17, Aug. 20
northerncentralrailway.com
Old Bedford Village, Bedford, PA
June 25 and 26
oldbedfordvillage.com
New Freedom Town Celebration, New Freedom, PA
September 17
newfreedomheritage.org
Pennsylvania Cowboy weekend, New Freedom, PA
October 8 and 9
northerncentralrailway.com