Wichita’s Old Cowtown Museum has reported the passing of a shorthorn cow that had been a beloved fixture for her entire life.
Rosie was humanely euthanized Monday and laid to rest in a gathering with her veterinarian, the museum’s farm manager and Cowtown staff. She was 20 and had lived her entire life at the museum.
Cowtown executive director James Quince said in a press release, “Rosie was one of the main highlights for field trips and families at the museum. She rarely hesitated to moo as the guests walked up to the fence to visit with her. Thousands of families have photos of Rosie as an entire generation grew accustomed to visiting her during their trips to the museum.”
Rosie also inspired a movement entitled “Rosie Dreams of the Herd” in an orchestral piece called “Old Cowtown Suite” written by Hollywood film composer George S. Clinton and dedicated to the Wichita Symphony Orchestra. Clinton visited Old Cowtown Museum in 2019 and was inspired to write a piece about Wichita’s history as an old west town.
The museum hopes in the future to partner with Sedgwick County Zoo to acquire a heritage cow for the pasture.
