"Mess scene on 'round up,'" captured between 1887 and 1892. Cowboys eating near chuck wagon; small groups of horses and cattle in campsite. Creator: John C. H. Grabill. (Credit: Getty Images) ...

Ralph Gordy Jr., whose father built Chuck Wagon, told The News Journal in 2007 when his dad Ralph Sr. first created the suburban restaurant "a lot of people told him he was crazy.

That's not the way it was. Preserving the heritage of the chuck-wagon cooking that kept these men going has become a mission for Perini, who grew up on a ranch and returned in 1973 to work as a cook.

To the left of the wagon, two men are rolling a large white textile. All the men wear hats with wide brims and some wear leather chaps and vests. At the top left is printed in red text [Loading the ...

Chuck-wagon cooking is “cooking the way they did in the 1870s through the 1890s,” using period tools and ingredients carried in the wagon.