Cody, Wyoming

After our brief visit in Eastern Wyoming, we headed west with a final destination of Cody.  We made a brief stop for the night in Buffalo and the next morning we were back on the road.  It was a cold morning (the truck was even cold) so we turned on the heat (heat?) and set out.  We climbed the Powder River pass to a final elevation of about 9500 feet.  Uh-oh!!!

Snow?  In September?  I guess it is Wyoming, after all.

After we arrived (phew!) we relaxed until the next day when we headed to the Buffalo Bill Center of the West.

The center is a complex of five museums and a research library featuring art and artifacts of the American West.  The five museums include the Buffalo Bill Museum, the Plains Indian Museum, the Whitney Western Art Museum, the Draper Natural History Museum, and the Cody Firearms Museum.  The center was founded in 1917 to preserve the legacy and vision of Col. William "Buffalo Bill" Cody.  It is the oldest and most comprehensive museum complex of the west and since 2008, the center has been part of the Smithsonian Affiliates program, the first museum complex in Wyoming to have this status.  As an Affiliate, the Center of the West has hosted Smithsonian artifacts and has recently loaned some of its own vast collections to a Smithsonian exhibition in Washington D.C.  It has been described by The New York Times as "among the nation's most remarkable museum".

We started at the Buffalo Bill Museum.

William Frederick Cody (1846-1917) was an American soldier, bison hunter, and showman.  Buffalo Bill started working at the age of eleven, after his father's death, and became a rider for the Pony Express at the age of 15.  During the Civil War, he served the Union from 1863 to the end of the war in 1865.  Later he served as a civilian scout for the U.S. Army during the Indian Wars, receiving the Medal of Honor in 1872.

One of the most famous and well-known figures of the Old West, Buffalo Bill's legend began to spread when he was only 23.  Shortly thereafter he started performing in shows that displayed cowboy themes and episodes from the frontier and Indian Wars.  He founded Buffalo Bill's Wild West in 1883, taking his company on tours in the U.S. and, beginning in 1887, in Great Britain and Europe.

Buffalo Bill Cody

Oh my gosh, if you like western artifacts, especially those of Buffalo Bill, you would love this museum!  Some items of interest.

Buffalo Bill's jacket and guns

Theodore Roosevelt's Saddle, c. 1885  Note the attached rear saddle pockets, the floral leather tooling, and Roosevelt's "TR" stamped on the cantle.  Roosevelt owned and used this saddle on his ranch in the Dakota Badlands.

Annie Oakley was also featured.

Annie Oakley became one of the most prominent celebrities of Buffalo Bill's Wild West through her incredible target-shooting skills.  Some considered shooting expertise to be a masculine art, yet Annie Oakley consistently touted her feminine charm and looks as evident in this elegant wool riding habit she wore while performing.

George B. McClellan designed the McClellan saddle for military use in the 1850s.  The saddle was simple, inexpensive, and lightweight yet sturdy.  Buffalo Bill likely rode in a McClellan saddle in the Seventh Kansas Volunteer Cavalry during the Civil War, and later as a scout for the United States Army.  The Army continued using the McClellan saddle, with minor variations, for nearly ninety years, up to World War II.

Amelia Earhart's flight jacked which was worn on her historic flight across the Atlantic Ocean.

Sometime between 1934-1936, the aviator visited the Double D Ranch near Meeteetse, Wyoming, about 45 miles southwest of Cody.  She became friends with the owner of the ranch, Carl Dunrud, and after her death, he donated the jacket to the Museum.

Phew, so much to see but we were losing steam and we wanted to check out a few of the other museums.

This place was incredible!

A few interesting items.

It's really hard to capture the beauty of this rifle.

And more about Lincoln.

See Lincoln's bust?

But by far the most interesting gun was this one.

This gun probably doesn't seem like anything "special" - oh, but you are wrong.  Ron's maternal grandmother was given THIS EXACT TYPE OF RIFLE by a boyfriend before her marriage.  And at some point, possibly after her death, Ron's mother inherited the rifle.  And then many, many years ago she gifted this rifle to Ron.  And now it lives in a safe place (no, not the Gun Museum).  

We were exhausted but made a short stop in the Natural History Museum and saw even more interesting things.

I guess we were too tired to take photos until we got to an art exhibit with an auction in progress.  I'm not really all that interested in art but these two bronze pieces were exquisite. 

Three dimensional award winner

What a day but we both decided we were "museumed out".  But we still had a few more days in Wyoming.  Come back to read about those days.

Wyoming

We ventured out from Sturgis to Sundance, Wyoming (about 40 miles) to meet a high school friend for lunch.  Sundance is about halfway between her home and our parked trailer.  Sundance is named after the Sun Dance ceremony practiced by several American Indian tribes.

It's a cute little town (population of 1032 at the 2020 census) with a lot of history.  We stopped in the square for a few photos.

Harry Longabaugh (aka Sundance Kid) has some history in the area.

Henry Longabaugh (aka Sundance Kid) and Etta Place

Etta Place was involved with the Sundance Kid and was a "member" of the Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch.  Born in about 1878, nothing is known of Etta's life before she met the Sundance Kid.  The two reportedly married, he using the alias Harry A. Place; however, no record of the marriage is known to exist.

The Wild Bunch

Standing (L-R) News Carver, Kid Curry

Sitting (L-R) The Sundance Kid, Tall Texan, Butch Cassidy

Unfortunately, it was Labor Day and the restaurant where we were going to meet, and pretty much the only one in town, was closed.  So we made a quick detour and met her in Spearfish, South Dakota.

The restaurant had a lot of history.

Steerfish in Spearfish - haha!

The chairs in front were a great place to relax and catch up - see them?

The history didn't stop with the restaurant - Ron and Dottie grew up around the corner from each other and were almost like brother and sister.  And then graduation came and we lost track of her - until about 18 months ago when we stopped for a visit on a trip west from South Dakota.  And here we were, together again.

The next day we set out for Devils Tower which was about 45 minutes from Sturgis.  We had a great view from the car as we approached.

Devils Tower, aka Bear Lodge Butte, protrudes out of the prairie surrounding the Black Hills.  It is considered sacred by Northern Plains Indians and indigenous people.  Hundreds of parallel cracks make it one of the finest crack climbing areas in North America.

Devils Tower was the first U.S. national monument, established on September 24, 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt.  The monument's boundary encloses an area of 1,347 acres.

We spent a few minutes inside and then headed out for a walk around the Tower.

Taller than the Washington Monument!

Thankfully, the path around the Tower was gravel and in good shape.

I know I'm out of shape but this was tough due to the elevation.  But we trudged on.  

The connections which tie American Indian culture to Devils Tower are both ancient and modern.  Modern connections are maintained through personal and group ceremonies.  Sweat lodges, sun dances, and others are still practices at the monument today.  The most common ritual that takes place at the Tower are prayer offerings.  Colorful cloths are placed near the Tower - commonly seen along the trails - and represent a personal connection to the site.  They are similar to ceremonial objects from other religions, and may represent a person making an offering, a request, or in remembrance of a person or place.  As with many religious ceremonies, they are private to the individual or group.

Of course, Ron was impressed with all of the rocks.

We kept going.

As the sun rises in the east, long shadows cast a deeper view into the Tower.  The Window is one of the Tower's most distinctive features, a 300-foot alcove above the boulder field.  The Window cracked open as tall stone pillars toppled from the Tower.  You can see nature's brushstrokes in shades of orange and green lichen that now cover much of the Tower.  The sun wasn't rising but you get the idea.

Hundreds of climbers scale the sheer rock walls each summer.  There are many established and documented climbing routes covering every side of the tower, ascending the various vertical cracks and columns of the rock.   The difficulty of these routes range from relatively easy to some of the most challenging in the world.  All climbers are required to register with a park ranger before and after attempting a climb.  No overnight camping at the summit is allowed; climbers return to base on the same day they ascend.

I was pooped and wondered how much farther we had to go before we had walked all the way around the Tower.  At least we had some fantastic views.

Are we getting closer?  WHAT?????

So I sucked it up and kept going.  At least we were getting closer.

I'll admit it - I was being a wussy so I shut up and tried to enjoy the experience.  But without a doubt, the best part of the day was this.....

I made it!

On to more Wyoming adventures coming up.