Buffalo Bill and Cody, Wyoming

 Oh, what to do today? Well, Cody, WY, is only 106 miles south, so why not check it out? South on Highways 212, 310, and 120 got us to Cody, and the Buffalo Bill Center of the West Museum. 

On the way south, we were able to look to the west at the Rocky Mountains, and one of the several fires currently burning there.

This extraordinary facility is a complex of five museums and a research library featuring artifacts and art of the American West. Museums include: Buffalo Bill Museum, the Plains Indians Museum, the Whitney Western Art Museum, the Draper Museum of Natural History, and the Cody Firearms Museum. 

We arrived about 11:30 and headed into the natural history section. Exquisite taxidermy skills present in the Eagles, White Owls, and Bison.

The Buffalo Bill museum showcases the spectacular career of this larger than life hero. It's said that at the turn of the 20th century, Buffalo Bill was the most famous person in the world! He was, at times, a rider for the Pony Express, a soldier in the Civil War, a civilian scout for the US Army, gold miner, trapper, stagecoach driver, and consummate showman when he formed Buffalo Bill's Wild West in 1883, taking his large company on tours in the United States, and Great Britain and Europe.

We were particularly interested in one member of Buffalo Bills troupe: Annie Oakley. Donna's oral family history relates Annie as a distant cousin, unproved, but pretty cool anyway. Annie was born Phoebe Ann Moses in 1860, and developed skill with firearms while hunting to provide for her family. She was an ardent supporter of shooting sports for women, and offered to train companies of female sharpshooters for service in the Spanish-American War and World War I. Her gloves, traveling trunk, and firearms are on display.

Annie was befriended by Chief Sitting Bull, who was also a member of the show, on loan from military prison. The Chief nicknamed her "Little Sure Shot." In 1901, she was injured when a freight train ran into the Show train, and was forced to settle for a less taxing routine. She passed away in 1926, days after setting new sharpshooting records.

Moving on to the Firearms Museum, we were astounded to learn of over 4,500 firearms collected there. From rifles used in Olympic Biathlon events,

to the Garand M1 presented to General George Patton in 1945,

and custom firearms from "back in the day". I mean, hundreds of years ago!

The collection is overwhelming, and photographs are a dismal substitute for the real thing. But two interesting firearms are the Blunderbuss from the 1700's:

and this four barreled pistol. Looks like all four fire at the same time. Talk about scattershot!

Stopping by the Sharpshooters section, we not only got a photo of The Wild Bunch,

but also Belle Starr, the Sidesaddle Gunslinger.

The Plains Indians Museum showed us details of everyday life in the tribe. From erecting the tepee to caring for the family, women had many duties, but also were adept at making colorful garments, including this "container" for babies.

Decorations for horses was also a sign of personal wealth.

This dress is considered to be Plains Art, due to exquisite beading detail. This was a way to connect to cultural identities after being dislodged from ancestral lands.

This star quilt is made as a reference to an Eagle, using many of the same colors the magnificent bird has.

In the Museum of Western Art, hundreds of paintings were exhibited, but what interested us most was the bronze art. This piece shows a Mountain Man descending a steep slope with his sure-footed horse. This was a favorite subject of the artist, Frederic Remington, and was cast in 1903.

This larger than life size Elk is "Sniffing the Air".

Probably the most well known bronze in the collection is this one by James Earle Fraser, done in 1894, and titled "End of the Trail".

After diving into Wyoming, and then back to Montana,

We returned to Billings Village RV Park, site number 70, and rescued Sasha from prison! She'll miss this nice patch of grass!

We'll be leaving tomorrow, having found dozens of things to do in Billings that will have to wait for another trip. It's on to Butte, Montana, for a couple of days. Keep pedaling, y'all!