1133 September 11, 2024 Buffalo Bill Center Of The West

Last night, the winds howled, making our RV shudder.  This morning, it was still very gusty and quite cloudy.  I am glad we extended our stay another night and that we aren’t trying to explore or travel in this wind.

Another nice walk in the town of Cody.  Flags are at half-staff today as we remember 9/11.

Today we went to see the Buffalo Bill Center of the West.  We had heard that this was an outstanding museum, featuring artifacts of the American West.

Our first stop though, was to see the 1966 Corvette that is being raffled off to raise funds for the museum!

We began in the Draper Natural History Museum.  This wing focused on the ecology and biodiversity of the Yellowstone Area.  The displays were well done and informative. 

We visited the Plains Indians Museum next.  People have lived in this area for 11,000 years.  The Native Peoples lived here first.  The indigenous people had found a way to endure and survive in this harsh environment.

The exhibits focused a lot on sobering encounters of the Indian Peoples with the white men moving west.  The encounters that did encourage trade, but also brought disease and missionaries and battles and the loss of land and the destruction of the buffalo, as well as the development of reservations, and Indian schools. 

Native medicine.

We toured the Buffalo Bill Cody wing as well.  This American icon was quite the “character.”  He was raised in the west and he knew a lot about the people and customs of the region.  He was a rancher and a scout and a Pony Express rider.  He became somewhat of a caricature and from 1869, he became a legend in over 700 short stories and plays.  The edges between the man and the character became blurred and it became difficult to sort fact from fiction. 

Eventually, Buffalo Bill was convinced to play himself on stage and then, he later he produced his own version of “The Wild West.”

This man was ultimately heralded as an advocate for the rights of Indians as well as women.  His own Wild West show became a platform for diverse groups of people to perform together and to help to educate others about different cultures. 

Earliest RV…a shepherd’s wagon equipped with a wood burning stove and a bed.

The extensive collections, the carefully designed dioramas, and thoughtful presentation of the material made this museum experience very positive. 

I went into town this afternoon to a hair salon called Tangles where Monica did my hair…such a nice treat!

We made quinoa bowls for our dinner with grilled chicken.

After eating, we drove to town. We realized that it was almost 6pm and the Hotel Irma hosts a gunfight every evening at 6. We hurried to the venue. The MC was politically opinionated. We did enjoy the show.

Afterward, we walked the main street, browsing in stores and shopping in the outdoor store.

While we were in Atlanta, we had a photographer come to take family pictures…my heart!!!