Did you know that Annie Oakley had a dog that let her shoot an apple off its head?
Yeah. Me neither.
If you find yourself at the Buffalo Bill Center Of The West, you’ll see an interesting framed photo on the wall. It’s of Annie Oakley as she’s lining up her shot, her dog Dave calmly sitting on a stool with said apple on his head.
By that time, Annie had left Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show and was performing on her own. Dave was a much loved pet and constant companion for Annie and her husband Frank Butler. In other words, there was a lot riding on that dog’s ability to stay still.
Even if you could find a dog willing to remain so calm and still the first time, I can’t imagine a dog so trusting and stoic that it would do it again.
A trip to Cody, Wyoming is incomplete without a stop at the Buffalo Bill Center Of The West. This museum is a Smithsonian affiliate and it deserves that credential as it is well done. Here you will find five museums and a research library under one roof. For the price of a single ticket, you have access to the Buffalo Bill Museum, Whitney Western Art Museum, Plains Indian Museum, Draper Natural History Museum, Cody Firearms Museum and McCracken Research Library.
It is large. It is comprehensive. It is impressive.
I’m guessing you could do the whole thing in a day but we didn’t even try. We started in the Buffalo Bill Museum and then went to the Plains Indian and Natural History museums. I am not all that interested in firearms and my eyes were glossy by the time we talked about going through the art museum. Besides, we needed to hit the road for a long trip back to Casper on a windy day and it seemed ill advised to try it.
There is a raptor exhibit where you’ll meet a Bald Eagle that was once injured and cannot live in the wild. You’ll also find some beautiful sculptures and Buffalo Bill’s childhood home which was originally located in LeClaire, Iowa but was moved a few times before landing here on permanent display.
Yes, you can go inside. No, it’s not much to look at unless you have some imagination in which case you might find it kind of exciting. Buffalo Bill walked these floors as a child!
This place is too much to cover in a single story so I’ll revisit it a few times. Meanwhile, I would like to point out some things.
It is named for and celebrates Buffalo Bill Cody, a frontiersman and Army scout turned showman who pioneered live entertainment that was the predecessor to the modern day rodeo. His wild west show was performed across this great nation and for royalty across the pond. He shaped a narrative that romanticized the Wild West in ways that we still hold dear today. His actions led to the near decimation of the American Buffalo.
Depending on who you are and where you stand, he’s either a decent guy or something short of the devil himself. I’m somewhere in between because he did eventually see the damage he had done and became an advocate for the bison, for equal pay and treatment for women, and for Native Americans.
His legacy is strongly felt in Cody, the town he founded, which has kept his story alive.
This museum doesn’t celebrate the man without acknowledging that many of the stories are myth or legend. Yes, they embrace the persona and the big picture story but they also remind you of his failings and inconsistencies. I guess what I’m saying is that you don’t have to like the man to appreciate his museum or the collection of other museums that tell stories of the Plains Indians or the natural history of the area.
I suspect that I’ll be telling you stories from this museum off and on for a while because there are so many cool stories worth mentioning.
Interesting side note: Buffalo Bill was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Late in life when he applied for the $10 monthly pension allowed to these honorees, he was denied the income. Soon after, the War Department ruled that Cody and several hundred other recipients dating back to the Revolutionary War did not meet the criteria for the Medal and their names were stripped from the list. That was in 1917. Buffalo Bill died not long after.
If you’re thinking about going to Cody, be sure to allow a day for this place. Find info here and look for more stories soon.
Cody, Wyoming feels like an old west town, perhaps because it is. It was founded in 1896 by the legendary Colonel William “Buffalo Bill” Cody. At the time, he was just 41 years old and one of the world’s most famous men. It’s located on the Shoshone River in northwestern Wyoming and is a gateway into Yellowstone National Park.
It is a charming place with cute shops, museums and access to the outdoors.
Today it’s known as the Rodeo Capital of the World and is a destination for nature lovers from across the globe. Truly, friends, it’s a beautiful part of the country.
The year round population is about 10,000 and it seems those folks must be a hearty sort. The wind is strong and the nearest TJ Maxx is like two hours away. You probably think that’s a joke but it’s really not. If you need a new outfit or frying pan, you’re probably going to Walmart. There are some specialty shops downtown that seemed kind of expensive to me and there are thrift stores. The nearest town with shopping is Billings, MT and I’ve never done that trip but it doesn’t sound fun in the winter.
As a visitor, though, we had a fantastic visit to Yellowstone, the Washakie Wilderness, Heart Mountain, and the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. There’s some neat stuff to look at around town and a great bookstore which I will take you to tomorrow.
The city is home to an enormous collection of public art including some stunning life sized statues of wildlife, pioneers, ranchers and others. You could pass an entire day just driving and walking around to see all these amazing pieces of art. There are so many of them, they almost become part of the landscape.
There are some historic hotels in downtown, some chain hotels and some mom and pop places as well. We stayed at Moose Creek Lodge and Suites because it’s downtown, is relatively inexpensive and was nice enough for our needs.
I was sorely disappointed with myself after I left and realized that we had driven by a Carnegie Library and didn’t even try to go in. Good grief. Some other time. The good news is there’s lots of other stuff to talk about and explore from this trip. Come back tomorrow and we’ll start at one of my favorite places – the bookstore!
