Thursday, July 29, 2010
First, I want to say, YES we heard all about the bear attack in Yellowstone. And yes we camped in that very same park 2 days ago, but we are in a motor home, not a tent. And there is NO WAY I would have not shot her (weather or not I hit her would be another blog, but I would definitely emptied the clip!) I find it amazing that since we have been here - Yellowstone has been in the National news twice. Weird!!!
Today we went to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. It is a museum that has five separate parts. Its so impressive. The displays were incredible. It is very interactive. They have it set up so that every part of history is separated.
The first part we entered was 'Firearms'. It housed 1500 guns. These guns were made and manufactured from the early 1800's. It was incredibly set up and even for a girl it was not boring. (Kinda). There was also a section dedicated to Annie Oakly who's real name is Phoebe Moses and toured with the Wild West Show.
The second part we entered was regarding William F. Cody - aka - Buffalo Bill. He was so much more than I ever knew.
William F. Cody was born in 1846 in Iowa. After the death of his brother, his family moved to Kansas. His family was often persecuted because they believed in fighting anti-slavery. His father was stabbed while giving an anti-slavery speech. He never fully recovered.
Bill later joined Johnson's Army as a scout. His job was to help guide the Army in Utah. Here is where he got his reputation as an 'Indian fighter." Sometime between the age of 12 and 14 he killed his first Indian. From there he joined the "Pony Express." In 1863 , after the death of his mother, he enlisted with the Union Army and entered the Civil War. During this time, he would scout for the Army and kill bison for the railroad. He killed over 2300 buffalo.
Congressional Medal of Honor: He achieved this honor on April 26, 1872 for gallantry in action at Platte River, Nebraska.(Battle of Summit Springs) On July 11, 1869, Cody killed Chief Tall Bull and rescued a captured white woman. Tall bull was the leader of the Cheyenne Indians.
William Cody (Buffalo Bill) was a freight driver, Buffalo hunter, Indian fighter, Army Scout, Pony express rider, stagecoach driver, Civil War Vet, Wild west show manager, and a congressional Medal of Honor recipient. He was the 'man'! Everything and anything in Cody, WY is a dedication to one man, Buffalo Bill.
The next section we toured was 'The American Indian". I did not want to see this part because it infuriates me how badly we treated them. But it was remarkable. The way they expressed the Indians and all the different tribes was mesmerising. The life that they lived and the talent behind the clothing and bead work that they did for survival is inconceivable. I left this section with more respect than I had after reading Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. (Awesome book, btw). There is a picture of Red Clouds outfit and a quote from him in the book that struck a cord with me.
The 4th section was dedicated to all the 'Nature of Yellowstone'. It was fun to explore since we just left that area. We recognized a lot of the photos and watched a short film explaining the changes of the years in the landscape.
The last sections was all about artists. It had sculptures, and paintings of artist's interpretations of all kinds of animals and different elements during all the seasons that the earlier pioneers experienced.There were massive amounts of heads on the walls. Some of the animals I would have never guessed to be so huge.
If you ever get to Cody, WY - this is a must!
We might go back tomorrow because we did not see it all. It is on my top 5 list of museums.
We extended our stay here in Cody for 2 more nights because we are having such a good time here. They truly respect and protect the 'old west' and everything around here is preserved as it was in the 1800's. Cowboys are everywhere!
More tomorrow, thanks for reading.
!!
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