Today we stepped back in time to the Old Trail Town.
Located on the original site that Bill Cody and his associates surveyed for the
first town site of Cody City in 1895, until they could not get water to it. Old
Trail Town has been keeping the old west alive since 1967.
The setting gives you a sense of actually being
there when Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid or Jeremiah “Liver Eatin” Johnston
roamed Wyoming Territory. It is a collection of buildings and Western artifacts
that provides a hands-on history lesson. Most of the log structures were moved
to Cody from less than 150 miles away and each has its own significance. The
founder is the late, Bob Edgar, who gathered historic details about each
building. Many of the buildings were taken completely apart, moved to the new
site and reassembled.
Entrance & General Store are located in a
cabin from Marquette. It is one of the few cabins salvaged from the town of
Marquette. This town was once located where the Buffalo Bill Reservoir is today.
One of the first buildings built in Cowley Wyoming
was the Taggart Carpenter Shop. It was used by George Taggart, a Mormon pioneer
who came to the Big Horn Basin by wagon train in 1900. We learned about him
when we visited the Cody Mural, the other day.
Curley’s Cabin is from the Crow Agency in Montana
is one of the most fascinating. It combines several things we have seen and
learned on this adventure. Curly was a scout for General George Armstrong
Custer and accompanied him before the Battle of Little Big Horn. Curly saw
trouble coming and wisely left before the fight at Little Big Horn. Curly
relayed the news of Custer’s defeat at that battle.
The Morrison Cabin was built at the foot of Copper
Mountain east of Shoshoni, Wyoming by Luther Morrison, in about 1884. Morrison
brought some of the first sheep into central Wyoming in 1882.
Monument Hill Homestead Cabin was built by
homesteaders on Monument Hill north of Cody around 1900.
The Buffalo Hunter Cabin was built on Shell Creek
in 1880, the cabin served as the hunting camp of Oliver Hana and Jim White,
renowned buffalo hunters.
The Coffin School was built in 1884 at the W Bar
Ranch on the Wood River. It was named for the tragic death of Alfred Nower who
died of gangrene in this cabin after he cut his leg while hewing logs.
The Shell Store was built in 1892 in Shell Wyoming.
It was the first store in that town.
Bonanza Post Office was built in 1885 in Bonanza
Wyoming Territory. It was one of the first settlements in the Big Horn Basin.
The interior looks nothing like any post office, I have ever seen!
“Hole in the Wall” Cabin is a two-room log cabin
was built on Buffalo Creek in the “Hole in the Wall” country in 1883 by Alexander
Ghent. It was the rendezvous for Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid and other
outlaws of the region.
If seems odd, and yet fitting that there are graves
at this town. If you spend the time and read each information marker, you get a
true picture of the lives of the Western Frontier folks.
The first grave site is Jeremiah “Liver Eatin”
Johnston 1824 – 1900. The grave was relocated to Old Trail Town in June of
1974. The movie Jeremiah Johnson was based on the life of John Johnston, commonly
known as “Jeremiah Johnston.” During his colorful career, Johnston, who was
born in 1824 and died in 1900, had been a trapper, hunter, army scout, marshal
and Civil War veteran.
The second grave site is Jim White “Buffalo Hunter”
1828 – 1880
The third grave is Sampson F Stilwell, also known
as “Comanche Jack” 1850 – 1903. He was best known for his heroic deeds as a scout
at the Battle of Beecher Island in 1868, when he was only 18 years old. He
volunteered to be part of a company of 50 “hardy frontiersmen” who were issued
a Spencer Carbine repeating rife that fired 9 shots. They fought off a band of
600 Cheyenne and Sioux warriors. After his military service, he went on to
become a US Marshal.
The fourth grave site is Phillip Harry Vetter 1855
– 1892. He was a trapper killed by a grizzly bear. The sad part of the story,
was he was mauled by the bear and was able to make it back to his cabin. Where
he slowly bleed to death and documented his death with hand written notes on an
old newspaper. On, the perils of living on the Western frontier.
The fifth grave site is WA Gallagher and Blind
Bill, cowboys murdered in 1894. William Gallagher was a bit of an outlaw and
his side kick was “Blind Bill.” William had taken up spending time with Belle
Drewry, a single young woman in Arland. William was not her only courter and
one night Gallagher found her with another man. He held the two at gunpoint for
hours, Belle told her fellow hostage where a gun was hidden and Wheaton shot
Gallagher in the back. When Blind Bill learned of his friend’s death, he
threatened to kill Wheaton. However, when he found him … just the opposite
happened and Blind Bill was killed. Wheaton and Belle were tried as murders. He
was convicted and sentenced to eight years.
The last grave site is Belle Drewry 1867 – 1897,
the infamous “Woman in Blue” murdered at Arland. No one knows how she ended up
in Wyoming, many figure she drifted west from the Black Hills mining camps. She
seemed to be drawn to the dark side of life and was very comfortable with the
lawless. She worked in the saloon and dance hall. Her charges in the murder of
her lover were dropped. She later was partying with a groups of six cowboys and
she killed one of them. Several days later, she was found dead in her cabin,
from an assasins bullet. It was assumed that it was a revenge killing. She was
buried in a cobalt blue satin dress. When her body was disinterred for reburial
at Old Trail Town 50 or 60 rounds were found in her casket and the shells
littered the dirt above the casket. Perhaps a fitting farewell in the wild, Wild
West?
Another popular cabin is the Mud Spring Cabin. The
cabin arrived in Cody from a site neat the Montana State line, making it the
second building at Old Trail Town with connections to infamous robbers, Kid
Curry and Sundance Kid. This was used as a hideout before they attempted to
hold up the Red Lodge Bank in Red Lodge Montana.
Grainery was built in 1898 in the Lowell Wyoming
area.
The Livery Barn was built on Clarks Fork Canyon
about 1890.
Wood River Homestead Cabin is a fine example of log
craftsmanship, built in 1899.
Dry Creek Homestead Cabin was built at the head of
Dry Creek around 1900.
Trappers Cabin was built on Cottonwood Creek south
of Meeteetse Wyoming about 1885.
Meeteetse Blackmith shop was built in 1898 and the Sunshine
Basin Blacksmith Shop was built on the lower Sunshine Basin west of Meeteese
Wyoming. The Wagon barn held some of the best wagons.
The Carter Cabin – 1879 – Built by William Carter’s
men on Carter Mountain. Carter brought the first cattle into the Cody region.
The Museum of the old West contains artifacts of
the Old West, including a horse-drawn hearse from the late 1800’s, prehistoric
stone tools and Native American clothing and beadwork.
The Burlington Store was built on the Greybull
River in 1897 and moved to Burlington, Wyoming. The building was used as a
general store for several years.
The Rivers Saloon was built at the mouth of Wood
River, west of the present-day Meeteese Wyoming in 1888. It was frequented by
cowboys, gold miners, outlaws and other colorful characters of the old west.
Look, there is one bellying up to the bar now!
Bullet holes can still be seen in the door! It is
the oldest remaining saloon in northwest Wyoming.
The McNally Cabin was the first cabin built in
Meeteese in 1886 by William McNally. The collection consists of 27 buildings,
which date from 1879 to 1901, over 100 horse drawn vehicles and extensive
collection of memorabilia from the Wyoming frontier and authentic Native
American artifacts.
Lyle even lassoed himself a steer!
We visited the Buffalo Bill Center of the West.
Some would call it a museum, but it is more like five museums! These five
museums weave art, history, culture and nature into the tapestry of the
American West. The five museums are: the Buffalo Bill Museum, the Whitney
Art Museum, the Plains Indian Museum, Cody Firearms Museum and the Draper
Natural History Museum. Wow … that is a mouthful! We had two day admission with
our tickets. But, you can’t see it all … even in two days!
We toured the Buffalo Bill Museum which is all
about Bill Cody, his life and his Wild West show.
Buffalo Bill visited all but one of the
continental United States, southern Canada and 12 European Countries. Look, he
even came to Rochester, NY!
I was fascinated by his
posters. Each one is very different and unique to that show.
The Whitney Art Museum had some very interesting
art.
but
beauty is in the eye of the beholder!
The most awesome sight from the Whitney Art Museum
is the view of the statue that commemorates Wild Bill Cody. The backdrop of the
mountains making it a stunning view!
Northern Plains men’s buffalo horn bonnets and a Mandan buffalo dance mask are in the center of the gallery, introduced by the voice of Joe Medicine Crow, Absaroke. Members of warrior societies, wearing such bonnets, performed dances to capture the sacred power of the buffalo, to assist them in hunting and in providing meat for their families.
I found the headdress exhibit the most interesting!
The Draper Natural History Museum is
full of taxidermy and information about the natural history of the Big Horn
Basin.
I won’t “talk” much … I’ll let the pictures do the talking.
I will tell
you that the Draper Museum is on a spiral as you meander through the exhibits.
Nothing captures the Spirit of the American West
like great music and a great meal.
At the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, we
had both! Popular television and music personality Dan Miller and his Cowboy
Music Revue presented us their entertaining show after a dinner in the rotunda
of the Draper Natural History Museum.
Appearing with Dan Miller are Wendy Corr, a local
TV personality, who plays bass and sings lead and harmony vocals. Dan’s
daughter, Hannah, rounds out the trio. She sings, plays fiddle and mandolin in
the show.
The outside of the Buffalo Bill Museum of West is just as impressive as the inside!
It has been a great 4 days in Cody!
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