Why You Should Visit the Buffalo Bill Historical Center

No one grows up without hearing tales of the Wild West. Cowboys and Indians, mountain men and fur trappers, explorers and guides, gold booms and busts, treaties made, and treaties broken are all a part of our American history. Just as in the Southern United States there is a rich heritage of Civil War History, the Western United States is fraught with landmarks from battles and open range. The Wild West has slowly diminished over time, as the populations grew, the rail roads came in, and the Native Americans were forced onto reservations. But there are some places in the west that have some things left of the old west lifestyle… and Wyoming is definitely one of them.

Wyoming is renowned for its harsh winters, dry summers, clear air, and beautiful Rocky Mountains. It's landmarks include Independence Rock and South Pass city along the Oregon trail, Devil's Tower (the first National Monument), and numerous museums along the way with relics from the local native American tribes, and the Pioneers making their way to Oregon territory. One of the best places in Wyoming to visit lies in Cody, the Buffalo BillHistorical Center.

The title of the place is a little deceiving, because even though this museum does include a rich history and many artifacts around the famous historical figure known as Bill Cody, but this place is actually 5 different museums in one. That's right… 5; the first and most obvious being centered around the man himself. Buffalo Bill lived between the years of 1846 and 1917 and made himself a legend. The museum explores both the man and the myth, and his other infamous friends such as Sitting Bull, Annie Oakley, and Calamity Jane who was known to have frequented places like Hyde' Hall in Atlantic City, Wyoming. Included among the artifacts is the stage coach that was a part of the famous "Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show" that Bill created in order to try to preserve a remnant of the way of life that was slowly dying as he got on in years. He considered his show "an educational exposition on a grand and entertaining scale." The show was so popular in fact it even toured to Europe. It was Bill's show that allowed him to become one of the most prominent communicators about the Wild West, and the different lifestyles that were a part of it.

The next wing of the building follows right along the lines of the history of the Wild West, now moving to the other group of people so prominent in our Western history. This wing is the Plains Indian Museum. The Plains Indian Museum explores the different tribes and cultures contained within the Native American people. It has exhibits that explain their values and traditions, and their way of life, and how it was affected as European began migrating west. Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow says that it is "a living, breathing place where more than just Indian artifacts are on display." This exhibit includes a full teepee, and beautiful Native American artistry. It is rich in valuable history about a very noble people.

After this wing we come to the Whitney Gallery of Western art, featuring the artwork of Charles M. Russell. Charles Russell is one of the most renowned Western artists, because not only did he have a talent for his work, but he was a rough and rugged cowboy himself, a true piece of the Wild West. He was born in St. LouisMissouri in 1864, and left home when he was just 16. He began painting as sort of a visual journal of his time in the west. Ian Tyson wrote a song many years later called "The Gift" about Charles Russell. Again this was a man also trying to preserve the lifestyles and cultures of a dying wild west. His paintings feature the mountains and landscape around the Montana area, paintings of Native Americans, and cowpoke camps. The man had a real talent with a brush, so that when you view the paintings, you almost feel as if you've been transported and drawn into the events depicted on the canvas.

After sating your appetite for the fine arts you can sate your appetite for the down to earth, The Draper Museum of Natural History. This part of the Historical center opened in June of 2002. It was created "... to encourage responsible natural resource stewardship by promoting increased understanding of and appreciation for the relationships binding humans and nature in the Greater Yellowstone Region." This aspect of the museum focuses on more of the geological history found in the Wyoming area, especially centering on the caldera of a super volcano, which we also know as Yellowstone National Park. It also has classrooms and additional resources in order to educate both students and adults about the necessity of conservationism, and how the environment around us works.

The final, but definitely not the least museum that reside in the Buffalo Bill Historical center is the CodyFirearms Museum. This is considered the most comprehensive firearms display in the world. It includes some of the earliest forms of firearms to the most modern ones. Their pride and joy is their Winchester collection which was transported from New HavenConnecticut in 1976. However Winchester is not the only manufacturer represented here. Lugar, Winchester, Remington, Smith & Wesson are only a few names among the many that are on display in this museum. One of their most memorable pieces is the large gatlin gun sitting in the middle of the exhibit.

And you have all of these extensive museums housed under one large roof. This is easily a place you could make a weekend of, because there is so much to see, and the history is so rich.