Wild West fun

There are just a few places away from the Inland Northwest that merit an eight-hour drive and can honestly be called a “must see” destination.

Cody, Wyo., is one of them.

Located 50 miles from the eastern entrance of Yellowstone Park, Cody is or becomes familiar to travelers from the east. The town is the “jumping off” location to stage a visit to Yellowstone National Park, similar to what the town of West Yellowstone represents to travelers coming from the west. Cody does offer a place to stay overnight, but the town offers so much more. Past Western ranch history and present lifestyle is not a staged tourist trap here.

This is real cowboy country with authentic ranch owners and ranch hands. The locals are wearing cowboy hats and boots. They own and ride horses and now they also use all-terrain vehicles for riding fence lines as a way of life.

The town gets its name from Buffalo Bill Cody. The founder of the town laid out the streets back in the 1800s and was a consummate one-man promoter of tourism in the area. He used his own money to build the first hotel and recognized the potential profits from a town so close to Yellowstone. Looking at a historic photo of the town of Cody with his elegant hotel in the middle of sage brush and no other buildings around would make many ask, “What was this man thinking?”

That hotel, the Irma, is still accepting guests and you can dine in the historic dining room. Cody organized a road-building crew that used picks, shovels and dynamite to blaze a two-track road (wide enough for two wagons to pass) into Yellowstone National Park from the brand new town.

The town has probably surpassed Buffalo Bill’s expectations. Cody has evolved into a main destination in itself. There is the acclaimed Buffalo Bill Historical Center that covers more than three football fields of floor space. Inside, there are five separate museums. This complex with one admission price for all the museums makes a visit attractive.

Buffalo Bill Museum

There was a time when Buffalo Bill Cody was probably the most famous American in the world. For 30 years he toured with his arena show called Buffalo Bill’s Wild West. The Western United States was still an unknown territory and in the Eastern United States and Europe there was intense interest about the wild West with its cowboys and Indians. Cody capitalized on that interest.

The museum humanizes the legend of Buffalo Bill. He was involved in the Civil and Indian wars, eventually awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. He worked in mining, ranching and town building. The interesting details of his life, showmanship, Western ranching and living around 1900 is abundantly described in displays, photos and videos.

Plains Indian Museum

The Plains Indian traditional way of life is displayed by way of numerous artifacts like chipped stones, bows and arrows, clothing and an 1850s buffalo-hide tepee. There is a colorful full scale replica of an Indian village with realistic sounds of a busy tepee community.

The museum exhibits go beyond the usual past history and show the present-day life of a Plains Indian in displays and videos. This is a large and comprehensive account of past and present Plains Indian life.

Beautiful traditional clothing is a major portion of this museum. Included in the collection is an Arapaho ghost dance dress, a tanned elk hide with numerous pigments, feathers and fringe. The dress is just one example of the clothing that is displayed.

Cody Firearms Museum

For the firearms enthusiast it doesn’t get much better than this. Two floors of exhibits, 1,500 firearms upstairs and 1,200 downstairs, will keep those who have an interest occupied for a long time. One highlight is a 134-year-old Winchester Model 1866 Lever Action Deluxe Sporting Rifle that looks brand new. Displays also show the how the older guns were manufactured including the engraved wood stocks and metal housings. Some of these guns are works of art.

Gallery of Western Art

Most people have heard of the artists Charlie Russell and Frederic Remington but to see their original works is a real treat. This museum offers paintings, sculptures and prints depicting the American West.

One gallery is dedicated to contemporary Western art. Other names whose art is represented include George Catlin, Alfred Jacob Miller, Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Moran. Art lovers will enjoy the experience of strolling through the all-embracing Western art galleries.

Museum of Natural History

For those who enjoy the outdoors this museum with specimens of grizzlies, wolves, bighorn sheep, moose and elk will feel right at home. The impact of humans on the environment and wildlife is the theme of this museum. Interactive activities will entertain adults as well as children. The museum is the newest and has state-of-the-art displays.

The town of Cody offers more than most people have time for so that interests, priorities and choices have to be made. There is a rodeo every night. In front of the Irma Hotel there is free street shootout show.

There is a walking tour of the historic buildings in town. A trolley ride is a good way to see the town, learn the history of Cody and get oriented. There is a miniature display of various historic events like a depiction of a buffalo jump with Indians getting meat for the winter.

Cody is a long drive, but the chance to experience the West as it was as seen in the five world-class museums and as it is now with nightly rodeos, historic buildings and working cowboy ranches will make this trip one to remember.