Cody is Rodeo!

Buffalo Bill Historical Center

On Friday, August 31st, we decided to tackle the five museums of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. With the whole day planned for touring the museums, we hoped we'd have enough steam to see them all. Typically these are visited over two days, but, hey, we're rebels.

We began with the Yellowstone Natural History section. Our tour began at the top of a mountain, learning about the plants and animals indigenous to the alpine regions of Yellowstone's peaks. As we walked down the ramp we 'descended' the mountain to learn about the animals that live at altitudes between 6,000 and 10,000 feet.

Wolves in Yellowstone

One animal of this region is the controversial gray wolf. After decades of eradication programs across the U.S. almost rendered them extinct, thirty one wolves were reintroduced to the Yellowstone area in the winter of 1995-1996. They have since ballooned to over 450 animals across 30 packs, now causing a noticeable decline in the population of elk. Though, according to a scientific study done in Denali National Park in the 1950s, wolves attack the weakest and sickest members thus actually strengthening the prey herd.

Around the bend at this elevation, we learned about wildfires. In 1988 a large fire burned through 40% of Yellowstone National Park (1.6 million acres in a 3 month timeframe), considered by the general public to be a disaster. But the fire actually caused an abundance of new habitats and fresh nutrients growing in the wake of the burning. And, though some animals died in the blaze, the pioneer plants (fireweed, lodgepole pine and quaking aspen) all flourished after the fire and provided surviving animals a bounty of food, resulting in their own population boom.

Moose with beaver lodge on right

Near the wolf display we found a beaver lodge and learned that the lodges are typically used for several generations. Interestingly, beavers are second only to man in their ability to change the landscape. The exhibit mentioned how beavers dam a stream with sticks and logs, working for hours every day to repair, raise and lengthen it. After a while the pond created by the dam fills with silt and soil, eventually becoming a grassy meadow and then a woodland. Meanwhile, the busy beaver's actions have provided food and habitat for a wide range of animals including birds, moose, trout, and a variety of plants. And they're cute, too!

Trying out the Stetsons

Western wear

Further down the ramp and 'mountain', we found the habitat of the bison. According to the display, the Greater Yellowstone area is the only place in the lower 48 where wild bison have existed since prehistoric times. Bison were used by Plains Indians for thousands of years until their discovery as a commodity by white men in the 1860s. By 1902, after an estimated 60 million bison were killed, less than 50 wild buffaloes remained. To protect them from total extinction, 21 semi-domestic bison were introduced. Today, between 2,000 and 3,000 buffaloes roam the Greater Yellowstone area (some of whom we saw while driving through Grand Teton National Park). Yay!

Tile map of Greater Yellowstone area

At the bottom of the Yellowstone Natural History Museum's 'mountain' we saw a very impressive 28 foot diameter map of Greater Yellowstone, rendered in 27,000 tiles in two dozen colors. How clever. Back in the main hall, we wandered over to The Eatery, where we dined on salads for lunch with a cookie for fortitude on the rest of our touring.

Ken on a saddle. Nice.

Next, we toured the Buffalo Bill Museum. Mr. William F. Cody, born in 1846, became a legend, a hero, a symbol of the 'wild west, and an international superstar, while he simultaneously scouted for the U.S. military, hunted buffaloes, delivered mail via the Pony Express, started a town, started an outdoor exhibition, and set the world on fire for all things 'western'.

Buffaloes!

In 1867 Cody worked hunting buffaloes to feed the Kansas Pacific Railroad workers. Paid a hefty $500 per month, he killed 4,280 buffaloes in 18 months. The workers knew the sight of him meant a fresh supply of buffalo meat and he soon became known as 'Buffalo Bill'. Despite the rampant slaughter of buffaloes for their hides at the time, Cody claimed he never killed them except for the meat and despised those who killed only for the pelts letting the carcasses rot in the fields.

Game based on Buffalo Bill's Wild West show

Between 1868 and 1872 he worked as chief of scouts for the 5th Cavalry. Cody's keen knowledge of the terrain and spectacular eyesight made him a remarkable asset to the army. He scouted for several military expeditions, helping save lives by alerting the men of upcoming dangers. Apparently he even fought in a dozen skirmishes against Plains Indians.

After word of his scouting prowess had spread (and grew with each telling), Ned Buntline approached Cody to become part of his Buffalo Bill Combination stage production. By 1883 Cody expanded Buntline's stage plays to create an outdoor exhibition to show audiences the mythical character of the Old West. Buffalo Bill's Wild West crossed the Atlantic for the first time in 1887 where he gave a performance to Queen Victoria in London. His show became wildly popular in England and propelled him to international stardom.

Cody's hunting tent

Historic posters advertising
Buffalo Bill's Wild West show

In early 1896, while per- forming during the summer and spending his winters in the west, Cody and some Sheridan businessmen established the town of Cody 50 miles east of Yellowstone. They laid out the streets, but sales of plots were slow until the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad came to town in 1901. The population of only a few hundred in 1900 swelled to over 1100 by 1910. Also in 1901, construction began on Cody's famous Irma Hotel, named for his youngest daughter. Though he spent only $80,000 on its construction, running it drained him financially and he twice mortgaged it to pay off debts.

Despite his success, the museum also exhibited his failures. He divorced his wife, Louisa, in 1905 after 38 years of marriage when he alleged she tried to poison him and she alleged he had been unfaithful. Their eldest daughter, Arta, died in 1905 at age 38. Louisa blamed Bill for Arta's death, caused, she thought, by the stress of her parents' divorce and Arta's torn allegiances to each of them.

Deadwood Stagecoach used in Wild West show
to stage an Indian attack

But the Codys had had other troubles as well. Their only son, Kit, died at the age of five, followed by the death of their second daughter, Orra Mae, at only 11 years old. Adding to the family's grief were his many financial failures as well. He spent money on foolish investments as well as solid ones. He was a magnet for swindlers and his wife accused him of drinking most of the money he made. In spite of his shortcomings, Louisa and Bill reconciled 5 years after their divorce. Sadly, and like so many celebrities, all of his dirty laundry was aired in the court of public opinion in newspapers across the country and around the world. Despite all the money and fame he earned, he died of kidney failure in 1917, virtually penniless. Regardless of his foibles, his legend endures as the most indelible personality of the Old West.

William F. Cody's boyhood home

Outside in the courtyard behind the main hall, we saw William F. 'Buffalo Bill' Cody's childhood home, used by the Cody family in LeClaire, Iowa from 1849 to 1853. The simple yellow home was similar to many of its era, though none of the family's furnishings survived even to the days of Bill's fame. A quote on a panel in the house mentioned that Bill said his parents weren't rich and that their only possessions were their characters and eight children. The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad moved the home to Cody, Wyoming in 1933 and donated it to the museum in 1948.

Sacagawea statue

We continued to the Plains Indian Museum encom-passing several rooms with exhibits of their culture, art, housing, and forced move to reservations. We strolled past displays of elaborate beadwork on slippers, shirts, dresses, gun cases, and a whole host of other items. An interesting display of a Hidatsa earthlodge took up the center space of the museum. Outside in the courtyard we saw several detailed statues. One of Sacagawea in robes carrying her son on her back is the most iconic image of her. We also saw a bronze statue of Crazy Horse and another titled 'The Unknown', a group of Indians seeing the coming changes to their lives.

Replica of Standing Bear's cabin on the reservation

Crazy Horse

After the move to reservations, the government built cabins for the Native Americans and tried to establish them as farmers and ranchers, living a mainstream existence in their new culture. An exhibit of Standing Bear's home, built in 1911 on allotment #936 of the Wounded Knee District showed a typical two room log home with all the trappings of early 20th century life interspersed with the artifacts of his culture.

The Unknown

This is not a photograph...it's an oil painting!

Back in the main hall, we discovered the two remaining museums, the Whitney Gallery of Art and the Firearms Museum. We chose the art gallery first and strolled past beautiful watercolors and oil paintings of waterfalls and mountains in Yellowstone, as well as detailed sculptures and pen and ink drawings of cowboys, buffaloes, moose, elk, and rodeos. What a fascinating display of western art.

Charles Russell painting
in background

In the Firearms Museum, we walked past a dizzying array of rifles, pistols and ammu- nition. Several storefronts were constructed to show the differences in gun manufacturing throughout the years, such as a gunsmith shop lit by candlelight from the 1800s, a catalog storefront (complete with creaky wooden floors) offering to outfit the outdoorsman, and a more modern brick and mortar gun manufacturing plant. We saw rows and rows of Winchesters, Remingtons, Springfields and several Gatling guns. At the end of the museum we noticed a sign that offered a display of 1200 more guns in the basement, but with our heads spinning and feet aching, we didn't take a look.

What a spectacular group of museums and all offered under one roof, and it was great to occupy ourselves indoors while the wild Wyoming wind whipped outside. Apparently the Buffalo Bill Historical Center is affiliated with the Smithsonian and we both thought it worthy of that distinction. Our dogs barking, we headed back to the RV to rest a short while before we returned to town for dinner. Opting not to stick around for the nightly staged shootout at the famed Irma Hotel, we dined at Adriano's Italian Restaurant on the main drag. The pizza was great and the wine superb.

Cody Nite Rodeo

Thinking nothing would round out the day like a wild bunch of horses and steers under the August blue moon, we headed to the Cody Nite Rodeo! The rodeo is offered every night at 8pm throughout June, July and August, so we were in luck for its last night of semifinals (the finals were held Saturday, September 1st). Beginning officially in 1919 as a commemoration to Buffalo Bill, the Cody Stampede's inaugural opening was timed to coincide with the opening of Yellowstone's east entrance that year. The following year the Stampede was moved the 4th of July, complete with a parade and rodeo.

A dog on a donkey
...is anything cuter?

By 1938, a former performer in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show, Carly Downing recognized the need (and tourist dollars to be made) by offering the rodeo nightly. He began the Cody Nite Rodeo (called the Pup rodeo then) which has been an ongoing tradition every summer night since, except for the three summer seasons of WWII. Some of the cowboys who performed in the Nite Rodeo went on to become top competitors in the various events, earning the town a permanent place in rodeo's history.

Bareback event

By the time we came to see it, the rodeo was well established both in town and in American rodeo, in general. Our evening began as we watched the cowboys readying themselves for the bareback riding. The fierce wind rolled in from the west and buffeted all of us in the stands. Despite the dust blowing about, the riders (one by one) rode their bucking horses bareback as long as they each could. One contestant couldn't ride at all, and the others held on for dear life, but it was an exciting ride each time from our vantage.

Tie Down Roping event

The next event was the 'tie-down roping', requiring roping and then hogtying the steer by three legs. Four of the contestants' steers managed to escape either the roping or the hogtying, leaving the disappointed men with no score. The remainder managed to secure the little cow, but two of the six contestants suffered some penalty points for various reasons. The winner, K C Jones, roped and tied the little guy in only 10.5 seconds. It was thrilling to watch.

Right behind them, the ladies performed a similar, though less manual version of the roping. Tasked with only needing to actually rope the steer, they didn't have to manhandle him to the ground and tie his legs together. A bit more dignified event for the contestants and certainly less traumatic for the cattle, at least in our estimation.

The Saddle Bronc Riding came next. This action-packed event, similar to the bareback riding only with the rider in a saddle, pitted the fortitude of the cowboy against the might of the bucking horse. One rider after another came up with no score, having been thrown too early to qualify, but three of the eight riders held on. The last, and most crowd-pleasing cowboy (with his hips swaying suggestively to the blasted tune of "I'm Too Sexy"), Laramie Collins, managed to score with the option of riding a second time. He chose the second ride where he subsequently scored highest. In his victory lap, however, he managed to get himself bucked from a saddle horse where he had been able to hold on to a bucking bronco twice that evening. The crowd roared with laughter.

Steer Riding

Steer roping

We watched the contestants and events roll past in a blur after that, though they were each very interesting. One poor 9 year old steer riding competitor was stepped on by his animal and we all gasped at our fear he had been badly hurt (he was not, though I'd hate to wake up with his bruises). The team event where one guy ropes the steer's horns and the other follows by roping his back two legs was fun to see, as well. A pair of brothers, Casey and Colt Tew, took that event.

Bull riding

We also watched the ladies racing their horses around three barrels in a cloverleaf pattern, and it seemed much more difficult than originally thought. The difference between first place and fourth was less than half a second. Yikes. The little ladies and then the little men followed with their own barrel races and they were all adorable to watch.

But the most exciting event of the evening was clearly the bull riding. Of ten contestants, only one managed to stay on for the required 8 seconds. Each of the bull's were unhappy, sullen characters looking to exact their penned revenge on the rider, bucking him and then occasionally getting mighty close to crushing his head. We held our breath in anticipation of serious injury and, thankfully, none occurred. Our evening ended with the wind still howling, the temperature a bit lower and the blue moon high in the sky. We so enjoyed our first rodeo! What a day!