Day 22 – 23

Travelling to Cody, Buffallo Bill Centre of the West. I have been excited to visit so many places on this journey, Cody is probably amongst the most famous sites as most people will have heard of Buffallo Bill’s Wild West show.

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As has been the theme throughout it was a beautiful morning in Cody. The town created by Buffalo Bill himself is a ‘planned settlement’ and was a real taste of the Wild West (and I found the town fascinating).

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Strolling through the town from my motel to the Museum was great fun. I had already explored the town the previous evening but the daytime brought out the most amazing mix of people I had ever been amongst! There were real cowboys in their glittery rodeo boots and Stetson hats to Japanese tourists with their cameras out in a stereotypical fashion.

 

The Museum was massive, I think this is probably the biggest static museum I have visited to date. Covering several acres on multiple floors I was worried that a day wouldn’t be long enough!

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Inside, the museum was set out in separate areas per theme, and it was all fascinating, from natural history through to a firearms collection. There was an interesting collection of horse drawn wagons and covered wagons hidden away downstairs. It was great to see the wagons clustered around with all the tools and supplies on board as they would have been when they were crossing the plains. The only fault I could find was the lack of interest paid in the trades behind these vehicles etc. No focus on Blacksmithing, Wheelwrighting or any other attached trades. Is this the sad truth that these trades are near forgotten? If knowledge of the trades dies does that not mean the trade dies? I might be over focussing on the ‘forgotten trades’ but it is a topic close to my heart.

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Please don’t think I have any negative feelings towards these museums, the work they do is great and their ability to hold the publics interest is priceless. I only fear the potential to forget a massive and integral part of history… Rant over …

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The Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show was world famous, a favourite of queen Victoria amongst countless thousands. He brought the wild west (or at least his version of it) to the world, leaving a legacy that lasts today. Not only was his stage show a great success but his professional career as a frontiersman was most notable.

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The collections housed in Cody are a true testament to the story of Buffalo Bill and the taming of the West I would recommend a visit to anyone as there are points of interest for just about anyone. I was fascinated by the firearms collection, I never imagined it could be possible to have so many different guns in one place. There was everything from very early muzzle loaders to modern assault rifles and everything in between!

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Now for a lot of travelling… Wagons West once more!…

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