CODY-BUFFALO BILL

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2009
No hurry this morning. THE NAVIGATOR wants to go to Walmart....THE DRIVER needs to take the van in for a lube job. Breakfast over (Continental of course....saves money-I'm frugal not cheap) went for a lube job. We then stopped at the BUFFALO BILL HISTORICAL CENTER (SEE PHOTOS).

BUFFALO BILL MUSEUM-HOUSE

SCULPTURES IN GARDEN

SCULPTURES IN GARDEN-POSTER

POSTERS-BUFFALO BILL

ON THE WAY OUT-HORSE ON ROOF

TENSLEEP

TENSLEEP CANYON
This Center was a unique center that housed The Buffalo Bill Museum, The Cody Firearms Museum; The Draper Museum of Natural History; The Plain Indian Museum; and the Whitney Gallery of Western Art. We thought that it would be a museum that housed Buffalo Bill's items only....What a good surprise it was to find that it offered more.....so we stayed longer than we had planned. I was able to take some photos of what was on display.....but not of the paintings.

The Buffalo Bill museum displayed belongings of his life as a showman, scout, and pony express rider....along with Annie Oakley and artifacts of the early west.

The Cody Firearm Museum displayed over 3000 kinds of guns and or other related items, including an outstanding Winchester collection. Did not take time to visit the Draper Museum which featured the natural history about the region. The Plain Indian Museum was very interesting. I must confess I have never given much thought about native Americans other than my early childhood "Cowboys and Indians" perceptions. And now their movement into casinos around the country. However as I have traveled around the west and seen various exhibits of Indian culture and now here, where they have an extensive collection of art, artifacts, and as well as the dress and weaponry of the Arapaho, Cheyenne, Crow, Shoshone and Sioux tribes I have a much better appreciation of their culture and contributions to our society. I must confess I just walked through the Whitney Gallery of Western Art. Stopping for a moment here....and then there.....but not really appreciating the depth of color and scenes that were displayed.

Lucky for us they had a special display of Lewis & Clark Expedition in paintings.....Here I spent more time. I wish they would had allowed me to take photos of these paintings. They were large oil paintings...deep colors....rivers....boats.....rapids....I wish we had had more time to look and study each painting....THEY WERE OUTSTANDING. This was a stop that was not on our schedule......but a stop I now wish I had taken even more time......They had a court yard in which beautiful plants and sculptures were displayed....the house in which Bill Cody grew up. I took pictures of all, but only a few turned out good.....because of the light and shadows.

Someday I will come back....worth seeing again....maybe 54 years from now

We left "Buffalo Bill F.Cody" town founded by Colonel William F. Cody in 1896 and headed for Mt. Rushmore...We went through towns like Greybull (where we took the photo of the horse on a roof) a lovely community called Buffalo........and finally stopped in Gillette WY for the night. Today turned out to be a good day. No hurry..time to think as we drove through the "great plains.

I told you in the beginning about the three men that had a significant impact on my life. I told your about Frank Hinebaugh who was our pastor or Corps Officer when Wilma & I were yet young adults....no children.......He and His Wife Fern were great models of what marriage was all about and the ministry. Let me tell you about Captain John Trout.....a prince among men. (in my eyes) I'm not sure how we met the Army...I do know that The Salvation Army was a source of physical as well as spiritual help after my dad left (deserted) our family. I was only 5 years old when he left.....But remember this Captain, 6' plus Mississippian, skinny, being present in the lives of our family. I remember once when mom was helping make sandwiches for some picnic The Salvation Army Corps was going to have, they ran our of bread.....this tall 6' Captain, called me,,,"izzy....where can I buy bread" Now I am only about 5 or 6 years old.....I told him at the Grenans Bakery......And I was supposed to show him where it was.......So I got in his car and gave him directions.......Years later I realized that he knew where it was.....It was his way of making a young kid feel important. I remember one evening we had to move chairs from the chapel down to the basement..(in those days our chapel had straight up wooden chairs) for a meal...I was helping. I picked up a chair and as I was carrying it to the basement stairs I knocked a picture of Jesus off the wall and broke the glass.....This tall Captain....patient and understanding as he could be.....said nothing.....we just cleaned it up...I can tell you more abut him as I became a teen....but that is enough....Captain John Trout....to this day I consider him a prince among men....Let me tell you one more experience......Years later.....after I became an officer...I cannot express the emotion I experienced when at a regional session I was sitting across the table from this man who had a significant impact on my childhood.

Time to close....see you tomorrow.