Treasures of Wyoming: attractions abound in Cheyenne and Cody, frontier cities that cling to their Western ways

Travel America, May-June, 2002 by Patrick Soran

"Instead of paramedics," jokes the announcer as clowns execute a routine so corny the audience moans, "they sent a pair-o'-morons." The audience groans, shaking their heads as they down corn dogs and soda pop.

Calf roping here is not a new activity. For proof, witness the paintings of C.M. Russell in the Whitney Gallery of Western Art in Cody's biggest attraction, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. Watercolors there depict exactly the same hurly-burly of horses, steers, and cowboys, though the background is a sage-carpeted desert.

The Historical Center is arguably the best Western museum anywhere. Its four collections center around fine art (dozens of Russells and Remingtons), Plains Indians (they led lavish lives of decorated clothing, high art, and intense spirituality), guns ("the most important collection of American firearms in the world"), and Buffalo Bill himself.

The Draper Museum of Natural History becomes the fifth wing of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center when it opens in June. It will feature an interactive trail through the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem. While teaching visitors about ecology, geology, and biology, it will consider human influences such as oil development, ranching, and reintroduction of wolves. Larger-than-life statues of a bison herd on the move will anchor the main rotunda.

Born in Iowa Territory in 1846, Bill Cody rode for the Pony Express, guided hunting expeditions, received a Medal of Honor for scouting during the "Indian Wars," and shot thousands of bison--hence the "Buffalo" moniker. Persuaded to play himself in dramatic pieces after the Civil War, Cody spent the rest of his life happily tipping his hat to adoring audiences. By 1900, more than a billion words had been published about Buffalo Bill.

Cody lived in a world of handmade clothing and handcarved furniture. Is it still possible to find good Western accoutrements in Cody's namesake hamlet? The answer has to be yes: The Plush Pony sells tony Western duds, Seidel's Saddlery stamps leather belts and saddles, and Creations in Leather tends toward fringed coats. Then, too, there is Wagner's Boot Shop, Jeremiah's, and The Craft Quilter.

Trail Town, just west of Cody, is a collection of historic buildings and relics of the Wyoming frontier. Several old buildings have been reconstructed or relocated here along the old wagon trail, including the log cabin hideout used by Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

Incised by the Shoshone River, the Wapiti Valley carves its way between Cody itself and Yellowstone's eastern gate; Teddy Roosevelt named it the most scenic 50 miles in America. Indeed, a two-hour horseback ride out of the Bill Cody Ranch gives truth to the President's opinion.

"You haven't ridden much, so I gave you a horse that ain't been rid much either," teases Jay Reynolds, a wrangler from, of all places, Shoreham, Long Island. After an hour among sandstone outcroppings and cool creeks rushing through aspen and lodgepole pine, we emerge atop a rocky escarpment with panoramic views of the reddish plateau of the Absaroka Range--so named by the Shoshone as "Children of the Black Bird."