Meeteetse

 Yesterday, on a very cold and sunny morning we took a drive to Meeteetse - a very small town with strong cowboy roots about 30 miles from Cody.

We quickly drove through Meeteetse a few days after we arrived in Cody, while driving a large loop that included Powell, Lovell and Greybull.

Both LC and I finally realized yesterday while slowly walking through (and greatly enjoying) this wonderful little town, that we rushed far too much when we first found our way to Wyoming.

We blew through these towns without really taking enough time to see and enjoy them.

A symptom of the reality of our recent lives and the hectic and frantic pace we had been moving for far too long in Juneau and (for a short period) in Montana.

We have had a chance to enjoy Powell a few times since arriving.

And yesterday we greatly enjoyed Meeteetse.

These first few pictures are of the original town bank turned free museum.

We spent only a short while there talking to a woman who obviously greatly enjoyed sharing the history of the town and the bank with us, and then we walked through the main floor taking in historical and actual working items that were original to this bank early in the last century................

 

 

 

 

 Outside the old bank is another free exhibit of old wagons and farming implements............

 

 There are many of these wagons floating throughout the area (primarily seen in people's driveways at this time of year).

Homes away from home for herders.

It was interesting to look inside and to see how they lived while out on the trail...........

 

 

 

 An old plough.........

 And an old grader..........

 

 This bear is known as Axpawate Daxputchee (Eleven Bears) and was part of the Gathering Of The Grizzlies fundraiser that I referred to in another blog entry.

These bears are located all over Cody (in the recreation center, the library, outside banks and other businesses).

More information on the Gathering Of The Grizzlies:

http://grizgathering.blogspot.com/

 Walking down to the next block we walked into yet one more museum.

This one was much larger, much more extensive, and again was wonderfully free to the public.

Again we ran into another local lady who worked at the museum who spent a good deal of time speaking with LC about local history, while I wandered around the building greatly enjoying the exhibits.........

 

A local and prolific photographer recorded history during the early part of the 20th century, and there are wonderful photographs located throughout the museum of cattle, sheep, ranchers, herders, cowboys.

Hundreds of great smaller black and white photos and some absolutely wonderful works-of-art that depict life during that time.......

 

 

 

 

 

 A link to information on Meeteetse and its rich cowboy history:

http://www.meeteetsewy.com/index.php?page=area-history
http://www.sangres.com/wyoming/places/park/meeteetse.htm

 

 

 

 

 

 A cougar.

While walking up on BLM land with my Mountain Boy and mutt last week we saw tracks that LC announced to me were cougar tracks.

Honestly I was doubtful.

But while at the museum looking at this cougar I read information that was posted about this cat and saw examples of their tracks.

LC was correct.  It was cougar tracks we saw up there the other day..........

 Examples of the various breeds of sheep that roam the area.

I was interested to read that male Big Horn Sheep can have horns that weigh as much as 30 pounds, and that all other bones in their body combined do not weigh as much.

There was information posted about their herding patterns which I had already observed during our trips through Wapiti and up towards Yellowstone..........

 Story of a problem bear that was shot and killed on a large ranch close to Cody.

He was killed after unsuccessful attempts to relocate him, and then after many years of tracking before he was eventually shot............

 Interesting information about local breeds of sheep.

Click on the picture to enlarge, and then click again to enlarge even more..........

 

 

 

 A cowboy town - complete with old western buildings, second story balconies, wooden plank sidewalks, hitching posts.

Very fun.

Very cool............

 

 

 

 There were two doors leading into the historic Cowboy Bar.

This door had a rifle door handle, and the other had a revolver handle...........

 

 We walked by the Cowboy Bar trying to decide where to eat lunch before eventually turning back.

This colorful painting was located on the external wall of a building close by..........

 Great picture taking opportunities for the tourists who will soon arrive...........

 Inside the Cowboy Bar with its original bar (dated 1893)

Lots of historical pictures, cowboy memorabilia etc.

If you enlarge the picture there is a noose hanging from the ceiling close to the TV.

We found out that it is illegal in Wyoming to make a noose with 13 loops.

14 is apparently OK.  So is 12.

But not 13.

They have great cheeseburgers at the Cowboy Bar.............

 A statue located on the grounds of a motel heading out of town........

 The Pitchfork Ranch is a very large ranch located about 30 miles from Meeteetse.

We found out at the last museum we visited that many of the Marlboro commercials were filmed on the Pitchfork Ranch.

http://www.pitchforkranch.com/pitchfork-history.html
We had a wonderful, very fun, very interesting trip to a real honest-to-God cowboy town yesterday............