American West AUTHENTIC WESTERN ADVENTURES ONCE UPON A TIME Relive the Stories of the American West FRONTIER TRAILS FROM LEFT: BUFFALO BILL CENTER OF THE WEST, ERIC LINDBERG; FREIGHT WAGON, FORT CASPAR MUSEUM, WYOMING OFFICE OF TOURISM. William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody, Sacagawea, Kit Carson, Butch Cassidy … such characters’ names precede them — but do you really know the people and events that shaped the American West? From Indian Wars to the world’s first official women’s suffrage, the spirit of the past will sweep you up and remind you just what makes the West endlessly fascinating. WHERE TO START? LISTEN TO WHAT CALLS TO YOU OLD WEST ATTRACTIONS & MUSEUMS Western-themed attractions and museums dot Wyoming like bullet holes through a covered wagon. Cody , near Yellowstone National Park, is an excellent starting point, with plenty of ways to explore town founder Buffalo Bill’s legendary personality and the Old West he loved. Here, the Buffalo Bill Center of the West houses the Buffalo Bill Museum, Plains Indian Museum, Cody Firearms Museum, Draper Natural History Museum and the Whitney Western Art Museum. Featuring exhibits on the fur-trade era, Plains Indians and Oregon Trail, Museum of the Mountain Man in Pinedale is another great place to dig into the state’s frontier past. NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY Gold seekers and other pioneers made their way through Wyo-ming in the 1800s on frontier trails that crisscrossed the state. In Casper , home to the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center , you can delve into the history of the Oregon Trail, Mormon Trail, California Trail and Pony Express route through living-history presentations, exhibits and events. Also, check out the still-visible Oregon Trail ruts near Guernsey , relive the adventure of the American West on a covered wagon train ride or pan for gold at South Pass City State Historic Site near Lander . RODEOS Evidence of prehistoric inhabitants in Wyoming dates back 12,000 years and provides endlessly rich explorations of Native American culture. East of Lovell is the Medicine Wheel, a mysterious, an-cient stone shrine. In the Rockies to Tetons region, visit the Wind River Indian Reservation , the nation’s seventh largest and home to the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes. Here you can visit the grave of Sacagawea, the Shoshone woman who helped guide the Lewis and Clark expedition. Visitors can also attend a summer powwow, take a tour with a local Native American guide or visit the Northern Arapaho Experience Room at the Wind River Hotel & Casino . Bucking broncos, raging bulls and the cowboys who dare to ride them draw big crowds in most Wyoming towns. Lander claims the oldest paid rodeo in the world, Lander Pioneer Days Rodeo . The Cody Stampede is an Independence Day favorite, and the town also hosts the Cody Nite Rodeo every summer evening. Then, there’s the 10-day Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo , Sheridan WYO Rodeo , Casper ’s College National Finals Rodeo and Gil-lette ’s National High School Finals Rodeo. WY NOT? FIND OUT HOW TO EXPERIENCE LIFE AS A 19TH-CENTURY MOUNTAIN MAN. SCAN THIS PAGE TravelWyoming.com 37
Wyoming Official Travel Guide 2017 Wyoming OTJ: Page 37
