The Buffalo Bill Center of the West, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is dedicated to telling the story of the American West. It’s one of the finest museums in the country and sits on the west end of Sheridan Avenue in Cody, Wyoming.
Cody is the self-proclaimed Rodeo Capital of the World. It’s not that the city is looking for bragging rights, it’s absolutely true. Wyoming is the Cowboy State. It lives, eats, and breathes the cowboy life and rodeo is the official state sport. When you see someone walking down the street wearing cowboy boots and a cowboy hat, it’s a real cowboy. They’ve earned the right to wear their gear, unlike in other states where it’s often just a fashion statement.
The city of Cody, founded by Buffalo Bill Cody, has a few great activities to keep visitors busy during their stay. My time there was limited because we arrived a bit later in the day than we had hoped, but we were still able to get a nice feel for the town. We started with a quick look at the downtown area along Sheridan Avenue, where most of the action is.
Named after one of its founders, the legendary Buffalo Bill Cody, the city of Cody is a gateway to Yellowstone National Park and the self-proclaimed Rodeo Capital of the World. It makes a great stop before or after exploring Yellowstone and has plenty of interesting activities and museums to keep visitors busy.
After finishing up The Loop Road near Lander, Wyoming, we drove north up the Wind River Canyon Scenic Byway on our way up to Cody. We were running a little late, but we were still able to enjoy this beautiful stretch of road along the way.
The Loop Road is a 70 mile scenic drive that begins and ends in Lander, Wyoming. We drove a portion of the road one late morning.
Is Fort Washakie, Wyoming, the resting place of the famed Shoshone guide who helped lead the Lewis and Clark Expedition? The controversy surrounding the death of Sacajawea began in the early 1900s. She was thought to have died in 1812 of an unknown illness, but research through Shoshone oral tradition by suffragette Dr. Grace Raymond Hebard opened a new chapter in Sacajawea’s life with many unanswered questions.
In the middle of the Sweetwater Valley along Highway 220 in Wyoming, Independence Rock juts out of the ground. This rock stands 130 feet high, 1,900 feet long, and 850 feet wide. It was a landmark for emigrants heading west on the Oregon, California, and Mormon trails.
The first thing that comes to mind when I hear the word “Casper” is “Casper the Friendly Ghost”. The first thing that came to mind when I drove into the city of Casper on a Friday afternoon is “ghost town”.
Just outside of Guernsey, Wyoming, south of the North Platte River, is a section of solid rock that has been cut into by history. The wagon ruts were made by brave pioneers heading west on the Oregon Trail in the mid-1800s. Oregon Trail Ruts State Historic Site preserves this history.