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Last of the Wild West: the Yellowstone Grizzly Bear – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineSpring 2007 Last of the Wild West: the Yellowstone Grizzly Bear By Charles R. Preston, PhD It was warm for …
Guardians of the Galleries
If you ask anyone who works at the Center of the West who keeps this place running, they will most likely say the security guards. They safeguard the art, protect the …
Gunslinging Gameplay – Red Dead Redemption
It is every Cowboy-and-Indian-playing child’s dream to travel across the West, be a gunslinger, and face the perils of an untamed landscape. Those children grow …
Beetle Buffet – Feeding on the Future of Science
Tucked away in aquarium tanks rifling through skulls and bones of a bull snake, wolf, and osprey are the dermestid beetles of the Center of the …
Traveling West Page by Page – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineFall/Winter 2014 Traveling West Page by Page By Henry M. Yaple “To those with ears to hear, libraries are really …
A Day at the Center of the West
Rolling into Cody, Wyoming, is a sight to see. Strolling through downtown can make you feel transported to the Old West, and the mountain views from all angles will take your …
On the Silent Hills Near the Little Big Horn
The relentless wind moved the sea of grass like ocean waves. Staring across the tranquil distance it was difficult to imagine the bloodshed that had …
Artists-in-Residence enliven Center of the West’s museum spaces
Each summer, the Buffalo Bill Center of the West welcomes artists-in-residence to its museum galleries to demonstrate their artistic techniques and share their vision with …
Welcoming Jason Housel: Draper Natural History Museum Artist-in-Residence
From July 26 to 30, Jason Housel is the Draper Natural History Museum’s artist-in-residence. Jason will be interacting with guests and creating displays that showcase …
Seeing the West in a Whole New Way – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineFall 2009 Seeing the West in a Whole New Way: The 2009 Whitney Museum Reopening By Laurel Eatherly A blast …
Ballin’ on a Budget – A Yellowstone Vacation
Congratulations! You are probably considering a Yellowstone vacation. With breathtaking views and wildlife abound, a trip to the world’s first national park is almost a no-brainer. Except, occasionally for the pocketbook. Fret not, gathered …
Chiller Thriller and Boiler Spoiler – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineSummer 2021 Chiller Thriller and Boiler Spoiler: NEH Infrastructure Challenge Grant Required 3-to-1 Match It seems like a lifetime ago, …
Little Red Corvette – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineSpring 2021 Little Red Corvette: Local Partnership Yields Ideal Car Raffle By Spencer Smith For each of the past 20 …
Ultimate Trip Guide Through Yellowstone’s East Entrance
From the dazzling lights of the Cody Nite Rodeo up to the snow-covered peaks surrounding Sylvan Pass down to the wildlife on the rolling hills …
Bear Country Bare Necessities
Although appearing as cuddly as their toy store counterparts, wild bears are not to be played with. Being safe in bear country is critical. After all, when visiting nature, you are the guest, and the …
The Man Who Wasn’t Jim Bridger
A Well-watered Area Jim Bridger had seen the handwriting on the wall. Between the early 1820s and late 1830s, fur brigades had moved from watershed …
Old Westerns: Fiction vs Reality
Seeing the historical figures that are displayed around the museum suddenly come to life in Westen films is entertaining, but not always historically accurate. Many of the information we …
Georgian horsemen in the Wild West show – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineSummer 2019 Georgian horsemen in the Wild West show By Irakli Makharadze Translated from Georgian by Salome and Nino Makharadze …
Caching in Birds: What it is, the Why and How
A few weeks ago a friend asked me what the word cache meant. Many species of animals commonly cache complete meals or leftovers. In fact, …
Harold McCracken’s Nature Writing – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineSummer 2017 Harold McCracken’s Nature Writing By Mary Robinson In a previous, two-part Points West Online installment, Mary Robinson told …
Museum Minute: Lakota Tradition of Celebrating Childbirth
Hunter Old Elk, the curatorial assistant of the Plains Indian Museum, said when children come into this world, they are a new generation. “They are …
The Day I met Willis McDonald
Shortly after I started at the McCracken Research Library, our Director, Mary Robinson, came into my office one day. “Do you want to go to …
Museum Minute: A Unique Copy Of George Catlin’s Books Of Paintings
Artist George Catlin made a number of trips to the West in the 1830s. He spent a lot of time with the upper Missouri tribes, …
How Not to Spook a Horse – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineSpring 2020 How Not to Spook a Horse By Jim Davis This article giving advice on how not to spook …
Museum Minute: How A Museum Decides What To Collect
The Cody Firearms Museum has over 7,000 firearms in the collection. So are they looking to add anything to the collection? Danny Michael, the curator …
150 Years On Target – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineFall 2016 150 Years On Target New Mexico Electric News, May–June 1966 An unlikely magazine—New Mexico Electric News, May–June 1966—featured …
Craftsman and Artist: A Brief Look at the Leather Shops of the Early 1900s
A brief look at leather shops and saddle makers of the early 1900s.
Museum Minute: “The Last of Their Race”
Artist John Mix Stanley crossed thousands of miles among the western territories in the mid-1800’s. He even went as far as Hawaii in his travels. …
The Story of Bronson Rumsey and His Business Records – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineFall 2011 From Buffalo, New York, to Cody, Wyoming: The Story of Bronson Rumsey and His Business Records By Jeremy …
Protect Our Indigenous Sisters
Women-led, the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Movement (MMIWG) increases awareness for staggering violence, disappearances, and exploitation against Indigenous peoples, especially women.
Museum Minute: Monte, the Eastern Screech Owl
Eastern screech owls are found east of the Rocky Mountains of the continental divide. They do overlap a little with the Western Screech Owl, so …
Mountain Men of the Old School
Max Wilde first drifted through the Cody area in 1913. An Indiana farm boy, he was fascinated by stories of hunting and trapping in the …
Taking to the Field with the Draper Natural History Museum – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineSpring 2010 Taking to the Field with the Draper Natural History Museum By Jennifer McDonald Nature buffs are always excited …
Museum Minute: A Toy Horse and Doll
Toys are a great example of how historians learn about people’s everyday lives. Hunter Old Elk, the curatorial assistant of the Plains Indian Museum, said …
To the Western Ocean: Paintings by Michael Haynes – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineSummer 2009 To the Western Ocean: Paintings by Michael Haynes By Christine C. Brindza In 2009, Michael Haynes’s To the …
Museum Minute: How Pop Culture Influences Firearms Collecting
Pop culture usually influences the way we live. And it turns out firearms collecting is no different. Danny Michael, the Cody Firearms Museum curator, said …
Rebecca West named Executive Director & CEO of Buffalo Bill Center of the West
The Buffalo Bill Center of the West Board of Trustees Executive Director Exploratory Task Force and the Board’s Executive Committee today announced the promotion of Rebecca West …
Museum Minute: A Telegram Keeps A Memory Alive
Larry Larom was the owner of a famous dude ranch southwest of Cody. He had long been supportive of the Cody Stampede Rodeo and was …
Museum Minute: Ted Waddell’s “Red Lodge Horses”
In honor of the 50th anniversary of the Whitney Western Art Museum in 2008, artist Ted Waddell donated a large painting titled, Red Lodge Horses. Turns out …
Museum Minute: Spoon Exemplifies Quill Work
There are times when a curator of a museum may decide not to keep an object that came in with a larger collection. That’s because …
Collection Connections with the Corps of Discovery – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineSummer 2009 Collection Connections with the Corps of Discovery By Christine C. Brindza In 1804, President Thomas Jefferson chose Meriwether …
Pulp Fiction
When Bill Hayes was thirteen years old, he spent several days at a mine in the Bighorn Mountains. Some cousins had invited Bill, his Dad, …
Raptors Aren’t Always What You Expect
There are many surprises in the natural world. Some are due to our own false interpretations and conclusions, others are due to misinformation we have been given, as well as information that at one time was considered true but has been disproven.
Fields of Discovery – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineWinter 2009 Fields of Discovery Ed. note: This article shares the story of a past series of summer educational programs. …
Museum Minute: The ‘Biography’ That Made Colt Buntline Revolvers Famous
Colt Buntline Revolvers weren’t very well known until a biography was written about Wyatt Earp. Earp was an American law enforcement officer who served as …
Finding Frank – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineSpring 2016 Finding Frank By Jennifer R. Henneman In a previous Points West Online article, readers took great delight in …
Museum Minute: The Stetson Hat In Literature
John B. Stetson came West as a young man. He was the son of a successful hatter. In the West, he recognized the need for …
BBCW Youth Advisors awarded environmental project grant from Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution has awarded $500 to the Youth Advisory Board (a group of Cody High School students) at the Buffalo Bill Center of the …
Sitting Bull: Even Cody Couldn’t Save Him – Points West Online
Originally published in 1980 in the Center’s newsletter, and reprinted in Points West magazineFall/Winter 2015 Sitting Bull: Even Cody Couldn’t Save Him By Gene BallFormer …
Forging an American Identity: The Art of William Ranney – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineSpring 2006 Forging an American Identity: The Art of William Ranney By Sarah E. Boehme, PhDFormer Curator, Whitney Western Art …
From the Streets to the Academy: the Charles G. Clarke Story
Charles G. Clarke (1899 – 1983) may not have been present for the settling of the American West, but he sure was present for the …
Museum Minute: A Chromolithograph of the Grand Prismatic Spring
Painter Thomas Moran visited Yellowstone National Park in 1871. A year before, Yellowstone became the world’s first national park. Moran traveled to Yellowstone on a …
Will the Real Frontiersman Please Stand Up? – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineSummer 2015 Will the Real Frontiersman Please Stand Up? By Sandra K. Sagala The controversy over the film The Interview …
Museum Minute: Dentalium Shell Dress
One day while working in the Plains Indian Museum collections, Hunter Old Elk, the curatorial assistant, found a very heavy box. “I didn’t really know …
Margaret Murie: Sunlight Aura and Spine of Steel – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineSummer 2003 Margaret Murie: Sunlight Aura and Spine of Steel By Valarie HammFormer Intern, Draper Natural History Museum Nestled in …
Cody Firearms Museum celebrates its collection with an anniversary
The Buffalo Bill Center of the West’s Cody Firearms Museum, completely redesigned and renovated in 2019, includes about 4,200 firearms in its 40,000 square feet …
Avian Courtship: Let’s Get It On
Let’s face it, most of us have had our hearts broken at some point. When that happens, it’s completely normal to swear to ourselves that …
Favorite Firearms – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineSummer 2019 Favorite Firearms A number of firearms experts, scholars, enthusiasts, and Buffalo Bill Center of the West staffers are …
Museum Minute: Dude Ranches in the Big Horn Mountains
The McCracken Research Library director loves artifacts that tell a bigger story. Mary Robinson said one of her favorite examples is a pamphlet that talks …
Exhibition: What Lies Beneath
Upcoming exhibition Opening April 24, 2021 What Lies Beneath: Exploring Yellowstone Lake’s Mysterious Vents documents the scientific expedition known as the Hydrothermal Dynamics of Yellowstone LAKE …
Charles Fritz: A Present-Day Artist on the Trail of Lewis and Clark – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineSummer 2009 A Present-Day Artist on the Trail of Lewis and Clark By Christine C. Brindza It began with one …
Blacks in Army Blue – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineFall/Winter 2018 Blacks in Army Blue: Early Depictions by Frederic Remington and William F. Cody By Dr. John Langellier John …
Mel Stonehouse: Story of a Horse Wreck
I have been hearing about Mel Stonehouse since I arrived here, and he’s become a legend in my mind. Many of the colorful Cody characters …
Museum Minute: Winchester Archives
The Cody Firearms Museum is well known for its huge collection of Winchester firearms. But Danny Michael, museum’s curator, said the museum actually has a …
Seldom Seen: Elusive Predators of Yellowstone Country – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineWinter 2019–2020 Seldom Seen: Elusive Predators of Yellowstone Country By Mark Davis Bill Hackney was driving on Muddy Mountain near Casper, Wyoming, …
Alaska Man, Part 2 – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineSummer 2017 Alaska Man, Part 2 Click here to read part one… By Mary Robinson In part one of Alaska …
Everything You Need to Know About Will James
You have questions about Will James … we have the answers. Here’s everything you need to know about James in a nutshell.
Alaska Man, Part 1 – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineSpring 2017 Alaska Man, Part 1 By Mary Robinson “You’d take him for a schoolmaster, precisely like a schoolmaster, or …
Museum Minute: A Modern Pipe Bag
Lauren Good Day is Arikara Hidatsa Blackfeet and Plains Cree. Rebecca West, the curator of the Plains Indian Museum, said this diverse cultural heritage informs …
A Year in Review with the Draper Natural History Museum: 2020
This year has thrown everyone a curve ball. Learn how the Draper Natural History Museum rose to the unexpected challenge of 2020 as we look …
Museum Minute: Jade the Bald Eagle
The Draper Museum Raptor Experience will be 10 years old in 2021. In honor, we are featuring the 11 raptors in the program. Jade is …
Museum Minute: The Sharp Cabin
The Whitney Western Art Museum has a studio collection of Joseph Henry Sharp. He is best known as a Tao Society artist, but he also …
Good news and bad news, Russell or Heikka? – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineSpring 2018 Good news and bad news, Russell or Heikka? By Peter Hassrick, PhD The Buffalo Bill Center of the …
Everything You Need to Know About W.H.D. Koerner
You have questions about W.H.D. Koerner … we have the answers. Here’s everything you need to know about Koerner in a nutshell.
Lies and Legends of Montana Bill, Part 2 – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineFall/Winter 2018 Lies and Legends of Montana Bill, Part 2 Click here to read part 1… By Tom F. Cunningham …
Museum Minute: Winchester Model 70
The Winchester Model 70 has long been called the rifleman’s rifle. The gun is also an iconic American Bolt-Action that was designed in the 1930s. …
12 Days of Christmas and Its Birds
It’s likely you are familiar with the carol, “Twelve Days of Christmas.” Moreover, you have probably sung it. But, have you ever noted how many …
Museum Minute: Lakota American Motif Dress
Kate Fools Crow was Lakota and the wife of the renowned spiritual leader Frank Fools Crow. Kate made a dress sometime in the 1970s that had …
Lies and Legends of Montana Bill, Part 1 – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineSummer 2018 Lies and Legends of Montana Bill, Part 1 By Tom F. Cunningham Wild West Echoes in Glasgow Of …
Museum Minute: Amelia the Short Eared Owl
The Draper Museum Raptor Experience will be 10 years old in 2021. In honor, we are featuring the 11 raptors in the program. Amelia is …
Sacred Seeds: A Journey to the Past to Chart a New Future – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineSummer 2020 Sacred Seeds: A Journey to the Past to Chart a New Future By Michaela Jones When a longtime …
Museum Minute: The Start of Abercrombie and Fitch
Most people know Abercrombie and Fitch as a clothing store. But Ashley Hlebinsky, the curator emeritus of the Cody Firearms Museums, said it started out …
Rough Riding with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineFall/Winter 2014 Rough Riding with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West By Tom F. Cunningham As organized in 1891, Buffalo Bill’s Wild …
Diverse Cultures of the Northern Plains Indian Peoples
The Northern Plains Indian peoples have diverse cultures from tribe to tribe. This engaging and interactive curriculum resource will take you and your students on …
Everything You Need To Know About Frederic Remington
You have questions about Frederic Remington … we have the answers. Here’s everything you need to know about Remington in a nutshell.
Ithaca Gun Company records find a new home with the Cody Firearms Records Office
Walter Snyder, Ithaca historian, has generously donated the surviving records from the original Ithaca Gun Company to the Center to be used by the Cody …
Turkeys, Thanksgiving, and Our National Bird
10 Interesting Facts About Turkeys 1) Did you know turkeys have a name sake? Turkey vultures received their common name because their naked head resembles …
Museum Minute: “The Story Teller”
The Plains Indian Museum not only collects older artwork but also contemporary artwork. The museum has a piece of pottery by Rose Pecos SunRhodes. “[It’s] …
The Life and Work of Will James – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineSpring 2019 The Life and Work of Will James By Nicole Todd The life of Will James is one of …
Museum Minute: Vincent Mercaldo
Vincent Mercaldo was a painter and artist. But many people, including his family, didn’t realize that he collected and manipulated photographs as well. “What makes …