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Charlie Russell’s Tough Year
1917 was a tough year for Charlie Russell. His good buddy, bullwhacker Johnny Matheson, was dying. Johnny ran the last horse-drawn freight line between Great …
What are Preening and Rousing?
“Why did that bird shake?” This is a question I am occasionally asked when a visitor observes one of our birds ruffling up its feathers …
Ned Buntline and the Discovery of Buffalo Bill; or, how a Miscreant Created the First World Celebrity
One thing I’ve learned since coming to work at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West is that every prominent American frontiersman is that way …
St. Labre Spring Visit April 2023
For the sixteenth spring, the Plains Indian Museum hosted high school students, tribal elders, and instructors from St. Labre Indian School in Ashland, Montana. The …
What is phenology and why does it matter?
The Draper Natural History Museum (Draper) is debuting a new monitoring project on the Paul Stock Nature Trail this summer. Staff and volunteers will be …
A Green River Journey – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineSpring 2023 A Green River Journey: Pursuing the Perfect Vantage Point with Artist Tony Foster By Karen Brooks McWhorter On …
A Rendezvous Revisited – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineWinter 2022 A Rendezvous Revisited: Special Exhibition explores Alfred Jacob Miller’s art like never before By Tessa Baker Traveling deep …
The Wild West at Ambrose Park – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineWinter 2022 By the Numbers: The Wild West at Ambrose Park In its early years, Buffalo Bill’s Wild West often …
What is an herbarium and why do they matter?
By Amy Phillips, Curatorial AssistantDraper Natural History Museum The Draper Natural History Museum maintains two herbarium collections. One is a sister collection to the Rocky …
Mike Masterson’s legacy marches on
When visitors to the Center of the West tour our Buffalo Bill Museum, they pause to watch actual footage of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West. The …
Spring Wings – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineSpring 2021 Spring Wings: Birds Flock to Yellowstone Region By Michaela Jones If you have a tendency to gaze longingly …
Bird Nests – Types, Material, & How You Can Help
There are a huge variety of bird nests throughout the world. These vary in materials used as well as types and shapes. Birds may nest …
Buntline and Burke – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineWinter 2022 Buntline and Burke: Buffalo Bill’s Peerless Promoters By Ruffin Prevost William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody was an authentic …
Chicken Soup – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineSpring 2020 Good Enough to Eat: “Bowl of the Wife of Kit Carson” Chicken SoupAdapted from The Fort Restaurant Cookbook …
Indigenous Art Tools – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineWinter 2022 Tools of the Trade: Indigenous Art Tools Indigenous artists and crafters cherish the tools of their trade. Historically, …
Reflecting on the Center’s Past, Imagining its Future – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineSpring 2018 Pete and Al: Reflecting on the Center’s Past, Imagining its Future By Michaela Jones For one hundred years, …
Less is More When ‘Wrangling’ Bison – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineWinter 2019–20 How would you round up 95 bison after their escape from a private ranch, and return them to …
Climbing Cody’s Elusive South Fork Ice – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineWinter 2021 Frozen Treasure: Climbing Cody’s Elusive South Fork Ice By Ruffin Prevost All kinds of people come from all …
Choosing the right cowboy boots
Originally published in Points West magazineFall 2021 The Way West: Choosing the Right Cowboy Boots By Jim Arndt William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody outfitted many …
Pheasant Flying Over Snow – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineFall 2021 How I Got That Shot: Pheasant Flying Over Snow By Rob Koelling Pheasants are common throughout the agricultural …
Center of the West appoints new curator of the Draper Natural History Museum
Corey Anco has been promoted to Willis McDonald, IV Curator of Natural Science for the Draper Natural History Museum at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. He …
How to Safely Load Your Six-Shooter – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineSummer 2020 The Way West: How to Safely Load Your Six-Shooter By Ashley Hlebinsky Any fan of Westerns knows the …
The True Calls of Eagles
In this blog post I discuss eagle calls, attaching sound examples from five large eagle species to illustrate what their true calls are like. Please …
M.C. Poulsen’s Waterfalls of Wonderland – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazine Summer 2022 Waterfalls of Wonderland: Revealing Yellowstone’s Hidden Treasures By Tessa Baker Even 150 years after becoming the world’s …
Connecting with Our Ancestors: St. Labre Indian School Tour
For the sixteenth year, the Plains Indian Museum hosted high school students, tribal elders, and instructors from St. Labre Indian School in Ashland, Montana. The …
Delicious Chuck Roast Recipe – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineWinter 2019–20 Good Enough to Eat: Bourbon Brown Sugar and Soy Chuck Roast Recipe by Kyle Kleist, former Center Executive …
Buffalo Bill Center of the West appoints Gordon Ambrosino, PhD, new curator of the Plains Indian Museum
Dr. Gordon Ambrosino has been selected as the next Curator for the Plains Indian Museum at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. Ambrosino earned his Ph.D. in …
Ravens and Wolves – Friends or Enemies
Can Ravens and Wolves be friends? Ravens are one of the smartest birds there are. They dine on many types of foods including small animals, …
I Butteri: Italy’s Legendary Cowboys of the Maremma – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineFall 2022 I Butteri: Italy’s Legendary Cowboys of the Maremma By Ruffin PrevostPhotographs by Gabrielle Saveri On October 8, 2022, …
The Banditti of the Plains, or, the Triumph of the Nesters
On Friday, April 8, 1892, Ben Jones and Bill Walker rode down out of the Bighorn Mountains. They had been trapping for weeks. Ben Jones …
The Center of the West & Al – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazine The Center of the West & Al By Marguerite House I walked into the Irma Hotel one Saturday morning …
41st Annual Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale Announces Award Winners
We share this news release from our Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale partners at the Cody Country Chamber of Commerce… On the morning preceding …
Black-billed Magpies, Friends or Foes?
Black-billed Magpies seem to be birds that raise conflicting feelings among people. As a member of the Covidae family which includes ravens, crows, and jays, …
Center offers free admission to youth from Park County, Wyoming
The Buffalo Bill Center of the West launched a pilot program offering free admission for Park County, Wyoming, youth through high school, beginning September 1, …
Shakespeare’s Musing at the Antique Barbed Wire Convention – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineSummer 2016 Shakespeare’s Musing at the Antique Barbed Wire Conventiona.k.a. Fencing with Shakespearea.k.a. Bard learns barb By Kelli Grinich Ed. …
Firearms in Pop Culture
Firearms have been a staple in pop culture since the late nineteenth century. Wild west shows gained popularity in the 1880s, with Buffalo Bill’s Wild …
Great Grey Owl – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineSummer 2020 How I Got That Shot: Great Grey Owl By Rebekah Childers One fall morning, I made a trip …
The End of Summer
Well, summer is almost over, and I’ve reached the final chapter of my internship. My time as an intern has really…flown by! Maybe not like, …
How to Create a Museum TikTok
The Buffalo Bill Center of the West has joined the trend of creating a TikTok page for their institution. Growing up just outside Cody, Wyoming, …
Verne Stull: Secrecy and Security
Buried within the vaults of the Cody Firearms Museum here at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West is a revolver, holster, belt, and whistle …
The Man Who Was Scalped
I was lucky enough to meet Gordon Barrows. He danced into my office one day. I’m not sure what the occasion was. It may have …
Nitrate Negatives: Now That’s Explosive Content!
What are nitrate negatives?
Why are nitrate negatives handled with care in archival facilities?
Explore Our Interactive Exhibits
A diverse collection of artifacts, galleries, and specimens are featured within the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. Visitors can gain an understanding of Buffalo …
Articulation Madness with Grace
Where Has the Time Gone?! Sheesh, it’s already July! Summer is going by too fast. It’s gotten a lot hotter too, which I love because …
A Life in the Wild – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineSummer 2022 A Life in the Wild: Acclaimed Photographer Shares Favorite Shots By Mark Davis Ed. note: for Mangelsen’s own …
Snap Pea & Radish Salad – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineSpring 2020 Good Enough to Eat: Snap Pea & Radish Salad with Feta & Lemon Vinaigrette Recipe by Kyle Kleist, …
Searching Through the Online Collections
Have you ever seen an object in the Buffalo Bill Center of the West and later wanted more information? Or forgot the name of a …
The Draw of Cody – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineWinter 2019 – 20 The Draw of Cody: The Role of Place in Helping Make Artists Great By Ruffin Prevost …
Alex Martin #EducationStation
The Education Department in the Center of the West has on-boarded Alex Martin as the Indian Education for All (IEFA) intern this summer. Her role …
Working with Museum Objects
Cassandra Leon: Registration Intern I have loved museum work since 2018, when I was first able to intern at a small university museum. I was …
Spencer Benefiel, #CollectionInspection
The Cody Firearms Museum offers a wide variety of learning opportunities, says Spencer Benefiel, a curatorial intern. Spencer is responsible for records and label correction, …
Nick DelDuca, #ExclusiveTourWithMe
Nick DelDuca, the Exclusive Tours intern this year, holds a BA in History from Montana State University, along with minors in Museum Studies and Religious …
Danny Gonsowski, #FashionForConservation
Hailing from Phoenix, Arizona, Danny Gonsowski is interning with the conservation department at the Center of the West. He has earned a BA in Japanese …
Cassandra Leon #RegistrationNation
Originally from Riverside, California, Cassandra Leon is interning with the registration department. She is currently working on an MA in art history and an art …
Quinne Naegeli, #RecordsRestored
Quinne Naegeli, from Annapolis, Maryland, is currently a curatorial intern with the Cody Firearms Museum. She spends time indexing firearms, correcting gun records and exploring …
Ailey Hall, #BuffaloBillDetective
Ailey Hall, originally from Houston, Texas, has earned a BA in English from Auburn University in Alabama and a MA in Romantic Victorian studies from …
Whitney Museum appoints Susan Barnett western American art curator
The Whitney Western Art Museum at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West appoints Susan Barnett new Scarlett Curator of Western American Art Susan Barnett …
The Internship: Part II
Clouds and Rain Galore Happy June! It was rainy pretty much this entire week (May 30th to June 3rd). There were maybe a few days …
The Internship
Hello! My name is Grace Shumway, and I’m the intern this summer for the Draper Museum Raptor Experience. I’ll be writing these blog posts as …
Meet Me in St. Louis – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineSummer 2010 Meet Me in St. Louis By Robert V. Goss A previous Points West Online series featured the travels …
Tim McCoy and The Covered Wagon: the Birth of a Movie Star
When Tim McCoy was eight years old, his father took him to a showing of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West. Tim dated his desire to be …
Hand-engraved masterpiece for auction pays tribute to Louis Daniel Nimschke
One-of-a-kind hand-engraved Henry rifle for auction pays tribute to Louis Daniel Nimschke, proceeds benefit the internationally-acclaimed Cody Firearms Museum in Cody, Wyoming. Together with Baron …
Introducing digital membership cards
The Buffalo Bill Center of the West is now offering digital membership cards as a member benefit for all membership levels. By using a digital …
Horse’s Head Lunar Eclipse – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineSpring 2020 How I Got That Shot: Horse’s Head Lunar Eclipse By Mack Frost As a photographer, I have always …
Before We Were Here…Rare Books
Rare Books & Archives When I see a collection of books, I see knowledge. I see history. I see an intellectual economy. I see more than …
A Podcast Conversation on the West, Buffalo Bill, and more
The Buffalo Bill Center of the West’s Eric Rossborough, our McCracken Research Library’s Associate Librarian and Senior Cataloger, joined Ramsey Russell, host of the “Duck …
The Pitchfork Ranch Antelope Caper
When Monte Skinner was seven years old, he was given the chore of catching baby antelope. Since I’ve been in Wyoming I’ve become used to …
Owl Sounds: Not Just Hooters
This blog describes sounds from a few owl species, as well as offering you sound bites to listen to. If I ask you what sound …
Who is Liver-Eating Johnson, and Why Are They Saying Those Terrible Things About Him?
Tri Robinson was in his second year as a schoolteacher. He had overcome a learning disability to get through college and now he was faced …
The Center of the West’s Native Education Outreach Program
Over the past few years, the Buffalo Bill Center of the West has embarked on an ambitious education program that embraces the concept of Indian …
To Hate or Not to Hate, That is The Pigeon
Ahhhhhhh, the pigeon. I feel confident saying that nearly every human on the planet has seen a “pigeon.” These birds are found everywhere across the …
Black Cowboys in America – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineSpring 2021 Black Cowboys in America: Photographer Illuminates Diversity of the American Cowboy Story by Tessa BakerPhotos by Ivan McClellan …
Eye Color and Eyelashes of Birds
Bird’s eyes vary greatly in iris colorations, along with if they do or do not have eyelashes.
Kids Ask WhY launches season two
Produced by Wyoming Public Media and the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Kids Ask WhY features young journalists from Wyoming (ages 7 to 12), …
Hal Evarts’s Skunk Ranch
In 1903, when Hal Evarts was fifteen years old, he and a friend made camp on the Arkansas River. “Fur sign was plentiful,” he wrote, …
Contemporary Meets Culture: Modern Art in the Plains Indian Museum
In the Plains Indian Museum, next to the coolest pairs of sneakers I have ever seen, a unique object sits amongst other colorful artifacts with …
The Twilight Life of Charles King
Popular nineteenth century writers like James Fenimore Cooper and Mark Twain were so popular they got their own library call number. This is something twentieth …
Essential National Park Playlist
While there are a total of over 420 national park sites in the United States, only 63 receive the special designation of National Park. From towering peaks in Denali to colorful coral reefs in Biscayne, …
Adele von Ohl Parker – Cowgirl, Performer and Icon of the Arena
Plumb full of talent, cowgirl Adele von Ohl Parker graced arenas and stages brimming with bravado. Parker was raised on a horse farm in Plainfield, …
Parts of a Western Saddle and the Variations
Wedged under almost every cowboy that attempted to tame the frontier was a saddle. The culmination of craftsmanship and practicality, the western saddle is a key piece in the …
Artist Highlight: Walter Matia
Walter Matia is a sculptor with an incredible talent of freezing wildlife in its tracks. With intense attention to detail, Matia brings his pieces to life …
Into the Yellowstone Wilds – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineSummer 2011 Into the Yellowstone Wilds By Jennifer McDonald, Former Program Manager, Draper Natural History Museum Then-Natural History Program Manager …
Silent auction 2021: Find unique gifts for yourself or a friend!
Each year, the Buffalo Bill Center of the West’s Patrons Ball fundraising gala includes a silent auction of beautiful artwork and jewelry, decorative arts, and …
Don’t Fence Me In: A Draper and Science Kids Adventure
The Future of Wildlife Resides in the Hands of the Youth That was one of several take home messages that youth participants of the Don’t …
Artist Highlight: Dustin Van Wechel
Dustin Van Wechel is an oil painter with a knack for realism. His meticulous attention to detail and extremely specific brushwork is mesmerizing in an ‘analyze every detail for hours and wonder how it’s possible’ type …
This Library is Anything but Quiet – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineSpring 2005 This Library is Anything but Quiet By Nathan Bender, Former Curator, McCracken Research Library Norman Cousins (1915–1990), editor …
Rodeo Capital of the World
At the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, we are grateful to be located in the “Rodeo Capital of the World.” Every summer night after the museum has shut its …
A Modern Day “Hole-in-the-Wall” Gang’s Unexpected Journey – Points West Online
Originally published in Points West magazineWinter 2010 A Modern Day “Hole in the Wall” Gang’s Unexpected Journey By Whitney Western Art Museum Volunteers “While browsing …
Artist Highlight: Russell Case
Dreamily depicting scenes of the American West, Russell Case captures the viewer’s eye through vibrant color and light. This allows them to explore the detailed elements of the pieces. Most …
Views from Yonder: Outside Perspectives of the Wild West
What do you picture when you think of the Wild West? Do you see tumbleweeds drifting through a small town? The bucking bronco on the Wyoming license plate? Or does a gunslinging video …
