Meet the Staff
Meet the McCracken Staff
Susan Fletcher
Housel Director of the McCracken Research Library
Susan Fletcher serves as Housel Director for the McCracken Research Library, guiding a talented team in stewarding one of the world’s foremost collections of Western American history. She joined the library in August 2023, bringing more than twenty-five years of experience in libraries, archives, and museums. Previously, she directed History and Archives for The Navigators and Glen Eyrie in Colorado Springs, where she founded and led an international history program. Her earlier work as Archivist for the Dixon Research Center at Lee University strengthened her commitment to accessible, engaging storytelling grounded in historical research. Fletcher authored Exploring the History of Childhood and Play Through 50 Historic Treasures—named a Booklist “Top 10 Sports Book of 2020”—and co-authored several other works on history and faith. She represents the Mountain West on the American Association for State and Local History Awards Committee and serves on the Park County Historic Preservation Commission.
Cassandra Day
Archivist, McCracken Research Library,
Cassandra Day serves as Archivist for the McCracken Research Library at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, where she oversees the processing, organization, and description of manuscript and photograph collections. She manages the preservation, storage, and retrieval of archival materials while ensuring public access through both digital platforms and in-person exhibitions. Joining the McCracken team in August 2023 from North Carolina, Cassandra brings a deep appreciation for the ways archives preserve and share stories of the American West. In her first months at the library, she uncovered a favorite find: a remarkable collection of early 1900s tobacco cards depicting Western icons such as Buffalo Bill and Annie Oakley, as well as vivid scenes of buffalo hunts. Part of the MS 327 James Wojtowicz Collection, these cards illuminate the popular imagery and cultural fascination with the frontier that shaped public imagination during the early twentieth century.
Nathan Bender
Research Assistant, McCracken Research Library,
Nathan E. Bender, M.A., M.L.S., serves as Research Assistant at the McCracken Research Library, where he assists researchers onsite and online in navigating the library’s extensive collections. Over more than a decade with the McCracken, he has held multiple roles—including Archivist and Housel Curator—each reflecting his deep commitment to preserving and interpreting the history of the American West. Nathan’s primary research interests center on firearms of the fur trade, Native American printed language materials, western folklore, historical archaeology, and the bibliography of Montana Native journalism. He is the author of Historic Bottle and Jar Closures, a reference for historical archaeologists and collectors, and The Art of the English Trade Gun in North America, an original art history of ornamentation used by English gunmakers during the North American fur trade era. Other scholarly work includes biographical works on John “Liver Eating” Johnston, the Apsalooke arrow throwing game, and Hawken rifles. He is currently a member of the editorial board of The Rocky Mountain Fur Trade Journal. Nathan’s expertise and intellectual rigor enrich the McCracken’s mission of advancing research and public understanding.
Eric Rossborough
Associate Librarian/Senior Cataloger, McCracken Research Library
Eric Rossborough serves as Associate Librarian and Senior Cataloger at the McCracken Research Library, where he manages the cataloging and organization of more than 32,000 volumes. Since joining the McCracken in December 2014, he has contributed nearly a decade of expertise to advancing access and scholarship within the library’s collections. Before his tenure in Cody, Eric worked at the Getty Center in Southern California during the 1990s, developing extensive experience in bibliographic cataloging and library systems. His favorite volume within the McCracken’s holdings, The Scalp Hunters: or, Adventures Among the Trappers by Mayne Reid, reflects his enduring fascination with early Western literature and its influence on figures such as Theodore Roosevelt and Robert Louis Stevenson. In addition to his cataloging work, Eric writes blog posts for the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, exploring Western artists, mountain men, and Wyoming history—continuing a lifelong passion for the stories of the American frontier.
Judy Kauwell
Archives Assistant, McCracken Research Library
Judy Kauwell joined the McCracken Research Library team in 2013, first as a dedicated volunteer before becoming Archives Assistant in 2020. Her enthusiasm, attention to detail, and deep respect for history make her an invaluable part of the archives staff. Judy works closely with a range of fascinating collections, with particular interest in materials related to the Heart Mountain Relocation Center, military figures John Foster and Charles King, philanthropist Paul Stock, and renowned Western artist James Bama. Among her most memorable discoveries is documentation on the Winchester Mystery House, uncovered while researching the Winchester Repeating Arms Company collections. This remarkable structure evolved from an eight-room farmhouse into a sprawling 24,000-square-foot mansion with thousands of windows and doors, numerous stairways and fireplaces, and an extraordinary history of continuous construction from 1886 to 1922. Judy’s curiosity and dedication help preserve and illuminate such remarkable stories within the McCracken’s extensive holdings.
Mack Frost
Digital Technician, McCracken Research Library
Mack Frost, a lifelong Cody, Wyoming native, traces his family roots in the region back to 1885, when his ancestors arrived by covered wagon. He began working with the McCracken Research Library in 2006, producing digital scans of his uncle Jack Richard’s extensive photographic collection. With deep local knowledge and technical expertise in scanning, photography, and image processing, Mack became an invaluable resource to the library. In 2014, he joined the staff full-time as Digital Technician, overseeing the digitization of manuscript collections and creating fine art prints from historic photographs. He also manages Rights and Reproductions, licensing images for use by publishers, television producers, and authors. Among the many collections he has worked with, the Jack Richard Collection remains his favorite, though he finds particular fascination in documents related to the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Mack views each day at the McCracken as an opportunity to learn something new and preserve history for future generations.