Red Lodge, MT

 Today Joe and I went to Red Lodge, MT. It is a 133 mile round trip from Cody. It was alittle chilly when we left, but by the time we got to Red Lodge, it had warmed up nicely. It was a very pretty ride to Red Lodge. We passed by a little cemetary....just out in the middle of nowhere. Also, lots of ranches....cattle and horse ranches.


We passed by the Smith Mining Disaster...it was the worst coal mining disaster in the state of Monatana. On February 27, 1943 an explosion ripped through the mine Of the 77 men working that day, only 3 got out of the mine alive.

Red Lodge started as a stage coach stop in 1884. Coal discoveries nearby transformed Red Lodge into a mining boom town by the 1890s. Red Lodge prospered and by 1911 had a population of 5,000.The mining days came to an end with the Smith Mining disaster in 1943. Today, the Beartooth Hwy. links Red Lodge to Yellowstone and it is a booming tourist center. It' s population is 2,125 people now and that's the way everyone we talked to today likes it!

Lots of crafts and hand-made things to buy...



but, Joe headed for Beartooth Harley.....



and I headed for the hand made chocolates.



Store fronts are original....

and notice there are NO traffic lights!



Great advice! I just had to get a picture of this sign.

Buffalo Bill Historical Center

Joe and I spent one and a half days in the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. The theme of the center is "celebrating the Spirit of the American West!". Since 1917, the Buffalo Bill Museum has been committed to the greatness and growth of the American West. The museum first opened in 1927 in a log cabin style building ( modeled after Cody's house at his TE Ranch) in downtown Cody. The museum stayed in that location until 1969 when it was relocated to a newly built wing of the Historical Center. Here, in its original incarnation, the Buffalo Bill Museums's focus is on the life and times of William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody (1846-1917), the noted guide, scout, frontiersman, showman, actor, entrepreneur, and town founder. The Buffalo Bill Museum is the flagship museum of the Historical Center today. In addition to the Buffalo Bill Museum, there is also a Firearms Museum, Plains Indians Museum, Western Art Museum, and a Greater Yellowstone Natural History Museum all housed in the Historical Center.

This is the back of a chuck wagon...it carried the food and cooking equipment on the prairies. The cook's assistant was in charge of driving the bed wagon which carried the bedding and extra supplies such as firewood and ropes.

Early transportation through Yellowstone in the early 1900s.

The Firearms Museum is the largest of its kind in the world housing over 4500 firearms. The Winchester Collection is the heart of this museum, but don't expect to see only Winchester-made arms here. Virtually every significant manufacturer in the world is represented. This was Joe's favorite...

The Western Art Museum displays artistic masterpieces and modern views of the land, people, and wildlife of the West.

The Plains Indians Museum tells the significant story of the Plains Indian peoples, their cultures, traditions, values, and histories.

The Greater Yellowstone Natural History Museum....learn about grizzly bears, wolves, moose, eagles, wildfire geology and more. It was interesting to me to learn how much beavers contribute to nature.

Downstairs is an exhibit of Western Wear...from the early days of cowboys to the present day including rodeo attire. It was fun to try on different style hats.

Outside is a sculpture garden. It was cold, and rainy so we didn't get to go out.