Cody was founded in 1896 by Colonel William F. (Buffalo Bill) Cody. It is in the Bighorn Basin just 46 miles outside the East entrance to Yellowstone Park, one of the country’s largest national parks that covers 3,472 square miles. Yellowstone is the home of “Old Faithful”, the most famous of the park’s hundreds of geysers.
            The Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody has five sections that you will want to visit. It tells the history of the American West with sections that include the Buffalo Bill Museum established in 1927, Whitney Gallery of Western Art, The Plains Indian Museum, the Cody Firearms Museum, the Draper Museum of Natural History, and the McCracken Research Library. There is ample parking for all sizes of RVs at the museum with life-size bronze statues of western figures and horses that are excellent photographic subjects. You can examine the personal and public lives of Buffalo Bill and his family in the context of the history and myths of the American West.  See exhibitions of Bill’s Wild West Shows, the Cody family living room, Cody’s famous rifle, and saddles, frontier wagons and cowboys.
            Whitney Gallery contains works by Frederic Remington, CM Russell, Albert Bierstadt, Thomas Moran, George Catlin, WHD Koerner, NC Wyeth, and others. The bronze sculptures and paintings from the times of 1820 to 1930 are impressive. You are welcome to use your cameras and video recorders throughout the Historical Center except in special exhibition galleries.
            The Plains Indian Museum was dedicated in 1979 and contains one of the country’s largest and finest collections of art and artifacts. You will see art, weapons, clothing, tools, powwows, and a special exhibitions gallery. The Cody Firearms Museum has more than 5000 firearms, the most important collection of American Arms, as well as European arms dating back to the 16th century. The Draper Museum of Natural History contains an interactive trail through the sights and sounds of the Great Yellowstone area. The McCracken Research Library allows you to research all aspects of the American West with books, manuscripts, music, photographs, and archives.
            Buffalo Bill built the Irma Hotel in 1902 and among the original furniture is a cherrywood bar which was a present from Queen Victoria. This is still an excellent place to eat in the downtown area. Visit the hotel where legends of the west drank, ate and slept. Six nights a week from June to September at 6pm a 45 minute gunfighter show takes place outside with costumed actors. At the end of September the Annual Gunfighter Festival occurs with competitors from the USA and Canada.
            For 30 years, Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show toured the United States and Europe playing at exhibition grounds to enormous crowds. The show not only showcased the American hero, but also the contest between nature and civilization, between Indians and whites. Originally numbering in the tens of millions, buffalo symbolized the wildness and progress as they succumbed to the pressures of white settlement of the West. Bill shot an estimated 4,280 buffalo to provide meat for crews working the Kansas Pacific Railroad.
            During June, July and August every night is Rodeo Night in Cody. In its 69th year, the Cody Night Rodeo is the longest running rodeo in the US. Many famous rodeo cowboys started their careers in Cody. You will see ladies precision barrel riding, saddle bronc riding, bull riding, steer wrestling and more.
            If you are looking for Western wear, Cody’s Rodeo Company is the place to be with the largest selection of hats and clothing in Northern Wyoming. Cody Skate Park is free for the kids who get their kicks on a skateboard. This 7500 square foot, concrete six bowl design incorporates street elements such as stairs, ledges and rails. Cody Trolley Tours provide multiple daily 60 minute, 22 mile tours of Cody and the surrounding area. The narrators spotlight historic sites, scenic vistas, geology, wildlife and both old and new West attractions.
            The Annual Plains Indian Powwow takes place near the end of June each year on the south side of the Buffalo Bill Historic Center. The sponsoring agency provides a setting and prize money for Indian singers and dancers. Take the kids to Old Trail Town a recreated Western village on the west side of town. This gives a sense of “being there” when Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid roamed Wyoming Territory.
            When we last visited in July, the Yellowstone Jazz Festival was in full swing at the Powwow Gardens  of the Buffalo Bill Historic Center. Performances by big bands, and many young artists were featured. In August, you can take part in the Wild West Balloon Fest on the  East side of town.  The Hare and Hounds race involves a lead balloon dropping a target with the other balloonists following and dropping a bean bag as close as possible to the target.
            Six miles west of Cody is the Buffalo Bill Dam at the Shoshone River Canyon. This is a highway rest area with plenty of parking for your RV. The dam has helped turn the arid dry plains of the northern Big Horn Basin into one of Wyoming’s most fertile regions. If you are a fisherman, the Shoshone provides some of the best trout fishing around. There are more than 2000 miles for fishing waters in Cody Country.
            The Shoshone River also provides plenty of thrills for Kayakers with various levels of difficulty in three different runs. The upper canyon is a difficult run rated at Class 4. A longer run is from the WY120 Bridge to the Corbett Bridge on the Powell Highway. This takes you through town and offers wonderful scenery. An expert Class 5 run is just below the Painter Store in Crandall called the “Honeymoon Canyon”.
            If a thrill on the water is what you are looking for, you should try a rafting trip on the North Fork of the Shoshone. The river provides thrills, as well as time to enjoy the views and see wildlife. Trips take about two hours and start near the rodeo grounds by DeMaris Hot Springs. Some of the more exciting rapids have names like Grandma Cody, Washing Machine, Roller Coaster, and Little Colorado. Early in the summer when the water is rushing down from the mountains you will experience a more exhilarating trip.
            There are several excellent campgrounds in the area, we chose the Cody KOA on US20 near the airport. Also in town is the Ponderosa Campground with 135 full-hookup sites. On the West side of Cody is the Buffalo Bill State Park on the shores of the reservoir. Campground hosts take care of the 22 campgrounds, including the North Fork, South Fork, and Sunlight-Crandall areas as well as Dubois and Lander.
            The reconstructed Highway US14/20 is known as the most scenic 50 miles in the US as you drive towards Yellowstone. The valley follows the Shoshone River as it cuts through the Absaroka Range of the Rocky Mountains. There is beautiful mountain scenery, volcanic features and an abundance of wildlife. The East entrance of Yellowstone is a steep grade. If you are towing a car, you might consider unhooking it and have one of your passengers drive it the last few miles into the park. The entrance fee to Yellowstone and Grand Teton Parks is $20 per car for a seven-day pass.
            Yellowstone is a haven for wild animals, and they often block traffic flow on the two lane roads as people stop to watch. Under no conditions should you try to get up close to take a photograph as they can be very unpredictable. Bears can be cute, but also very dangerous. Do not attempt to feed them. Visitors are required to stay 100 yards from grizzly bears and 25 yards from all other wildlife.
            The park has many thermal features. You are reminded to stay on the board walks and not to throw coins into the pools. This can eventually destroy the thermal features. These colorful pools are scalding hot often with a thin crust of minerals on the surface. They may look solid, but you will break though if you try to walk on the surface. Pets must be kept on a short leash and not allowed on trails into the backcountry.
            There are five entrances to the park and its interior roads are laid out in a double loop. The upper loop takes you to Canyon Village, Tower Falls, Mammoth Hot Springs, and Norris Geyser Basin.  At Canyon Village, don’t miss the Upper Falls and Lower Falls. Artist Point and Inspiration Point are nearby looking over the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. The Lower loop includes features like Old Faithful, which erupts approximately every 80 minutes, throwing water and steam hundreds of feet in the air. There is good RV parking at the Old Faithful site. On the East side of the loop are West Thumb, Grant Village, Bridge Bay, Lake Village, and Fishing Bridge.
           
            For more information on the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, go to www.bbhc.org

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