Wyoming, Cody

I finally got to Cody, Wyoming to check out the Buffalo Bill Historical Center.

It was pretty awesome...at least the sections I visited. I did a pretty extensive tour of the firearms section (no surprise). I was greeted by a Gatling Gun that was actually used in the development of the Vulcan Mini-gun series.

Now I have seen other examples of Gatling guns in other museums and gun shows (Yes, you can buy them), but this one was unusual in that was not only used for development of modern ordinance, but it was also fitted with an armored shield.

To say the museum was huge, is an understatement. They had TONS of guns from the first Medieval era hand cannons to those presently deployed by modern armies worldwide. And yes, they have many, many "sporting" arms.



On the second (!) floor of the firearms section, they were experimenting with a new way to display guns. They had long arms mounted in vertical drawers with glass on both sides. This would enable close inspection on all sides.

This is important as arms are usually asymmetrical and feature differences on both sides. One could also examine small details like proof marks and other bits.

Handguns were displayed in pull out drawers. This type of display is great for scholars and rabid aficionados. It also saves a tremendous amount of floor space. I was lucky in being the only visitor in that area so I could peruse them at my leisure. However, it might be a problem if there were others around trying to do the same thing.







I have always been intrigued by Wheellock firearms. They were a development before the later Flintlocks. They employed a mechanical clockwork, much like a spring powered Zippo lighter. An iron pyrite wedge was lowered by the arm down to a spinning wheel, which caused sparks which then ignited the gun powder, when the trigger was pulled. This method was a huge improvement over earlier methods. It did have its drawbacks. The main one was they were VERY expensive to make. They also had a tendency to misfire if the spring was not fully wound (This required a spanner or wrench to wind the spring between shots). It is from this we get the expression "going off half cocked".

The long arm shown at the bottom of the display, is a hunting musket used by King Louis XIII of France, (The monarch during the Three Musketeers era). It is extremely long and heavy. This was because a long barrel was needed for accuracy. It employed a Y shaped brace to support the barrel. Only the very wealthy could afford such arms, and that means the Nobility.

It was only later when firearms could be mass produced that the common man had a chance to even touch one.

It didn't take long for a ruler to realize that a peasant with an afternoon's musket training, could defeat a Knight who's whole life was in preparation for war. Mass armies of commoners with muskets then destroyed the monopoly of power the noble class enjoyed since the dawn of civilization. This is when the serf became a citizen. Ask Louis XIV about that.

The museum also had some guns used in TV and film westerns. Among them were all of the handguns, holsters and gun belts used by the regular cast of Bonanza as well as Gunsmoke and Have Gun Will Travel. If you are an old time TV western fan, that is not to be missed.

There were other sections of the center as well. However, I only gave them a brief walk through. They appeared well done, but I was mentally burned out from the firearms section. When I visit a great museum, my brain can only absorb so much, and then shuts down. I first noticed this when I traveled in Europe. For example, the Vatican City. At a certain point, no matter the masterpieces before me, it all just started to blur out. That was time to leave and peruse something less mentally challenging, like watching girls pass by on their Vespas while sipping a Peroni at a sidewalk cafe.

In addition, it was very hot that day in Cody and I was concerned about leaving Aleksandra in the car. So, after driving around a bit to get the car cooled off, I went and bought some souvenir T-shirts.

I also looked for a shop where you could take "Old Time" sepia toned portraits in period costume. I couldn't find it, so we headed out of town.

I know I missed a lot of Cody, but I had had enough for one day. I'll go back and check it out another time.