G 1997 Contents
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G 1997 CONTENTS FROM LYRES TO LARIATS Cowboy Songs & Range Ballads sets the standard lor preserving a uniquely American genre of lolklore. REMINGTON ARMS RETROSPECTIVE The Arms and Art ol the Remington Arms Company are spotlighted in a new exhibition opening in May. THE YELLOWSTONE PARTNERSHIP As America's lirst national park celebrates its t25th anniversary. the Buffalo Bill Historical Center collaborates on an educational exhibition of the park's bison herd. 11 NI'llHl': lN A GOOD WAY lmages by cultural anthropologist Sara Wiles are leatured in a new photo exhibition on the Arapaho people of Wyoming. 12 THE FEATHERED CAPE AND PAINTED PROOF A painting solves the mystery of the origins ol unusual leathered capes. 1 5 PUBLT. suPPoRr'e6 Development initiarives enjoy srrong backing in 1q96. 1 B FAM]LY FUN Ambitious schedule ol children's and lamily programs planned for 1997. DEPARTMENTS I he Buffalo Bill Historical Center's Director's Report ........................ 3 stellar dedication to the preservation Recent Gifts .............. ... I 6 and perpetuation oi occupalional songs is New Acquisitions ............. .20 one of the best things about the museum, Planned Gifts/Calendar...... 2i signiiying a well-reasoned, well rounded generating, maintaining, and POINTS WESI is published quarrerly as a benefir of membership in the approach to Bulfalo Brll Hrsroncal Center For in[ormatton about membership contact disseminating public interesl in a precious, Jane Sanders, Director ol Membership. Buffalo Bill Historical Center. perishable legacy. To incorporate songs and 720 Sheridan Avenue. Cody. wY 82414 or call (107) 587'477t. ext.'1032. srories at such a high level into the galaxy ol Request permission to copy, reprinl or distribute arlicles in any mediunr or lor- mai. Address editorial correspondence lo the Editor, POINIS WESI Bulfalo other aesthetic, historical, anthropological, and Bill Historical Center. 720 Sheridan Avenue. CodV WY 82'11'1. sectional activities ol the museum does noble Editor: Scorr Hagel Production: Jan woods. Renee Tafoya, Karen Cee service to our American heritage. As the Photography: Devendra Shrikhande and Lucille warters greatest museum the American West, you The Buffalo Bill Hislorical Center is a private, non-prolit educational ol insritution dedicated to preserving and inlerprering the cultural history of the a position to do it right. And you do. American West. Founded in 1917, the Historical Center is home to the are in Bultalo Bill Museum, Cody Firearms Museum, Plains lndian Museum. Whitney Callery of western Art and Mccracken Research Library. -Stuart M. Frank. Director KendaII Whaling Museum (,orr'r Coultor nrt trrtrt.tlrLli.l lttllll tlltr (1)Ll('ltloils ()i lll(' IlLrll.rlo liill IlList'Ltnr l'iroloQlat)lt Lrr. l.iirtllLr \'1 \\'ilrli'ls Founder of the Mystic Seaport Sea Music Festival and Symposium Celebrating Change B. Byron Price. Executlve Director a s I begin what I hope will be a long Frederic Remington catalogue raisonn6 I \and producrive tenure as executive project and releasing a critically acclaimed director ol the Bullalo Bill Historical compact disc leaturing original music Center, I am reminded oi the critical from Buiialo Bill's Wild West show. role ol change in today's museums. These lledgling lorays loreshadow Popular misconceptions notwithstand- exciting lurure projecrs. ing, museums are, by their very nature, To better serve the community oi dynamic institutions, always struggling Cody and the winter visitors to Park to remain relevant and vital to the County, the Center abandoned irs long- needs and concerns of their audience. standing practice of closing during the Modern museum-goers bring with coldest months, electing instead to them diverse backgrounds, perceptions remain open on an abbreviated schedule. and expectations. Some want to be This change has allowed the museum to entertained, others crave understandin$, more effectively serve local schools as still others expect to be awed. Confronted well as walk-in tralfic. The new hours by an increasingly sophisticated and have already inspired much good will. demanding public, savvy museums Regular readers oi the Historical must constantly search for lresh ways Center's quarterly publication will to communicate their message. In notice still other significant changes recent years the stale curiosity cabinets beginning with this issue. The expanded and dull permanent exhibits oi the past journal has been renamed Points West have increasingly given way to exciring and leatures more photographs, interactive presentations, many oi them improved content, additional color and utilizing computers, audiovisuals and a brand-new, magazine-style design. other forms of technology to help tell These changes represent a natural the story. With the advent of rhe evolution from an institutional newsletter Internet and electronic mail and with to a meatier publication with broader greater access to telecommunications, appeal. We will strive to make Poinfs many museums are now sharing their West a more readable and appealing collections and their expertise electroni- publication and we hope you will like cally, outside the walls ol the instiru- the changes. tion. These improvements are only the The computer age made its appearance latest maniiestations oi an ongoing at the Bullalo Bill Historical Center as institutional process. In the years to early as the mid-1970s when several come I look iorward to helping guide terminals were installed in a new the iuture development ol the Bullalo Bill lirearms exhibit giving visitors immediate Historical Center by articulating a vision access to additional information about that will keep this already outstanding the objects on display. In recent years institution in the lorefront ol American the Center has continued to pioneer museums and relevant to the needs new technological trails, establishing an and concerns ol 2l st century Internet home page, producing its first Americans. I ever CD-ROM in connection with the F r,@s- by Lillian Turner, Public Programs Coordinator D ailroad workers. sailors. fishermen, part. The program now includes two I \ tumUerlacks. larmers and home- full days oi educational performances steaders-their songs have become part for over 600 schoolchildren as well as oi America's musical heritage, capturing a one-day symposium, two evening the spirit and story oi America's work- concerts, 10 educational workshops, ing class. But what about the cowboy and demonstrations oi cowboy crafts. and his music? With the exception of Continuous music performances in the work oi a handlul oi song collectors, three venues entertain hundreds of little has been done to preserve or cele- listeners who come lrom throughout brate this music in the past 100 years. this region and as iar away as Minnesota, ln 1982, however, the Buttalo Bill Missouri, Texas and California. Historical Center began sponsoring a As the reputation oi this award- program to preserve winning program has grown, it has and perpetuate the brought national and even international "lt is the performers coming grassroots music of attention to the Historical center. It has together and sharing their this region...the tradi- become the model lor other programs, music. That is what will tional songs of the yet it has remained unique...avoidin$ keep the music alive." working cowboys. the trend toward country music and That lirst year there cowboy poetry. were 10 performers. However, the In recent years the scholarly aspect determination to find the music and of Cowboy Songs increased with the those still perlorming it led the addition of the Cowboy Songs Historical Center to continue the Symposium, a lull day devoted to the From left: Mike Ley, program until in 1996 the CowboY study oi some aspect oi cowboy history Buck Page and Joe ''J.8. ' Boemecke oI Songs and Range Ballads pro$ram drew and culture. Most recently the locus has Riders o.f the Purple Sage during an 75 periormers from 16 states to take been on the roots ol the cowboy's evening Cowboy music itself. In keeping with that idea, Songs performance the theme ol this year's program is From Lyres to Lariats. Oi importance to our mission state- ment, the program not only reilects the Center's collections, placing them in their cultural context, but each year adds to the collections. The programs have been tape-recorded throughout the years resulting in the acquisition ol hundreds oi hours of tapes. These have become the core ol the Center's Cowboy Songs Archives. This repository of tapes, records, sheet music, song- ta Lariats Vie WHY I SING COWBOY SONGS By Buck Ramsey books, lield notes, and musical instru- and poet, called him a national treasure. ments is a growing collection ol But Duane had no idea that what he 11 early eight years ago I gor wind I \ ol what was going on ar Cody's enormous value to folklorists, music knew- what he had learned lrom his annual cowboy song gathering and historians, perlormers, songwriters, father and grandiather- was ol such out in Elko at the poetry gathering. I decided to try to throw in with and those interested in the history and importance. Until he came here. the gatherers. culture oi the West. But it is not just the growth in their At the Elko gathering, I asked around about singers ol cowboy But collecring the music is nor musicianship and stage presence that songs, and learned of a feller there by the name of Duane Dickinson enough. Music is meant to be sung. has been evident over the years, it is from Montana who knew a lot of And that is the vital part of Cowboy the performers' desire to learn more the old songs. I looked Duane up and followed him Songs. It is the perlormers around for a few coming about their music and its history-and days. He sang nearly the whole time together and sharing their music to place it all in the broader context ol and never the same song twice.