BUFFALO BILL HISTORICAL CENTER n CODY, WYOMING n SPRING 2010

n Splendid Heritage

n J.H. Sharp

n Out in the field

n Seeing green

SpringPW10.indd 1 2/23/10 3:04 PM To the point 010 has begun with as ©2010 Buffalo Bill Historical Center (BBHC). Written permission is required to copy, reprint, or distribute Points West materials 2 much vigor as 2009 ended, in any medium or format. All photographs in Points West are and many things are happening BBHC photos unless otherwise noted. Questions about image rights and reproduction should be directed to Rights and or planned for this new year at Reproductions, [email protected]. Bibliographies, works the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. cited, and footnotes, etc. are purposely omitted to conserve space. However, such information is available by contacting the editor. Address correspondence to Editor, Points West, BBHC, 720 On April 30, we open a Sheridan Avenue, Cody, Wyoming 82414, or [email protected]. major exhibition titled Splendid Senior Editor: Heritage: Perspectives on Mr. Lee Haines American Indian Art, which Managing Editor: features the wonderful collection Ms. Marguerite House of John and Marva Warnock— By Bruce Eldredge Assistant Editor: Executive Director an important comparison to our Ms. Nancy McClure own Plains Indian collection. Designer: Ms. Lindsay Lohrenz We will also open two smaller, but no less important, Contributing Staff Photographers: exhibitions: Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Warriors: Photographs Ms. Chris Gimmeson, Ms. Nancy McClure, Dr. Charles Preston, by Gertrude Käsebier (opening April 9), a collaborative Ms. Beverly Perkins, Ms. Anne Marie Shriver

project with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Historic Photographs/Rights and Reproductions: American History with photographs and objects from Mr. Sean Campbell

our two collections that illustrate the individual American Credits and Permissions: Indians who worked in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West; and Art of Ms. Ann Marie Donoghue

the Horse (opening May 7), featuring contemporary horse Advisory Team: regalia. Lee Haines, Public Relations Director & Senior Editor Marguerite House, Public Relations & Managing Editor Nancy McClure, Public Relations & Assistant Editor Also this spring, we’re honored to host the trustees of Lindsay Lohrenz, Designer the Leakey Foundation for one of their board meetings. Wendy Schneider, Director of Development Jan Jones, Director of Membership Clearly, collaborative exhibitions and working with other Christine Brindza, Acting Curator, Whitney Gallery of organizations reinforce the fact that the Buffalo Bill Western Art Historical Center cannot go it alone but must partner Megan Smith, Adult Education Program Coordinator with organizations and individuals to move forward as an Points West is published quarterly as a benefit of membership of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. For membership institution. information, contact Jan Jones, Director of Membership, at [email protected] or by writing to the address above. Speaking of partnerships, I’d like to thank everyone who The BBHC is a private, non-profit, educational institution partnered with us during 2009 by giving a donation of dedicated to preserving and interpreting the natural and membership to the Historical Center. Though it was a tough cultural history of the American West. Founded in 1917, its collections include: Buffalo Bill and the West he lived and year by many measures, we saw increases in the number loved, historic photographs and documents, firearms, natural of members and the number of donors to the Center. This history of the Greater Yellowstone region, Plains Indians, and masterworks of western art. was no small feat given the economic climate last year. The mission of Points West is to deliver an engaging Finally, a reminder that we’re upgrading our www.bbhc.org educational magazine primarily to the patrons of the BBHC. Points West will use a multi-disciplinary strategy to connect the Web site to more accurately reflect our role as the leading reader to the nature and culture of the American West, and the cultural institution related to the American West. Look for BBHC in particular, through exceptional images and appealing, reader-friendly stories. the rollout of the newly redesigned site later this spring, and let us know what you think. About the cover: BUFFALO BILL HISTORICAL CENTER n CODY, WYOMING n SPRING 2010

n J.H. Sharp As we move forward into the second decade of this n Splendid Saddles, bits, spurs, ropes, and Heritage n Out in saddlebags—like Keith Seidel’s century, we have a renewed sense of optimism about our the Field n Seeing pictured here—are all part Green future. Our trustees, advisors, and staff are all working hard of “Art of the Horse.” Read about the invitational show of to position the Buffalo Bill Historical Center to meet the the same name on page 30. challenges of the future. We’re confident that you won’t Switchback Ranch Purchase want to miss any part of what we’re doing and where Award, 2009. 1.69.6206 we’re going. n

2 n POINTS WEST Contents Featuring photographs from the Smithsonian Institution and the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Michelle Anne Delaney, Curator of the Photographic History Collection at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, presents an exhibition of New York photographer Gertrude Käsebier’s work titled, Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Warriors: Photographs by Gertrude Käsebier. The display opens to the public April 9. Read more on page 15.

Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Indian Warriors. Woodburytype (photomechanical) print, ca. 1887. Buffalo Bill Historical Center. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. George Strobel. P.6.61 FEATURES DEPARTMENTS Splendid Heritage: Perspectives on American Indian Art. Museums traditionally 9 WAYS OF GIVING 4 interpret Native American materials by emphasizing either the cultural or fine By Wendy Schneider arts context. In contrast, the Splendid Heritage exhibition . . . combines both perspectives in an intersection of culture and art to uncover a much richer 15 BBHC BITS AND BYTES, story. By Emma I. Hansen also continued on page 18 News, activities, events, and Patrons Post Joseph Henry Sharp brings the Arts and Crafts Movement West. Working on 10 the new home proved more demanding than painting. Sharp explained, CALENDAR OF EVENTS “I have ‘calouses’ on my hands, ‘charley-horses’ in both arms, and various 16 cuts and bruises from hatchet, saw, and chisel. It’s lots of fun.” He named 24 IN OUR BACKYARD: his home “Absarokee Hut,” after the Crow people’s name for themselves. YELLOWSTONE Nature buffs are always By Laura Fry excited at the opportunity to “take to the field” to experience the wildlife of the Greater Yel- UnCommon Sense guides “Going Green.” In early July 2008, the new green lowstone region—especially in the company of 19 team sorted through fifteen randomly-selected bags of trash, approximately the knowledgeable staff of the Draper Museum one-third of a single day’s volume during the height of the busy season. The of Natural History. By Jennifer McDonald team wanted to see what staff and visitors were throwing away, and how much of it could have been recycled or otherwise diverted from the waste TREASURES FROM OUR WEST stream. By Nancy McClure 28 This month’s look at our collections It’s what all the well-dressed horses are wearing. Around Cody, Wyoming, the 30 place William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody called his “town in the Rockies,” there 31 A THOUSAND WORDS are nearly as many horses as there are people. And in these parts, folks like to dress up their ponies.

Don’t forget our online collections! Learn Visit us online . . . more at www.bbhc.org/collections/BBHC.

Magazine of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center • Cody, Wyoming

An affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution. Read more at www.bbhc.org/museums/SmithsonianAffiliate.cfm. SPRING 2010 n 3 Plains Sioux bear claw necklace, ca. 1860. W8708308 SPLENDID HERITAGE Perspectives on American Indian Art

THE SPLENDID cultures of the Native American peo- HERITAGE COLLECTION ple,” Warnock continues. “Our hope By Emma I. Hansen was also to tour the collection so that According to John Warnock, he and the public could see these remarkable Beginning May 1, 2010, the Buffalo his wife Marva had been “incidental” works first hand. As my wife put it, Bill Historical Center hosts Splendid rather than serious collectors of Native ‘This is a fundamental part of North Heritage: Perspectives on American American art based on about twenty American history.’” Indian Art. Organized by the Utah years of collecting primarily baskets, Museum of Fine Arts, the exhibition pottery, jewelry, and katsinas on family AN INTERSECTION OF presents 145 eighteenth and nineteenth- trips to the Southwest. In 2004, they ART AND CULTURE century American Indian masterworks learned the Masco Collection of Native of unique artistry and powerful cultural American Art might be for sale. Museums traditionally interpret expression from the collection of John “We had heard of the Masco Native American materials by and Marva Warnock. Collection, but, because it was emphasizing either the cultural or fine Splendid Heritage includes pre- and restricted from public view, we knew arts context. In contrast, the Splendid early reservation-era objects created little of its extent or content,” John Heritage exhibition—co-curated by and used by Native peoples of the Plains, Warnock explains. “Later that year, we Bernadette Brown, former Curator of Plateau, and Eastern Woodlands regions visited Masco Corporation and were African, Oceanic, and New World Art (Fig. 1). Scholars and specialists in Native astounded by the depth and breadth at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, and American art have long recognized of the collection. The material was, for the Historical Center’s Senior Curator the quality of the Splendid Heritage the most part, very old, diverse, and of the Plains Indian Museum, Emma I. Collection, and this exhibition—on view in very good condition.” Since the Hansen—combines both perspectives through September 6—is the first public Masco Corporation wished to keep in an intersection of art and culture to showing of many of these extraordinary the collection together, the Warnocks uncover a much richer story. objects. agreed to purchase it in its entirety In the decades before and after 1900, with the goal of making it accessible the foundations of North American to the public. anthropology and the development (Fig. 1) Eastern Woodlands “We would build a Web site of natural history museums in the example from the Splendid Heritage collection: as an educational site to United States were intertwined with moccasins, ca. 1835. let people discover the field research among Native American WC9605008 incredible talent peoples who, during this period, and depth of experienced catastrophic changes and disruptions in their traditional lives. Based on these grave circumstances, as well as projected future prospects of Native American people, researchers viewed their work on American Indian reservations as significant and essential documentation of what they considered vanishing arts and cultures. They traveled to reservations and

4 n POINTS WEST

SpringPW10.indd 4 2/23/10 3:28 PM Native communities throughout the early time periods represented, and its and the act of smoking a message or United States and Canada to record inherent, superb artistry. In addition, prayer to the heavens. Men made pipe ceremonies, songs, and traditions. these works are powerful and often bowls from bone, pottery, and stone The researchers also acquired multi-layered expressions of cultural including pipestone or catlinite, named representative ethnographic objects knowledge and understanding, for the artist George Catlin, the first Perspectives on American Indian Art including clothing, implements, biographical and historical Euro-American to document its quarry personal belongings, and sacred experiences, and a spirituality that in southwestern Minnesota in 1836. objects that are central to tribal guided all aspects of life for the Native The men carved wooden pipe stems, traditions. Natural history museums artists. and women dressed the stems with considered it their mission to preserve quillwork, beadwork, feathers, horse the collections and accompanying PIPES AND THE RITUAL hair, and hide or cloth wrappings. The research for future generations, USE OF TOBACCO Pawnee pipe bowl (Fig. 3), carved from and they exhibited such materials pipestone with elements of lead inlay, as specimens of seemingly static Curator of the Splendid Heritage features the head of a man wearing a and unchanging nineteenth-century Collection, Clinton Nagy, maintains distinctive Pawnee hair style facing the cultures. that “all the objects have their own smoker. Pawnee pipe bowls often have In contrast, beginning with the stories, and they are all equally such elegantly carved human heads. American Indian Art of the United States interesting,” but he particularly The Sioux pipe bowl (Fig. 4), dating exhibition that opened in 1941 at New appreciates an Iowa pipe bowl and from the 1860s, documents the York City’s Museum of Modern Art, art stem dating from the 1820s (Fig. 2). significance of the mid-nineteenth- museums have tended to exhibit Native “This large and beautifully-quilled century liquor trade. At that time, the arts as singular works of beauty, apart pipe stem and bowl were only used trade was active at forts and trading from cultural contexts. Some Native to identify important decisions or posts in the Plains region despite the scholars, such as the late Cherokee on ceremonial occasions. The use fact that it was unlawful to take liquor artist and educator Lloyd New, have of a pipe for ceremonial reasons is into Indian country. The figures carved emphasized the significance of the one of the earliest Native traditions on the pipe bowl consist of one man cultural contexts in which the objects documented by the early sixteenth passing a keg of liquor to another. were created. and seventeenth century explorers to Beneath the figures and on the bowl “Although Indians of the past our continent.” The zigzag design on are lead inlay designs, possibly probably never considered themselves the top of the pipe stem could possibly representing buffalo hooves. to be practicing artists in pursuit of represent the beaks of woodpeckers. art for its own sake,” New observed, Such beaks were sometimes attached BIOGRAPHICAL ART “art was nonetheless integral in the to the stems of other ornate and sacred AND TRIBAL HISTORIES growth of Indian culture. For them, ceremonial pipes known as calumets. art and culture are inseparable—art is The ritual use of tobacco was one Men recorded their accomplish- essential to the shaping of culture and of the most widespread means of ments in hunting and warfare through is simultaneously shaped by it.” spiritual expression among North paintings on hides, tipi liners, tipi cov- The Splendid Heritage Collection American Indians who considered it ers, and their own shirts and leggings. is significant both for the relatively a gift from the supernatural powers, Accompanied with the oral retelling of

(Fig. 4) Dakota Sioux pipe bowl, (Fig. 3) Pawnee pipe ca. 1860s. WC8810034 bowl, ca. 1830. WC8903121

(Fig. 2) Iowa pipe bowl and stem, 1820 – 1825. WC8810007

SPRING 2010 n 5

SpringPW10.indd 5 2/23/10 3:29 PM SPLENDID HERITAGE

these accomplishments, such paint- Reservation in south central South were eventually captured and confined ings provided biographies of indi- Dakota between 1895 and 1902— at Fort Robinson, Nebraska, where vidual men as well as tribal histories. documents the years 1776 – 1879. Dull Knife and some of his followers As buffalo hides became scarce, men The Lakota designated a year as attempted an escape on January 9, used canvas, muslin, and paper, with the period that occurred from first 1879, with many being killed. pencils, ink pens, watercolors, and snowfall to first snowfall. Each band Researchers identify the years crayons. The Sioux artist Jaw produced or extended family group had a depicted in winter counts through such drawings on muslin for ethno- designated winter count keeper who comparison with other counts that musicologist Frances Densmore dur- was responsible for consulting with record major well-known events ing her research on the Standing Rock a council of tribal elders to select an such as the Leonid Meteor storm of Reservation in western North and event for which the year would be November 12, 1833, designated as South Dakota from 1911 to 1914. named, and then adding a drawing “The Year the Stars Fell.” This particular Jaw depicts three rescues of other of the event. Over time, the counts winter count identifies the year 1833 – warriors with Crow fighters—shown were sometimes copied as more space 1834 as “Storm of stars,” with a tipi with their distinctive hairstyles—in was needed or when a new keeper and several crosses surrounding the pursuit and firing their weapons. began his work. Traditionally, winter top representing the meteor shower. He portrays himself on horses with counts were drawn with pigments on The winter count also documents painted crescents on their chests and tanned buffalo hides, but by the late changes for the Lakota resulting from feathers and trade cloth on their tails nineteenth century, keepers began Euro-American colonization such (Fig. 5). He drew four horses with using muslin and paper. as the arrival of traders, relations blood pouring from their wounds, This winter count (Fig. 6) begins with the United States military, and indicating the fierceness of the battle. in the upper left corner of the cloth Through such drawings, songs, and with the year 1776 – 1777 designated oral recitations of his experiences, Jaw “Killed with a war club in his hand.” documented significant biographical It is read from left to right on the incidents that also reflected the lives first row, from right to left on the and practices of nineteenth-century second row, and so on, ending with Sioux warriors. the year 1878 – 1879, “Brought the For Plains Native peoples, winter Cheyenne back and killed them in counts—calendars of memorable the house.” The drawing shows two events recorded by drawings figures running from a house and representative of each year—were bleeding from wounds with a white a means of documenting and man wearing a hat and firing a gun remembering family and band at them—the story of the Northern histories. The Lakota winter count in Cheyenne people led by Dull Knife who the Splendid Heritage Collection— escaped from the Southern Cheyenne acquired by Dr. Leonardis M. Hardin, Reservation in 1878 and attempted to an agency physician at the Rosebud reach their home in the North. They

(Fig. 6) Lakota Sioux winter count, 1875 – 1900. (Fig. 5) Drawing by Jaw, Lakota Sioux, ca. 1900. WC8708556 WC8708499

6 n POINTS WEST

SpringPW10.indd 6 2/23/10 3:29 PM the effects of diseases, including (Fig. 7) Lakota smallpox. The winter count imagery Sioux horse and accompanying oral traditions help dance stick, Joseph No to preserve the memories of historical Two Horns, incidents for future generations. 1875 – 1900. WC8805005 CEREMONIAL ARTS

Some of the Splendid Heritage Collection objects express the ceremonial life of Plains Native people and the value placed on respect and honor for one’s accomplishments. The renowned Hunkpapa Lakota artist Joseph No Two Horns (1852 – 1943) reservation period. symbolism and often derived from created this horse dance stick (Fig. In 1889 – 1890, the Ghost Dance visionary experiences. The Lakota 7) in commemoration of his horse’s spread across the Plains with the made distinctive fringed shirts and sacrifices in battle, possibly at the following prophecies: Native people dresses of cotton muslin which they Battle of Little Bighorn. Plains Indian would return to the old way of life; believed were impenetrable to bullets. men carried such dance sticks in the earth would be regenerated; The dominant design element of ceremonies and dances sponsored by the buffalo and other game would the Ghost Dance dress in the Warnock military societies and lodges as they return and once again be plentiful; collection (Fig. 8) is the painting of the prepared for battle or to celebrate relatives and friends who had passed powerful thunderbird with stars on their victories. In the late nineteenth on would return; white men would each side. Red paint, such as the sacred century, such societies evolved into disappear; and the people would live paint used by Lakota Ghost Dancers to the Grass Dance where men continued free of disease, death, and misery. paint their faces and clothing, is used to celebrate their past victories and Ghost Dance adherents created sacred in the central design, edging, and achievements through the early clothing for the ceremony—rich with fringes of the shirt. As printed inside, the dress was made from a hundred pound sack of flour issued through the Rosebud Agency in 1889. HONORABLE ROLES OF MEN AND WOMEN

Objects in the collection also express the honorable, respective roles of men and women in Plains Indian societies. Men of honor wore shirts embellished with human and horse hair, and decorated with strips of dyed

(Fig. 8) Lakota porcupine quillwork or beadwork Sioux Ghost sewn on the shoulders and sleeves. Dance dress, ca. 1890. The hair on the Lakota shirt (Fig. 9) WC8708960 could symbolize the coups the wearer has counted or the number of people for whom he has responsibility as a leader. The design of this porcupine quillwork depicts bear paws on a

SPRING 2010 n 7

SpringPW10.indd 7 2/23/10 3:29 PM SPLENDID HERITAGE (Fig. 10) Kiowa cradle, ca. 1860. WC8401019

(Fig. 9) Lakota Sioux shirt, ca. 1860. WC8803013

yellow background, possibly denoting and created the child’s the owner’s spiritual connection to the cradle, and her husband bear. cut and finished the Women made such shirts for their boards. As they fashioned male relatives and were honored for the cradle, they offered their exquisite artistry in the porcupine prayers, blessings, and quillwork and beadwork decoration. thanks for the baby and Women’s societies, or guilds, were the materials used. devoted to the decorative arts, Splendid Heritage, encouraging excellence in hide work, with its masterworks creating tipis and their furnishings, of American Indian art, and in quillwork and beadwork. provides an opportunity to celebrate Memory and Vision: Arts, Cultures and The epitome of Plains women’s such creative achievements and reflect Lives of Plains Indian People (available art is, perhaps, the creation of a on the cultures that fostered them. In in the Center’s Museum Store), was pub- finely-beaded cradle expressing the the words of Nagy, “the exhibition lished by the University of Washington importance of strong family ties, and will wonderfully complement the Press. the practical and spiritual value of scholarship and understanding of Read more about the opening children. Carried on a mother’s back or Native American cultures within the activities of the exhibition on page propped up in camp while the mother Plains Indian Museum.” n 18, including the May 1 Family Fun and female relatives worked, a cradle day and the Lloyd New Institute later provided comfort, safety, and a clear Emma Hansen is the Senior Curator of this summer. The full-color, 250-page view of the world for the baby inside. the Historical Center’s Plains Indian Mu- exhibition catalog is available in the The beadwork of the Kiowa cradle in seum and co-curated Splendid Heritage. Center’s Museum Store. the Splendid Heritage Collection (Fig. She has master’s degrees in sociology All images are courtesy of the Utah Museum of 10) exemplifies the Kiowa creative and anthropology from the University of Fine Arts (UMFA), University of Utah, Salt Lake use of vivid color and asymmetrical Oklahoma and is an enrolled member of City, Utah, from the collection of John and Marva Warnock, and may not be reproduced without design with red beads providing the the Pawnee Nation. She was curator and express written UMFA permission. Splendid background on one side, and blue manager of the award-winning reinter- Heritage is funded in part by grants from MetLife Foundation Museum and Community Connections on the other. Among the Kiowa, a pretation of the Plains Indian Museum, program, the Wyoming Humanities Council, and grandmother or aunt often designed completed in 2000. Her latest book, Historical Center Trustee Naoma Tate.

8 n POINTS WEST

SpringPW10.indd 8 2/23/10 3:29 PM Ways of giving Conservation

By Wendy Schneider, Funding Director of Development opportunity can hardly believe it! I have been working in Development with the Buffalo Bill Historical Center for ENDOWED PAPER Ione year. The great staff, generous donors, involved CONSERVATOR Ms. Perkins’ members, and dedicated trustees and advisors—all who experience in objects conservation have great passion for this institution—make fundraising is ideal for supervision of here thrilling and inspirational. collections that range from Helping to connect donors with the ideas, people, leather saddles with silver and ongoing work of the Historical engraving to Plains Indian buffalo hides, from plaster Wendy Schneider Center is what it is all about for me. These donors make it possible for us to sculptures to outdoor do the critical work necessary to acquire, care for, and share the bronzes. The next treasures we hold in trust—activities that are the lifeblood of this important step is to institution. expand the conservation One such example is the conservation of our collections, an laboratory and invaluable contribution made possible by generous donors and department to include dedicated staff. It was the vision and philanthropic commitment of the a paper conservator. trustees and some very special donors that created and endowed the Paper-based artifacts conservator’s position and conservation lab here. comprise the largest part We believe the Buffalo Bill Historical Center brings the spirit of the of the Center’s collections American West to life through the stories we tell and the objects we and include works of exhibit. The objects give visitors a glimpse into life in the West—past, art on paper, firearms present, and future—and we weave stories around them to form manufacturing blueprints the tapestry of that life. Because of these objects, the stories carry from the Winchester Arms the weight of authenticity, accuracy, and truth. They are the “real Company, photographs, thing,” and, as such, it is our responsibility to care for them—not only ephemera, manuscripts, for our children and grandchildren, but also for our grandchildren’s books, maps, and posters grandchildren and beyond. of all sizes, including Our conservator, Beverly Perkins (MA, CAS), examines, documents, some from Buffalo Bill’s treats, and performs preventive care for all the Center’s collections Wild West that measure and helps protect them while on exhibit, in storage, in transit, and on seventeen feet wide. loan. Our care for objects doesn’t stop there, though: We reach beyond our walls Objects conservation and paper and provide training and support to institutions throughout Wyoming and to conservation are two distinct conservation students from around the United States, as well as practical tips for specialty fields, and each specialty the public. requires at least three years of post- Collections conservation includes cleaning, stabilization, and restoration where graduate training. Because there necessary. Staff education is also critical to successful conservation, and the is no paper conservation lab in conservator encourages informal staff visits and questions in addition to formal the state of Wyoming, all paper- training. Perkins works with curators to ensure that treatments are accurate and based artifacts must be sent out of proper for each object. Finally, all conservation work is performed according to the state for conservation work. The code of ethics of the American Institute for Conservation. addition of a paper conservator Thanks to the vision and generosity of our donors, we are privileged to do the will provide a valuable resource, work of acquiring, caring for, and sharing all of the treasures at the Buffalo Bill not only for the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. For more information about ways of funding opportunites for Historical Center, but also for the you, contact the Development Office at 307.578.4008. n state of Wyoming.

SPRING 2010 n 9 JosephJoseph Henry Henry Sharp Sharp brings the Arts and Crafts Movement West

Above: Interior of Absarokee Hut, ca. 1911. P.22.1062 At left: Joseph Henry Sharp, ca. 1900. P.22.31

By Laura Fry man studied art at the McMicken ‘charley-horses’ in both arms, School of Design (later the and various cuts and bruises n opposition to the industrial Cincinnati Art Academy). He from hatchet, saw, and chisel. It’s revolution of the mid-1800s, completed his training as a lots of fun.” He named his home Ileaders of the American Arts painter by traveling and studying “Absarokee Hut,” after the Crow and Crafts Movement encouraged in Europe, and in 1892 he people’s name for themselves. a return to good craftsmanship, accepted a teaching position at For the concept and design of individual creativity, and unique the Cincinnati school. In 1899, the cabin, Sharp used the ideas American designs—values they Sharp traveled to the Crow of the American Arts and Crafts felt were lost due to mass produc- reservation in southern Montana Movement. tion. When artist Joseph Henry for the first time. He admired the Sharp designed his small, sturdy artistry and beauty of the Crow Arts and Crafts, from log home on the Crow Agency in people, and he started a series England to America Montana, he incorporated those of Native American portraits. In principles. With his new home, 1903, he left his position at the The Arts and Crafts Movement Sharp moved his everyday life Cincinnati Art Academy, moved began in England in the mid closer to his work as an artist, to the Crow Agency with his wife nineteenth century, while the painting the cultures and land- Addie, and devoted himself to country was in the midst of scapes of the American West. painting. increasing industrial mass- Sharp designed his log home production. The early Arts Absarokee Hut in 1905, and he found working and Crafts reformers believed on the cabin more demanding that the industrial revolution Sharp was born in Bridgeport, than painting. Sharp explained, turned creative craftsmen Ohio, in 1859, and as a young “I have ‘calouses’ on my hands, into anonymous laborers. The

10 n POINTS WEST

SpringPW10.indd 10 2/23/10 3:29 PM reformers rejected mass-produced goods and favored a return to individual handwork. William Morris, a leader in the Arts and Crafts Movement in England, reunited art and labor by starting a company where workers produced creative, handmade goods. Morris & Co. inspired many similar organizations in England and the United States. The principles of the Movement first found a wide American audience at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. From 1876 to roughly Sharp’s “rook” sculpture by Rookwood Pottery, ca. 1902. Architectural 1920, Arts and Crafts ideals influenced a variety of clay, matte blue glaze, height 6 inches. 19.00.283 American artists, designers, and companies. The American movement advocated using local materials and simple, utilitarian designs without excess ornament. To develop a truly “American” style, some designers incorporated geometric motifs from Native American pottery and basketry into their goods. Periodicals such as the Craftsman promoted the idea of a “Craftsman home,” designed to integrate life and work. Joseph Henry Sharp came into contact with the Arts and Crafts Movement when he visited the international expositions of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. As he built his Montana home, he embraced those ideals. While mass-produced board lumber was available on the Crow Agency, Sharp chose to build a log cabin, an older, simpler, and distinctly American style of architecture. In a letter to Craftsman magazine, Sharp wrote, “From the start we planned our house for comfort and for roominess . . . with a view to harmonious effects so far as color and line were concerned.” Sharp hand-stained the interior woodwork and the bricks of the fireplace, and decorated the walls with a variety of Native American objects. He finished Absarokee Hut with items produced by Rookwood Pottery, Roycroft, and Craftsman Workshops—all leading companies of the American Arts and Crafts Movement.

Rookwood Pottery

Inside the house, directly above the entry, Sharp placed a sculpture of a large crow, made by Rookwood Pottery of Cincinnati. The crow was hand-modeled in rough, architectural clay, and covered in a matte blue glaze. As a young artist in Cincinnati, he probably became familiar with the company soon after it opened. Maria Longworth Nichols, a woman from a wealthy Cincinnati family, founded Rookwood in 1880 to produce artistic pottery. She hired local artists as full- time decorators and encouraged the decorators to sign each piece. While

Sharp’s oak Rookwood combined industry and Roycroft rocking art, the company promoted individual chair with a leather padded seat, ca. 1905. Height 30 inches. 19.00.92 creativity and craftsmanship—central ideas of the Arts and Crafts Sharp’s oak Roycroft magazine pedestal, ca. 1905. Visible joints on the side show how the piece Movement. Many of Rookwood’s was constructed. Such “revealed design” elements are a common characteristic of Arts and Crafts furniture. The pedestal also bears the Roycroft mark, an orb and cross. Height 64 inches. 19.00.79 artists received formal training

SPRING 2010 n 11

SpringPW10.indd 11 2/23/10 3:29 PM Joseph Henry Sharp

at the Cincinnati Art Academy. Hubbard, a charismatic around the reservation for a JosephWhen Sharp taught there Henry from businessman, writer, Sharp and couple days,” Sharp wrote to 1892 to 1903, several of his lecturer, founded Roycroft in Joseph Gest of Cincinnati. “He students later became Rookwood 1895 as a small printing press, was very much interested in my decorators. which led to a book bindery, and work.” They agreed on a trade: From its founding, the “rook” soon expanded into workshops Sharp sent several paintings east or crow was the symbol of for furniture, metalwork, and to Hubbard, and in exchange, Rookwood Pottery. Sharp’s stained glass. Roycroft grew Hubbard sent Sharp a collection Rookwood “rook” symbolized into an arts community of more of superb Roycroft furniture for both his past and his present—as than four hundred workers who his Absarokee Hut. a symbol of Rookwood Pottery learned various crafts through and Cincinnati, and also as the an apprentice system. The Gustav Stickley and the bird representing the Crow people well-crafted, solid oak Roycroft Craftsman Shops in Montana. furniture followed a simple, Arts and Crafts “mission” style, loosely While Sharp used Roycroft Roycroft Furniture derived from furniture found in furniture in the main room of the Spanish Franciscan missions the cabin, he also ordered green Sharp filled the main room in California. curtains for the windows and of Absarokee Hut with sturdy, Like Sharp, Hubbard was portieres to cover open doorways handcrafted oak furniture fascinated by the American West. from Roycroft’s main competitor, produced by the Roycroft According to Roycroft scholar the Craftsman Shops, founded community in East Aurora, Robert Rust, from 1899 until his by Gustav Stickley in 1898, in New York. Sharp may have met death in 1915, Hubbard traveled Syracuse, New York. By the turn of Roycroft’s founder Elbert Hubbard to the West at least once a year to the century, Stickley’s “mission” at the 1901 Pan American deliver lectures in Denver. On his style of oak furniture became Exposition in Buffalo, New York. western lecture tour in September the primary product of the Sharp exhibited a collection 1905, he visited the Crow Agency Craftsman Shops. To promote the of his paintings at the Buffalo in southern Montana—and philosophy of the Arts and Crafts Exposition, and possibly visited crossed paths with Joseph Henry Movement and the products of the nearby Roycroft community Sharp. his own company, Stickley began in East Aurora. “I helped steer Mr. Hubbard publishing Craftsman magazine in

Absarokee Hut in winter, ca. 1905. Addie Sharp stands on the front walk, holding her dog Frans Hals. P. 22.523

12 n POINTS WEST

SpringPW10.indd 12 2/23/10 3:29 PM Above: Joseph Henry Sharp (1859 – 1953). Winter Afternoon (Crow Reservation), ca. 1906 – 1914. Oil on canvas, 16 x 24 inches. Whitney Purchase Fund, 10.61

At Left: Joseph Henry Sharp (1859 – 1953). Strikes His Enemy Pretty, 1906. Strikes His Enemy Pretty, a young member of the Crow tribe, posed as a model for several of Sharp’s paintings. Oil on canvas, 17.75 x 11.875 inches. Whitney Purchase Fund. 21.61

1901. The publication discussed of the owner, that is helping to portraits, he experimented with the English roots of the Arts and bring about a reformation in larger compositions and poetic Crafts Movement, advocated American architecture.” scenes of everyday life on the for labor and social reform, and reservations. Sharp loved the promoted unique American styles Living on the Crow Agency subtle winter colors in Montana, of architecture and design. and he endured considerable cold Once Absarokee Hut In addition to encouraging to paint the winter landscape. was completed, Sharp sent good craftsmanship and From 1905 to 1910, Sharp and photographs and a letter to the American design, the Arts and his wife Addie spent every fall magazine, describing his Arts and Crafts Movement also promoted and winter at Absarokee Hut; Crafts home on the Crow Agency. the concept that work should be in the summer they traveled to In June 1906, the Craftsman the creative essence of everyday Pasadena, California, and Taos, published excerpts from Sharp’s life, rather than just an act of New Mexico. During their years letter and praised the cabin, sustenance. When he built at the Crow Agency, Sharp and proclaiming, “This little house Absarokee Hut, Sharp embraced Addie gained an increasing standing alone in the heart of a the idea of joining his life with respect for Native American great western plain is in spirit if his work. He wrote Craftsman traditions. However, as conditions not in letter a Craftsman house.” magazine, “We decided that we for the Crow people continued Sharp, however, neglected to ought to build a house so that to change, Sharp had difficulty mention that his “Craftsman” where we were working best we finding models for his paintings. home was actually furnished should also live best.” By 1910, he changed his primary with items from Stickley’s After he finished Absarokee focus from the Crow Agency in primary competitor, Roycroft. Hut, Sharp could comfortably Montana to Taos, New Mexico. Nonetheless, the Craftsman live in Montana through the He had purchased a home in Taos article applauded Sharp’s simple winter. His home on the Crow in 1908, and by 1913 he rented yet comfortable design. The Agency gave him a greater Absarokee Hut to family friends. Craftsman concluded, “It is the opportunity to paint the people Even as Sharp became a building of just such homes and landscapes of the Northern founding member of the Taos as this, born of necessity and Plains. While Sharp continued Society of Artists, he continued finished as a witness to the taste to paint Native American to visit the Crow Agency nearly

SPRING 2010 n 13

SpringPW10.indd 13 2/23/10 3:29 PM JosephJoseph Henry Sharp Henry Sharp

Sharp sets up an easel to paint the winter landscape, ca. 1905. On the Crow Agency, Sharp used an old sheepherder’s wagon as a mobile painting studio. P.22.42

every year until 1920. Sharp scholar Peter Hassrick. A Cincinnati brought his collection of Plains native, she is currently writing her Indian objects with him to Taos, master’s thesis on the early years of and he often reconstructed Rookwood Pottery. scenes from Montana by painting the Taos Indians wearing Plains All objects and photos are clothing. While his painting gifts of Mr. and Mrs. Forrest career centered in Taos after Fenn unless otherwise noted. 1910, Sharp’s experience living in For suggested reading or a list of Absarokee Hut, now at the Buffalo Bill Historical Absarokee Hut remained a lasting references, contact the editor. Center. influence on his work. The fully restored Absarokee Hut now stands on the grounds of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, a generous donation from Joseph Henry Sharp scholar Forrest Fenn. In the summer, museum visitors can view the interior of the cabin with many of Sharp’s original Arts and Crafts furnishings. n

Laura Fry works as the Education and Curatorial Assistant for the Whitney Gallery of Western Art. She is earning a master’s degree in art history from the University of Denver, where she studied the art of the American West with western

14 n POINTS WEST

SpringPW10.indd 14 2/23/10 3:30 PM BBHC Bits & Bytes Patrons Post It pays to be a patron! Two Patrons Previews in April Don’t miss these previews, exclusively for Historical Center members: April 9: Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Warriors: Photographs by Gertrude Käsebier, curated by Michelle Anne Delaney, Curator of the Photographic History Collection at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, 5 – 7 p.m. Light refreshments and cash bar. April 30: Splendid Heritage: Perspectives on American Indian Art, co-curated by Plains Indian Museum Senior Curator Emma Hansen, 5 – 7 p.m. Light refreshments and cash bar.

Buffalo Gals won’t you come out in May? omen members of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center: It’s Buffalo Gals Luncheon time—featuring Lynne WLivingston Simpson, award-winning theater artist, who presents “The Quilters: Performing History and the Domestic Arts,” May 11, 2010, at noon. Simpson’s program is inspired by the Tony-nominated play of the same name which she will produce at the Historical Center, July 17 – August 7, 2010. Simpson’s talk includes a quilt-making history, social and cultural impact of women and their quilts throughout history, and selected monologues from the play. Because of limited seating, reservations are required and are Woman with a patchwork quilt. Works Progress now being accepted by contacting Director of Membership Jan Administration Project, 1935. Franklin D. Roosevelt Jones, [email protected] or 307.578.4032, or by registering online. n Library & Museum. 7420989 n Annual Corporate Days, June 5–6 n n n n

Smithsonian partnership brings Wild West Warriors ccording to Michelle Anne Delaney, Curator of the Photographic History Collection at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of AAmerican History, New York photographer Gertrude Käsebier embarked on a deeply personal project in 1898. “Her new undertaking was inspired by viewing the grand parade of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West troupe en route to New York City’s Madison Square Garden,” Delaney explains.

“Within a matter of weeks, Käsebier began a unique and special project Gertrude photographing the Sioux Indians traveling with the show, formally and Stanton informally, in her 5th Avenue studio.” Käsebier, “High Delaney brings Käsebier’s work to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in an Heron and exhibition titled: Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Warriors: Photographs by Gertrude Has No Horses,” Käsebier. Selected items representing Buffalo Bill’s Wild West from the 1898. Smithsonian and Historical Center collections are included. Vincent The exhibition is on view in the John Bunker Sands Photography Gallery Mercaldo Collection. April 10 – August 8, 2010. n P.71.816.1

SPRING 2010 n 15

SpringPW10.indd 15 2/23/10 3:30 PM For the latest information on programs and events, please see our Web site at www.bbhc.org or call 307.587.4771. Unless otherwise CALENDAR of Events noted, all events take place at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday APRIL CENTER HOURS Natural History Lunchtime MARCH 1 – April 30: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily Expedition lecture MAY 1 – SEPTEMBER 15: 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. daily 12:15 p.m. 1 2 3

Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Warriors: Photographs by Gertrude Käsebier (through August 8) Patrons preview, 5 – 7 p.m. Public opening

CFM Records Office open for Wanenmacher’s Tulsa Arms Show 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Tulsa, Oklahoma

“Best of” Fest at the Draper: CFM Records Office open for Africa Film series—Wild Opera Big Reno Show Tapas reception 5:30 p.m. $ Reno, Nevada Film 7 p.m. Reservation required

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

18 19 20 21 22 23 24 MAY Splendid Heritage: Perspectives on American Indian Art (through September 6) Patrons preview, 5 – 7 p.m. Public opening

25 26 27 28 29 30 1

Natural History Lunchtime Traces of Tradition Festival: how we Expedition lecture live, work, and play in the West 12:15 p.m. Art of the Horse: an invitational show for western gear makers Through June 6

Art of the Horseopens 2 3 4 5 6 7 with reception, 6 p.m. 8

Buffalo Gals Luncheon $ Traces of Tradition Festival CFM Records Office Lynne Simpson: The Quilters: open for Colorado Gun Performing History and the Collectors Association Domestic Arts Annual Gun Show, Denver Noon – 1:30 p.m. Members only / reservation required 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

CFM Records Office open for Colorado Gun Collectors Association Annual Gun Show

16 17 18 19 20 21 22

Predator Parade $ Natural History Field Expedition to Yellowstone National Park. 7 a.m. Friday – 6 p.m. Saturday (registration required)

23 24 25 26 27 28 29

JUNE Natural History Lunchtime Corporate Member Days Expedition lecture 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. 12:15 p.m.

30 31 1 2 3 4 5

Winchester Club of America Annual Antique Arms Show Corporate Member Days Riley Arena, CFM Records Office open 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. Winchester Club of America annual meeting and reception 5:30 p.m. (WCA members only) 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Winchester Arms Collectors Association Annual Winchester Winchester Club Annual Arms Show, Riley Arena, CFM Records Office open Arms Show CFM Records Office open Winchester Arms Collectors Association annual meeting, Plains Indian Museum reception, auction 5:30 p.m. Powwow $ (WACA members only) Robbie Powwow Garden 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Winchester Arms Show American Custom CFM Records Office open Gunmakers Guild Plains Indian Museum Annual Firearms Raffle Powwow $ Drawing Robbie Powwow Garden 10 a.m. 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

PHOTO CREDITS: • Moccasins, ca. 1835, Northeast, Huron, black-dyed hide, moose hair, silk ribbon. WC9605008. Splendid Heritage exhibition. • Gordon Andrus saddle, detail. Courtesy photo. • Gallery presenter Debbie Cram demonstrates spinning, 2007. • 11 year-old Noah Valdez, Northern Arapaho/Lakota dancer from Ethete, Wyoming, 2008 Plains Indian 27 28 29 30 Museum Powwow. Photo by Matt Jackson. IT’S A DATE ... pullout calendar $ Denotes additional fee required. For the latest information on programs and events, please see our Web site at www.bbhc.org or call 307.587.4771. Unless otherwise CALENDAR of Events noted, all events take place at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday APRIL CENTER HOURS Natural History Lunchtime MARCH 1 – April 30: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily Expedition lecture MAY 1 – SEPTEMBER 15: 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. daily 12:15 p.m. 1 2 3

Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Warriors: Photographs by Gertrude Käsebier (through August 8) Patrons preview, 5 – 7 p.m. Public opening

CFM Records Office open for Wanenmacher’s Tulsa Arms Show 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Tulsa, Oklahoma

“Best of” Fest at the Draper: CFM Records Office open for Africa Film series—Wild Opera Big Reno Show Tapas reception 5:30 p.m. $ Reno, Nevada Film 7 p.m. Reservation required

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

18 19 20 21 22 23 24 MAY Splendid Heritage: Perspectives on American Indian Art (through September 6) Patrons preview, 5 – 7 p.m. Public opening

25 26 27 28 29 30 1

Natural History Lunchtime Traces of Tradition Festival: how we Expedition lecture live, work, and play in the West 12:15 p.m. Art of the Horse: an invitational show for western gear makers Through June 6

Art of the Horseopens 2 3 4 5 6 7 with reception, 6 p.m. 8

Buffalo Gals Luncheon $ Traces of Tradition Festival CFM Records Office Lynne Simpson: The Quilters: open for Colorado Gun Performing History and the Collectors Association Domestic Arts Annual Gun Show, Denver Noon – 1:30 p.m. Members only / reservation required 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

CFM Records Office open for Colorado Gun Collectors Association Annual Gun Show

16 17 18 19 20 21 22

Predator Parade $ Natural History Field Expedition to Yellowstone National Park. 7 a.m. Friday – 6 p.m. Saturday (registration required)

23 24 25 26 27 28 29

JUNE Natural History Lunchtime Corporate Member Days Expedition lecture 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. 12:15 p.m.

30 31 1 2 3 4 5

Winchester Club of America Annual Antique Arms Show Corporate Member Days Riley Arena, CFM Records Office open 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. Winchester Club of America annual meeting and reception 5:30 p.m. (WCA members only) 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Winchester Arms Collectors Association Annual Winchester Winchester Club Annual Arms Show, Riley Arena, CFM Records Office open Arms Show CFM Records Office open Winchester Arms Collectors Association annual meeting, Plains Indian Museum reception, auction 5:30 p.m. Powwow $ (WACA members only) Robbie Powwow Garden 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Winchester Arms Show American Custom CFM Records Office open Gunmakers Guild Plains Indian Museum Annual Firearms Raffle Powwow $ Drawing Robbie Powwow Garden 10 a.m. 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

PHOTO CREDITS: • Moccasins, ca. 1835, Northeast, Huron, black-dyed hide, moose hair, silk ribbon. WC9605008. Splendid Heritage exhibition. • Gordon Andrus saddle, detail. Courtesy photo. • Gallery presenter Debbie Cram demonstrates spinning, 2007. • 11 year-old Noah Valdez, Northern Arapaho/Lakota dancer from Ethete, Wyoming, 2008 Plains Indian 27 28 29 30 Museum Powwow. Photo by Matt Jackson. IT’S A DATE ... pullout calendar $ Denotes additional fee required. BBHC Bits & Bytes

Splendid Heritage more “This partnership for Harry’s work bodes well for the future of both museums,” Executive Director Bruce Eldredge says. than an exhibition Two Jackson sculptures also made the trip to Cartersville, Stampede and Cosmos. n plendid Heritage: Perspectives on American Indian Art takes its place in the Historical Center’s Special New festival kicks off Exhibitions Gallery, May 1 – September 6, 2010. S springtime in the Rockies After the Patrons Preview April 30, the exhibition opens to the public on May 1 with a Family Fun Day featuring races of Tradition Festival: how we live, work, and Native artists, storytellers, dancers, musicians, and play in the West celebrates the roots, richness, and children’s hands-on activities, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. The Lloyd variety of America’s West. Held May 7 – 9, 2010, New Institute of Native American Arts, focusing on the T it features activities and demonstrations of everyday life Splendid Heritage and Plains Indian Museum collections, in the Northern Rockies, plus songs and stories that made is scheduled for July 19 – 23; and lectures and Artists- work “back then” seem less like drudgery and more like in-Residence programs related to Splendid Heritage are fun. scheduled throughout the summer. Check www.bbhc.org or The host of activities for the whole family includes dutch Facebook regularly for more information. n oven cooking; natural history spotlights; juried folk and Harry Jackson traditional artists’ sales booths, horse handling; “sheep to shawl” demonstrations; gear making, and many other masterworks travel east “living arts and skills.” A special highlight is the opening of Art of the Horse: an invitational show for gear makers (see he Buffalo Bill page 30), on view through June 6. Historical Center’s Traces is held in conjunction with Cody Wild West Days’ collections aren’t T Annual Buffalo Bill Top Notch Horse Sale in downtown Cody only displayed in the and Cody Wild West Shows’ Don Edwards concert. Center’s galleries, but on Follow updates on the Historical Center Facebook page the walls and pedestals or www.bbhc.org. n of museums, embassies, and other public buildings throughout the world. Recently, several works by noted western artist Harry Jackson made their way to the Marine Corps National Museum in Quantico, Virginia, and the Booth Harry Jackson Western Art Museum in Cartersville, Georgia. Jackson served as a combat artist with the Marine Corps during World War II and called the display of his work at Quantico a “tribute” to his service during the Pacific combat. Four of Jackson’s most popular works from the Buffalo Bill Historical Center—including the ten-by-twenty-foot paintings Range Burial and The Stampede—were loaned to Cowboys attempt to teach a dude to rope on the Pitchfork Ranch near Meeteetse, Wyoming, ca. 1930s. Charles Belden, photographer. Gift of Mr. and the Booth Museum for a five-year Jackson retrospective. Mrs. Charles Belden. PN.67.797a

n The Buffalo Bill Historical Center is now on Facebook. n

18 n POINTS WEST

SpringPW10.indd 18 2/23/10 3:30 PM UnCommon Sense guides “Going Green”

By Nancy McClure In a very real sense, a museum is all about sustainability. In celebrating the spirit of the American West, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center weaves together the stories of the western experience and shares them with its local and The Buffalo Bill Historical Center is committed to superior stewardship of its grounds, its world-wide audience. The tapestry of facility, and its collections—all for the enjoyment of its visitors, now and in the future. the West, with its rich history, diverse cultural heritage, and fascinating natural responsible stewards of what we have thinking differently. It offers the environment, comes alive through the around us and not just the artifacts opportunity to think more broadly, Center’s interpretation of the objects it we’re preserving inside.” or about something you hadn’t exhibits. It was the Yellowstone Business considered before.” Executive Director Preserving the objects that make up Partnership (YBP) that invited the Cen- Bruce Eldredge actively supported our artifact collection and tell these ter to join UnCommon Sense, its sus- involvement, and the Center joined stories is the foundation of what the tainability leadership program. As YBP UnCommon Sense in April 2008. Center does. We plan to be here for notes, “the program equips businesses UnCommon Sense groups several the enjoyment and education of future to make desired changes in their oper- businesses together in a class led by generations. As Facilities Supervisor ations and empowers them to become an advisor who facilitates education Paul Brock says, “We’re not just doing sustainability leaders in their com- and peer support throughout the two this for our grandchildren; we’re doing it munities.” Although Historical Center years of the program. Team members for our grandchildren’s grandchildren.” staff already worked toward making attend four group workshops and operations as efficient as possible, par- also hold monthly teleconferences. Making sense of ticularly with its environmental con- While participating businesses have UnCommon Sense trol system under included outdoor the management of education providers So it only makes sense that the Operating Engineer and public schools, Center embraces the broader goals Phil Anthony, they many are resorts, of “sustainability” that encompass considered the pro- building industry the preservation and conservation of gram and assessed firms, landscapers, the environment around us, around its possible benefits. and restaurants; the community of Cody of which we “There were certainly things we the Center is the first museum to are a part, and around the Greater could learn about how to operate more participate. Yellowstone region and the West. efficiently and reinforce doing the right Classes progress through eight Public Relations Director Lee Haines things,” Haines explains. “As much modules that include discussion of sums it up this way: “It’s about being as anything, the program is about relevant topics, examples of best

SPRING 2010 n 19

SpringPW10.indd 19 2/23/10 3:30 PM “Going Green” care about sustainability and so work the waste stream. Two-and-a-half their participation into their schedules. months later, in mid-September, after About 25 percent of the staff is actively initiating a recycling program for involved. Haines says, “One of the plastic bottles, aluminum cans, office things that makes this work is that paper, magazines, and newspapers there are people here who are very (and continuing cardboard recycling, passionate about these issues.” already in place), the team repeated the exercise. “Diving in” to the program The results? In July, only about practices, and often a tour of a facility 46 percent of the trash was truly to see sustainability principles in In launching the green program, garbage and included a large number action. Modules include: Leading the Brock, Haines, and Preston first of plastic trash bags; 30 percent Way, which helps the business organize surveyed the staff on their interest in consisted of items that could have its own sustainability program; Waste- sustainability concerns and extended been recycled (paper, plastic bottles, Stream Management; Responsible an open invitation to all who wanted aluminum, magazines, newspaper, Purchasing; Social and Community to join the team. Brock organized and cardboard); and 24 percent was Investment; Energy Efficiency; Water visits to the Park County landfill and deemed “missed opportunity”—items Efficiency; Transportation; and the Cody Recycling Center to raise that could be replaced with reusable Business Response to Climate Change. awareness of how waste is managed or biodegradable products. These With leadership from the Center’s and establish a working relationship included disposable coffee cups from representatives at UnCommon with the city recycling staff. But the break rooms and service ware from Sense—Brock, Haines, and Dr. Charles first real test for anyone interested? A the café. Preston, senior curator of natural “dumpster dive” to assess the Center’s By September, the percentage of history—the Center’s “green team” is waste stream. actual trash in the garbage bins had a group of enthusiastic volunteers who In early July 2008, the new green increased to 82 percent and only team sorted through fifteen randomly- 2 percent was missed opportunity selected bags of trash, approximately (Styrofoam plates and non- one-third of a single day’s volume biodegradable cups). The presence during the height of the busy season. of recyclable items in the trash was The team wanted to see what staff greatly reduced: the number of plastic and visitors were throwing away, bottles went from 26 to 4; aluminum and how much of it could have been cans from 25 to 1. Overall, the Center’s recycled or otherwise diverted from efforts met the set goal of reducing

At left: Facilities Manager Paul Brock gives instructions for the Center’s first “dumpster dive.” Above, the “Green Team” sorted the garbage to determine how the Center could “reduce, reuse, and recycle.”

20 n POINTS WEST

SpringPW10.indd 20 2/23/10 3:32 PM “Going Green” divertible waste by at least half (from reusable plastic cups, china dishes, and look the same—green and vibrant— approximately 56 percent of total silverware. but the organic fertilizer builds up root volume to less than 16 percent). Although this move involved some systems better than standard, chemical up-front purchasing cost and increased fertilizer, making the grass healthier. Going green means dishwashing volume, Morrison says The healthier plants are more thinking green that, overall, it had a positive impact efficient at absorbing and retaining on the bottom line by eliminating the water, reducing water use in the The voluntary nature of the continual expense of replenishing the gardens by 30 percent. Thus the Center’s green program, particularly disposable supplies. The additional Center saves water by using the in recycling, has been one of the dishwashing uses more soap and environmentally-friendly fertilizer and program’s strengths. Haines notes, water, but, as Morrison notes, both are sets a good example in sustainability. “We didn’t want to add a burden to a inexpensive and so have little effect The cost of the organic fertilizer, particular group of employees.” Rather from a cost standpoint. though, is twice that of the chemical than expecting the Center’s custodial To encourage green behavior in fertilizer used previously, nor does staff to add recycling duties to their visitors, the café added a surcharge using less water lower the water bill workload, those staff members who to products packaged in disposable because it is a set monthly charge. are interested—across departments— containers like plastic bottles and “to Bales plans to continue using the new organize into teams that handle the go” cups. With signage in place to fertilizer in the three gardens, but the transfer of recyclables to exterior explain the surcharge in a positive way, added expense currently prevents the bins and ultimately the recycling inviting customers to join our efforts to Center from expanding its use to the center. Currently, five teams rotate on reduce the use of disposable products rest of the grounds. a month-by-month schedule. And a by 50 percent, Morrison observes, “I Water is an important issue inside theme has emerged: “It’s nobody’s job don’t think I’ve heard one negative the building as well. Maintaining stable but everybody’s responsibility.” comment about the surcharge.” Most temperature and humidity levels is Although participating on the green customers buy fountain soft drinks team is voluntary, embarking on a (sold in the café’s stock of reusable green program offers the opportunity cups) rather than bottled ones. to raise awareness staff-wide, to begin to shift perceptions, and to change Going green isn’t the culture of the entire institution. always cheap To a certain extent, the impetus for a recycling program came not just from Because responsible action in UnCommon Sense, but from visitors as sustainability often involves balancing well. Accustomed to recycling in their competing factors like cost, UnCommon home communities, many visitors Sense addresses economic aspects as began to ask where they could recycle well as “green” ones. In making choices their plastic bottles and cans, and the that involve cost, Brock explains, green team helped provide an answer. “There are economic decisions that Following the strategy of go into it, and you don’t always come UnCommon Sense, staff across the down on the side of green. It depends institution broadened their thinking on how it affects your business.” beyond recycling to other areas of A perfect example of this balancing the operation. Because much of the act is found in the Center’s landscaped missed opportunity discovered in the sculpture gardens. In summer 2009, first dumpster dive included disposable Grounds Supervisor Kyle Bales containers and dishes from food service switched from chemical fertilizer to a The Cashman-Greever Garden was one of areas, Food and Beverage Manager natural, microbe-based fertilizer from the places where organic fertilizer replaced chemical fertilizer. Nick Morrison replaced Styrofoam, local company Bio-Alternatives in plastic, and paper used in the café with three sculpture gardens. The gardens

SPRING 2010 n 21

SpringPW10.indd 21 2/23/10 3:32 PM “Going Green” evaluation and comparison of products based on price, quality, performance, and environmental impact. Environmentally-preferable products will be purchased when their cost and performance are in keeping with sound business practices, but such a transition takes some time. Custodial Supervisor Danny Reid explains: “Once we have exhausted our existing cleaning chemicals, they will be replaced with green seal certified products.” Some challenges remain and mirror About half the Center’s water usage goes toward humidification to preserve objects and exhibits such as the broader issues of sustainability the Frederic Remington Studio. in the West. Interpretive Specialist essential in museum management and Reinvestment Act) grant will help the and Natural Science Educator Emily necessary for the preservation of the Center complete projects set forth in a Buckles is leading the discussion collection. Of the roughly five million mechanical systems master plan drawn of transportation challenges and gallons of treated water used per year, up several years ago, as well as address working with the green team to come about half goes toward humidification. issues identified in a recent energy up with innovative ways to change Such large water usage surprised audit conducted by CTA Architects and behavior. Through a staff survey, the Center’s UnCommon Sense Engineers of Billings, Montana. The six Buckles learned that, currently, 95 classmates, but is one of the business projects will not only improve energy percent of those who responded drive factors that must be taken into account efficiency throughout the building, but to work alone and most round trips in the sustainability program. As also decrease utility costs. are less than five miles. Haines puts it, “What, in fact, we are “I think the challenge with us in sustaining here is our collection, and it The journey has just begun the West is that we have unlimited requires that much water.” space and free parking,” says Buckles. In water efficiency, then, the Center Moving forward, the Buffalo Bill “There’s not a huge incentive to not must look to ways of lessening the Historical Center will continue to drive.” To change that, the green impact without compromising our grow its green program. In addition to team is considering incentives to commitment to the preservation the energy conservation projects the encourage carpooling and alternative of the collection. In the future, as grant will fund, construction projects transportation. Ideas include environmental control systems are now have sustainability built into their rewarding people for walking or upgraded or replaced, new equipment designs. The 2009 reinstallation of the bicycling to work through the Center’s will reduce the amount of waste water Whitney Gallery of Western Art used wellness program, and setting up generated during humidification. LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy Improvements to heating and cooling and Environmental Design) products. equipment will also increase the Brock plans to make the renovation energy efficiency of the building. While of the Buffalo Bill Museum, slated for significant work on these systems has 2012, a LEED project as well. As the so far been cost-prohibitive, the Center project’s manager, Brock will become has received a grant to fund several certified as a LEED Green Associate, projects in 2010. who demonstrates knowledge of Prepared and submitted by Grants green design, construction, and Coordinator Lynn Pitet and Anthony, operations. The Center has discovered that sustainability is a the $592,500 SEP-ARRA (State Energy New sustainability purchasing complex issue with many facets as illustrated by Program-American Recovery and guidelines at the Center call for this commonly-used diagram.

22 n POINTS WEST

SpringPW10.indd 22 2/23/10 3:32 PM “Going Green” periodic challenge weeks to promote and track carpooling. The Center graduates from The SEP-ARRA Grant the UnCommon Sense program The $592,500 in stimulus money awarded through the American in April 2010 with the tools to Recovery and Reinvestment Act is a result of legislation that appropriated continue and enhance the green funds for the U.S. Department of Energy to distribute through formula- program already established, and to based State Energy Program grants. The Center’s grant will fund six energy become sustainability leaders in the conservation projects: community. The green team will take • Replacing air handling systems that currently use steam humidification it from there. “The volunteer core staff with new ones using atomization. has to maintain momentum,” Brock • Converting steam heating systems to hot water in seven existing air says. “When you look at the energy handlers. level that gets applied to this program, • Installing variable-speed drives on single-zone air handling systems I have no doubt they will.” to reduce airflow rates and energy usage to match demand. Looking ahead, Brock and Haines are • Replacing less efficient lamps with longer-lasting LED equivalents. optimistic about the health and long- • Sealing an insulation gap between the top of a particular exterior wall term viability of the green program and the roof. at the Center—about “sustaining • Insulating and waterproofing a now-bypassed ventilation cupola. sustainability.” As Brock says, “It has Operating become routine,” meaning that keeping Engineer Phil each plastic bottle out of the trash, Anthony is emptying recycling containers when pictured with boilers that will they are full, planning environmentally take on the sustainable construction projects—in load of heating older parts of short, “thinking green”—is now part the Historical of the culture of the institution and Center, areas where inefficient permeates all that we do. n and outdated equipment will be scrapped. Nancy McClure is the assistant editor in the public relations department at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. She Taking out the trash began her museum When thinking green, one small change can have a positive ripple career in 1991 effect. Before the Center formally embarked on its sustainability program, as a seasonal custodial staff routinely removed trash from each office every night. A worker at South byproduct of this service? Tens of thousands of plastic trash bags sent to Pass City State the landfill. Adding these often near-empty bags to full bags from public Historic Site near areas of the building, the Center tossed over 50,000 trash bags a year. Wyoming’s Wind The change? Shifting responsibility for their own office trash to each staff River Mountains. member. Custodians no longer empty trash from staff areas; individuals She served as now carry their own trash to the exterior dumpsters when the bag is full. Nancy McClure curator at Trail The result? A tenth as many plastic trash bags go to the landfill. Yes, the End State Historic Center cut that 50,000 figure down to around 5,000 as a result. Site, a historic house museum in The ripple effect? Fewer trash bags. Lower custodial supply cost. More Sheridan, Wyoming, from 1995 through time for custodians to concentrate on public areas. Lower labor costs. 2005. McClure holds a bachelor’s and Increased awareness by individual staff members as to what they throw a master’s degree in history, with an away. Incentive to separate recyclable items from trash. Increased personal emphasis in public history, and came to responsibility on the part of staff members for their impact on the earth. the Historical Center’s public relations In short, a green program success! department in 2006.

SPRING 2010 n 23

SpringPW10.indd 23 2/23/10 3:32 PM Natural History, fifteen guests, and I Winter Eagle Watch were treated to so many exciting and rare sights, we hardly knew what to The bald eagle rose sharply over talk about first. The eagle we watched the river, paused, and watched for any fishing over Wyoming’s Clark’s sign of movement in the water below. Fork River had spent at least fifteen Then it wheeled, dived, and pulled minutes performing aerial antics so up just above the surface, but to no close to us that we were speechless. Young bald eagle avail: The fish escaped. As the eagle We observed so many bald and banked toward two geese perched golden eagles, as well as rough-legged oddly on the cliff high above, their and red-tailed hawks, that it was easy By Jennifer McDonald heads raised in alarm. Raucous honks to lose track of how many we’d seen. echoed off the rocks as they frantically By noon, we were ready for lunch and Nature buffs are always excited at beat their wings and made their exit. reviewed the morning’s highlights the opportunity to “take to the field” to In our binoculars, we could see the over bowls of hot chili at a small café experience the wildlife of the Greater detail of each eagle feather, and as near Clark, Wyoming. An unexpected Yellowstone region—especially in the we hushed our voices, we heard the and delightful sighting was the fifteen company of the knowledgeable staff of hiss of feathers sliding through the air or so black rosy finches in the willow the Draper Museum of Natural History. when the eagle glided overhead. trees right next to the café. Here, Program Manager Jennifer During the Winter Eagle Watch Field The day’s last highlight came as we McDonald shares insights into three Expedition, Dr. Charles R. Preston, joined local raptor rehabilitator, Susan popular field expeditions. curator of the Draper Museum of Ahalt of Ironside Bird Rescue, at the Taking to the field WITH THE Draper Museum of Natural History

Day-trippers scan the Lamar Valley for signs of predators.

24 n POINTS WEST

SpringPW10.indd 24 2/23/10 3:32 PM Great horned owl, Jim Peaco, 1996. National Park Service photo.

Dr. Charles R. Preston, center, provides expert commentary on the area.

mouth of Clark’s Fork Canyon as she late-February evening released a juvenile red-tailed hawk in 2009, fifteen “Owl she had nursed back to health. We all Prowlers” joined Nat- gathered around and admired the bird ural History Educa- up close as Susan gently removed it tor Emily Hansel and from the crate. Next, she asked us all to me on an excursion take a step back so she could remove to Yellowtail Wildlife the hood from the hawk’s head. The Management Area Saw whet owl, Stan Canter, 1967. NPS photo. bird’s eyes blazed, ready to take on near Lovell, Wyo- anything the wilds of Wyoming could ming. spot. We are careful not to play calls dish out. Susan prepared us for what At the first stop, we made our way in the same spot more than once or the bird was likely to do upon release, through the dry, squeaky snow to the twice as repeated calling could cause and then she gave the words, “OK— edge of the parking area. It was a cold, the birds undue stress and disrupt now!” as he was tossed gently into clear night, and the stars glistened their reproduction. By now, the crew the air. The bird lifted, hesitated, and in the sky. Young cottonwood and was beginning to joke about whether landed back on the ground at our feet. Russian olive trees created a tangle or not one can really get owls to call After getting his bearings, though, he of branches in the dark. I played the back, let alone actually get a glimpse took off and flew with great strength calls one by one, starting with the of one. back to a life in the wild. smaller owls like screech owls and At the next stop, I again played saw-whet owls and worked up to the the whole series of calls—still no Owl Prowl big one—the great horned owl. response. I played the great horned Anticipation was running high owl calls a second time and was Eagles are relatively easy to observe as I paused the CD player, and we surprised and thrilled when an as they are big and usually perch in listened: silence. I played another eastern screech owl answered. They prominent places. Owls, on the other series of calls with no luck. Finally, usually react to great horned calls by hand, are a bit harder to see, but will we got a response: A chorus of being very quiet, but then there was readily respond to the calls of other coyotes yipped away in the distance, a second call. The owls whistled back owls when they are defending terri- and while appreciated, it wasn’t what and forth with each other and my tories and attracting mates. Breeding we hoped for. After a few more times CD player. After several minutes, one season is a good time of year to locate playing the owl calls to no effect, we came closer, and even those in our owls using recorded calls. On a frigid, decided to drive on and try another group who at first could not hear the

SPRING 2010 n 25

SpringPW10.indd 25 2/23/10 3:33 PM calls well, now smiled and nodded now thoroughly chilled to the bone— the Absaroka Mountain Range. that they could. we broke out the hot chocolate and Mountain goats colonized the park “I never knew an owl could make brownies for a tailgate party under from areas farther north where they a sound like that,” several people the stars. were introduced by the Montana exclaimed. Now, everybody was Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks a-buzz with excited chatter, and we Predator Parade to provide hunting opportunities. This loaded back into the vans to see what particular goat was just resting on else we could find. On the last Saturday in May 2009, the rocks and chewing its cud. After After a couple of fruitless stops, we fifteen guests, Preston, and I left everyone got a look, we moved further heard three species from one place. the Historical Center at 4:30 a.m.: west into Lamar Valley itself. There was a great-horned owl in the One needs to get up early to look At a pullout commanding a good distance, a long-eared owl close by, for wolves and bears in Yellowstone view of the entire valley, we parked and a saw-whet owl that tooted away National Park’s Lamar Valley. We and set up spotting scopes. Several in and wouldn’t quit. Now all we needed drove along the Chief Joseph Highway the group had never seen a wolf and was to see an owl, a sight everybody and arrived at Yellowstone National were very hopeful of spotting one. We was ready for after hearing so many. Park’s Northeast Entrance at Silver located a herd of elk grazing on the At the last stop, a great-horned Gate, Montana. Just as the sun started bench across the river, a large herd of owl responded from a good distance to rise, we saw several groups of cow bison on the sagebrush flat next to the away. I played my CD; the owl called elk in the green meadows, their new river, and a bald eagle nest in a large back. I played again; it hooted back. summer coats sleek and red. But that Douglas fir tree. This happened for a good ten minutes was only the beginning. Suddenly, someone called out, with the owl no closer. I took a little After we passed through the “There are two wolves approaching break, played the CD again, and entrance, we caught a glimpse of a the elk!” Excitement ran high, and suggested to an increasingly cold moose, and shortly after that, a stop we all repositioned our scopes toward and restless group that we wait just a near some cliffs gave us a nice look the elk. Alas, the “wolves,” as is often moment or two longer. at a mountain goat—an uncommon the case, were in fact coyotes. They We had not heard the owl in sev- sight since mountain goats are not approached the elk—which stood eral minutes, and I was worried that native to Yellowstone and only inhabit tall and faced the coyotes—to within it had flown away. Suddenly, the owl the northeast corner of the park in fifteen yards or so, paused only for a hooted loudly from a spot right in front of us! It had flown in silently and seemed ready to finally chase the “intruder” away. I played the great- horned owl track one more time, and then the owl’s mate joined in. We listened for several min- utes as the pair hooted a There is an osprey on this nest. duet from a mere fifteen yards away. Finally, since every- one wanted a look at them, we turned on our flashlights, and there in

the top of the cotton- The pullout commanded a good wood we could see one view of the entire valley. Those in the field expedition could only of the owls, its white hope a grizzly bear throat patch puffing out as it hooted. would be part of the “Predator Parade.” The pair flew off a short distance, and we lost sight of them. Thrilled—and

26 n POINTS WEST

SpringPW10.indd 26 2/23/10 3:33 PM few moments, and then meandered locate bears with our spotting scopes programs on-site as well, including on down the hill and out of sight. and binoculars. At the same time, we presentations with live raptors and Minutes later, though, coyote’s realized how tired we were; after all, it sleepovers for local youth. Look for big cousin did appear: The wolf was was now 2 p.m., and we had been up highlights of these events in upcoming decidedly long-legged and large, even since 3:30 a.m. or so! issues. For more information, visit our at a mile away, and it was black—a We decided to make one last stop Web site at www.bbhc.org. n dead giveaway that this “wild dog” at Trout Creek in the Hayden Valley was not a coyote. It trotted leisurely where I had seen a grizzly sow with through the sagebrush and past the a yearling cub the week before. Jennifer McDonald is the Program bison, showing no interest in them Sometimes, sows with cubs don’t Manager for the Draper Museum of nor they in him—finally disappearing journey far, so we hoped they might Natural History. She is a Certified out of sight behind a hill. still be in the area—and they were! In Interpretive Guide, has a BA in Biology In the meantime, no bears yet, but fact, they were only a hundred yards from Earlham College in Richmond, with everyone’s mood flying high, we from the spot I had seen them the Indiana, and her areas of specialty set out for the Tower Falls area and week before. Even better, the sow was include large mammals and birds. She then Hayden Valley. on her back, nursing the cub. It was an has called the Yellowstone area home On the way, we spotted two amazing end to an amazing day. since 1993. grizzlies, one large and one small, high on a hill. After watching the way Up close and personal in the Jennifer McDonald the bigger one followed the other, we Greater Yellowstone region realized we were sneaking a peak at grizzly bear courtship. We laughed as The Draper Museum of Natural the male edged closer, and the female History connects people with the continued to walk away. Greater Yellowstone region in many Near Tower Junction, we observed ways, but our field expeditions are bighorn sheep ewes with lambs on some of the best—and most popular— cliffs above Tower Creek, peered ways to know it in a personal way. We down into an osprey nest in the are adding new field trips in 2010, canyon below, and finally spotted the including a trip to observe nesting peregrine falcon Preston had assured golden eagles and participate in us usually had an eyrie (nest) there. Preston’s research for a day. We have On Mt. Washburn, we tried in vain to new and exciting natural history

SPRING 2010 n 27

SpringPW10.indd 27 2/23/10 3:33 PM Treasures from our West

THEODORE ROOSEVELT’S SADDLE

In addition to the personal artifacts of William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody housed in the Buffalo Bill Museum, there are many objects that were once owned by some of Cody’s famous contemporaries. One such individual was Theodore Roosevelt, who used this saddle on his ranch in Medora, North Dakota, long before he became our twenty-sixth President. Made about 1885 by renowned saddlemaker J.S. Collins of Cheyenne, Wyoming, the Cheyenne-roll style cantle, or back of the seat, is tooled with the initials “T.R.” and the maker’s shield. It is an A-frame saddle with a three-quarters seat, double rigging, and heavy floral tooling over the entire saddle. When the saddle was hand-delivered in 1990 by the donors, Ed Stabler also brought along his horse. In the field behind the Center, he saddled up with the Roosevelt saddle and rode to the front door. Then, he dismounted, unsaddled his horse, and handed the saddle to the staff of the museum. Stabler wanted to be sure he was the last person to ride TR’s saddle! n Buffalo Bill Museum. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Edward B. Stabler. 1.69.2641 COOPER’S HAWKS

Visitors with our popular natural history behind-the-scenes tours are often surprised by the important role we play in society. In addition to field-based research, exhibitions, and field and gallery-based programs and lectures, we help gather and record information about the variety of life on earth—especially in our area: the Greater Yellowstone region. As such, we are now a key link in the international network of institutions documenting wildlife populations in and around Yellowstone. These specimens represent four immature Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) birds from our area. As a federal and state repository, we received their carcasses after the birds collided with windows or other structures, which is not uncommon in their single-minded pursuit of prey. This is especially true of Cooper’s Hawks and their close relatives, Sharp-shinned Hawks (Accipiter striatus). These raptors specialize in hunting other birds and often capture them on the fly! If you use a bird feeder in the winter, you will probably see one of these opportunists looking for a meal. Here, staff and volunteers prepared two specimens as traditional study skins, and two as flat skins (with wings out)—each treated and housed to basically last forever. They are used to study geographic range of the species, variations in size and plumage, presence of environmental contaminants on feathers, or genetic studies from extracted DNA. We also use them to train students, support public educational programs, and help wildlife artists create accurate representations. While the untrained eye may view these specimens as odd-looking, dead animals, they are priceless to the communities that Draper Museum of Natural History. DRA.304.182, 183, 185, 186 natural history museums serve. n

28 n POINTS WEST

SpringPW10.indd 28 2/23/10 3:33 PM WINCHESTER FACTORY LINTEL BANNER

Cody Firearms Museum. Gift of Olin Corporation, Winchester Arms Collection.

In 1975, the Winchester Arms Collection arrived at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center under the terms of a long-term loan from the Olin Corporation. Ownership of the collection was formally transferred to the Center in 1988, and by 1991, the Cody Firearms Museum wing was added to house the objects. This granite lintel, now here at the Historical Center, hung over the entrance to the Winchester Repeating Arms Factory in New Haven, Connecticut. Chiseled from an eight-inch thick solid slab of granite, the rock itself weighs more than two tons. It is part of the Winchester Arms Collection and is the largest artifact in the firearms section of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. n

THE MEDICINE ROBE, MAYNARD DIXON Plains Indian Museum. Museum Purchase. NA.302.102 As a young man, Maynard Dixon admired the vivid illustrations of well-known Arthur Amiotte, an Oglala Lakota artist Frederic Remington. Dixon became an illustrator himself in the 1890s, artist and member of the Plains depicting traditional western subjects—cowboys, Indians, and landscapes. By Indian Museum Advisory Board, 1912, Dixon turned his full attention to painting. believes that as a teacher, artist, and For The Medicine Robe, Dixon captured the light and colors of the West with art historian, he should be a master an impressionist painting style. of many artistic mediums in order He applied quick dabs of paint to to encourage students and other his canvas, rather than smoothly artists to understand Native American blending the colors together. cultural traditions. Dixon based the powerful, central Amiotte’s art often addresses the figure on a Plains Indian. He used persistence of Plains tribal traditions similar colors in both the landscape through the transitional reservation and the figure, making the Native period. With bold colors and simple American seem inherently form, this banner represents a ribbon connected to the land around dress of the type worn by Lakota him. Unlike Remington’s action- women from the 1880s until about packed paintings of cowboys, 1940. Half the wool dress trimmed The Medicine Robe reflects a calm with satin ribbons is shown together moment, infused with the vibrant with the belt of silver conchos. hues of the landscape. As such, “The arts document and push the Dixon encourages viewers to also frontiers of creativity by adapting to pause and take a tranquil moment forces of modernity,” Amiotte says, Whitney Gallery of Western Art. Maynard Dixon (1875 to appreciate the wonders around “without forgetting the timelessness – 1946). The Medicine Robe, 1915. Oil on canvas. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Godwin Pelissero. 2.73 them. n of tribal belief and wisdom.” n

SPRING 2010 n 29

SpringPW10.indd 29 2/23/10 3:33 PM OF THE rt orse Saddlebags, Keith Seidel. 1.69.6206 AN INVITATIONAL WESTERN GEAR MAKERS SHOW

May 7 – June 6, 2010, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. daily BUFFALO BILL HISTORICAL CENTER 720 Sheridan Avenue u Cody, Wyoming 82414 307.587.2619 u www.bbhc.org u www.codywildwestdays.com It’s what all the well-dressed horses are wearing Spurs, 1912. Mary Jester Allen Collection. 1.69.5

Around Cody, Wyoming, the place [email protected] or 307.587.2619. William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody called And while you’re here, check out his “town in the Rockies,” there are Cody Wild West Days (May 7 – 9), nearly as many horses as there are a weekend of barrel racing, ranch people. And in these parts, folks like rodeo, ranch sorting, and a downtown to dress up their ponies. horse sale. Saddle up! Lucky for both horses and riders, Lariat. 1.69.5766 the BuffaloA Bill Historical Center H corrals some of the best saddle and PARTICIPATING GEAR MAKERS gear makers for Art of the Horse: An David Alderson, Twin Falls, Idaho Jim Jackson, Sheridan, Wyoming Invitational Show for Western Gear Gordon Andrus, Cody, Wyoming Bob Klenda, Meeker, Colorado Makers, May 7 – June 6, 2010. Master Don Butler, Sheridan, Wyoming Steve Mecum, Crowheart, Wyoming silver engravers, saddle makers, Vince Donley, Parkman, Wyoming Sharon Paulin, Pine Valley, California rawhide braiders, horsehair hitchers, Aaron Fandek, Huntley, Montana Gary Ray, Powell, Wyoming and bit and spur makers—twenty- five men and women in all—share William “Bill” Rex Gardner, Sheridan, Keith Seidel, Cody, Wyoming Wyoming their one-of-a-kind work with visitors Jesse W. Smith, Pritchett, Colorado Al Gould, Clovis, California who may not know a mecate from a Richard Vieira, Paso Robles, California Sara Douglas Hagel, Dayton, Wyoming bosal. Trajan R. Vieira, Cody, Wyoming Todd Hansen, Molt, Montana A free public reception kicks Nate Wald, Lodge Grass, Montana Chester Hape, Sheridan, Wyoming off the show Friday evening, May Jeremiah Watt, Coalinga, California Dale Harwood, Shelly, Idaho 7, 6 p.m., with special guest Bill Link Weaver, Sheridan, Wyoming Chuck Irwin, Solvang, California Reynolds, noted author of The Art Chas Weldon, Billings, Montana of the Western Saddle. For more information, contact Creative Arts Art of the Horse is supported in part by a grant from the Wyoming Arts Council, through funding from West Events Coordinator, Jill Gleich, the Wyoming State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.

30 n POINTS WEST A thousand words

Children at Valley Ranch. Gift of Irving H. “Larry” Larom Estate. P.14.1

ew Yorker L.H. “Larry” Larom first visited Jim and “Buckskin” Jenny McLaughlin’s Valley Home Ranch southwest of Cody, Wyoming, in 1910. Larom and his Princeton classmate, NWin Brooks, purchased the property for a cattle ranch in 1915. Like other ranchers with many eastern friends, they discovered their hospitality cost more than they could afford so they became dude ranchers! Here are a few of their buckaroos. n

See thousands of historic photographs from the archives of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center online at www.bbhc.org/hmrl/collection.cfm.

SPRING 2010 n 31

SpringPW10.indd 31 2/23/10 3:35 PM Non-Profit Org. POSTAGE PAID Buffalo Bill BUFFALO BILL HISTORICAL CENTER 720 Sheridan Avenue Historical Center Cody, Wyoming 82414 www.bbhc.org

Want more bang for your buck?

• With a Centennial membership, your entire family and two additional guests can visit the Historical Center all year long…free of charge!

• And for even more bang…receive free admission to all thirteen museums of the Museums West Consortium. (locations at right)

For details on upgrading to a Centennial Membership, N.C. Wyeth (1882 – 1945). “Bucking,” 1904 – 1905. Gift contact the Membership Office at 307.578.4032. of John M. Schiff. 2.77 (detail)

Perspectives on SPLENDID HERITAGE American Indian Art By Clinton Nagy, editor u Alyssa Warnock, designer u Forward by Robert Redford

“ . . . a beautiful book celebrating Amerindian craftsmanship of exceptional aesthetic quality.” —Dr. Harold C. Conklin, Professor of Anthropology, YALE UNIVERSITY

Soft cover: $49.95 u Hardcover: $75.00 Special Deluxe Edition with slipcase and embossed bear claw necklace print: $180 (All prices are retail and will reflect applicable membership discount at the time of purchase.)

720 Sheridan Avenue www.bbhcstore.com ISBN: 978-0-87480-954-1 • 207 pages, 250 illustrations Cody, Wyoming 82414 Toll Free: 800.533.3838 University of Utah Press, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2009

SpringPW10.indd 32 2/23/10 3:35 PM