The Buffalo Bill Historical Center is a complex of museums displaying artifacts and art of the American West located in Cody, Wyoming. Founded in 1917, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center is the oldest museum in the West.[1] The museum is an affiliate in the Smithsonian Affiliations program.[2]
The museums include the Buffalo Bill Museum, which features general western articles and historical items that help tell the story of W. F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody's life. A large amount of background and historical information is provided so as to put his life into context with what was going on in the country, especially out west, at that time.
Plains Indians Museum
The Plains Indians Museum features exhibits related to Plains Indian peoples, their cultures, traditions, values and histories, as well as the contexts of their lives today. Since 1979, the Plains Indian Museum has been a leader in promoting public recognition of the importance of Plains Indian art due to its nationally significant collection. The majority of the collection is from the early reservation period, ca. 1880-1930, and relates primarily to Northern Plains tribes, such as the Lakota, Crow, Arapaho, Shoshone, Cheyenne. The holdings also include important contemporary objects, ranging from artworks to quilts. In September 2007, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center acquired the Paul Dyck Plains Indian Buffalo Culture Collection, recognized as the most historic and important privately held collection of Plains Indian artifacts, art work, and related materials in the world. The collection includes clothing, eagle feather bonnets, bear claw necklaces, buffalo hide tipis and tipi furnishings, shields, cradles, peace medals, and moccasins. It dates from the late 18th century to pre-1890s. The Plains Indian Museum also sponsors the Plains Indian Museum Powwow held each June in the Robbie Powwow Garden at the historical center, an event which attracts dancers from all over North America.[citation needed]
Whitney Gallery of Western Art
The Whitney Gallery of Western Art features paintings and sculptures of the American west. The gallery first opened in 1959 and re-opened on June 21, 2009 following a re-installation. The gallery is organized thematically, with spaces dedicated to heroes and legends, the heroic cowboy, wildlife, horseses in the West, inspirational landscapes, first people of the West, and the Western experience. Replicas of the studios of both Frederic Remington and Alexander Phimister Proctor help visitors learn about the artists and their techniques. Other classic Western artists include George Catlin, Edgar Samuel Paxson,Alfred Jacob Miller, Thomas Moran, Albert Bierstadt, Alexander Phimister Proctor, W.R. Leigh, Joseph Henry Sharp and N.C. Wyeth. More contemporary Western artists include Harry Jackson, James Bama,Deborah Butterfield, Fritz Scholder, and the sculptor Grant Speed. Interactive stations allow visitors to create their own works of art. The renovation and expansion was designed by Curtis W. Fentress, FAIA, RIBA of Fentress Architects.[citation needed]
Cody Firearms Museum
The Cody Firearms Museum houses the most comprehensive collection of American firearms in the world.[3] The collection includes firearms ranging from a 16th Century hand cannon to guns of modern manufacture, and includes guns from almost every significant gun manufacturer in the world. The Winchester Collection, the heart of this museum, was transported from New Haven, Connecticut to Cody in 1976. Dedicated in 1991, the Cody Firearms Museum provides a permanent home for the Winchester collection as well as the largest collection of DuBiel Arms Company rifles in the United States today.[3] Visitors can also learn about topics in firearms manufacturing, including factory workers, business competition,and innovations in production. Within the exhibits, visitors are able to trace the evolution of modern firearms technology from its earliest days through today's variations. Membership to the Cody Firearms Museum allows access to the Cody Firearms Museum Records Service, which provides information from original factory records of the Winchester, Marlin or L.C. Smith companies based on the make and serial number of the firearm.
Draper Museum of Natural History
The Draper Museum of Natural History features approximately 20,000 square feet (1,900 m2) of interactive exhibits highlighting geology, wildlife, and human presence in the Greater Yellowstone region. Videos, natural history dioramas and photography replicate the sights, sounds, and smells of the area, and specimens of grizzlies, wolves, bighorn sheep, moose, elk and other wildlife are on display. The Draper Museum of Natural History opened to the public on June 4, 2002 and bears the name of Nancy Carroll-Draper, Buffalo Bill Historical Center trustee and benefactor. The Draper museum also houses adult and children's classrooms and the John Bunker Sands photography gallery.[citation needed] The renovation and expansion was designed by Curtis W. Fentress.
References
^ "Buffalo Bill Historical Center". Affiliate Detail. Smithsonian Affiliates. 2011. Retrieved 15 Jul 2011.
^ "Buffalo Bill Historical Center Now a Smithsonian Affiliate". Museums. Old West New West. 2008. Retrieved 15 Jul 2011.
