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Antique oil rig relocates to Colorado
By Carolyn Williams
This document was published online on Wednesday, July 02, 2008
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| Nick Bemis hoists a cable during removal Tuesday of an iron tower from an early 1900s wooden oil drilling platform. The rig belonged to the late Milo Cooper who displayed it at his home along the Meeteetse Highway. The tower and platform will moved to the Wyman Living History Museum in Elk Springs, Colo. (Photo by Ken Blackbird) |
A Colorado museum is drilling Wyoming's past for treasure.
The Wyman Living History Museum in Craig, Colo., transported a 1922 cable drilling rig from Cody to Craig on Tuesday.
The rig belonged to Milo Cooper of Cody who died last year. His stepson Terry Johnson donated the rig to the Wyman museum.
Lou Wyman, founder of the museum, became interested in the rig when a salesman traveling through Cody who knew of Wyman's museum saw the rig on Cooper's property along the Meeteetse Highway.
“We have a rig from 1890 at the museum and this rig will make a great addition,” he said.
Cooper collected antiques for many years before he died. He considered starting a museum for the relics, but never did.
“He never turned it into a museum, but he would show everything that was here to anyone who came out,” Brad McKnight of Regional Recycling said. McKnight has been clearing out many of the items on Cooper's property for more than two months.
Child Towing and Recovery helped dismantle and load the rig on a trailer headed for Colorado.
Harris Trucking dismantled the oil derrick from the rig. They used the same crane that was used in 1980 to originally set the derrick when Cooper brought it to Wyoming from Montana.
“People I talk to here know about the rig. People have been stopping by to see it before it goes to Colorado,” Wyman said.
The cable drilling rig is made of wood, a common material used during the 1920s.
“This is turn-of-the-century technology,” Wyman said.
Wyman believes the rig was steam powered.
“There is steam equipment lying around the rig and it would make sense if the rig was steam powered when it was originally used,” he said.
Wyman hopes to refurbish the rig so that it is in working condition.
“It's on a list of about one million tasks we want to accomplish, but we'd love to do it,” he said.
Wyman began his museum in August 2006. It is located on a former 300-acre ranch and is the result of decades of collecting.
“We're building a small town,” Wyman said.
The museum includes several historical buildings including a hay barn, bank, general store and a functioning blacksmith shop.
“Every Friday people come and watch the blacksmith work,” Wyman said.
The museum strives to provide a hands-on experience.
“Living history - that's what it's all about,” he said.
The ranch even has an elk named Clyde. Wyman once owned a ranch with a domestic elk herd. He sold the ranch and most of the elk, but kept Clyde.
“He's famous. He's been on TV and in several newspapers. People love him,” Wyman said.
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MB wrote on Jul 3, 2008 9:03 AM: