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History lesson highlights Cody trip
By Carolyn Williams
This document was published online on Wednesday, July 16, 2008
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| Seamus and Aidan McMahon of Chicago stand in front of Buffalo Bill’s statue at the BBHC. The brothers visited the museum with family and enjoyed the Draper Museum of Natural History. (Photo by Carolyn Williams) |
Zachary Tcheyan, a Washington, D.C., native, has traveled and lived in many places across the world and knew after his first week in Cody that he had never been anywhere like the Wild West.
Tcheyan said one of the highlights of his two weeks in Cody was the river rafting trip he took down the Shoshone with Wyoming River Trips.
“I've been on river rafting trips before but I've never been in canyons like that,” he said. “It was a totally new experience.”
Tcheyan remarked frequently about the Cody scenery during his stay, but was most struck by the landscape during the river trip.
“The float gave me a much better and more intimate feel of the environment. The surroundings feel more real when you're close to them,” he said.
He appreciated his knowledgable guide who pointed out different birds, wildlife and landmarks.
“I received a history lesson on the river, too,” he said.
Siblings Kate and John Thomas of Chicago were in Tcheyan's raft. Their parents sent the teens out for fun in the sun while they stayed in Cody.
“The raft trip is awesome,” Kate said. “It's even better when you have your big brother to block all the water from the rapids.”
Another Cody attraction that put Tcheyan in the middle of the action was the Buffalo Bill Historical Center.
“In the context of Cody and the museum, the art made sense to me,” Tcheyan said of viewing the works in the Whitney Gallery of Western Art. “After seeing Cody and its surrounding landscape, it was incredible to see how much, but also how little, has changed since Charles Russell was around.”
“There's a reason it's called the ‘Smithsonian of the West,'” Dan Lamoth of Vermont said. He and his wife lived in Cody 20 years ago and were back for a visit.
“I'm glad the connection is being made,” he added of the BBHC's new status as a Smithsonian Affiliate.
Tcheyan was particularly impressed with Buffalo Bill Cody's life on display in the Buffalo Bill Museum.
“I had no idea he was such a significant figure in U.S. history,” he said. “He was ahead of his time.”
Tcheyan appreciated the museum's ability to convey to the visitor what living in the Wild West was like.
“You definitely get a feel for the mix of cultures that made up the West,” he said.
Gwen Cushing of Virginia, on a trip to the West with a few friends, agreed.
“I can't believe people actually traveled this way,” she said while peering inside a covered wagon. “Those who went West must have been full of grit and determination.”
Tcheyan's favorite part of the BBHC was the Plains Indian Museum. He has visited the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian but was more impressed with the BBHC.
“The Plains Indian Museum struck me. It has a more intimate connection to the history of Native Americans,” he said.
“The Buffalo Bill Historical Center is by far the most magnificent museum I have ever been to,” said Sue Randall of Oregon while touring the Plains Indian Museum. “It's multi-cultural and depicts realistically how people survived in the frontier.”
Randall stopped by the BBHC during a two-week roadtrip through Wyoming, Montana and Colorado.
To complete Tcheyan's Western experience he attended the Cody Stampede Rodeo on July 2.
“I love watching bull riding on television, but this was out of control,” he said. “The rodeo was riveting and fun to watch for the entire two hours. I hadn't even realized that much time went by.”
Awestruck, Tcheyan added that he now knows why Cody is called the “Rodeo Capital of the World.”
“The sport, the people, the cold beer - it all fits,” he said. “The mountains in the backdrop of the arena don't hurt either.”
Daniela and Harald Seitz of Germany and their son Simon, 11, were equally enthusiastic about the rodeo. The family took a day of their three-week tour of western national parks to visit the rodeo.
“We have been reading about the rodeo in all our guide books. We had to see it,” Daniela Seitz said. “We came out of Yellowstone just to see the rodeo and although it set us a day behind, it was absolutely necessary.”
“It's exciting,” Simon added.
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