Cody, Wyoming: Land of Many Faces
That’s a bit of a puzzling tease, isn’t it? How did I get from entering Billings to Cody, Wyoming? When I left you last I was waxing poetically about the view from the Rims above my new home town, ready to take up residence and prosper happily ever after. Well, as apparently historically with all of my life, it was not to be so easy. Even before leaving Oregon I had “purchased” a house in Billings, slated to close June 6. With the assistance of modern technology, my sister (and soon-to-be roommate) Robyn, and daughter/son-in-law Shannon and Curtis, I had found a house via internet. Separately they toured the house and Shannon and I “Face-timed” each room (she stood in the middle of each room, turned 360 degrees, and I watched on my phone from Oregon). The real estate market in Billings is very hot at the moment so I had to act, which I did. Even that was not without drama as I got in a bidding war that lasted nearly 24 hours before coming out on top! Since the deal wasn’t to close until June 6, I chose to dawdle the week after Memorial Day and thus the previous chapters of Volume 7.
However, a vicious thunderstorm hit Billings towards the end of May and delivered nearly $10,000 worth of damage to the roof and gutters of the new palace. The seller’s home owners insurance should cover the repairs, but it turns out that there was a significant delay that did not become obvious until June 3 in getting the insurance company to approve the claim. The bottom line is that the deal did not close on June 6 and rather than sit around Billings and pout, I decided to go southwest to Cody, Wyoming, and pout there!
Cody is a little less than 2 hours southwest of Billings along the eastern front range of the Absaroka Mountains and Yellowstone Park. It’s a really scenic drive on a sparsely travelled 2-lane highway that follows the Clark’s Fork of the Yellowstone (named by Clark from Lewis and Clark fame who passed by the mouth of the river near Billings as it enters the Yellowstone). The valley is broad and green this time of year, with muddy water filling the north-flowing river due to the spring snow melt from the mountains which are sharply etched against the blue sky to the west. (Those familiar with the way the Rockies look in the background of photos of Denver get the picture!) About 15 miles out of Cody, the river leaves the road as we climb over a gentle pass into the Shoshone River Valley. The Shoshone River rises from deep inside Yellowtone Park to the west and heads east/west through north-central Wyoming until it empties into the Big Horn River. Cody was originally founded at the place where the South Fork and the North Fork came together at the mouth of the canyon that the North Fork carves as it descends from Yellowstone Park roughly 60 miles to the west. This picture is just east of downtown, looking west up the canyon of the North Fork. You can’t see the highway (though I am probably only 50 yards from it) but it hugs the canyon wall on the left. The road you see on the right is a gravel Forest Service Road that follows the right bank. (There’s no bridge to go from one side to the other for many miles up the canyon).
Cody is at the western edge of the Big Horn Basin, surrounded by mountains to the west, south and east, and was one of the last areas in the west to be settled. In part, the reason for the late settlement is that by treaty in 1868 the basin was barred to settlement by whites. This treaty was “changed” 10 years later and then the remoteness of the area prevented mass settlement. The western legend Buffalo Bill Cody visited the area in 1894 and took an interest. A lack of water hindered settlement (the river is in a deep, narrow canyon in this area with flatter “benches” on either side. A canal was built in 1896 and the railroad arrived in 1901, followed by the official incorporation of the town the same year. The lack of water for agriculture continued to be an issue and Buffalo Bill and his cronies pursued the development of a dam 8 miles west of town (further up the canyon shone in the picture above). The dam, part of the Shoshone River Project, was completed in 1910 and ensured the future of the area. Further impetus to the development of the town came with the discovery of oil in the basin in 1912. The find was not extensive and production soon settled with no boom to the economy in sight. Buffalo Bill Cody died in 1917 and shortly thereafter a memorial association was founded in his name which is the genesis of the current world famous museum complex, the Buffalo Bill Center of the West.
Cody never really experienced a prolonged economic boom, but slow and steady has historically described the economy of the area. Agriculture and tourism (Cody sits 60 miles from the main entrance to Yellowstone Park for visitors travelling from the east) form the mainstay of the economy. The main street in town, Sheridan Avenue, reflects this history. Didn’t see any empty storefronts, but buildings from the early 1900’s to the present line both sides of the street in a mixture of retail, service, restaurants and bars. There is the everpresent WalMart on the outskirts of town, but people travel into Billings for any substantial shopping.
The crown jewel of Cody is the world-famous Irma Hotel. Buffalo Bill built the hotel in 1902 and named it after his daughter, Irma. At the time, Buffalo Bill’s “Wild West Show” was one of the most famous travelling entertainment spectacles in the world and gave most Easterners there only view of the west (characture though it was). The Irma became part of the legend and has had its’ ups and downs over the years. Today it operates as a hotel/restaurant and is the place to eat in Cody.
The center piece of the hotel is the cherry wood bar, presented to Buffalo Bill by Queen Victoria as a gift It’s pretty impressive!
One of the other fun things to do (granted, somewhat out of character for me, but I had a good time!) is the Cody Nite Rodeo. It’s mostly for tourists (though “real” rodeo also happens in Cody, just not every night) and one of the night’s that I was in town was $5 night, so I went. (I found out because the rodeo car circulated through the RV park, blaring county music and announcing 5 buck night!) I do have to say it was a bit chilly this time of year particularly after the sun went down…
While in the Cody area there are three different experiences that really deserve a separate chapter each: Old Town, Heart Mountain Relocation Center, and the incomparable Buffalo Bill Center of the West.
Next up: Old Town
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