A Recap of Longmire Days

WITH AMERICA’S FAVORITE SHERIFF

BY ROBERT LANG

Growing up in the 70s and 80s I watched too much television but thankfully, I also read too many books. Since I was immersed in these fantasy worlds, a dream of mine was to walk through these worlds and the locations I became so familiar with. Places like Walnut Grove from Little House on the Prairie, the Batcave from Batman or Hazzard Square, or the Boar’s Nest from The Dukes of Hazzard. Maybe I could have visited The Shire and had a beer with Bilbo from The Hobbit, or gone with the Pevensie children through the Wardrobe into Narnia.

This summer I was able to live some of that dream by attending Longmire Days 2022 which is a celebration of the writings by author Craig Johnson, as well as the Netflix show based on his writings titled “Longmire”.

Longmire Days started in 2012 in Buffalo, Wyoming. It originally started with the author, Craig Johnson, signing his books in front of the Busy Bee Restaurant. For the last 11 years (including a pause for Covid), it has grown from a small, localized event, to now drawing up to 15,000 fans from around the world. Consult a map of Wyoming and notice that Buffalo is not necessarily the most convenient location to get to from just about anywhere. There are approximately 4,600 full-time residents, causing this to significantly temporarily increase the town’s population. Over the years, many of the actors featured in the series have made an appearance and interacted with the fans. Some of the activities during the festival include a parade, horseback riding, tea with celebrities, book events, and a Cowboys versus Indians softball game.

Longmire Days is not all fun and games though, the proceeds from the auction and raffles held during the event support the Longmire Foundation. According to the website,

“The mission of the Longmire Foundation is to facilitate the Johnson family’s vision of community involvement and support based on the Longmire principles of honesty, integrity, and compassion.”

The Foundation ensures that they give back to those that need it most and that they will always be a source of hope. Past recipients of donations from the Longmire Foundation include the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center, Johnson County Search and Rescue, K9s for Warriors, and the St. Francis Animal Shelter. The Longmire Foundation is also a Platinum sponsor for The Longmire Night Rodeo.

Longmire Days 2022 occurred August 18 - 21, 2022 and the entire event is centered around the town of Buffalo, Johnson County, Wyoming, which is the model of the fictional town of Durant in Absaroka County in Wyoming. Reading the books is like a map of Durant (aka Buffalo). Don’t try to find Absaroka County on the map; it doesn’t exist. On each license plate in Wyoming, the first number on the plate is the county designation. There are 23 counties in Wyoming, and each number is associated with one of those counties. In both the books and the series, Absaroka County is county number 24.

•Lede and Left: The Occidental Hotel and lobby • Above Left: Craig Johnson discussing the vehicles and firearms of Longmire at one of the ancillary events of Longmire Days.

•Above Right: The Jim Gatchell Memorial Museum

My daughter Micaela attended Longmire Days with me and we were enthralled when we first entered the town. She is also a Longmire fan and is very familiar with the books and the layout of the town as described in the books. In fact, she was rereading Craig’s first novel “The Cold Dish” while we were there to familiarize herself with the characters and the geography.

First Stop: Jim Gatchell Memorial Museum

The first place we stopped was the Jim Gatchell Memorial Museum, which is a wonderful museum detailing the local western history. Fictionally, the Absaroka County Sheriff’s department is housed in the building, which is a former Carnegie Library. Currently, the museum features detailed exhibits recounting the history of Johnson County and the Johnson County War. In addition to the main building, there are additional facilities including the Carriage House, Tipis, and a log cabin on the property. My daughter and I visited the museum several times including a quiet afternoon when we perused their extensive books for sale.

Second Stop: The Occidental Hotel

A stop at the downtown area to visit the historic Occidental Hotel was equally amazing. It is like stepping into a western movie. They have an extensive collection of historical photos and artifacts throughout the entire first floor. In addition to the hotel’s rich history which is evident by even a brief visit, the Hotel sports two restaurants, the Busy Bee and The Virginian, and the bar which serves pub food. It is clear that the bar at the Occidental is the center of Buffalo nightlife. While we visited, there was live music every night, and the bar was always packed. It was a great place to grab a Rainier Beer (the official beer of Longmire).

Third Stop: Bucking Buffalo Supply Company

Visiting downtown would not be complete without visiting “Longmire Campaign Headquarters”, the Bucking Buffalo Supply Company. This large store on South Main Street is packed with Longmire memorabilia and has a myriad of western wear and Buffalo souvenirs. Buffalo’s downtown alone was worth the trip. About Longmire Days

The love of the fans was evident at this year’s Longmire days. Craig Johnson is always the main celebrity at Longmire Days and this year, Robert Taylor, the actor who played Walt Longmire was in attendance. Both Craig and Rob are very accessible to all the fans throughout the entire event. I can only imagine the hundreds of pictures that were taken with them and the number of autographs they each signed. As a fan, it is always fun to attend events that feature a celebrity, but it is a cherry on top to meet and interact with them. Both of them are such great guys and from the banter between them, it is evident they are great friends.

The four days we were in Buffalo were chock full of events designed for the fans. Buffalo became a showpiece for the event, having side events hosted everywhere from the Jim Gatchell Memorial Museum to the Buffalo High School, the bandshell in the park, and the Bomber Mountain Civic Center. We attended a presentation by Craig and a representative from the Cody Firearms Museum discussing the guns of Longmire. The actual guns from the show are currently on display at the museum in Cody. Wednesday evening and Sunday afternoon we attended the Longmire Days Rodeo at the Johnson County fairgrounds in Buffalo. The Jim Gatchell Museum hosted an event on the history of Johnson County with dramatic readings by Craig & Rob. The Conversation with Celebrities event is always a big hit. On Friday night, they held a live auction with real auctioneers in the garden of The Occidental Hotel. There was Longmire memorabilia, custom-made knives and figures, and Rainier beer swag. Rounding everything out was a Street Dance on Saturday night, and a VIP Pig Roast at the TA Ranch on Sunday. All of these events would not have been possible without the army of volunteers helping with every aspect of the events.

As of today, Craig Johnson has written 18 Walt Longmire novels, 2 novellas, and 2 collections of short stories. The television network A&E created the show Longmire because they wanted a show that featured heroes, and debuted on June 3, 2012. From the outset, the show had a strong following for the 3 seasons on A&E. A&E decided to not renew Longmire for a 4th season. The story would have ended there if it was not for The Longmire Posse headed by the late Pamela Nordick. Pamela’s nephew, Adam Bartley, plays The Ferg on Longmire, so she has a direct connection. Through a series of social network campaigns, and Longmire Stampedes, The Longmire Posse was successful and the show was picked up by Netflix which aired the first episode of season 4 on September 10, 2015. Longmire finally completed its 6th season run on November 17th, 2017. To date, Longmire is still in the top 20 shows on Netflix and it is the only one that is not still in production. The power of Longmire fans is amazing!