Ontheroad

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Free Travel Guide

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2014

T O P OW E L L A N D T H E G R E AT E R Y E L L OWS T O N E A R E A

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PAGE 2 Âť

ON THE ROAD

What’s INSIDE

Going Boating or Camping? Call ahead and order Chester Chicken plus all the good stuff from our deli to make a complete picnic. 30,025 Whopping Square Feet of Shopping Space!

Park County Fair

Come in and see our World War II Memorial Displays!

Âť PAGE 10

Homesteader Museum Âť PAGE 16

Amelia Earhart Âť PAGE 26

True to the “Super Market� concept... WE HAVE IT ALL!! Especially a huge supply of craft products. Many shops in one Giant store!

Be Bear Aware Âť PAGE 33 Powell Tribune Publication

128 South Bent, Powell, WY 307-754-2221 www.powelltribune.com

About our cover

A grizzly bear is pictured in Yellowstone National Park. For tips on how to stay safe in bear country, see Page 33. Photo by Bob Cochran, First Light Nature Photography

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Craggy Bighorn Canyon is a slice of the Old West For any traveler on U.S. 14-A, Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area is a “must see� scenic wonder. The park straddles the Big Horn River from just east of Lovell into Montana. A lake created by Yellowtail Dam stretches more than 70 miles through the canyon. Bighorn Canyon is administered by the National Park Service. A day pass into the area is $5, and can be purchased at an automated fee machine when entering the area. The Cal S. Taggart Visitor Center at U.S. 14-A and U.S. 310 in Lovell sells annual passes. Boating, fishing and other water sports are at the heart of Bighorn Canyon’s offerings. A trip down the canyon between walls and spires towering 500 feet above the water is a spectacular experience. Boats may be launched at Kane off U.S. 14-A, Horseshoe Bend and Barry’s Landing. Commercial boat rides are available. At Devil’s Canyon overlook, visitors can get a dizzying view of the lake below. The area is noted for the Pryor Mountain Wild

Tribune photo by Kevin Kinzley

Horse Range. It is home to a unique band of horses descended from mustangs brought to the area by Spanish explorers. Four historic ranch sites tell the story of early ranching and of colorful characters such as Caroline Lockhart, a writer who bought a ranch in the 1920s and operated it until age and health forced her from ranching life. The park contains more than 25 miles of hiking trails.

Camping is available in the park at developed and primitive sites. All campsites are first-come, first-served and no reservations are accepted. Some campsites are free. Ranger programs are offered on weekend evenings through the summer at Horseshoe Bend. Information about Bighorn Canyon NRA is available through the area’s website at nps.gov/ bica, or by contacting the visitor’s center in Lovell at 307-548-2251.

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ON THE ROAD

MOTEL 6 IN RIVERTON ~ 307-856-9201 SUPER 8 IN RIVERTON ~ 307-857-2400

Gateway to Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area.

On the Road

Outdoor Adventure

TO YELLOWSTONE One of the best things travelers will find on their 14-A adventure between Burgess Junction and Yellowstone National Park are two especially enjoyable stretches of the highway itself. On the east end, from Burgess Junction across the top and down the Big Horn Mountains’ west face switchbacks to the bottom, is a drive that offers among the most breathtaking vistas to be found anywhere. But equally appealing — to driving enthusiasts and especially those in a sports car or astride a motorcycle — is the design of the road itself. Initially named Wyoming Wonderland Way, a moniker that earned Powell resident Pat Deming a hundred bucks in a naming contest, the mountainous east end of U.S. 14-A opened with a dedication ceremony on June 24, 1983. During construction, all 57 miles of the route from Burgess Junction to Lovell, which took 19 years from start to completion, required 17 separate highway contracts and came with a price tag of $23.5 million. By itself, the 5.5 miles from bottom to top of the west face of the mountain near Lovell cost $11.5 million. In the time it took for this marvelous feat of engineering and construction to be completed, three different governors had served the citizens of Wyoming. The marvelous curves and grades make for a great driving experience — within the confines of the liberal speed limits, of course — whether going up or coming down. Signs on the serpentine downward course suggest lower gears and it’s solid advice. The brake pedal is best left alone on the descent except for a tap or two from time to time as needed. Let the transmission hold you back when descending and save the brakes in case you really, really need them. Awaiting 14-A adventurers on the west end of their journey to Yellowstone National Park is a wide and smooth North Fork Highway. Beginning at the Shoshone National Forest boundary west of Cody near the community of Wapiti, and continuing from there to Yellowstone’s east gate, is a highway that required three independent phases of construction. This piece of road is far less vertical and winding than its counterpart on the west slope of the Big Horns, and in fact climbs gently uphill to the east gate of the park. People, campgrounds and guest lodges are much more in evidence, too, but don’t be fooled: the drive through Wapiti Valley to the tiny community of the same name, then on west through the Shoshone National Forest to Yellowstone, is home to fascinating rock formations, mountain river views, world-class wild trout fishing and an abundance of wildlife — from mountain blue birds to moose and grizzly bears — that are all second to none. Enjoy the drive. U.S. 14-A country has it all.

Starts Here!

Lovell WYOMING’S ROSE CITY

U.S 14-A offers two great drives

L O V E L L

A R E A

F E AT U R E S :

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Lovell Area

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Chamber

Commerce

Call 307-548-7552

or visit www.lovellchamber.com email: lovell@tctwest.net 287 E. Main, Lovell, WY 82431 or the Town of Lovell, 307-548-6551 or visit www.townoflovell.com

ON THE ROAD Âť PAGE 5

On a wind-swept plateau nearly 10,000 feet in elevation, the Medicine Wheel stands as a sacred site and source of spiritual power to Native Americans. The arrangement of local limestone rocks in the shape of a wheel atop the Big Horn Mountains swirls amid curiosity and controversy over its origins as well as present day use of the national historic landmark. “We believe that it’s a source of power,� said Francis Brown, a Northern Arapahoe tribal elder. Astronomical and calendar functions served by the wheel are secondary to the site’s source of

religious power to Native Americans, says Gregory Campbell, a University of Montana anthropologist. Campbell believes the arrangement of stones in an 80-foot diameter circle with 28 “spokes� radiating from a central cairn should be called “a sacred universe� to native peoples. After years of negotiations by various Native American tribes with federal officials, the Medicine Wheel/Medicine Mountain National Historic Landmark site was expanded to 4,080 acres last year. The U.S. Forest Service administers the site,

which is in the Bighorn National Forest. Brown said Native Americans saved the wheel from “being destroyed by tourism� due to the erosion caused by so many people at the site. The site will be “open to anybody, but you have to walk,� he said. People must walk about a mile to the wheel from a parking area. Visitors can reach the Medicine Wheel by turning north off U.S. 14-A near the Bald Mountain campground 34 miles east of Lovell. A sign reading “Medicine Wheel Archeological Site� indicates the turnoff with the white dome of a Federal Aviation Administration radar station visible at the turnoff. The road is usually clear of snow by the end of June. Visitors are also asked not to go to the wheel during certain times when Native American religious ceremonies are conducted, such as at the summer solstice.

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112 North Bent Street ~ Downtown Powell ~ 307-754-8085 PAGE 6 Âť

ON THE ROAD

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Powell

The home of Northwest College has a progressive business climate, excellent shopping and dining, plus a visitors center to assist you in your travels and tour planning.

U P C O M I N G Lions Car Show--------------------------------------May 24 Summer Concert in the Park Series-- TBA June-Aug. Food Truck Fridays---------------------- TBA June-Aug. Alumni Weekend ------------------------------ June 27-29 Park County Fair-------------------------------- July 22-26 Park County Fair Parade -------------------------- July 26 Arts Festival -------------------------------------August 16 Wings and Wheels ------------------------------August 16 Homesteader Days Festival Weekend---------Sept. 5-7

E V E N T S

Moonlight Madness --------------------------------Oct. 24 Powelloween Treat Street -------------------------Oct. 31 Sample the Season --------------------------------- Nov. 21 Festival of Trees ------------------------------------ Nov. 21 Santa’s Workshop ---------------------------------- Nov. 28 Small Business Saturday ------------------------- Nov. 29 Country Christmas ----------------------------------Dec. 6 Tour of Homes----------------------------------------Dec. 7

Powell Valley Chamber of Commerce AND VISITORS CENTER

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ON THE ROAD Âť PAGE 7

Up to par

Powell Golf Club Club open daily i y 8am--du usk !DDITIONAL INFO WWW POWELLG LGOLFCLUB ORG s

What h bbetter to bbreakk up the h d days in the car than a few whacks on the local golf course. At Powell, the golf is more than just another “local� layout. It’s golf designed to challenge and entertain the aficionados of the sport with two entirely different sides of an 18-hole course. The back nine was redesigned and rebuilt in a massive makeover in 2003, and the vastly enlarged greens are a prime feature. But the big greens are the singular distinguishing characteristic. Putting is a challenge. The huge, undulating greens have three-putt written all over them. If that’s not enough, the well-placed and plentiful sand traps give the golfer plenty to think about. On the other side of the course, the front nine layout was completed in the mid-1990s and reflects the influence of present-day golf architecture. It’s clearly a case of “welcome to target golf � on the front side, an outward circuit

into desert-like d l k sagebrush b h and d rockk country. Even though water is very much at a premium in the upper rim of the valley, the course’s signature hole, No. 4 brings the wet stuff into play on a dramatic par 3. Golfers better hope the wind isn’t blowing. The front side finishing hole, No. 9, is another tantalizing test. A wide, usually downwind fairway beckons off the tee on this par 5. But to get to the large ninth green, the golfer is faced with a second-shot decision. A wide drainage ditch lurks some 140 yards from the green. Golfers must pick their poison: let ‘er rip and try to carry the ditch on the second shot, or play it close to the vest and lay up short. The Powell Golf Course is a public course and welcomes non-member, green fee players. The complex includes a clubhouse, pro shop and a fleet of carts. The Powell Golf Club sits 7 miles east of the City of Powell off Wyoming Highway 114. Tribune photo by Dante Geoffrey

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ON THE ROAD

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Take the time to visit Powell on your travels to Yellowstone country! ON THE ROAD Âť PAGE 9

POWELL

CODY 736 Yellowstone Ave

855 E Coulter

307-527-7819

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From our Back Porch to yours ... Unique gift items and home decor.

Park County Fair

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Tuesday - Saturday, July 22-26

Park County is proud as punch of its annual summer fair, and U.S. 14- A travelers are more than welcome to join locals for tons of fun. All it takes is to be passing through Powell the week of July 22-26. This year’s fair — themed “Park County Proudâ€? — celebrates the pride residents have for their county fair. The Park County Fair opens with free admission and an evening of raucous pig mud wrestling on Tuesday, July 22, in front of the grandstand. The carnival officially opens on the midway Tuesday at noon and will continue daily from noon to midnight through Saturday. Knights of Valour take to the arena on Wednesday, July 23, a new fair event this year. Thursday night features the Park County Endurocross, and on Friday evening, Figure 8 Races return to the grandstands. Saturday is parade day at the Park County Fair. The kids’ day parade will fill main street in downtown Powell Saturday morning, followed by the main fair parade in all its color and pageantry. The ever-popular demolition derby closes out fair week on Saturday night. The crash ‘em up action is co-sponsored in a partnership between the fair and the Powell Lions Club. As always, the Park County Fair will also feature a wide variety of continuous entertainment by musicians, cloggers, a caricaturist and others on the free stage. This year’s schedule includes the Young Guns Wild West Fun Park, the Bird Man of Las Vegas, Artie Hemphill and the Iron Horse Band, Freddie Prez, Caricatures by Connie, juggler Charles Âť Cont’d

GOOD EATS!

A Full Bar

Traditional and gourmet pizzas, steaks and other entrĂŠes, pastas, sandwiches, salads, burgers and wraps, delicious daily soups and specials!

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Food Vendors

Serving goodies 11am to 10pm

PAGE 10 Âť

ON THE ROAD

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Smashing, crashing, fire and fun are all part of the annual demolition derby at the Park County Fair. This year’s derby takes place Saturday, July 26 at the fairgrounds in Powell. Tribune file photo by Carla Wensky

Midway comes alive

Peachock and hypnotist Chris Mabrey. Enjoy a wonderful selection of foods from dozens of vendors and buildings filled with exhibits — from canned goods to cucumbers and culinary to clothing. Like all good county fairs, this one will host non-stop 4-H and FFA contests revolving around dogs, cats, poultry, swine, sheep, rabbits, goats, cattle, horses and perhaps even the odd canary or hedgehog. To find the Park County Fairgrounds, head north on any through street from U.S. 14-A to Fifth Street, then simply roll down the windows and let the delightful smells of the food court lead you by the nose straight to all the excitement in the northeast quadrant of Powell. Daily gate admission is $5 per person — children 12 and younger are admitted free. Weekly passes are available for $10. Daily parking passes are $5, and weekly parking passes can be purchased for $10.

Tribune file photo by Ben Wetzel

noon to midnight daily, starting July 22

Head north on any through street from U.S. 14-A to Fifth Street, then simply roll down the windows and let the delightful smells of the food court lead you by the nose to all the excitement in the northeast quadrant of Powell. ON THE ROAD » PAGE 11

JULY 22 THROUGH JULY 26, 2014 GRANDSTAND EVENT SCHEDULE TUESDAY

Pig Mud Wrestling WEDNESDAY

Knights of Valour THURSDAY

Park County Endurocross FRIDAY

Figure 8 Races SATURDAY

Demolition Derby

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ON THE ROAD

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O F T H E P O W E L L VA L L E Y.

Powell Valley Chamber of Commerce 111 South Day, Powell, Wyoming

307-754-3494 www.powellchamber.org

Nestled between the picturesque Big Horn and Absaroka mountain ranges of Northwest Wyoming, Powell is a community historically rooted in agriculture. Early in the 20th century, homesteaders around Powell were rewarded with life-sustaining irrigation water when the United States Reclamation Service established the dams and canals of the Shoshone Irrigation Project. Today, what was once a barren, desert-like landscape has been transformed into fields and pastures capable of producing a rich variety of crops, forages and livestock. Farmers around Powell excel at producing malt barley, edible beans, sugar beets and alfalfa; while local ranchers proudly raise cattle, horses and sheep, sustainably and efficiently. The Powell Valley Chamber of Commerce can help you learn more about the agriculture industry in and around Powell by customizing a tour for you or your group. Learn about area crops, livestock production, irrigation systems and more from area farmers and ranchers. Here at the Chamber we offer customized agriculture tours for groups, organizations, families and individuals. Area farmers and ranchers who participate in our agro tourism ventures realize the value that consumers place on visiting rural settings where food is produced, and they strive to provide tours that are informative, pleasurable and inspiring. Powell was incorporated in 1909, having been named after Major John Wesley Powell who was one of the first to explore the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River and former Director of the U.S. Geological Survey. Powell is only 20 minutes from historic Cody, Wyoming. Contact us and let us arrange a customized tour for you!

Customized tours for: Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations Tour area farms and ranches - See area crops, livestock production, irrigation systems and more ON THE ROAD Âť PAGE 13

agriculture

An up-close look at Powell’s roots are in agriculture and so is its future. As technology advances, its effects on agriculture can affect the whole community. Powell was founded on agriculture from its beginnings as Camp Coulter in the heart of the Shoshone Irrigation Project. Visitors to the area can get a first-hand look at modern agriculture by touring area farms with the Powell Valley Chamber of Commerce. Tours generally include local farms producing sugar beets, pinto beans, barley and sometimes other specialty or unique crops. Tours are offered for individuals or groups. At least two people must sign up for these individual tours. Group tours are offered for groups of five or more people. Tour prices do not include lodging or meals, but offer a guided tour of farms on the Powell flat. One-day tours include local farms and area attractions. Two-day tours are offered that include one day of farm visits and a second day that includes a visit to the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center and the Pryor Mountain Mustang Center. Tours are

given by appointment throughout the summer, but no tours will be given the last week of July during the Park County Fair. The Powell Valley Chamber of Commerce operates a visitor center at 111 S. Day St. (P.O. Box 1258)

Tribune file photo by Kevin Kinzley

in downtown Powell. The visitor center offers maps, tourist information about Park County attractions as well as Yellowstone National Park. Call the chamber at (307) 754-3494 or (800) 3254278 or email info@powellchamber.org

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PAGE 14 Âť

ON THE ROAD

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» PAGE 15

Homesteader Museum A PEEK INTO THE PIONEER PAST

From the first settlers who vowed to “turn the desert green,” to the modernday residents who populate the valley — Homesteader Museum offers a look through the ages. The log cabin-style Homesteader Museum, just off Highway 14-A in Powell, houses a collection that chronicles the history of the Powell Valley. The museum’s summer exhibits include “The Four Caballeros: The Travels of Photographers A.G. Lucier, W. Zimmerman, B. Brown and L. Calvin, 1902-1909,” which is on display through June 7. The exhibit “What’s Up Doc?”, exploring rural medicine in the Big Horn Basin from 1900-1950 with hundreds of objects from the museum’s permanent collection, opens June 25 and is on display through Oct. 3. The Homesteader Days Festival Weekend Sept. 5-6 promises fun for the entire family, featuring kids games, pony cart rides, fiddlers and a car and truck show. Learn more about Powell’s past on a history walk, see historic machinery and watch a blacksmith demonstration during the festival. The festival features a street dance, free dance lessons and a live band at Plaza Diane in downtown Powell on Sept. 5. This autumn, Homesteader Museum will be home to the Haunted Homesteader on Halloween from 3:305:30. Homesteader hosts “Terror in the PAGE 16 »

ON THE ROAD

Theatres,” featuring film posters from the 1950s, from Oct. 23 to Nov. 30. Founded in 1968 and encompassing more than 10,000 square feet of space, Homesteader Museum has a number of permanent exhibits and photographs, including vintage barbershop, clothing, kitchen, cameras and a hunting and fishing display featuring antique firearms and fishing poles, to name a few. There is also an exhibit dedicated to the history of the Powell Fire Department. The exhibit spotlighting the story surrounding the legendary outlaw Earl Durand is a continuing fascination. The museum’s collection of historical memorabilia also includes a photographic history of the Shoshone Reclamation Project that brought water to the valley and made possible the lush agriculture that visitors marvel at today. The museum also features the Bever Homestead, a 1913 homesteader house moved in 2004 from its original location east of Powell. The popular renovated building offers a firsthand glimpse of the early settlers’ lifestyle. A second building is chock full of antique equipment and there is a bright red caboose on the grounds that the kids will love to explore. The Homesteader Museum is open, free to the public, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. The museum may also be opened at other times by special appointment.

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SUMMER HOURS: Tuesday-Friday, 10am-5pm & Saturday, 10am-2pm

Shizuiko Morita of Virginia, a former internee at the Heart Mountain Relocation Center, is framed by historical, life-sized photos of internees while she reads information on another display at the new Heart Mountain Interpretive Center during the center’s grand opening in August 2011. The center is open daily from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. through September. Tribune file photo by Ilene Olson

Heart Mountain

go: If you

The Heart Mountain WWII Japanese American Confinement site is located between Cody and Powell, on Highway 14A. The address is 1539 Road 19, Powell, Wyo., 82435. The Interpretive Center is open daily in the summer from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for seniors and students and children under 12 are free. For more information please call 307-754-8000 or visit www.HeartMountain.org.

In addition to a beautiful setting, the Heart Mountain World War II Japanese American Confinement Site west of Powell offers both an artifact of World War II-era politics and hysteria, as well as a reminder of the fragility of democracy in times of conflict. Today, the site features an Interpretive Center, war memorial, walking tour and original camp structures, all dedicated to telling the stories of the 14,000 Japanese Americans confined there during World War II. The site is managed by the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation, a private nonprofit that formed in 1996. The Interpretive Center is the focal point of the site, featuring a museum, gallery, theater and victory garden. The area immediately surrounding the Interpretive Center evokes the sparseness of the landscape that greeted the internees when they arrived. Inside, a visit to the Center begins with a powerful film created by Oscar-winning documentarian Steven Okazaki. It is titled “All We Could Carry,” and features internees speaking directly about their experiences. The museum is punctuated by interactive exhibits featuring oral histories and original film footage from life in camp. There are also photographs, artifacts and art pieces created by internees. The building also includes two full-scale barracks rooms that have been replicated to provide an authentic portrayal of living quarters in the camp. The pieces are tied together through a narrative that allows visitors to experience life at Heart Mountain through the eyes of those who were confined there. Brian Liesinger, Executive Director of the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation, believes the site is not only significant historically but also for what it can teach visitors about the

A look inside the internment camp

importance of defending civil rights, even in the most dire circumstances. “This is not merely a Japanese American story. This is an American story,” he said. “We’re a country of immigrants, and this is one of our powerful immigrant stories—one that unfortunately includes a chapter on injustice.” Yet, within the Japanese American confinement, Liesinger notes stories of perseverance, loyalty and patriotism that inspire his work on a daily basis. “Somehow, they endured incarceration with grace,” he said. “To know these stories is to have a more complete understanding of what it means to be American. By knowing our faults as well as our successes, we know what it means to be better citizens.” The Interpretive Center opened amid a grand celebration in August 2011. Turning out for the event were former internees, their families, and dignitaries including Tom Brokaw, former Sen. Alan Simpson, R-Wyo., and former U.S. Congressman and Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta (who met Simpson as a Boy Scout at the Heart Mountain Relocation Camp). Mineta was interned with his family and a Boy Scout in a camp troop. Simpson was a Cody Boy Scout. “What you are doing here is drawing that line in the sand to say that never again will there be something like what happened at Heart Mountain and other relocation camps,” said Mineta during a grand opening ceremony attended by more than 1,200 people. Since then, the Center has established itself as a world-class facility and was recognized for its excellence with an award from the American Associations of Museums in 2012. “Due to the uniqueness of the history, the quality of the information and, frankly, the haunting beauty of the site, I am of the opinion that this is a must-see if you’re in the area,” said Liesinger.

ON THE ROAD » PAGE 17

T I M E L I N E x DECEMBER 7, 1941 Japanese planes attack Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. x FEBRUARY 19, 1942 President Franklin D. Roosevelt issues Executive Order 9066, forcing 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry — most American-born citizens — to move from their West Coast homes to relocation camps. x JUNE 1942 Work begins on the Heart Mountain Relocation Camp near Powell. “So many carloads of lumber have been taken from local yards — yards at Powell, Cody, and neighbor towns as far as Billings — are almost denuded,” reported the Powell Tribune on June 25. Work is completed by early August. x AUGUST 12, 1942 The first 292 Japanese-Americans arrive at Heart Mountain. At its peak, the camp houses 10,767 internees, making it, at the time, the third-largest city in Wyoming. x NOVEMBER 10, 1945 The last train departs from the Heart Mountain Relocation Center. x AUGUST 10, 1988 Sen. Al Simpson, R-Wyo., and Rep. Norman Mineta, D.-Cal., sponsor the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, a law that acknowledged the fundamental injustices of the internment of Japanese-Americans. x 1996 The Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation forms. Local leaders include John Collins, Dave Reetz and Pat Wolfe. The foundation goes on to purchase 50 acres of land at the original camp site, restore the camp’s military honor roll and acquire a significant collection of artifacts, oral histories, photos and historic papers. x SEPTEMBER 2000 Wyoming Gov. Jim Geringer and Powell Mayor Jim Milburn send letters to surviving Heart Mountain internees and their families, intended to “acknowledge the difficulties and hardships faced by internees and the lack of consideration given to those at the Heart Mountain Relocation Center.”

Heart Mountain camp w Japanese Americans confined here in wake of Pearl Harbor A curious-looking city arose from the barren Wyoming landscape between the towns of Cody and Powell in the summer of 1942. After two months of steady work, it was set to house 11,000 residents—all coming from the West Coast. What made this “city” glaringly different from the rest of Wyoming’s cities was the presence of barbed-wire fences, guard towers and armed sentries. Its “residents” arrived by force — rather than choice — and their arrival came as a result of a complete denial of civil rights. This “city” opened in August of 1942 as the “Heart Mountain Relocation Camp.” One of 10 “relocation centers” built nationwide, its purpose was to detain Americans of Japanese descent who lived on the West Coast. In the wake of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor Dec. 7, 1941, many feared Japanese-Americans would conspire with Japan against the United States. Amid the fear and uncertainty, President Franklin Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, which paved the way for the forced removal of 120,000 JapaneseAmericans — the majority of them U.S. citizens — from their West Coast homes. With that declaration, an exclusion order was made in California, the southern part of Arizona and the western parts of Oregon and Washington. Signs were posted stating that all Americans of Japanese descent in those areas were required to dispose of their property and possessions and report for exclusion. They were not told where they were going or how long they would be gone. And they were allowed a single suitcase each. Internees came by train, and at its peak, the Heart Mountain confinement site held 10,767, making it the third-largest “city” in Wyoming. Heart Mountain came to operate much like any other city, with a hospital; internee-managed fire, police and judicial systems;

a post office; water, sewer and electrical systems; two grade schools and a high school; and several cooperative enterprises. There were hobby clubs, theaters and ball games, as well as births, deaths, weddings and festivals. Internees formed active recreation programs and developed a successful agricultural program to provide fresh food. It was all done in the spirit of “shigata ga nai,” a phrase roughly translated as, “it cannot be helped” and expressed in Japanese culture as the need to endure unavoidable hardship or injustice with dignity. With that spirit in mind, the internees attempted to build community despite the barbed-wire that surrounded them. The camp itself was constructed on a large, flat swath of Bureau of Reclamation land, and the project employed a workforce of about 2,500. “It seems that any and all who want work find quick employment in the building of this gigantic relocation center,” wrote the Powell Tribune in a June 1942 edition. “From Powell and Cody and other Big Horn Basin towns the labor supply has been requisitioned as if with a fine-tooth comb. As a consequence, labor for the farmers is scarcer than ever before in the valley’s history.” What rose up in the shadow of Heart Mountain in a period of two months were over 450 barracks, arranged in blocks with communal restrooms and mess halls. When the crew was working full speed, they could build a barrack in about 60 minutes. Each 20-foot by 120-foot barrack contained six apartments and was constructed of untreated lumber covered with tarpaper. The fear and hysteria that fueled the decision to confine Japanese Americans from the West Coast followed them to Heart Mountain. Most local residents were not receptive to these new visitors. Former U.S. Senator Alan Simpson, a Cody resident, recalls the

x JUNE 23, 2005 A walking tour of the Heart Mountain camp is dedicated, named in honor of Setsuko Saito Higuchi, a former internee who served on the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation Board of Directors and Advisory Board. x FEBRUARY 1, 2007 Heart Mountain camp site officially named a National Historic Landmark. x AUGUST 20, 2011 Heart MountainInterpretive InterpretiveCenter Learning Center isand dediHeart Mountain is dedicated cated and opens to the public. Hundreds of guests, opens to the public. Hundreds of guests, including former including former internees, attend the opening of internees, attend the opening of the 11,000-square foot, the 11,000-square foot, $5.5 million facility between $5.5 million facility between Powell and Cody. Powell and Cody. PAGE 18 »

ON THE ROAD

The Heart Mountain Interpretive Center west of Powell on U.S. 14-A features a replicca o

was third largest city in Wyoming general concern from Cody at the time: “We were told there were 11,000 people there,” he said. “There were only two cities larger than that in Wyoming… So, people thought, ‘Now, if those people escape, we’ll all be killed.’” The Powell Tribune noted the internees’ arrival in a story that referred to the camp as a “Heart Mountain haven” and, despite evidence to the contrary, stated that “(T)he Japanese themselves get the point. This coming to a peaceful habitation for the duration of the war is welcome and voluntary for the main body of them.” In reality, the internees did not welcome relocation and they were not made welcome upon arrival. Nels Smith, the governor of Wyoming at the time, told the federal government, “If you bring Japanese into my state, I promise you they will be hanging from every tree.” In the 1943 Wyoming Legislative session, Sen. George Burke of Powell introduced a law barring the residents of the Heart Mountain Camp from voting in Wyoming. The city councils of Powell and Cody passed a joint resolution. In part, it asked that the Japanese-Americans at Heart Mountain not be permanently relocated to the region and requested that visits to the two towns by camp residents “be held to an absolute minimum,” only “when absolutely necessary.” However, the council members stressed that they still would like to see the Japanese-Americans released for work on the area’s farms. That double standard frustrated the center’s employment chief, Joe Carrol. “We are requested to confine them to the center, except to permit them to assist in the planting and harvesting of agriculture. Just what do you want, liquidation or continuance of the center?” he asked at a Powell Club meeting later that May. “Certainly citizens or law abiding aliens cannot be expected to participate in your agricultural work, if they cannot be accorded the same rights as other citizens or aliens, whether they be of Japanese or any other ancestry.” However, Big Horn Basin residents did extend occasional olive branches to the internees. Many did not know what to make of the camp, but that did not prevent area schools from bringing in sports teams to compete with Heart Mountain High School’s teams, for example. Both Cody and Powell Boy Scouts participated in scouting activities and outings with the Heart Mountain troops. In addition, local church groups donated gifts for children in camp and baby blankets for those born in the Heart Mountain hospital.

All the while, World War II marched on, and the need for able-bodied soldiers left the War Department scrambling for new recruits. Initially, all internees were declared “enemy aliens” unfit for service, but in 1944, the government decided to make draft-age internees eligible. More than 800 Heart Mountain internees fought for the U.S. in World War II. Several of them had distinguished careers of military service, and 15 were killed in action. While many answered the call, there were some that refused. Sixty-three of them persisted in their resistance, declaring that their obedience to the draft order was dependent on being released from the camp with their constitutional rights restored. In the largest mass trial in Wyoming’s history, all 63 of these men were found guilty of draft evasion and given federal prison sentences of three years. At the end of 1944, the government announced that it would begin closing the camps. In the months that followed, internees were released with little more than the suitcase they arrived with and a $25 train ticket. Heart Mountain closed in November of 1945, and the camp buildings were soon dismantled, removed by incoming homesteaders or used by the Bureau of Reclamation. Eventually, all barracks were removed from the site, though many can still be seen scattered around the Big Horn Basin today, remnants of homesteads established after World War II. Today, it is known as the Heart Mountain World War II Japanese American Confinement Site, with the focal point being the Interpretive Center there. The Center opened in 2011 to tell the stories of confinement through museum exhibits, a gallery, victory garden and introductory film titled “All We Could Carry.” The site has been declared a National Historic Landmark and also includes a military memorial, walking trail and original camp structures. The site memorializes the experiences of more than 14,000 Americans of Japanese descent who were brought into and out of the camp from 1942 to 1945. Courtesy photo/Okumoto Collection, Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation

of a guard tower and barracks. Tribune photo by Toby Bonner

ON THE ROAD » PAGE 19

Barracks

offered mostly bleak living conditions The Japanese residents of the Heart Mountain Relocation Camp found austere conditions when they arrived at the camp. Camp resident Mary Oyama wrote a weekly column for the Powell Tribune during her internment. Her writing depicted a camp that wasn’t quite the “haven� referenced by the paper in earlier columns, which depicted comfortable lodgings, good food and happy times for the camp residents. When they were forced to evacuate the West Coast, internees were not allowed to take many belongings with them — often not more than a suitcase. The barracks at the relocation camp didn’t have much either. Oyama described the typical room as including an army cot, a mattress and a blanket for each person. That was it. “There were no chairs, no table — no nuthin’,� she wrote. In her opening columns, she spent time assuring Powell readers that there was no truth to rumors that Japanese-Americans were buying up large quantities of knives and engaging in ancient Japanese “christening ceremonies� at the camp. Allegations of “coddling� at the camp swirled — driven by the execution of U.S. Prisoners of War in Tokyo. Wyoming Sen. E.V. Robertson of Cody, who had not visited the camp, said

the internees had things soft and easy. The Denver Post ran a story stating that residents received better food than other Americans, who were subject to food rations at that time. Guy Robertson, the Heart Mountain Center director, said residents at the center were provided food at a cost of 12.3 cents per meal. “I believe this does not indicate extravagance or waste,� Robertson told the Tribune. Oyama similarly promised readers that the residents were not being coddled. “The church, the administration buildings, the department store, the recreation halls, etc., may sound like an imposing group of edifices, but in reality they are all only barracks,� she wrote. “We all live in black tar papered barracks.� When a reader chastised Oyama for complaining, she didn’t back down. “It was not our intention to express or imply a ‘gripe,’ although of course, you can’t expect people who have given up their freedom and surrendered all their civil rights although they committed no crime or single act of sabotage (as proven by FBI or NIB records) to be perfectly, blithely happy in confinement,� she wrote. However, despite the tough times, when Oyama was released to settle in Denver in January 1943, she left with kind words for the people of the Powell Valley. “We are actually sorry about leaving a state whose people have been so genuinely kind and sincere who have proved themselves truly democratic, Christian and American,� she wrote in her farewell column. “We leave with the feeling that some day we simply must come back so that we can get to know you better. Yes, we want to come back to Wyoming.�

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ON THE ROAD

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lived in the barracks with no piped water and electricity complained to me how hard they had it compared to me. They put up a monument stating, Let me first say that I became 13 years of age on the train ride to Heart among other things, “...the camp was equipped with modern waterworks Mountain in August 1942 and did not know hardly anything about what and sewer system and a modern hospital and dental clinic...â€? was happening. I am now 84. I think the new Interpretive CenWell, my family of seven was ter will help educate put in a room of 20’ by the people who see the 24’ — just a room to sleep exhibit in understandin with a single light bulb ing what happened and a coal burning stove, there during the war no bathroom, nothing, we years. We were not were fed meals costing the put there for our own government 15 cents. We protection nor because got jobs within the camp we were a security that paid us $12, $16 and threat. $19 per month. I could go The exhibit shows on some more. what it was like at When the war ended the camp during the and we were free to go Bacon Sakatani three years we were back to the West Coast, there. We were a group of people we had a hard time. I did not forget who obeyed the orders and made about Heart Mountain, as I always best of the situation. Most of us acthought that the U.S. had the right cepted what was happening as the to do what it did, as a youngster American way. Those who objected of 13-16 years of age. In the 1980s, were segregated to another camp; Congress established the Commisthose who remained went along with sion on Wartime Relocation and the situation, to show their loyalty Internment of Civilians, and found to America. Wartime atmosphere “...the broad historical causes which with barbed wire fence, guard towers shaped these decisions were race and searchlights at night, soldiers, prejudice, war hysteria and a failure parents belonging to the enemy race, of political leadership...â€? (page 18 of all created a situation that we were report). The redress payment and prisoners of war so we obeyed. We apology followed. I was surprised by adapted ourselves to what we had, we the findings, but in retrospect, the did not riot, we thought everything truth came out. And still few people was legal the way it was approved think that the camp was justified. It by the president, Congress and the should be noted that Wyoming did courts. “acknowledge the difficulties and  I do think people underestimate hardships faced by the internees and what happened to us. I received a the lack of consideration given to letter many years ago from a person those at the Heart Mountain Relocaliving near the camp while we tion Centerâ€? in 2000. were there, and she wrote we in the I have gone to the University of camp had it better than she did, Wyoming about six - seven times as she had no running water and to look at the camp administrative sewer system, while we did in the papers and Wyoming newspapers of camp. Another Wyoming person told that time. How surprised I was to see me that he also heard that recently. what was written. I have been told that there are still (Editor’s note: Bacon Sakatani people in Wyoming who feel that the lived at the Heart Mountain Relocacamp was justified. WWII veterans tion Center for three years beginning who took over the campland and in August 1942.) By Bacon Sakatani Special to the Tribune

HEART MOUNTAIN

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Visit the site where more than 14,000 Japanese Americans were confined during World War II.

PHOTO BY KEVIN J. MIYAZAKI

‘I do think people underestimate what happened to us’

Located off Highway 14A between Cody & Powell, WY Summer Hours 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Daily 2OAD 0OWELL 7YOMING s www.HeartMountain.org ON THE ROAD Âť PAGE 21

Tribune photo by Kevin Kinzley

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Chief Joseph and Beartooths Highway and mountains a bonus for Yellowstone area visitors These are among traveler comments: Yellowstone National Park is the Big Daddy destination of the summer “Absolutely beautiful drive, we loved it and would highly recommend it. travel season in northwest Wyoming. Only suggestion would be to provide more advance notice of some of the No question about it. But, there are any number of “must sees” for the summer traveler on the more scenic pullouts.” “Beartooth Highway is best route off Cody to Mammoth Hot Springs, rim of Yellowstone Country, just the sort of thing to add icing to an unforgetleast traffic, great scenery. Cody is used to stock the RV.” table summer in the West. “Beautiful trip over Monster Mountain was scary for me. I’m scared of One such experience that entices many an adventure seeker to extend their stay to or from Yellowstone is the spectacular drive afforded by the Beartooth heights! God’s handiwork awesome!” “Best mountain scenery we have ever experienced. Please All-American Highway along the Wyoming-Montana border ‘God and leave as is. We don’t need another 4 lane highway through just outside the Northeast Entrance to Yellowstone. For many, scenic America. Slow down and take it all in.” it is a destination unto itself. engineers and “Don’t ever change this road. I love the curves and turns The Beartooth Highway ( U.S. 212) is a 68-mile travel corbuilders did just the way it is.” ridor between the NE Entrance and Red Lodge, Mont., that a good job.’ “Fantastic scenery, great animal watching opportunities., reaches nearly 11,000 feet in elevation with sweeping vistas of fascinating road construction.” snow-covered mountains, high plateau views, lakes and trails. ~ Traveler ~ “God and engineers and builders did a good job.” A 54-mile segment of the road is designated as the Beartooth “Happy we traveled Chief Joseph Scenic Byway, beautiful country even All-American Road, one of only 31 All-American Roads highlighted as the though we did not go up to Red Lodge.” most scenic national byways in the country. “Have seen Beartooth Pass written up in the magazines. Highly rated, Wyoming’s connection to U.S. 212 is the remarkable Chief Joseph HIghway (Wyo 296) north of Cody that climbs over Dead Indian Pass and traverses the should invite PBS or Nat Geo with direction to make a documentary of the Upper Clark’s Fork River Valley to intersect with 212 on the way to Cooke building and use of BTH. I find it interesting that the Swedish engineers City, Mont. It provides a wonderful loop road from Cody for a day trip (or designed the road.” “I am from Japan. I don’t understand the expression ‘elbow room.’” longer) to access the scenic majesty of the Beartooths. “I was familiar with Chief Joseph as I am a historian. The highway was a In the summer travel season of 2012, University of Montana researchers conducted an economic impact study of the Beartooth All-American Road. highlight of our trip, and I will recommend this passage.” “Most beautiful drive anywhere! More signage needed to remind tourists More than 163,000 non-resident traveler groups were counted. In dollars and cents, they accounted for $45 million in spending in the three gateway not to stop on the roadway, more turnouts needed.” “Primary reason for traveling Beartooth — it was a different route between communities of Cody, Wyo., Cooke City and Red Lodge, Mont. Nearly half of them were first-time travelers to the Beartooths, and they Cody and the interstate on the way to Yellowstone.” “Breathtaking drive. Please don’t make it ‘safer’” told what made the Beartooth Highway special to them.

Mothers and kids

Mountain goats take a rest after an afternoon of grazing in a wildflower-covered meadow near the summit of the Beartooth Highway (U.S. 212). The goats were shedding their winter coats and growing new, sleek ones. Tribune file photo by Ilene Olson

ON THE ROAD » PAGE 23

‘Meeting place’

In the Shoshone Indian language, Meeteetse means “meeting place,” and for more than 140 years, it has been just that as one of the oldest settlements in the Big Horn Basin of northwest Wyoming.

The meadow of the Double D Dude Ranch lies southwest of Meeteetse on the Wood River. Courtesy photo

Meeteetse: Rich with history

Meeteetse dates its earliest settlements to the 1870s. The town, itself, dates to the establishment of a post office and the school in 1880. This was 16 years prior to the establishment of Cody in 1896. Meeteeste, in Park County, lies 30 miles southeast of Cody on Wyoming 120. Meeteetse’s history is rich in early day ranching in the upper Greybull River Valley. The Pitchfork Ranch, an icon of pioneer ranch development west of Meeteetse, traces its roots to 1879 and at one time encompassed 250,000 acres. In 1881, Meeteetse was the terminus of the old Meeteetse Trail, built by the army as a stage and freight road running from Red Lodge (and Billings), Mont., to get supplies to the area. The trail was the first road built in the Big Horn Basin and was eventually extended to Lander and Rawlins. In the 1880s, Meeteetse became the jumping off point for a minor gold rush to the Upper Wood River Valley. In 1885, William Kirwin discovered gold in the valley, and by 1891, the Wood River Mining District had been formed. The center of the mining district was the town of Kirwin 33 miles to the southwest of Meeteetse at 9,500 feet of elevation. A number of mines were established in the area, and gold was brought out by mules. Snow, and depleting commercial gold, spelled the end of the mining. In a 1907 blizzard, 50 feet of snow fell on Kirwin in eight days, and an avalanche buried the town store, killing three people. With spring thaw, the remaining occupants left town. PAGE 24 »

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Meeteetse even has connection with some of the mystical outlaw history of the West. Butch Cassidy once lived in the area and left his mark on an 1886 petition. In 1894, he was arrested outside the Cowboy Bar. The Cowboy Bar is still operating today. Kirwin is accessible today, and has buildings still standing. Meeteetse is proud of its ranching, mining and cowboy heritage. Today the “meeting place” is the center for many and varied outdoor recreation activities in keeping with Western traditions. The charm of the Old West is preserved in Meeteetse’s wooden boardwalks, watering troughs, hitching posts and historic buildings dating to the turn of the 20th century. Hiking, hunting and fishing, horseback riding, camping and wildlife viewing opportunities are abundant in the Meeteetse outdoor world. The cowboy heritage of rodeo provides a town celebration each Labor Day weekend. Last year was the 101st running of the Meeteetse Labor Day Rodeo. For more information, call the Meeteetse Visitor Center at 307-8682454 or visit www.meeteetsewy.com.

Hiking, hunting and fishing, horseback riding, camping and wildlife viewing opportunities are abundant in the Meeteetse outdoor world.

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ON THE ROAD » PAGE 25

Aviatrix Amelia Earhart’s Meeteetse dream unfulfilled

Carl M. Dunrud gave Amelia Earhart a haircut on the Double D Ranch in 1934.

A monument on the north edge of Meeteetse attests to the dream that died with the disappearance somewhere in the Pacific of America’s heroine of aviation, Amelia Earhart. The first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean (and the first person to fly across both the Atlantic and the Pacific) fell in love with the Meeteetse area on a visit in the 1930s. She was having a home built in the Wood River Valley when she mysteriously disappeared in 1937 on a flight to circumnavigate the earth from the equator. The Meeteetse connection for Amelia Earhart was dude rancher Carl Dunrud and his wife Vera. In the early 1930s, the Dunruds made an effort to revive the abandoned town of Kirwin. They built and opened the Double D Dude Ranch near Kirwin. Carl Dunrud had previously worked on Meeteetse area ranches, and he had served as a guide in Yellowstone Park. There, he met George P. Putnam, New York City publisher, who would marry

Amelia Earhart in 1931. Putnam employed Dunrud as a roper on Putnam’s 1926 expedition to Greenland where Dunrud roped polar bears, musk oxen and walruses. Years later, Amelia Earhart and Putnam were among visitors and guests of the Dunruds at the Double D Dude Ranch. Earhart directed that a cabin be built for her future use after her around-the-world flight. The Earhart cabin, located one-half mile from Kirwin, remains unfinished, awaiting for the aviatrix who never returned. “Lady Lindy,” as Earhart was known in the adoring press of the time, had completed 22,000 miles of her flight around the globe. The remaining 7,000 miles would be over the Pacific. She was on a 2,556-mile leg from New Guinea to Howland Island, between Australia and Hawaii in July of 1937 when she disappeared. It is widely believed her plane ran short of fuel and had to be ditched. To see pictures of Amelia or to learn more, visit the Meeteetse Museums.

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CODY IS RODEO Cody Nite Rodeo every night from June 1-Aug. 31, Cody Stampede July 1-4

Tribune file photo by Kevin Kinzley

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Cody is the “Rodeo Capital of the World.� Night after night, Cody proves that it is rodeo, all summer long. The Cody Nite Rodeo kicks off every night from June 1 to Aug. 31, and the annual Cody Stampede arrives July 1-4. From the turn of the century, rodeos and parades have been part of the Fourth of July in Cody. For 95 years, starting officially in 1919, the Cody Stampede rodeo has been held every summer. This year marks the 76th anniversary of the nightly performances. These two events establish Cody as not only one of the longest running successful professional rodeos, but also the only place in the country that has a rodeo performance nightly.

Mo Betta Rodeo Company and Tate family have been producing the nightly rodeo for more than five years and continue to make history. For the nightly rodeo, gates open at 7 p.m. with rodeo action kicking off at 8 p.m. All seating is general admission. Be sure to arrive early and have your picture taken on the live rodeo bull “Hollywood,� get your face painted by the rodeo clowns, learn to rope like the cowboys and cowgirls. The Cody/Yellowstone Xtreme Bulls, featuring the top 40 bullriders in the world, takes place June 30. Gates open at 5 p.m. and the rodeo kicks off at 7 p.m. For the Cody Stampede from July 1-3, gates will open at 6 p.m. and the rodeo begins at 8 p.m. On the Fourth of July, gates will open at 3 p.m. with the rodeo beginning at 5 p.m. For tickets, visit www.codystampederodeo.com, www.codynightrodeo.com or call 1-800-207-0744.

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Courtesy photo/Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Chris Gimmeson

Buffalo Bill Center of the West a ‘must’ on any itinerary

Whether Wh th you hhave ttwo hhours or ttwo ddays, a visit i it tto th the h fifive museums off th the Buffalo Bill Center of the West is sure to be one of the best parts of your trip West. The center, a Smithsonian Institution Affiliate, is billed as “The Voice of the American West.” And what a story the center’s five museums tell! The Buffalo Bill Center of the West recounts the tales of the legendary showman William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody. Just imagine, by age 22, Cody had worked a wagon train, prospected for gold, rode for the Pony Express, hunted buffalo for the railroad and scouted for the Army. One need only spend some time in the Buffalo Bill Center of the West to meet the man and agree, “Buffalo Bill was so big — even the West couldn’t hold him.” The Whitney Gallery of Western Art captures the masterworks of the artists of the American West. Remington, Russell, Catlin, Bierstadt, Moran and Wyeth are just a few of the long list of revered artists represented in the collection. The Plains Indian Museum presents the history of the Northern Plains tribes. Native voices, coupled with beautiful objects, articulate the life stories of Plains Indian peoples — the cultures and histories, as well as the modern-day existence. Whether cowboy or trapper, settler or Native American, the story of the American West is incomplete without the firearm. Housing the most comprehen-

sive in i collection ll ti off American A i firearms fi i the th world, ld the th Cody Firearms Museum chronicles the history of the firearm, from the earliest days up to the modern era. The Draper Museum of Natural History is the first American natural history museum to be established in the 21st century. Here, visitors are encouraged to become explorers of the Greater Yellowstone Area as they explore the relationship between the people, the animals, the plants and the landscape of the West. The Buffalo Bill Center of the West is located at 720 Sheridan Ave. in Cody. Travelers to Cody in 2014 will find a new name on the museum treasure that for the last 50 years was known as the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. Now the museum complex bears the name of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. The institution’s board of directors said the name change is to more accurately describe the width and depth of the museum’s mission, collections and programs. The new name captures more fully the great collections and everything the museum is about. The five museums and research library are a world class experience in Yellowstone nature and science, art of the American West, Plains Indians, firearms and history as told through the life and times of William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody.

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LIVE RAPTORS l e a v e B u f f a l o B i l l C e n t e r o f t h e We s t v i s i t o r s r a p t w i t h a t t e n t i o n Most museums boast their collections—of inanimate objects and artifacts—and rightly so: Those collections are extraordinary, and nowhere is that more true than at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. But the center goes a step further to leave visitors “rapt with attention”: It added raptors—live birds of prey. Here the Greater Yellowstone Raptor Experience brings visitors face to face with five of the area’s most recognizable birds: turkey vulture, red-tailed hawk, peregrine falcon, great horned owl, and the latest addition, a golden eagle. These “avian ambassadors” even have Facebook pages and T-shirts with their likenesses. Each raptor has an injury or condition that prohibits its return to the wild and has undergone wildlife rehabilitation before moving to Cody. For example, Teasdale, the great horned owl, was found with a severe wing injury by hikers near Teasdale, Utah. Assistant Curator Melissa Hill explains that the only real problem with the center’s turkey vulture is that she thinks she’s human—which, as it

turns out, is not a good thing for a bird. “Suli (Cherokee for “vulture”) has been raised by humans since she was only a couple weeks old,” Hill explains. “Without adult turkey vultures to act as foster parents, she didn’t gain the critical skills

for survival that her parents would have taught her. Consequently, she can never be released back into the wild.” The birds appear in daily programs throughout the summer months, which are free with paid admission.

Visitors to the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody come face to face with raptors —five varieties of live birds of prey — who serve as unique ‘ambassadors.’ Courtesy photo/Buffalo Bill Center of the West

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ON THE ROAD » PAGE 29

Buffalo Bill Dam

Once the world’s tallest concrete arch Buffalo Bill Dam, registered as a It’s known today as Buffalo Bill Dam in the Shoshone Canyon west National Historic structure and recorded as a National Civil Engineerof Cody. But it was Shoshone Dam when ing Landmark, stands unique among it was constructed as an engineering structures of its kind. It was dedicated as a National marvel between 1906 and 1910. The name was changed to Buf- Civil Engineering Landmark in Sepfalo Bill Dam in 1946 by an act of tember 1973. Then Commissioner of Reclamation Gilbert Stamm praised Congress. Today the Buffalo Bill Dam is Buffalo Bill Dam as a tribute to the architects, engineers even taller than it was and laborers who built Lives and limbs in 1910 when it was initially completed as the sacrificed during the dam at the turn of the century. world’s tallest concrete Engineers selected arch, then standing 328 dam’s construction the narrowest part of feet high. Over a sevenyear period between 1985 and 1992, the solid granite Shoshone Canyon the dam was raised by 25 feet to in- for the location of the dam. H.N. crease the storage capacity of Buffalo Savage, supervising engineer for the reclamation service, called the spot Bill Reservoir by 74,000 acre-feet. Buffalo Bill Dam is now 353 feet “the perfect granite foundation� for high. A modern visitors center has the dam. Before work could begin on the been constructed adjacent to the top of the dam. The visitors center tells dam, an 8-mile road from Cody to the the story of dam construction and site had to be carved along the rugthe story of reclamation of more than ged river bank. Much of the drilling 90,000 acres of Shoshone Reclama- for the construction was carried on during the winter, and drillers cursed tion Project lands downriver. Powell is at the center of the Sho- low temperatures, high winds and shone Reclamation Project, where anchor ice, as well as the huge granite land was opened to homesteading boulders tightly grouted to smaller in 1907, even before the dam was boulders resting on the bedrock. The original contract was let for completed. The Corbett Diversion Dam on the Shoshone River some 5 $515,730 on Sept. 5, 1905. Before miles below Cody allowed for water the dam was completed at a total to be diverted into the Garland Canal cost of $929,658, two contractors which delivered the irrigation water had gone bankrupt, and the project to the first homestead units near was finished by a third contractor. Seven workers were killed during Powell. The Shoshone Project was the construction, three lost limbs, three second U.S. Bureau of Reclamation more lost their eyesight and 28 others were crippled or mutilated. project authorized by Congress

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The Buffalo Bill Dam west of Cody, with the visitor center at upper right, is a key part of the water supply system for both irrigation and municipal water needs in the Shoshone River basin. Tribune file photo by Ilene Olson PAGE 30 Âť

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For additional information on the site, vist www.smithmansion.org The Smith Mansion is private property and no trespassing is allowed.

An architectural wonder atop a hill 15 miles east of Yellowstone National Park prompts many passersby to question: ‘What’s that?’ Just west of Wapiti, the 75-foot-high Smith mansion, or, as it’s also known, “The Crazy House,” was built by Francis Lee Smith. While working on the home on a April day in 1992, Smith slipped from an upper floor and fell to his death. Sunny Smith Larsen, who grew up in the home, is organizing an effort to restore and preserve the site. “Everything is pretty much left how he left it,” says Smith Larsen. You can still see stains on the roof of the first floor where he fell. Beneath the spot, on the rocky ground, a rose bush has grown. “Makes you kind of wonder,” says Smith Larsen. “Nothing grows up here.” Most of the floorboards of the old Meeteetse High gymnasium still are sitting on shelves in the first-floor attic of the house, right where Smith put them after tearing the boards out of the gym. They’re still waiting to be used — or, as Smith Larsen now plans, to be cleared out. A deflated vacuum cleaner sits on the floor of the central “cold room,” tied to the wall in a weave of extension cords. The cords once ran all the way through the house — powering everything from a TV in the eating room to a lamp in the crow’s nest. The cords were the only source of electricity for the home, stretching from the electrical pole a couple hundred yards away at the foot of the hill. “I bet he (Smith) would have 15 extension cords at a time,” Smith Larsen says, adding, “I’m surprised we never had a fire.” She took a renewed interest in the mansion after her brother, Bucky Smith, died in 2005, leaving her with sole ownership. “It’s amazing that it was all done by hand,” she says, pointing out pieces that were to be used as a hand-drawn elevator. “We’ve had architects come up here, and they’re amazed,” she said. It was a talent unique to Smith, who, when not working on the home, worked as an architect in Cody. Many years ago, Smith Larsen and her late brother Bucky spent a good six hours trying to finish a portion of the third floor. “We ended with two logs up, and we lost them both,” she says. Any blueprints for the site are gone, leaving Larsen with few clues as to what exactly her father had planned. “I wish he was here so I could ask him,” she says. At the time of his death, Smith was close to completing two decades of work on the mansion. “That’s all I can remember him doing pretty much as a kid,” says Smith Larsen, adding, “Boy, did we have a weird upbringing. “He was very strange in a lot of ways,” she says. Smith was also wildly creative. As a testament to its eccentricity, opinions of the home widely differ. Some neighbors enjoy the mansion’s towering profile, others find it an eyesore. “You either love it or you hate it,” says Smith Larsen. “You’re either really intrigued or you’re just put off.” Interest in the hilltop high-rise, however, is near universal. For passing tourists or long-time locals, the structure is hard to miss or ignore. One summer, Smith Larsen worked at the nearby Red Barn service station and dealt with a constant flood of inquiries about the mysterious house on the hill. “I got tired from telling the story after two weeks,” she said. Smith Larsen has a number of ideas for the mansion, perhaps selling branded memorabilia, perhaps creating a tourist attraction, perhaps turning it into a bed and breakfast where floors, and not rooms, would be rented out to guests. “It just comes down to the money,” she says. Realistically, Smith Larsen says it would take $400,000 to $500,000 to restore the place. For more information, visit www.smithmansion.org.

Smith Mansion

PAGE 32 »

ON THE ROAD

The Smith Mansion stands on a ridge above the North Fork highway west of Cody near the community of Wapiti. Construction on this home halted with the owner/builder’s death in a fall from the structure. Clean-up efforts continue at the site, which is privately owned. Tribune file photo

Reduce the risk of a bear encounter Be alert

See the bear before you surprise it. Watch for bear sign such as tracks, scat and feeding sites. When hiking, stay alert and aware of your surroundings. Frequently look ahead, off to the sides, and behind you.

Carry bear spray

Bear spray is a non-lethal bear deterrent designed to stop aggressive behavior in bears. You don’t have to be a good shot with bear spray. All you need to do is put up a cloud of bear spray between you and the charging bear when it’s about 30-60 feet away. Bear spray must be immediately accessible in a quick draw holster, not stored in your pack.

Avoid hiking at dawn, dusk or at night

Whenever possible avoid hiking at dawn, dusk or at night. During the hot summer season these are the periods when grizzly bears are most active.

Hike close together or in groups

Whenever possible hike in groups of three or more people — 91 percent of the people injured by bears in Yellowstone since 1970 were hiking alone or with only

one hiking partner. Only 9 percent of the people injured by bears were in groups of three or more people.

Make noise, alert bears to your presence

When hiking, periodically yell “Hey bear,” especially when walking through dense vegetation or blind spots, or when traveling upwind, near loud streams or on windy days. Avoid thick brush whenever possible.

Avoid carcasses

Ungulate carcasses are a highly preferred bear food that bears will guard and defend against other scavengers or humans. Dead ungulates will attract and hold many bears near the carcass site. It is risky to approach a carcass; many bears may be bedded nearby just out of sight. Leave the immediate area by the same route you approached the carcass from. Report all carcasses to the nearest ranger station or visitor center.

Stay with your gear

Don’t leave your packs, lunches, food or beverages unattended as they may attract and hold bears at the site. If you surprise a bear that’s eating your stashed food, you may lose more than your lunch. (From the National Park Service)

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Powell’s 9 city parks are unmatched and cover 125 acres. With open green spaces, picnic tables and picnic shelters, playgrounds, tennis courts, skate park, wading pool, Aquatic Center, band shell and stage, 1.5 miles of paved pathways, basketball courts, soccer fields, horseshoe pitches, fishing pond, R/C off-road track, ice skating and skate rental, four softball, one American Legion and one Babe Ruth baseball fields.

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ON THE ROAD » PAGE 33

Yellowstone National Park beckons travelers

America’s first national park offers something for every traveler — exciting adventure, beautiful scenery, wildlife, serenity, geysers, fine food and accommodations ranging from rustic to glamorous. Yellowstone National Park was founded in 1872 after early explorers reported finding dazzling geysers, colorful mineral ponds, rumbling waterfalls and abundant wildlife. More than 100 years later, little has changed in the park’s backcountry, although beautiful hotels, campgrounds, visitor centers and other facilities dot the park’s 466 miles of paved roads. To leave the beaten path, go to one of the park’s 92 trailheads, leading to more than 1,100 miles of backcountry trails. Come early; come often — an annual pass allowing unlimited access to the park is $50, while a seven-day pass for a private car full of visitors is $25. A visitor riding a motorcycle or snowmobile pays $20. Those walking in or riding a bike pay $12 apiece. An annual interagency pass that covers admission to most national parks and federal recreation areas throughout the United States is $80. Discounted passes are available for senior citizens or disabled visitors. But for a few days a year, you can get into the park for free — the National Park Service waives entrance fees on Aug. 25, “NPS Birthday;” Sept. 28, National Public Lands Day; and Nov. 9 for Veterans Day weekend. Roads are open 24 hours a day throughout the park through the summer, although various road construction projects are planned each year. For current conditions and road construction schedules, call (307) 344-2117 or visit www.nps.gov/yell. Xanterra Parks and Resorts operates lodging and store facilities in Yellowstone. For lodging reservations, camping information and other visitor services, call (307) 344-7311 or toll-free at 866-GEYSERLAND (866-439-7375) or check the company’s website, www.yellowstonenationalparklodges.com. Information about Yellowstone National Park is also available at the Powell Valley Chamber of Commerce along U.S. 14-A or at visitor information offices in gateway cities like Cody and Cooke City, Mont. Current conditions To drive to Cooke City, take the sceand road nic Chief Joseph Highway off Wyo. 120 construction schedules: about 16 miles north of Cody and follow the signs leading to the park’s northeast entrance.

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