“Buffalo Bill” Cody and the Transylvanian: Connections Between the American West and Count Dracula By Elizabeth M. Foss, Public Outreach and Engagement Director Vampires and cowboys are not often talked about in the same breath, though these two figures loom large in popular media. As distant as they may seem, vampires and cowboys are uniquely […]
Preserving the Black-Footed Ferret Species Through Gene Cloning and Genetic Engineering By Melanie Riley History of the Black-Footed Ferret Native to North America, black-footed ferrets have existed for about 30,000 years.1 Over the years, many changes have happened, most coming from the hands of humans. Black-footed ferrets consume prairie dogs, so the population of […]
Era of Corporations in Ranching: A Look at Meeteetse Livestock Corporations By Amy Phillips, Director of Education and Programs After the Civil War, rapid changes were occurring in the United States. As the era of ranching grew in the West, the era of corporations took hold in the East. It would have immense impacts for […]
The Tales of Josh Deane: The Pioneer Storyteller (and Barbecuer) of Meeteetse By Alexandra Deselms, Interim Director and Director of Collections Of all the pioneers introduced in the blog this summer, there has probably been the most written by this pioneer, John W. “Josh” Deane. This is in large part, of course, because his memoirs […]
Victor Arland, founder of the townsite Arland, is somewhat of a local legend in Park County. For all the myths and legends surrounding him, there is very little historical documentation. Arland was born in 1848 outside of Paris, France. One source reports that he lived in Vincennes, France. Vincennes, a commune on the outskirts of […]
Richard Ashworth: The Cattleman Who Barely Left a Trace By Alexandra Deselms, Interim Director & Director of Collections Meeteetseans know the story of Richard Ashworth, his unique house, and the jealousy of his foreman, Wilfred Jevons. But do you know the full story? Richard Ashworth was born between 1853 and 1856 in England (sources vary). […]
By Alexandra Deselms, Interim Director & Director of Collections Angus James McDonald pursued a variety of careers and work during his life, and because of this, he was one of the foremost early citizens of Meeteetse. Angus McDonald was born in June 1853 in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada to Alexander Angus McDonald and Flora Fraser as […]
By Amy Phillips, Director of Education and Programs Dr. William Sabin Bennett was Meeteetse’s town doctor from 1899 until moving to Cody in 1909. Aside from being a well-respected physician, Bennett also served as mayor numerous times. William Sabin Bennett was born in Lawrence, Kansas on July 1, 1870, to Joseph Dexter Bennett and Carrie […]
By Amy Phillips John Franklin Corbett was a founding member of both Arland and Meeteetse. Corbett was born in Massachusetts to Matthias and Johanna Corbett soon after the couple immigrated to the United States from Ireland. Genealogy records of Corbett are rare until he settled in Meeteetse, but a biography published by A.W. Bowen in […]
Women Proprietors of Early Meeteetse Part I: Sylvia Mikkelson By Amy Phillips Women in the 19th century are typically not thought of in the world of business. Despite that way of thinking, Meeteetse has been home to many women-owned businesses from the start. Focusing on early Meeteetse, we are limiting the focus to two women […]