Hoofprints of the Past Museum is pleased to have  Spencer R. Pelton  present Bison Hunting in Hole-in-the-Wall Country: Results of the Wold Bison Jump

This presentation provides an overview of prehistoric bison hunting on the northern Plains, reconstructs the events that occurred at the Wold Bison Jump, and then contextualizes those events relative to other bison jumps across the Plains.

Driving bison off cliffs during large scale hunts (or “bison jumping”) was a widespread practice among Native Americans living on the northern Plains of Montana, Alberta, and Saskatchewan, but less so among groups living in Wyoming. In fact, the Wold Bison Jump, located on the Hole in the Wall Ranch west of Kaycee, WY, is one of a very few number of bison jumps in Wyoming. The University of Wyoming conducted research at this bison jump in 2013 and 2014, finding evidence for a single, rather catastrophic bison jump event and potentially tying the jump to the ancestral Crow.

Spencer Pelton received his PhD from the University of Wyoming in 2018. He has worked on archaeological sites in Wyoming for the past six years, most recently at the Powars II Paleoindian ocher quarry, the La Prele Clovis site, and the Sisters Hill Paleoindian site. Spencer lives in Douglas, WY with his wife Hallie and their dog Cashew, where he works for Transcon Environmental as a senior archaeologist.

At 1:30 before the presentation the Hoofprints of the Past Museum Board will hold a brief meeting and annual report on the museum’s 2018 activities.  Coffee and cookies will be served.

The annual Hole in the Wall Tour will be held on June 22nd of this year. The tour stops at numerous sites related to the Hole in the Wall gang and its activities, including the famed and beautiful Hole in the Wall. The tour is an important fundraiser for the museum and is a very enjoyable day in a beautiful area.

The Johnson County War Tour will be held on August 17^th of this year. This tour chronicles the fascinating background leading up to the war and the infamous invasion on April 6, 1892 as it retraces related historic sites and the approximate route of the Invaders.  The tour is also a fundraiser for the museum.

If you are interested in either of these tours, please visit our tours page for more information or to register. Space is limited so registration in advance is required. http://hoofprintsofthepast.org/category/tours/

Hoofprints of the Past Museum working diligently to preserve our buildings. A  project for 2019 we are working to complete is adding soffits to the north side of the building. This will ensure our buildings will last for years to come by protecting our roof from damage.  If you are willing to help with this museum need, your donation would be greatly appreciated.

Click on the link below to Donate now!

Membership & Support

Have you visited the museum recently? If not, you may want to stop by soon and see the new collections and displays added at the museum. One of the more significant items is the Al Smith pistol, shot from his hand in the Hole in the Wall Fight in 1897. The museum will also be premiering a new rotating annual display on a local person or family in June. This year’s featured individual is Sandy Dixon and the museum has been working with Sandy’s friends and family to create a display that highlights the amazing person and life of Sandy with various items and artifacts from her collection.

On February 11 at 2:00 at the Harold Jarrard Park in Kaycee, historian and gun collector Joe Hickey will be speaking on historical guns of the Old West. Hickey will tell the story of various western weapons by weaving together the related famous Western individuals and events of the period. Joe has guns used by Butch Cassidy, Tom Horn, and many others. He is a fascinating speaker and makes it fun even for people who do not know very much about guns.

On August 19^th the museum held its annual Johnson County War Tour beginning in Kaycee at the museum. The tour was completely full, with 45 attendees traveling by bus the approximate route of the Invaders in April of 1892 and stopping at the Tisdale and Jones Assassination sites. John W. Davis, author of Wyoming Range War, and Brock Hanson were tour historical guides and speakers with John presenting additional background information at the conclusion of the tour at the museum.  

The Hoofprints of the Past Museum is co-hosting an event put on by the Alliance for Historic Wyoming and local Alliance member, Trish Ullery. The event will begin at 10:00 am at the Ullery Ranch (26095 Old Highway 87) where participants will tour several recently restored homestead structures. Restored buildings include Clara Ullery’s Cottage, a chicken house, and a horse barn.  There will also be on on-site window restoration demonstration by a window restoration expert.

After the tour at Ullery’s, participants will have lunch in Kaycee before heading to the museum. There, Mary Humstone formerly of the University of Wyoming and the National Trust for Historic Preservation will present “Barn Again,” a program on preserving old barns. Laurel Foster will give a brief overview of the museum and its collections. Members of the Alliance for Historic Wyoming will have a table set up with information on the organization.

If you are interested in the event, or have questions, please contact Laurel at the museum 738-2381.

In 2009 the museum released its perpetual calendar with a variety of true short stories and accounts from many local individuals. Sandy Dixon and Ginger Curuchet had gathered many of these stories to help create the calendar. John Hanson was interested in putting all these stories into a short book for sale at the museum, and worked with Sandy Dixon to do so this spring. John paid the cost of printing the book as a donation to the museum, and the book is now for sale at the museum. It is a great little book with interesting tidbits from our history and all sales will help support the museum.

Thank you John and Sandy for your hard work on this project!