Hoofprints of the Past Museum

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The Hole in the Wall Ranch by Tom Rea on March 5, 2023

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The Hoofprints of the Past Museum is pleased to present Tom Rea, author of The Hole in the Wall Ranch: A History as our historical presentation this year.

He will present the story of the Hole in the Wall, one of the most beautiful areas in the country. However, it is this beautifully unique geography which made it historically important as a crossroads since ancient times and the location for some of the most pivotal events of the previous century. Evidence of natives abounds while some of the most famous people in western history, Owen Wister, Moreton Frewen, Nate Champion, Frank Canton, and outlaws like Butch Cassidy, stayed or lived in this area. At least two murders occurred in the Hole in the Wall as well as several gunfights. It is the story of the land and the people, Wyoming and the west, as only Mr. Rea can tell.

 

New Displays at the Museum

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If you have not been to the museum in a while, you may want to visit and see two of our newest displays.

One of the new display cases features the role of rodeo in Kaycee, and local rodeo stars such as Deke Lathum, Larry Sandvick, and Chris Ledoux. Artifacts in the display include chaps worn by Larry Sandvick while winning rodeos as well as artifacts associated with the Deke Lathum Memorial Rodeo and Chris Ledoux’s career.

The second new display case reorganizes and better displays all of the items associated with many of our local pioneer women. There are many small personal items that are now much easier to view, as well as unique jewelry, pins, and dresses. There are several beautiful quilts, and artifacts belonging to many other early local women.

2022 Hole in the Wall Tour a Success

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Thank you to all our tour attendees and volunteers for making our annual Hole in the Wall tour a success and an enjoyable day. The weather was absolutely perfect. Thank you everyone!

And for those who wanted our 34 year old recipe for coleslaw that was served at lunch, here it is:

Lunch at the Hole in the Wall

Cole Slaw  for  50-60 people

 5 heads cabbage, grated or sliced fine

5 green peppers

5 onions  (medium)

set aside

5 cups Apple Cider Vinegar

5 cups Oil

2 1/2 cups Sugar

10 TBLSP. honey

10 tsp. salt

5 tsp. celery seed

Bring these ingredients to a boil, boil for a few minutes then pour over the slaw.  DO NOT STIR until cool.

Small Group Tours

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The Museum offers several different small group tour options:

Outlaw Country: Explore the beautiful and historic Barnum/Hole in the Wall region where famous outlaws fought the law and hid from the law at the turn of the 20th century. Your knowledgeable museum guide will show you the historic sites along the way to the Hole in the Wall Valley and point out other cultural and geographic points of interest.

Johnson County War Tour: Whether you are curious or knowledgeable about this historic range war in 1892 this tour offers you the chance to visit the key sites where it took place and experience the beautiful countryside of Johnson County at the same time. Your knowledgeable museum guide will provide as much background or as little as you want about the event and point out the historical sites along the way to the historic TA Ranch.

Bozeman Trail & Fort Reno Tour: The Bozeman Trail, established in 1863, overlaid previous Indian, trader, and exploration routes, but the increased flow of emigrants along the trail through the recently claimed ground of the Sioux provoked Indian attacks on the settlers. In response, the U.S Military constructed a series of forts along the trail to protect travelers, such as Fort Reno, but conflict along the trail only escalated, culminating in the final battles of the Plains Indian Wars. Your knowledgeable guide will take you through this volatile period in Western history, pointing out the Bozeman Trail, various battles along the trail, and the site of Fort Reno.

Private Museum Tour: This tour will provide a fascinating overview of local western history, from the Native Americans through the Outlaw Period while showcasing some of the museum’s most priceless artifacts. Tour will be guided by the museum curator beginning at 9:00 at the museum and ending at approximately 10:00 a.m. Tour must be scheduled two weeks in advance and price is $50 per person (minimum of 2 persons required). For large group rates, please contact the museum.

Small Group tour Details:

  • Tour dates should be scheduled at least 2 weeks in advance by contacting the museum at 307-738-2381 or Laurel at 307-251-0981. Certain dates may not be available depending on guide schedule. Last minute additions to the schedule will be considered but to secure a date it is best to schedule well in advance.
  • Scheduled tours begin at 9:00 am at the Hoofprints of the Past Museum in Kaycee, Wyoming with a return to Kaycee at 12:00 noon.
  • Tour Price: $200 for the first two people and $50 per person after. Transportation will be provided by tour attendee(s).

Video Digitization Project at the Museum

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With support from the Wyoming State Historical Records Advisory Board, the museum recently preserved digitally 40 VHS and audio cassette tapes in a digital format. This short example clip shows Bob Winingar speaking about his Dad in WWI, along with museum interviewer Sandy Dixon and Brock Hanson reads a short poem written by Bob’s Dad.

Voices of the Past Books Now Available

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Text Box: Hoofprints of the Past 344 Nolan Ave. PO Box 114 Kaycee, WY 82639 (307)738-2381 www.hoofprintsofthepast.org Board Members: Nancy Elm, President Bill McIntyre, Vice President Dwayne Christensen, Treasurer Robin Petty, Secretary Jeannie Tinnin, Board John Streeter, Board Staff Contacts: Laurel Foster: 307-738-2289 Keri Malson: 307-259-8302 Board Meetings: First Tuesday of the Month Hours: Closed for the season • Mon-Sat. from 9-5 • Sundays from 1-5 • May 15-October 31st.

Over the last year, the museum has been working with the Kaycee Community Voice to preserve and share the many historical interviews that ran in the paper over the years. The Voice gathered all the articles together, retyping in some cases, and gave them to the museum to put into a book format. The text had to be formatted for consistency, readability and printing as well as edited for any spelling, grammar and punctuation errors. The articles were ordered by date, and a table of contents and index were added. The book is 303 pages, and just as the original interviews were wonderful to read, so is this book. The reader will know many of the people, places and families, but may not know how amazing some of these people were or are. If you want to know Kaycee history and all the fascinating early history of the area this is a great start. It is for sale, at the museum, for $20 plus tax. Since we are closed until May, we will have it available at the annual talk on February 16th or call the museum and we will arrange to get it to you on a staff workday at the museum or by mail. All proceeds support the museum.

Revised and Expanded “Kaycee: A Photo History” on Sale Now

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Recently the museum greatly revised and expanded the museum produced book “Kaycee: A Photo History” and it is now available to purchase at the museum. There are almost twenty additional pages from the 2013 printing, additional historical topics, and many more photos, including a previously unknown Nate Champion photo. The book is an essential addition to any local history book collection and makes a great gift for family members and visitors.

You may purchase the books at the museum, by phone (307-738-2381) or on our website at www.hoofprintsofthepast.org

Bozeman Trail Tour

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The Bozeman Trail passed through the Powder River area east of Kaycee for only a short time, but this area was the stage where early explorers, travelers, trappers, the US military, the Indian Wars, and even missionaries played their part in Western expansion. The fascinating and little known history of these people and events will shared by knowledgeable local historians as you travel by bus eastward from Kaycee through the Powder River Country. The tour will be held on September 16, 2023.

Some of the famous sites and events explored on this guided historical tour include:

  • 1836 Portuguese Fort of Antonio Montero, trapper
  • German Lutheran Mission Station where missionaries attempted to minister to natives
  • The Bozeman Trail
  • The Townsend Wagon Train Fight along the Bozeman Trail
  • US Military Cantonment Reno and Fort Reno sites
  • Cattle Baron Moreton Frewen’s “Castle” site at 76 Ranch Headquarters
  • Notable Homestead Sites and Community Sites

Tour Cost is $95 per person, which includes lunch at Fort Reno, and begins in Kaycee at 9:00 AM. Registration is required in advance and space is limited on the bus, so sign up early.

Questions? Please contact the museum at 307-738-2381 or at [email protected]

To register for the tour, please complete the form below:

Bozeman Tour Registration Form

  • Price: $95.00
  • $0.00

If you would like to be notified about the tour for next year in 2024, please complete a Tour Notification Form

Please note: Dogs are not allowed on the tour for any reason.

Bison Hunting in Hole-in-the-Wall Country: Results of the Wold Bison Jump Excavation

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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.