Drawing to win Chessney’s Sevier’s sketch “Room to Breathe” will be held at 4 pm but you need not be present to win. Just buy your ticket for $5 each or 6 for $25 at th
e museum, in person, with a phone call, or here: art raffle ticket
Powder River Western Art Show Returns
We are excited to bring back a historic event- the Powder River Western Art Show- on June 17, 2023 during the Chris Ledoux Rodeo Day. Great local western artists will be showcasing and selling their work at the museum all day from 9-5. Enjoy the rodeo but stop the museum before and after for the art show and a chance to win a sketch by Chessney Sevier, “Room to Breathe.”
The Hole in the Wall Ranch: A History
The museum 
had a great turn out for the presentation by historical author Tom Rea on March 5th. The presentation covered everything from the ancient peoples that once inhabited the famous valley to the more recently famous, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. We will continue with some additional related tidbits and stories on Facebook if you would like to learn more. If you would like to purchase Rea’s book, please contact the museum at 307-738-2381. We appreciate all of our followers and supporters!
2023 Tour Dates
The museum’s annual tours will be held on the following dates:
Hole in the Wall Tour- June 10th, 2023. To register: Hole in the Wall Tour
Johnson County War Tour- August 12th, 2023. To register: Johnson County War Tour
Bozeman Trail Tour- September 16th, 2023. To register: Bozeman Trail of Powder River Tour
Please contact the museum with any questions 307-738-2381.
New Displays at the Museum
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
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
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
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
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
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