Amy's Rear View Mirror

North Platte, NE

July 4th Weekend 2005

I pulled out of the campground in Marietta GA early Friday morning July 1. I went to the Cummins dealer for some routine maintenance which took most of the day. While I was sitting in the customer lounge I watched the Weather Channel. There's a terrible line of thunderstorms in TN just where I'm going. They were saying these storms have excessive winds (60 mph) and large hail. So I decided to stay parked in Cummins parking lot at the RV hookups until the storm passes. I'm not really covered any better here but at least I won't be on the road. The storm should hit Atlanta around 5 PM and only last a few hours. I woke up from my nap around 8 PM and left following the same route as I took to Kansas last month ... I-75 N to I-24 through TN and KY. I got as far as Oak Grove KY before stopping at a Flying J for the night.

I woke up early in the morning and was back on the road by 8 AM ... I-24 to I-57 N to I-64 W to I-70 W. The weather was great. I stopped at the TA in Concordia MO for the night. This is the same TA I stopped at on my way to Kansas. Lady is watching all the truck drivers walk their dogs. LOL She hasn't taken her nose out of the window. When I woke up in the morning, the Weather Channel was talking about a bad storm with winds and hail in the western Kansas area. So in about 10 minutes I walked Lady and we were ready to leave the truck stop. The storm was headed east. I drove the rest of the way on I-70 toward Kansas City but took I-435 around the north side of the city to get on I-29 North to go to I-80. SR-2 from I-29 exit 10 in Iowa is a great way to cut over to I-80 in Lincoln NE. It's a 4 lane divided highway most of the way. There are some traffic lights, but it's lots better than going up to Omaha to get on I-80 when headed west.

I intended to stop in Kearney NE to do some sightseeing, but the storm hadn't moved out of that area yet so I kept driving. I drove through a little rain and wind but nothing extreme or bad enough to consider getting off the road. It was like that on and off most of my drive through Nebraska too. I stopped at the Flying J one exit east of North Platte NE. I've got a reservation in North Platte for tomorrow but can't get in early due to the holiday weekend.

I spent the day learning all about Buffalo Bill Cody and the history of Lincoln County NE.

First I went to the Lincoln County Historical Museum which contains a life size Western Heritage Village. The Museum contains artifacts depicting life in Lincoln County, including period room settings, china, quilts, clothing, a doctor's office, telephone office, post office, beauty shop, natural history, a model railroad, railroad history, lots of pictures, western art and the history of ranching.

The village outside contains a barn with lots of farm equipment, windmill & water tower, Pony Express log building, Fort McPherson Headquarters building, Lutheran Church, Country School, Fredricksen House with furnishings, Barber Shop, General Store, Brady Island U.P. Railroad Depot and Caboose, and a two-story log house which is the first homestead in Lincoln County.

Then I went to Buffalo Bill Ranch. William F. Cody began as an ox-team driver at 11 years old. Then he became a messenger boy with a westbound bull train working his way up to assistant wagon master. He then became a Pony Express rider at age 14. He first became known for the longest Pony Express ride which was riding 322 miles in 21 hours, 40 minutes and going through 20 horses. Once the Civil War broke out, he was still too young to enlist, so he became a ranger, dispatch bearer, and scout in Missouri, Kansas, and the Santa Fe Trail for the Union forces. He then became a government scout at Fort Elsworth, Fort Fletcher, and Fort Hays. In the late 1860's he was employed to provide buffalo meat for workers on the Kansas Pacific Railroad where he is said to have killed 4280 buffalo in 8 months. Bill earned his nickname of Buffalo Bill when he won a buffalo-hunting contest shooting 69 buffalo. He then went back to being a government scout at Fort Larned where he did a ride of 355 miles in 58 hours. He resigned his position as scout to go east with Texas Jack to act in a stage play about the frontier. He returned to the west when Colonel Mills requested his help to guide General Crook into Indian territory in Wyoming. After the Custer Massacre at Little Big Horn, Cody allegedly killed a Cheyenne sub-chief called Yellow Hair. After that he returned to the stage going on tour re-enacting scenes from the Sioux War.

Buffalo Bill Cody settled on a cattle ranch just north of North Platte in 1877. North Platte had no 4th of July celebration so Buffalo Bill was challenged to organize a western celebration he called "Old Glory Blowout". This was the beginning of the US Rodeo as well as his Wild West Show. The following year his Wild West Show went on the road. He later founded the town of Cody, Wyoming.

Some participants in the Wild West Show were Wild Bill Hickok, Texas Jack, Sitting Bull, Chief Joseph, Geronimo, and Rains in the Face (reported to be the man who killed Custer). The show itself was a series of historical scenes such as early settlers defending a homestead, a wagon train crossing the plains, or a more specific event such as the Battle of the Little Big Horn interspersed with showmanship, sharp shooting, racing, and rodeo style events.

The Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park encompasses 16 acres of the original 4,000 acres of Buffalo Bill's Ranch which he called Scout's Rest that is used as the park.  There's another 233 acres in the adjacent recreation area. The house, barn, and outbuildings are preserved and house Buffalo Bill and Wild West memorabilia including artifacts from Chief Sitting Bull. The three-story Victorian house was built in 1886, and was the home for Buffalo Bill, now it is open to the public.

Images may not be reproduced without permission.