Cody, Wyoming -- Things I Learned on the Road Part 3

To start, two random thoughts (though some of you may think my whole blog is nothing but random thoughts).

First, Buffalo Bill Cody’s dad was Canadian – born in Ontario. One of the many fun facts I learned on my road trip

Second, why on earth aren’t we using more of these ladders here in southern Alberta? As a child I could have saved many of my shirts and clothes from being ripped on the barbed wire if we had these . They're brilliant. They're also part of the reason I love exploring back roads on road trips. I saw these along side of a country road as I was looking for a historic school marked on a sign post on the highway. [ps. I did find the school]

Now back to museum stuff.

I visited the Buffalo Bill Cody Centre in Cody. I did not spend as much time there as I would have liked. I intend to go back some day and spend more time.

I also know exactly who I would like to have with me on my next trip because I know the people with whom I could enjoy a lively discussion and debate in the galleries. There are five museums under one roof. I visited four of them and found them all extraordinary.

I was very impressed with the displays in the centre. When I first walked up to the cabin below I thought it was a wooden wall (which it looks like at certain angles) but quickly realized that I could see through into the cabin. While it was also possible to enter the cabin, this ability to peek through the walls was a fabulous way to connect the visitor with the display. It sparked my imagination and curiosity and I felt compelled to walk around and see how the structure looked from different angles.

I was very impressed with the displays in the centre. When I first walked up to the cabin below I thought it was a wooden wall (which it looks like at certain angles) but quickly realized that I could see through into the cabin. While it was also possible to enter the cabin, this ability to peek through the walls was a fabulous way to connect the visitor with the display. It sparked my imagination and curiosity and I felt compelled to walk around and see how the structure looked from different angles.

I was very impressed with the displays in the centre. When I first walked up to the cabin below I thought it was a wooden wall (which it looks like at certain angles) but quickly realized that I could see through into the cabin. While it was also possible to enter the cabin, this ability to peek through the walls was a fabulous way to connect the visitor with the display. It sparked my imagination and curiosity and I felt compelled to walk around and see how the structure looked from different angles.

A similar design was used to incorporate large scale archival photographs such as that show below which brought the grandeur of the scale of the landscape. Great use of space and design. I greatly enjoyed how the designers made use of the whole space in some areas using banners and photographs such as this.

While I don't have photographic examples (I realized after I got home), I was very impressed with the labels and displays throughout the centre. They invited the visitor to become part of the experience. For example, in the Yellowstone natural history area, the exhibits were designed to be viewed one way and then another. Further, the exhibits were formed around a sloping ramp so that as you went down, the elevation under discussion changed.

Very glad I added an extra day to my trip to go to Cody. But wish I had spent even more time there.