The real Wyoming – beyond the fences

“You just can’t see him from the road”, a line from one of my favorite Chris LeDoux songs is true of so many that live and work in this area we call home. Cradled in the arms of the Medicine Bow Mountains and the Sierra Madres the history of the North Platte Valley is brought to life with a spotlight on those we can’t see from the road. Summer events include Woodchoppers Jamboree, Grand Encampment’s Cowboy Gathering, Living History Days at Grand Encampment Museum and the Sierra Madre Muzzleloaders Mountain Man Rendezvous.

All of these activities offer up a small window of time for outsiders to take a peek inside the lives of the men and women that cleared the trails and opened the prairies to the growth of our nation.

The Mountain Man rendezvous gives us an opportunity to experience primitive 1840’s life skills. The reenactment gives us a glimpse of the American Indian’s skills and lifestyle. The mountain man was smart enough to incorporate many of the Indian’s ways and make them his own. Spanish pioneers, led by Coronado in the mid 1500s were among the first white men to see the Rocky Mountains. the French followed streams from Canada west where they glimpsed “the shining mountains,” in Wyoming in the mid 1700s. Beaver pelts were so valuable that many rushed up the Missouri and across the plains to revel in the riches offered up by the Rocky Mountains. These were the mountain men. lured by beaver and later bison, with virgin streams offering up prizes, as well as rewards for trail blazing; trappers became the explorers, opening up the west. Incredibly tough men with courage and skill, they learned to master the extreme conditions of the life they’d chosen. They treasured the solitude of the mountains, sharing a love of peace and quiet that many cowboys have. They adopted the Indians manner of life, food and shelter, which is on display and demonstrated at the rendezvous.

Jamboree, Living History Days and the Cowboy Gathering bring the cowboy way to life. There are many types of cowboys and cowgirls. The weekend warrior, and the wannabee tend to stand out here in the Valley because we have so many real deals.

One of the best times during all of these events is when the story telling starts. I love listening to the tales from the older cowboys and the mountain men. Sometimes it isn’t what actually happened, but it’s how they remember it that’s important.