The Wild Wild WEST

So we went to the hometown of “Buffalo Bill”.  But who was this guy with the funny name and where did the name come from???  Hummm.  He was a buffalo hunter duhhh.  His real name was William Frederick Cody and he got his nickname after he took a contract to supply Kansas Pacific Railroad workers with buffalo meat. And supply he did with killing almost 5,000 Bisons or AKA Buffalo in only 8 months time.  So why is he not called Bison Bill?   Food for thought.  No punt intended.

So if you are in the area of North Platte, Nebraska you should stop by the Fort Cody Trading Post.  It is at the junction of I-80 and US 83 and BONUS, it is FREE.  AND it is visible from the interstate so you don’t have to travel out of you way.  It is Nebraska’s largest souvenir and western gift store.

You can see:

1.  Plastic Buffalos

2.  Large (gigantic, 30 ft tall) Buffalo Bill cutout

3.  Two headed cow (kinda gross)

4.   Wild wild west gifts

5.  Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show (in miniature :),)

6.  Wood Carving of an Native America (great listener)

7.  Jackalope, a real one not like the one I saw at the WALL DRUGSTORE of South Dakota (You can even buy a REAL skin, which I did)

8.  Much more . . .

Tags: Bill, Bison, Buffalo, Cody, Frederick, Hometown, Jackalope, Nebraska, North Platte, US 83, Volvo, west, wild, William

The Big Red Barn

The Sod House Museum is located at 300 S Lake Ave in Gothenburg, NE just off off I-80 at exit 211. It’s at the same exit that the original Pony Expess Station is at.

You can see the world’s largest plow in front of the museum. And even if the museum is closed you can still go and see the sod house and a few scuptures made out of bared-wire just behind the red barn.

The following pic is a sketch from the Buildings Entered Project:

Tags: Buildings Entered, Gothenburg, House, Museum, Nebraska, Sod

Original Pony Express

This original Pony Express Station is located in Ehmen Park in Gothenburn, Nebraska .  It’s a pretty cool stop if you are traveling on I 80.

The history of Gothenburg dates back to the great westward expansion, when thousands of pioneers crossed through here on the Mormon and Oregon Trails. In 1860 and 1861 the town boasted a station for the Pony Express.

Tags: Gothenburg, Nebraska, original, Pony Express, Station, Volvo

Pit Stop

After some 4,000 miles of this journey so far I stopped in for an oil change.  Don’t tell anybody (shhhh), but (well, i’m not sure if I should mention this) I, I, I, I went to A SATURN DEALER for an oil change.  I can’t believe I just said that.  But in all honestly they provided one of the best services.  They really treated me like royalty.  They even gave me a quick wash which was soooooo refreshing.  Volvo dealers better wake up and pay attention before I think of switching loyalties.   Hmmmm…

Tags: Nebraska, Oil Change, Saturn, Volvo