We like this panoramic image of early day Moorcroft, Wyoming, which is home to the expanding West Texas Trail Museum. You can get a closer look in our Museum Gallery. (Sorry, Gallery is temporarily closed eff. 4/25/16)
The framed photograph -- along with hundreds of other items -- is part of a growing collection of artifacts that are housed in the museum at 100 E. Weston Street in Moorcroft. The collections helps to tell the story of Moorcroft and the longhorn cattle trails that stretched from Texas through Wyoming and into Montana as early as 1866.
Last year, friend Don Matthesen and I made a trek to the museum at Newell, South Dakota, and enjoyed it so much that we elected to make another similar museum outing -- this time westward to Moorcroft.
After a hearty breakfast at Higbee's in Sundance one day last week (7/11/13), we headed west on I-90 toward Moorcroft, arriving about 30 minutes after the 9:00 a.m. opening of the museum.
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| Museum Director Cynthia Conch |
New director Cynthia Conch, obviously pumped about the 1,800 square foot expansion of the museum that's underway, provided us with some background about the exhibits that remain accessible during construction.
It might have been a bit disappointing that some items are not displayed during construction, but Cynthia's enthusiasm -- and the remaining availability of many artifacts and photographs -- enticed us to explore the rooms that are still open. And it simply motivated us to plan a return visit after the addition is completed this fall.
It might have been a bit disappointing that some items are not displayed during construction, but Cynthia's enthusiasm -- and the remaining availability of many artifacts and photographs -- enticed us to explore the rooms that are still open. And it simply motivated us to plan a return visit after the addition is completed this fall.
"We're hoping construction will be completed and we can show off the facility by the time of the Heritage Roundup in September," Conch told us. The addition includes a conference room and break room that will help make the museum an even more viable facility.
Like Belle Fourche in Dakota Territory, Moorcroft became an important Wyoming trailhead for shipping cattle in the late 1800's. Of course, there're no remnants of the old depot on the south side of town, but the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy (CB&Q) line was certainly a conduit for prosperity during the late 1800's and early 1900's.
The museum offers lots of histories of Crook County pioneer families and railroad memorabilia, and it also boasts a wide array of quilts, sewing machines, and embroidery work. Perhaps our wives should have been along, too!
Ranching displays highlighted western saddles and tack collected from the surrounding area, including items from "Mr. Mustang," Bob Brislawn.
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| Chicago, Burlington & Quincy depot in Moorcroft |
Most of the railroad items are still inaccessible, but we were surprised and pleased to be able to pore over a collection of American Indian artifacts and tools. There's also an impressive collection of household and personal items from the Helen Robinson Zimmerscheid Collection -- and even more for the Robinson Mercantile store owned by early-day merchant L. H. Robinson.
We've assembled a fair number of photographs taken while ambling through the museum, and you'll find them in our West Texas Trail Museum gallery.
Admission to the West Texas Trail Museum is free, and they're open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Friday. We found their slogan, "A little bit of everything…..A whole lot of history…" to be true. When their expansion is complete this fall, we anticipate finding even more!
Admission to the West Texas Trail Museum is free, and they're open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Friday. We found their slogan, "A little bit of everything…..A whole lot of history…" to be true. When their expansion is complete this fall, we anticipate finding even more!
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