Wyoming
Art, History & Archaeology Sites & Museums
As well as including parts of the Black Hills and Rocky Mountains, the western state of Wyoming is known for its broad open plains. It is also one of three states in which can be found part of the Yellowstone National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At the time of European contact, it was home to indigenous groups like the Shoshone, Arapaho, Crow, Cheyenne, and Dakota, with the name ‘Wyoming’ deriving from a Dakota word meaning ‘land of vast plains’. European fur traders were operating here in the early 19th century, after which it opened up to routes for migrants heading further west. In 1890 it gained statehood, with its state constitution being the first in the country to allow women the right to vote and hold public office.
Archaeology & History Sites in Wyoming
Vore Buffalo Jump
One of the most important archaeological sites in Wyoming, the Vore Buffalo Jump in Crook County is a natural sinkhole. It was into this sinkhole that Plains Natives would chase herds of buffalo, resulting in large numbers tumbling to their death, where their meat could be harvested. The site was used in this manner between the 16th and 18th centuries. Excavation took place in the 1970s. A visitor’s centre provides further information.
Museums & Art Galleries in Wyoming
Buffalo Bill Center of the West
A complex of five separate museums in Cody, the Buffalo Bill Center of the West started life in 1917 to commemorate the work of the showman Buffalo Bill. A museum devoted to Bill is found at the Center, alongside four others focusing on firearms, natural history, art from the western states, and the Native American communities of the Plains. An extensive archive library is also present at the Center, of use to historical researchers.
