Rogues Gallery in Hulett, Wyoming

Hi guys!  In my last post I forgot to mention about going to Hulett, Wyoming, a town right next to Devil's Tower.  It is a very cool 'Old West'-type of town with a single main street lined with buildings that have wooden front porches and the unique western-design flat face for the second story.

While we were there, we went to this place called 'Rogues Gallery'.  It was run by a man called Bob Coronato, an amazing artist who has a part-time hobby of finding and collecting western souvenirs.  He has a fascination with the Old West and has set up this wonderful museum of Native American and cowboy artifacts.

He has become an expert in being able to find real artifacts among all the fake Native American and Old West objects.  Bob even explained to us that sometimes people in Germany and

Czechoslovakia make Native American clothes and blankets to be sold on reservations as 'real' Native American artifacts!  Over the years, Bob has been able to find the best preserved bison cloak which has now been shown at various museums across the world.  Bob has also found various cowboy and Native American guns, bows and arrows from the 1800s, including a rifle that was used at the battle of Little Bighorn (Custer's Last Stand).  Among the Native American clothing that he discovered is a real 'Ghost Dance' shirt, moccasins and head-dresses.  

You can tell that Bob has a good sense of humor because among all the Native American and cowboy artifacts and history he sneaks in funny little pictures, stories and objects.  One of them is an old cowboy nicknamed 'Buck-Tooth Bill' who used his teeth to cut down trees and died from 'chip inhalation'!  Other funny objects are the Great Plains Piranha and the rare  'Hairy Bass' which grows a heavy fur coat in the winter. 

Bob and his museum have so many stories to tell and it was definitely the highlight of our trip to Hulett.  If you are ever in the area, you must go there.