Eagle-plumed warbonnets, Winchester rifles and frontier-era spurs, chaps and branding irons! The Jim Gatchell Museum, located in Buffalo, Wyoming on the eastern flank of the Bighorn Mountains, has entire collections of such items and artifacts on routine exhibit. Collectively, the museum's holdings, exhibits and programs depict Wyoming and America's frontier history, with particular emphases on Native Americans cultures, frontier military, pioneer cattlemen and settlers of the Powder River - Bozeman Trail Region.

The museum's perm-anent collections consist of some 10,000 objects divided among Native American, Frontier Mili-tary, Powder River Pioneer, Frontier Fire-arms and Early American War sources. These artifacts, weapons, tools, heirlooms and memor-abilia are on exhibit in the museum's 12,000 sq. ft. of floor space in three, small buildings. May through December is the annual open period. Additionally, each year an extensive program of field trips, guided tours, lectures and living history special events are presented. Professional and student use of the museum's collections and resources is routinely high. Graduate students, primarily from western U.S. and Canadian universities, use the museum's resource materials and collections in their thesis and dissertation research. Authors writing on a wide range of American frontier topics, as well as anthropologists and historians, also utilize the museum's holdings. It is, however, individuals, vacationing families and tour groups that make up the majority of the museum's annual visitors.

The uniqueness of the Gatchell museum stems from the true grassroots nature of its origin and continuing development. Jim Gatchell was a pharmacist who came to Wyoming in 1894. He opened a drug store in Buffalo in May of 1900 and that facility became a landmark in the community and region for more than 50 years. Gatchell was an instinctive and avid historian who became personally acquainted with many famous and colorful characters from the Bighorn Mountain - Powder River - Bozeman Trail Basin frontier area. These individuals shared with Gatchell their firsthand experiences in the Indian wars, the development of cattle ranching and the pioneer settlement of the region. Gatchell also developed a special relationship with the Plains Indians of northern Wyoming and southern Montana. He learned to speak the Sioux language and, through the use of sign language, was able to communicate with the other Indian tribes as well. The Northern Cheyenne, in particular, regarded him as a valued friend and great "Medicine Man" and they routinely came to him for help with their ailments. All of the Indians of the region trusted and respected Gatchell. To show their appreciation, they sometimes brought him rare gifts, some of which are their cherished possessions. These became part of his developing collections of frontier weapons, hardware and artifacts. For many years Gatchell displayed these items on the walls in his Drug Store - the earliest beginnings of the Gatchell Museum.

Gatchell died in 1954 and shortly thereafter his descendents presented his collections to Johnson County for which Buffalo is the County Seat. Clearly, the Gatchell collections were true 'grassroot' collections in that they were derived directly from their host region. What occurred next was a movement to deal with the newly acquired materials. The area's residents raised funds for the construction of a museum building and the County provided the land. In 1957 the Jim Gatchell museum of the West was formally opened to the general public!

Thus, for four decades, 1950's-1990's, the residents of Johnson County, Wyoming, and their friends and supporters throughout the state and nation, have built, maintained and nurtured the Gatchell Museum. It has grown into an excellent museum of the Frontier West for this region. Museums, in general, are clearly one of our most effective facilities for the preservation and transfer of our nation's culture and heritage. In that sense, the Gatchell Museum is truly a national treasure. An enormous amount of professional and volunteer effort is devoted each year to continual museum improvement and to operations and programs that serve the public.

The Museum can be contacted by mail at P. O. Box 596, Buffalo, Wyoming 82834, by telephone (307) 684-9331, by e-mail Jmuseum@trib.com or by fax (307) 684-0354. You and your requests are always welcome by a staff that enjoys sharing the Powder River history and heritage. Come visit the home of Jim Gatchell, Red Cloud, Crazy Horse, the Bozeman Trail Forts and the 1892 Johnson County Cattle War.

Silver Dishes and Golden Memories
Frontier Rifles - 1860 to 1894

Native American Collections

Wyoming Pioneer