August 21, 2000

Excuse our dust!
Construction on the highway in front of the building has made access somewhat difficult this summer. If you're coming to visit, we expect construction to continue for several more weeks. But we are open! You may have to go around the block, but it's worth the trouble!

Fire on the mountain
We've had many concerned inquiries about the fires near Thermopolis. The fires were sparked by dry lightning and this year's terrible drought conditions. We were very lucky to have such dedicated people working to keep the fires at Blondie Pass, Kate's Basin and Wind River Canyon out of the basin and away from town. At one point, 750 people battled the flames. We were saddened that James Burnett, a firefighter with the Oklahoma Department of Forestry, died in the blaze, and his partner was severely injured. They were trapped when wind shifted and blocked their vehicle. Before it was put out, the blaze covered 137,000 acres, including ranchland pasture on the Wind River Indian Reservation. Some outbuildings and cattle were also lost. You can read about it at http://www.katesbasin.com. Thanks for your concern!

In the Old West Wax Museum...
We are in the process of redoing interpretive displays. New visual materials include expanded artwork, more early-day newspapers and newspaper etchings. We are especially proud of the new shadowbox collages which were a collaboration of several local artists, including Angie Gerharter and Robin Mischke. There are shadowboxes on Sacagawea, Indian dolls, Indian boys' pastimes and a history of gambling chips. If you want to know what it was like to carry a baby in a cradleboard, Angie Gerharter has created "Sage," a 10-pound baby in a wood cradleboard, which you can actually try carrying.
Coming soon: A life-mask of Abraham Lincoln. A copy of the mask can be seen in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Our copy was made from the original taken while Lincoln was still alive.

In the Teddy Bear Den:

We have expanded the Australian display to include two bears by Stacey Hodge, Raggedy Bear, Newburyport, Massachusetts. These are "The Storyteller" and "Yolngu," both fashioned after Australian aborigines. Yolngu is painted with aborigine dreamtime symbols.
We have also received several other bears for the English monarchs display. Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII were made and costumed by Judith Ball, Sweet Williams' Teddy Bears, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. Henry VIII was fashioned after the famous portrait by Hans Holbein. The Queen's Guard was made and costumed by Gary Nett, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Also in the display is Sister Mary Ursula, by John Hoy, Joel's Bears, Mission, Kansas, is costumed as a nun of the Benedictine order. Coming soon: Young Queen Elizabeth by Francisco Carreno, Stewart & Steiner, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The costumes in this particular display are worth seeing, if you have any interest in historical textiles, costuming, theater/drama or history (and teddy bears, of course).

In Quilting Bee Textile Studio:
We still have a number of looms that are not up yet. We are making some progress, but it is slower than we would like! We have a wonderful display of handspun and natural-dyed wool from Vernice Myers, Cody. Vernice is well known to weavers in the state.