INDEX:

Educator's Newsletter Sept.-Oct. 2000

For More Information on Exhibits:

*Find more in-depth information on Dime Novels & Penny Dreadfuls

*Read an interview with Eric Kay on Grandpa's Horses

*Student Contest: Decorate a Tipi - with entry form

Please note: Due to differences in hardware and software, we provide the newsletter currently in hard copy and in a text format only on the internet. The following is text format.

IN THIS ISSUE:

*New Museum Displays

*Following the Mountain Men: The 1989 Canoe Voyage from Riverton to St. Louis led by Allan Maybee, Riverton educator

*Who Was William Ashley?

*Student Contest: Decorate a Tipi

*Student Works on Display

*In the Gallery: Dime Novels & Penny Dreadfuls; Grandpa's Horses

*In Quilting Bee Textile Studio

*In the Teddy Bear Den

*What We Offer

Thirty new interpretive displays have been installed in the wax museum. The displays combine historical materials, arts, photography and artifacts.

New diorama/display:

* The New Frontier 1810 - A 40-foot diorama backdrop for the scene was painted by Barry Lee, Torrington.

 

New interpretive materials:

* Mapping the New World

* Native American Families on the Plains

* Lewis & Clark & Sacagawea

* Pony Express

* Gambling: Frontier Pastime

* Mormon Trail

* American Bison on the Plains

 

New artifacts:

* Abraham Lincoln life mask (replica, as seen in the Smithsonian).

* Toys for Indian children (historical collages)

* Wood cradle board replica with 10-pound "baby" - try it on and see what it feels like!

 

Coming soon:

New interpretive materials on mountain men and early explorers.

Ever wonder what it was really like to survive in the early West? Ask Allan Maybee, Riverton educator/counselor. On May 27, 1989, Maybee and a crew of four men and two women, set out from Riverton in a 27-foot six-man Voyageur canoe. They headed to St. Louis to re-enact a 2600-mile trip made in 1825 by fur trader William Ashley.

They arrived in St. Louis August 10, after 72 days of hard rowing and surviving much the same conditions faced by mountain men.

 

See the Video - Meet the People!

Maybee will present a multimedia program on the journey at 1:30, Sept. 15. Crew members will attend, including Roger Melton, math professor, Central Wyoming college, who served as first mate. The crew will answer questions after the presentation.

 

Canoe on Display

The Voyageur canoe used to re-enact Ashley's trip is the centerpiece of new display in the wax museum and is on permanent loan. Our thanks to Allan Maybee, Riverton.

Quick Facts:

 

Who Was William Ashley?

William Ashley was one of the most important early fur traders. He formed the Rocky Mountain Fur Company in 1822 and recruited young men as hunters and trappers, including many who would later become legends -- Jedediah Smith, Jim Bridger, Cherokee-black Edward Rose, Thomas Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick and a trapping party found their way into the Wind River Country and discovered "South Pass", a passageway through the Rockies. Ashley is considered the father of the "rendezvous system", with trappers working specific regions during the winter and gathering at a designated spot once a year to turn in the furs, get new supplies and meet with others for the latest news and a little fun.

Plains Indians tipis were first made of buffalo hide and later of canvas. They were decorated with Native American symbols that represented guardian spirits, personal status or told stories. The new display on early Native Americans includes a plain unpainted canvas tipi.

 

Art/writing contest!!

Help design the tipi decorations. Submit your students' best designs. Each student must explain what the design means (100 words, more or less). You may submit individual entries or one entry from a class. Winners will be announced December 1.

 

Categories: Grade school, middle school, high school

Prizes: First prize $25 gift certificate at museum shop.

Print entry form at www.westwaxmuseum.com

September 15: Buffalo Bill Boycott (Bear Paw Records),

The American West in Song & Story, 7 p.m.

Tickets: adults $4; age 12 & under $2

September 16: Second Annual FolkFest

10 a.m.-3 p.m.: Demonstrations, activities, music, storytelling.

10:45-11:45: Pete Davis, Riverton, cowboy poet

noon-1 p.m.: Paul Beck, recording artist, Red Lodge, Mont.

1:30 p.m.: Following the Mountain Men, Allan Maybee and Voyageur Cruiser, multimedia presentation

During our first year, several school classes and groups provided materials for display in the museum. A special project can be a great experience for students. They can learn more about a subject or develop or improve a skill. They can better understand involvement with the community and philanthropy. In student displays, the group/class and teacher are identified, and we welcome pictures of the students to post with the display. The following groups provided display materials this year.

 

*Douglas Middle School, Douglas: State of Wyoming, 4x4 foot three-dimensional fired hand-thrown tiles. Emily Jensen, teacher.

 

*Jefferson Elementary School, River ton: Rag Coat - paper-pieced quilt/coat, fifth grade class, on loan from The Storyteller, Thermopolis.

 

*Hot Springs County High School, Speech Club: Audio tape of interpretive displays for visually handicapped. Eric Kay, teacher.

 

*Hot Springs County High School family & consumer sciences class; Quilt project. Margie Jackson, teacher

 

*Lucerne Middle School: Expedition Yellowstone quilt. Kathy Hammond, teacher.

 

Looking for an idea for a class/group project?

We are looking for school classes or organizations for several projects. These may involve art, photography, history, writing skills, social studies, natural history, science, folk culture/arts.

Arts: Puppet theater, puppets, marionettes (excellent for grade school).

Geography: Series of photographs representing different ecosystems within state (i.e., high plains, sagebrush desert, high mountain ranges). This can be a multi-school project.

 

Want to discuss an idea for a project?

If you have an idea for a project, please contact Ellen Sue Blakey, ellensb@trib.com.

Dime Novels & Penny Dreadfuls

Before the comic book, "dime novels" - with their colorful cover art - satisfied young readers' thirst for adventure, intrigue and mystery. Examples, along with a history of their development are on display.

 

Dime novels were first printed in the 1860s when American cities filled up with poor immigrants from Europe. From 1880 to 1916, dime novels set the tone for the times - hard work, honesty, and violence only when necessary. They set up the standard situations and characters used in early radio programs, movies and novels - from mystery and spy stories to Westerns, including Buffalo Bill.

 

The display was organized by Big Horn Basin Foundation for Dancing Bear Folk Center. It is the first time it has been on display.

 

For the full story: see the news section of our website: http://www.westwaxmuseum.com. For added references, check the teacher's lounge.

 

Grandpa's Horses: Folk Toys of Eric W. Kay

A display of handmade toy wagons, horses, saddles and tack has been loaned to the museum by Eric R. Kay, Thermopolis, grandson of the woodworker. Hay is an English teacher in Hot Springs County High School. His grandfather began modeling trains and toy figures in the 1950s. His work is a good example of traditional folk art - creating something with whatever materials were at hand.

 

Read an interview with Eric Kay in our website news section, http://www.westwaxmuseum.com.

We have received a wonderful color sample board with over 100 samples of hand spun and hand-dyed yarns from Vernice Myers, Cody, a longtime Wyoming weaver.

 

We are in need of additional quilt blocks for the Quilt Block Wall. We currently have about 60 blocks on display. These are a good teaching tool from a historical point of view. Many have names related to historical events, such as "Clay's Choice", "Abe Lincoln's Platform", "Underground Railroad". Single blocks are an excellent project for family & consumer science classes.

The Teddy Bear Den provides a great "jumping-off" spot for creative ideas. Displays include many characters from children's literature (Pooh, Wind in the Willows, Alice in Wonderland). We will be adding more interpretive materials on authors, artists and illustrators this winter

(A.A. Milne, E.H. Shepard, Arthur Rackham, Lewis Carroll).

 

Newly expanded displays:

* "Australian Aboriginal Dreamtime"

* The English Monarchy (with a Henry VIII modeled after the famous Hans Holbein portrait), Anne Boleyn and a young Queen Elizabeth.

 

Coming this winter: American Revolution, Civil War, tribute to Wyoming firefighters.

Old West Wax Museum is dedicated to preserving the folk culture and folk ways of the American West. The 22,000-square-foot complex provides educational trips for all ages and a variety of subject.

 

Guided Tours

(Schedule in advance)

 

* Overview guided tour of all areas (1-2 hours).

* Folk History of the West & Wyoming (wax museum, 1 hour).

* Spinning & Weaving demonstrations.

* Hands-on classes/workshops: 1 hour, 2 hours or half-day. Subjects taught at different levels for grade school, middle school or high school: Weaving without a loom, spinning, quilting, knitting.

 

Coming 2001: Felting, dyeing. Special class fees apply. Contact us for more information.

 

Educational Fees

 

Fees provide entrance to all areas of the complex.

 

School group tour fees (not including classes) are $2 per person. Guides provided at no additional charge for school groups.

Want to know more about us?

 

Old West Wax Museum & Dancing Bear Folk Center

119 S. 6th St.

P.O. Box 71

Thermopolis, Wyoming 82443

Phone: 307 864 9396; Fax: 307 864 9396

 

Check out our web sites:

 

Old West Wax Museum:

http://www.westwaxmuseum.com - westwax@westwaxmuseum.com

Dancing Bear Folk Center:

http://www.dancingbear.org - dancingbear@dancingbear.org

Dime Novels & Penny Dreadfuls (click on title to go to our news story)

Website resources: http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/dp/pennies/test.html - More than you ever wanted to know. Timeline. Self-guided tour. The site is maintained by Stanford University, which has one of the world's largest collections of dime novels.

 

Grandpa's Horses: Folk Toys of Eric Kay

Click on title to go to our news story with an interview with Eric Kay about his grandfather.

Decorate a Tipi!

___ Attached is my artwork for the tipi.

___ Attached is my explanation about the artwork (100 words or less).

My name is (First) ____________ (M.) ____________ (Last) ____________

My school is: __________________________________________________

Town ________________ Grade I am in: ____________ Age: ____________

My teacher's name is: ____________________________________________

My parents' name(s) are: __________________________________________

My home address is: _____________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

Send no later than November 15 to: