JavaScript is disabled
Our website requires JavaScript to function properly. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser settings before proceeding.
That's good. I've been there twice [2 days both times] and thought it was tedious. Just massive displays of guns with minimal information about their history, use and unique features. The basement where most of the collection is stored was even worse. I like historical museums of all types, and am always disappointed if the displays have minimal information, because I'm the kind of guy that reads every label.

The article is from NPR so I don't expect it to be an even-handed account of how that particular part of the museum campus has changed, so I'll wait until I'm there the next time to decide whether it is an improvement or bust.
 
No big surprise...

I foresee the next couple of years we will face a massive defection among those we may have assumed to be allies... More and more will come out against "assault rifles", etc.... Gun culture has been systematically targeted and attacked on all levels for years.... this will be the next and possibly final step.

Formerly safe legislators will come out and virtue signal over gun rights, but no one needs ___________ .... wait and see.
 
Typical one-sided, biased NPR "journalism", written, as is their wont, in a way to give their readers the story they believe the readers want to hear. The "journalist" is in a firearms museum and can't be bothered to get the opinion of one single firearms enthusiast to balance the story?

And what a really stupid, eye-roll worthy quote at the end:
"I'm not into killing things. There's no reason to have a gun unless you're going to try to kill something," he said.
Possibly one of the most common examples of firearms usage, even when they're locked-up in a safe, is a passive one: it's called deterrence.
 
Last Edited:
I visited Cody years ago seeking to increase my knowledge about the firearms of the Fur Trade era. I went in and wandered around and left feeling disappointed after about 30 minutes. This destination was at the end of a 4 hour pilgrimage to get there. Yes, there were numbers of weapons to view and I recall a couple of actual historic ones on display then. What concerned me was that there seemed to be no "context" for the displays. Precious little in the way of recorded history was associated with the firearms. I drove there to learn and left there to return home and peruse my own history books for useful data. Now I am older and somewhat wiser. Won't be making that trip again.
 
Having been to Cody many times and even shown a rifle or two to some curators there for comparison , I can only say that :

The museum at Cody is huge , the collection is vast and it is a extremely busy place at times.
Being the "Center of the West"...means that they need to showcase many different items , icons , cultures and viewpoints.
It is a tough row to hoe for sure.

While never having my display there....I have had my display at the Museum of the Mountain Man in Pinedale Wy. many times.
The museum there , while not as large as Cody...is worth a trip.
Lots of tourists visit each year...many of them are from overseas and have never seen or held a gun before.
Which in turn means that many have misconceptions of guns , the Fur Trade and the American West.

To be have a display there , to give a lecture on the Fur Trade , the American West or firearms was both an honor and a chore.
An honor , because I enjoy those topics , much like a staving man will enjoy a drumstick at Thanksgiving Dinner...I eat 'em up...LOL
It can be a chore as well ....As I am having what I say , present and do , judged and critiqued by professional historians , fellow gun owners and those who really have no clue.
The need to provide a entertaining , yet informative , but not overwhelming experience , is both fun and challenging.
It is a tough balance to strike and maintain...and one that should always be looked at and improved upon.
Andy
 
Last Edited:
Off topic: Speaking of museums... has anybody been to the Oregon Trail Museum near Baker City recently? It's been many years since I last was there. It's a very informative place, but I'm wondering if they have purged the pioneers use of firearms from the history displayed... like they did when Portland couldn't stand the statue of the pioneer couple that depicted a little boy holding a bible.
 
I visited Cody years ago seeking to increase my knowledge about the firearms of the Fur Trade era. I went in and wandered around and left feeling disappointed after about 30 minutes. This destination was at the end of a 4 hour pilgrimage to get there. Yes, there were numbers of weapons to view and I recall a couple of actual historic ones on display then. What concerned me was that there seemed to be no "context" for the displays. Precious little in the way of recorded history was associated with the firearms. I drove there to learn and left there to return home and peruse my own history books for useful data. Now I am older and somewhat wiser. Won't be making that trip again.

Head over to the Museum of the Fur Trade in Chadron, Nebraska. Ain't been there in a while but the collection is very impressive for a small town and the curators were very friendly and knowledgeable.
 

Upcoming Events

Tillamook Gun & Knife Show
Tillamook, OR
"The Original" Kalispell Gun Show
Kalispell, MT
Teen Rifle 1 Class
Springfield, OR
Kids Firearm Safety 2 Class
Springfield, OR

New Resource Reviews

New Classified Ads

Back Top