Take a stroll down our boardwalk and gaze into a window back into time to see a general store, cobbler shop, millenary shop, dentist office and much more. Artifacts from Hot Springs County’s pioneers are displayed as they were once placed – in a store front rather than in a simple display case. For the braver souls, visit the jail or perhaps take a peek into the Thermopolis Record, one of several newspapers that kept news current in Hot Springs County.
Old Town
Prize Saddle
In 1914, Rufus Rolan won this saddle in the Bare Back Bucking Contest Championship of Montana Miles City Roundup. Nothing more is known about Rufus or how his prize saddle became the property of George Bain, the General Manager of the LU Sheep Company. The saddle was made by the…
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Wild Cat Sam
Some folks reading this may still recall hearing about an early character who went by the name Wild Cat Sam. His real name was Samuel Abernathy (1839-1928), and he spent many years around Thermopolis, Meeteetse and other surrounding areas. He worked in the sheep business, he was a prospector and…
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Hair Wreath
Over 120 years ago, Elizabeth Carlisle Brown tatted this wreath – using human hair! Hair art was often a memorial to a deceased loved one, but this wreath was made from the hair of her daughters, daughter-in-law and granddaughters. To finish the wreath, she also used a bit of horsehair…
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Yellowstone Carriage
Yellowstone Park Transportation Company Stagecoach. The horse-drawn stagecoach was manufactured by Abbott & Downing of Concord, NH. It is signed by J.C. Chessney. Serial #17459. The coach is a flat bottom model with a well. Used in Yellowstone Park until 1914. The Yellowstone Transportation Company ran stage lines into and…
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Spinning Wheel
The spinning wheel was a symbol of the domestic home so it’s no wonder great effort was made to bring this particular one to Thermopolis! Our spinning wheel came from Sweden. It was taken apart and hidden in suitcases and smuggled into the United States about 1850. Spinning wheels are…
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16 Mule Team Johnson
Henry Johnson came to this area (about 1896) just as the new town of Thermopolis was being established. At this time, he started freighting for the local merchants including Martin and McGrath. When the streets of Thermopolis were being measured for the town, Johnson asked that Broadway, be made wide…
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Sheep Wagon
The Sheep Wagon was invented by James Candlish, a blacksmith, in 1884, at Rawlins, Wyoming. It made a snug, compact home that could be easily moved from place to place as the sheep grazed across the range during the years. The wagon displayed here was used for many years in…
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Virginia Bridger Hahn
Virginia Bridger Hahn – the daughter of famed mountain man Jim Bridger – came to live her last days in Thermopolis which had always been dear to her heart. Her father first visited Wyoming in the early 1800s and she cared for him when he went blind by 1875. Today,…
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