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
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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Hole-in-the-Wall Bar
Belly up to the original bar where outlaws from the Hole-in-the-Wall gang once used to visit, including the infamous Butch Cassidy! Though spirits are no longer served to patrons, it is a great place to sit and imagine the sights, sounds and smells that once surrounded this icon from the…
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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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1890 Square Grand Piano
Square pianos are an important part of musical history. They were used by the great pianists of the 18th and 19th centuries as well as the average citizen. In the late 1800s, Square Grands increased in length, from an average of 6′ during the 1830s to 1850s to about 7′…
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Hole-in-the-Wall gang
The Wilcox train robbery was an infamous heist pulled off by the Hole-in-the-Wall gang in 1899 at a remote area in Wyoming. According to William Simpson, grandfather of Senator Al Simpson, Tom Skinner put some of the Wilcox loot in his safe. This included burnt bank notes, coins and gold…
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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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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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