Pioneer Museum and Cowfish

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Fremont County Pioneer Museum, L:ander, Wyoming.  
 
Fremont County Pioneer Museum in Lander, Wyoming.

 I slept in a bit this morning, then Connie and I went for breakfast. Holiday Inn omelettes. Okay, not great, but close to hand. We read a bit and the went to the Fremont County Pioneer Museum. The museum covers the history of the county, with a heavy emphasis on Lander. 

One of the first displays is, arguably, the most striking. The skull of Harvey Morgan, who died along with two companions in an 1870 Indian attack. Poor Harvey likely died instantly as a queen pin, which looks like a spike with a hammer head at the opposite end, was beaten through his skull, after being scalped, of course.

 

Harvey Morgan display at the Fremont County Pioneer Museum, Lander, Wyoming. 
 
Harvey Morgan's skull, with queen pin, on display.

I would argue Harvey got off a bit easy. Rufus Barr, one of his companions was found scalped, with his head placed beneath one of the wheels of their wagon. His body was found with finger scratches in the soil about him. He died a slow, agonizing death. Poor Harvey, indeed!

 

 
 
Text panel for the Harvey Morgan display (enlarge to read).
 
 
There was a small display and text about Esther Hobart Morris, the first female Justice of the Peace in the US. Naturally, the display included a pretty pink lamp and a sewing machine, because, well of course a woman would have a sewing machine in her office.
 
 
Esther Hobart Morris display in the Fremont County Pioneer Museum, Lander Wyoming. 
 
Esther Hobart Morris's combination judicial office/sewing room.
 
The museum has an outdoor collection of buildings from Lander and the surrounding area. Most of them are staged to look like homes or businesses and most allow visitors to step inside.  I really liked this sign in the Livery building:
 
  
 
Fremont Cafe sign in the livery building.
 
 
Historic buildings at the Fremont County Pioneer Muesum, Lander, Wyoming. 
 
Historic buildings at the Pioneer Museum.
 
We wandered around the museum for a couple of hours, then took off for lunch. We came back later and finished our tour and then returned to the room for a couple of hours before dinner.
 
I worked on the computer and Connie read and did a little computer work. I sneaked a in short snooze and then we were off to dinner at Cowfish. 
 
We made a quick stop at Safeway to check a couple of prices and then headed back to the hotel: reading, chatting, and off to bed a little early: in the morning, we need to get up and about, buy groceries for the weekend, and attend a training event at 9:00. Its going to be a rushed morning.

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