Meeteetse Stories

In this episode, we'll explore the myth that women were not in business before the mid- to late-20th century. Meeteetse's own Sylvia Mikkelson and Mary Corbett help us tell this story locally while we contextualize it through interviews with Drs. Susan Ingalls Lewis and Susan Yohn. Dr. Susan Ingalls Lewis is a Professor Emerita in History at State University of New York (SUNY) New Paltz and author of Unexceptional Women and Girls to the Rescue. Dr. Susan Yohn studies women and gender in modern America and author of A Contest of Faiths: Missionary Women and Pluralism in the American Southwest. For more information on Mary Corbett and Sylvia Mikkelson, mentioned in this episode, read our blog posts! Please note, in the episode, we mistakenly state that Mary Corbett did not have children. While she did not have children with John Corbett, she did have children. We will update the episode to reflect this as soon as we are able. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/meeteetse-museums/support

In this episode, we explore the industry of transportation and its role in the success of Meeteetse. Tom Davis of Cody was generous to provide much of the research about the early mail and stage routes in the area (visit our blog for these). We also speak to Michael R. Grauer, McCasland Chair of Cowboy Culture and Curator of Cowboy Collections and Western Art and Cheryl Mullenbach, author of Stagecoach Women. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/meeteetse-museums/support

Explore the mystery of Meeteetse's Iron Creek Foundry which is said to have manufactured bricks for the First National Bank (now the Bank Museum) and likely other buildings in town including the Weller or Overland Hotel. We learn from Rachel Whitlow and James Mauch about brick making and the geological processes that made Iron Creek a good spot to make brick and explore historical newspapers in the search for Meeteetse's brickmaker. Rachel is the Executive Director at the Haverstraw Brick Museum in New York (www.haverstrawbrickmuseum.org) and James is a geologist at the Wyoming State Geological Survey. For more information on the mystery of the Iron Creek brickworks, read our blog post: https://meeteetsemuseums.org/the-mystery-of-the-iron-creek-brickworks/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/meeteetse-museums/support

This season of "Meeteetse Stories" explores a sampling of the trades and industries of early Meeteetse. The blacksmith shop was the first building in Meeteetse so it seems fitting to kick this season off with learning about blacksmithing! We'll speak to Alex Pole and Ken Schwarz to learn about blacksmithing and Kelsey Kehoe to learn about the geology of coal in the area. Alex Pole is the owner of The Forge and author of "Blacksmith: Apprentice to Master" and "The Forge Kitchen." You can find him at www.alexpoleironwork.com. Ken is the master blacksmith at the blacksmith shop in Colonial Williamsburg (www.colonialwilliamsburg.org). Kelsey is a geologist at the Wyoming State Geological Survey (www.wsgs.wyo.gov). For more information on Meeteetse's early blacksmiths read our blog post here: https://meeteetsemuseums.org/early-history-of-the-meeteetse-blacksmith-shop/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/meeteetse-museums/support

Thank you for listening to this season of "Meeteetse Stories"! If you would like to see more podcast content or help fund the Bison of the Bighorn Basin project, please consider donating to the Meeteetse Museums through our website.Mentioned in this EpisodeDirectory to bison bone terms, courtesy of GRSLE ArchaeologyKen Burns Documentary: https://kenburns.com/films/the-american-buffalo/Special GuestsDr. Kenneth CannonWebsite: https://cannonheritage.com/Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kenneth_CannonEmail: ken@cannonheritage.com Dr. Jeff MartinWebsite: https://bisonjeff.weebly.com/Center of Excellence for Bison Studies: https://www.sdstate.edu/directory/jeff-martinResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jeff_Martin5Email: Jeff.Martin@sdstate.edu Jason BaldesArticles written for the National Wildlife Federation: https://blog.nwf.org/authors/jason-baldes/Articles for more information: https://wyomingwildlife.org/baldes-bison-what-the-return-of-buffalo-means-to-native-peoples/https://woc.aises.org/content/jason-baldes-eastern-shoshone-wind-river-native-advocacy-center-executive-directorhttps://www.montana.edu/news/mountainsandminds/19345/the-descendantsEmail: baldesj@nwf.org Dr. Lawrence ToddWebsite: http://grslearchaeology.org/ Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Lawrence_Todd Dr. Chris WidgaWebsite: https://www.etmnh.org/about/directory/chris-widgaResearch Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Chris_Widga Email: widgac@etsu.edu --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/meeteetse-museums/support

Note: Strontium analysis is another stable isotope system which looks at the geographic distribution of 87Sr/86Sr ratios in surface sediments to reconstruct mobility across a Sr "isoscape". Stable isotope analysis refers to oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen, but for ease of speech in this episode we've grouped them all together under "stable isotope analysis". Wyoming's Archaeology Awareness Month websiteMeeteetse Museums' Bison of the Bighorn Basin Project Update (February 2021)Skinner and Kaisen measurements used in the study can be found here starting on page 144 Donate to the Meeteetse Museums Bison of the Bighorn Basin Project: https://meeteetsemuseums.org/donate-to-meeteetse-museums/ Archaeology and Wildlife Management: "What the Past Can Provide: Contribution of Prehistoric Bison Studies to Modern Bison Management" by Kenneth P. Cannon"The Use of Natural History Collections to Inform Baseline Ecological Conditions: Case Studies from Paleontology, Archaeology, and Historical Zoology" by Chris Widga et alFish and Wildlife Service 2011 poster on archaeology and wildlife management Gilbert Peak Bison: "'They Went as High as They Choose': What an Isolated Skull Can Tell Us About the Biogeography of High-Altitude Bison" by Kenneth P. Cannon Stable Isotope Analysis: “Middle Holocene Bison Diet and Mobility in the Eastern Great Plains (USA) Based on ?13C, ?18O, and 87Sr/86Sr analyses of tooth enamel carbonate” by Chris Widga, J. Douglas Walker, and Lisa Stockli can be found hereFor more information on bison locally: Dr. Ken Cannon's 2020 presentation on Bison in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

Bison Bone terminology can be found here thanks to GRSLE Archaeology Mass Kill Sites Vore Site: Vore Buffalo Jump websiteWyoHistory entry on the Vore Buffalo Jump UWYO Extension Office tour of Vore Buffalo Jump Visit Vore Buffalo Jump through this 3D model Horner Site: "The Horner Site: Taphonomy of an Early Holocene Bison Bonebed" PhD Thesis by Dr. Lawrence Todd "The Ecology of Early Holocene Bison in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, Wyoming: Preliminary Results from the Horner Site" by Kenneth P. Cannon, S.H. Hughes, and C. SimpsonWyoming State Historic Preservation Office entry on the Horner Site "The Horner Site: The Type Site of the Cody Cultural Complex" edited by George C Frison and Lawrence C Todd can be found through the Wyoming Public Libraries More information on Mass Kill/Jump Sites: "Imagining Head-Smashed-In: Aboriginal Buffalo Hunting on the Northern Plains" by Jack W. Brink can be found through Legends Bookstore here Bison at the End of the 19th Century: Fish and Wildlife Service timeline of the American Bison"'Kill Every Buffalo You Can! Every Buffalo Dead is an Indian Gone' The American bison is the New U.S. National Mammal, But its Slaughter Was Once Seen as a Way to Starve Native Americans into Submission" by J. Weston Phippen"Where the Buffalo No Longer Roamed: The Transcontinental Railroad Connected East and West- and Accelerated the Destruction of What Had Been in the Center of North America" by Gilbert King, the Smithsonian Magazine --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/meeteetse-museums/support

Restoration of bison to tribal lands: “Restoring Bison to Tribal Lands” The National Wildlife Federation article can be found here “Boy-zshan Bi-den (Buffalo Return)” short film on YouTube Cattle Genetics: American Beefalo Association Website Beefalo writeup by Oklahoma State University Ecological Integrity:Video on ecological integrity and public lands, mostly as pertaining to waterways"Measuring Ecological Integrity: History, Practical Applications, and Research Opportunities" by Zachary Wurtzebach and Courtney SchultzBison as a Keystone Species:Bison as a Keystone Species webpage by the Ohio Wesleyan UniversityAmerican Prairie blog entry on "Moving Bison" and their role in the ecosystem"The Keystone Role of Bison in North American Tallgrass Prairie" by Knapp et al"Wildlife that Depend on Bison" by Abby Barber, National Wildlife Federation“Theodore Roosevelt & Bison Restoration on the Great Plains” By Keith Aune & Glenn Plumb, not available through the Park County Library System, but available through Legends Bookstore

Links to papers and topics mentioned in the podcast: La Brea Tar Pits website Dr. Martin's 2018 paper “Bison Body Size and Climate Change” can be found here. Dr. Jeff Martin presentation on thermoregulation can be watched here. Dr. Martin's research on 19 bison herds from Saskatchewan to Texas is detailed in the paper "Thermal Biology and Growth of Bison (Bison bison) Along the Great Plains: Examining Four Theories of Endotherm Body Size" by Jeff M. Martin and Perry Barboza Horner Site "The Horner Site: Taphonomy of an Early Holocene Bison Bonebed" Ph.D. Thesis of Dr. Lawrence Todd "The Ecology of Early Holocene Bison in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, Wyoming: Preliminary Results from the Horner Site" by Kenneth P. Cannon, S.H. Hughes, and C. Simpson Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office listing on the Horner Site "The Horner Site: The Type Site of the Cody Cultural Complex" edited by George C. Frison and Lawrence C. Todd can be found through the Wyoming Library here Additional Resources More reading on bison body size:

Dr. Jeff Martin's work with Grand Canyon/Colorado Plateau bison"Late Pleistocene and Holocene Bison of the Colorado Plateau" by Jeff M. Martin, Rachel A. Short, and Jim I. Mead "Reevaluation of Bison Remains from the Greater Grand Canyon Region and the Colorado Plateau: Native or Non-Native?" by Jeff M. Martin and Jim I. Mead "Late Pleistocene and Holocene Bison of Grand Canyon and Colorado Plateau: Implications from the Use of Paleobiology for Natural Resource Management Policy" Master's Thesis by Jeff M. Martin Conservation in the Late 19th Century "The Extermination of the American Bison" by William T. HornadayBuffalo Bill's work to save bison "How William F. Cody Helped Save the Buffalo Without Really Trying" by David Nesheim "Buffalo Bill and the Fight to Save Yellowstone's Wildlife" by Jeremy Johnston, Buffalo Bill Center of the West"How Buffalo Bill Got His Name" by the Park County Travel Council Charles Jesse “Buffalo” Jones National Buffalo Foundation's Hall of Fame honorees, Charles Jess "Buffalo" Jones US Army Guarding Bison in Yellowstone National Park YouTube video on the US Army's presence in Yellowstone National Park North American Model Fish and Wildlife Service: North American Model of Wildlife Conservation For more information on John Muir:Exhibit by the Sierra Club on John Muir"John Muir's Yosemite" by Terry Perrottet, Smithsonian MagazinePBS Biography of Joh --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/meeteetse-museums/support

Earlier in the first season of this podcast, we learned about Meeteetse's veterans who fought during the "Indian Wars". When those veterans retired to Meeteetse, they lived side-by-side with the people they had been fighting against. In this episode, we take a deep-dive into a history not often spoken about: Native American military service in the United States. We speak with Dr. William Meadows, a cultural anthropologist who has spent much of his career learning about Native American military veterans through field work, and Dr. Jeff Means, an enrolled Member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and veteran of the US Marine Corps. Meeteetse's Native American veterans include Louis E Allard, Fredrick Bernard, John Frost, Delbert Garthwaite, and Marion Barnhart.