Sit Around a Virtual Campfire With Some of the Colorful Characters of Cody Yellowstone
One of our favorite things to do here in Cody Yellowstone is sit around the campfire and tell stories. It’s something that’s just in our nature. And since now isn’t the right to gather everybody around the crackling wood, we thought, why not have a virtual campfire? And, even better, why not invite some of Cody’s most interesting people? People like a world-famous cowboy singer, an avid outdoorsman, and a born cowboy with an unforgettable tale of a mule named Cadillac Jack.
So that’s just what we did.
Cody Yellowstone – the region that includes the authentic Western towns of Cody, Meeteetse and Powell as well as the valley East of Yellowstone – is a story-rich region populated by people who are fiercely independent and abundantly imaginative. And they can’t wait to share their stories with you.
“Traveling to Cody Yellowstone can be a transformative experience, and everyone who comes here leaves with a story,” said Claudia Wade, director of the Park County Travel Council. “Those of us who live and work here have stories too, and even if you can’t hear their stories in person for a while, perhaps they will inspire to visit our wide open spaces and meet our fascinating residents when you can travel once again.”
So throw another log on the virtual fire and settle in for a few amazing stories from Cody’s colorful characters.
The Cowboy Crooner
Cowboy singer Dan Miller, whose summer-season performances of Dan Miller’s Cowboy Music Revue entertain audiences visiting from around the world, lightly strums his guitar will explaining that cowboy music is “storytelling set to music.” The evolution of the cowboy song, he says, “is people sitting around a campfire telling stories of the day. I can picture it…a badly tuned guitar and a harmonica that sound like a symphony” on a starry Wyoming night.
The Legend of Cadillac Jack
Jake Clark looks like someone who has arrived directly from Hollywood central casting to play the role of cowboy — but he’s as authentic as they come. He has spent his entire life roaming the wide open spaces, rugged woods, and canyons of northwestern Wyoming — and he wouldn’t have it any other way. Although his life has been one long adventure, he remembers one time when his mule Cadillac Jack helped save the day after an encounter with a pack of wolves.
Memories of the West
Cody resident Tim Wade has been catching cutthroat trout in Cody Yellowstone for 40 years. Wade fondly recalls a chance encounter with a young and eager angler and his grandfather.
Making Traditions
Unlike Jake Clark, Ashley Hlebinsky is definitely not out of central casting. The self-described city girl who wanted to be a doctor recounts one of her first encounters with the community members at an amicable annual gathering of sport shooters.
The Campfire Continues
Looking for more stories and experiences from your virtual visit to Cody Yellowstone? You’re in luck! The National Park Service offers a variety of online options, including a live webcam of Old Faithful eruptions and virtual visits to points of interest like the descriptively named Fountain Paint Pots.
