Crafted in Cody Yellowstone: Western Flair Shines Through in Local Products
CODY, Wyo., April 25, 2024 – From sweets and meats to brews and heirloom furniture, visitors to the tiny town of Cody (population, 10,000ish) will discover big-city level quality and an abundance of choices among the makers in town.
While some products such as the Western design found in the functional art at By Western Hands Museum & Gallery showcase this classic town’s heritage, others such as the hand-made truffles at Meeteetse Chocolatier reflect the can-and-will-do attitude of local entrepreneurs.
“Our Western authenticity shines through in our small manufacturing facilities and retail outlets,” said Ryan Hauck, executive director of Cody Yellowstone, the marketing arm for the region that includes the towns of Cody, Powell and Meeteetse, a large swath of the Shoshone National Forest and about half of Yellowstone National Park. “Our visitors are often surprised at the wide range of products and keepsakes available here.”
For example:
Furniture and functional art
By Western Hands Museum & Gallery is a non-profit artisan guild that showcases Western design and functional art and includes galleries and workshop space. Designer Thomas Molesworth’s Shoshone Furniture Company popularized a Western design style that incorporated local materials such as gnarled pine, Rocky Mountain juniper and leather that resulted in distinctive chairs, couches and other pieces of furniture. That influence is still felt around town with numerous furniture makers creating high-quality items including chandeliers made of elk antlers, desks and beds constructed of lodgepole pine and boxes featuring inlaid wood and minerals.
By Western Hands displays and sells creations from in-town and regional artisans in a central location that is worthy of a visit, even for those who do not make a purchase.
Sweets
Queen Bee Gardens is a fifth-generation family of beekeepers with a passion for candy. Items available at its locations in Cody and Powell include honey caramels, English toffee and other selections.
Cowtown Candy Company is Northwest Wyoming’s largest candy store and is located in downtown Cody. The store also offers items such as Cowtown Crunch, with fudge, hand-dipped truffles, candy-coated popcorn, a University of Wyoming licensed Wyoming logo chocolate bar, milk chocolate cowboy boots and a white chocolate cowboy hat.
The Meeteetse Chocolatier started out as a way for rodeo rider Tim Kellog to raise funds for a new saddle turned into a popular business. Visitors love his mouth-watering truffles, treats, cakes and desserts. The shop sells and ships seasonal treats like candy cane bark and egg nog truffles as well as custom truffles such as Bailey’s Irish Cream truffles and jalapeno truffles.
Meat, Grain and Alpaca Products
In 2013 Wyoming Gourmet Beef built the first USDA processing plant in Wyoming. It offers delicious, source-verified beef snacks that are hand-cut and hand-packaged. The store sells a variety of seasonal items and gift packs.
Wyoming Buffalo Company offers the highest-quality hickory smoked bison, venison summer sausage and salami as well as an assortment of huckleberry, chokecherry, mooseberry and buffaloberry products. There is also a selection of gift packs such as Buffalo Bill’s Wild Western Sampler – with six different kinds of sausage, barbecue sauce, cheese, cow pies and mustard – and the Wild West Spice Basket, with Wyoming-made spice blends.
Wyoming Heritage Grains in Powell is a family-owned and operated farm in that raises beef cattle and alfalfa hay. The farmland once belonged to Buffalo Bill Cody. The store sells a variety of grain products like White Sonora Buttermilk Pancake Mix and Homestead Series Hot Cereal.
Arrowhead Alpacas in Powell offers a variety of hand-made products such as socks, hats, oven mitts and table runners made from the fiber of the alpacas raised at the on-site farm. Products can be mail-ordered or purchased at the farm’s on-site store.
Leather
Seidel’s Saddlery is operated by saddle maker and leather craftsman Keith Seidel who builds functional art pieces that include saddles, briefcases, desk accessories, belts, gun leather and other specialty items.
Mercury Leather Works in Cody is a small custom leather shop specializing in boots, belts, saddles and other items.
Art
The region is full of artists involved in an array of media. Cody Country Art League is a favorite stop to see many works with pottery, photography, mosaics, jewelry and other artwork crafted by more than 200 artists.
Open Range Images in Cody is a fine art photography gallery made up of 13 local photographers. Their works represent surrounding wildlife, Yellowstone and the old West.
Beer
While craft breweries are found all over the country, only Cody was named the winner of USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards, this time for “Best Small Town Beer Scene.” The town’s burgeoning beer scene prompted the creation of the popular Sippin’ Trail, a trail with stops at the town’s various libation locations. Visitors who download the free app can earn prizes along the way. The trail includes not only the town’s breweries but also some of the town’s popular restaurants and saloons.
Pat’s Brew House, Home of Pat O’Hara Brewing Co., is Wyoming’s only woman-owned and operated brewery featuring a variety of ale-style beers. Its creative food menu, which is changed four times a year, includes offerings such as Chicken Lollipops and a Southwest Grain Bowl as well as two perennial menu favorites: Fish and Chips and Irish Egg Rolls.
WyOld West Brewing Company serves up some 12 different beers with plans for many more.
Beer at Cody Craft Brewing is brewed onsite using the freshest and highest-quality ingredients such as barley from within Park County, one of the world’s leading sources of the grain. New beers are constantly being introduced.
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Home of the Great American Adventure, Cody Yellowstone is comprised of the northwestern Wyoming towns of Cody, Powell and Meeteetse as well as areas inside of Yellowstone National Park and the valley east of the entrance. The region is known for rodeos, authentic guest and dude ranches, world-class museums and recreational adventures that reflect the adventurous spirit of the visionaries and explorers who brought the remote region to the world’s attention.
Related hashtags:
#CodyYellowstone
#WildWatch
#CodyWyoming
#CenteroftheWest
#BuffaloBill
#Yellowstone
#ThatsWY
#OutsideYellowstone
Media contact:
Mesereau Travel Public Relations
720-284-1512
