Unfortunately for one of the travelers, last night was kind of a continuation of the travel frustrations of the previous day. We were afflicted with various noises throughout the night that made sleep difficult for Corrie. We endured our next door neighbors gas hot water heater constantly running, that sounded like a jet engine about to flame out; a semi idling outside our RV while they tried to position a trailer; and every now and then sound of freight trains blasting their whistle and rumbling by. Luckily, Dan was able to sleep through all this and rest for today’s drive to North Platte, NE.
Today’s drive was much more relaxed then yesterday’s and we arrived at the RV park in North Platte with plenty of time to enjoy the pool and decompress. Dan happened to notice that was a very big “tourist trap” right next to the RV park called Fort Cody Trading Post, and suggested they check it out!
http://www.fortcody.com/
Yes, it turned out to be your typical tourist trap, but it was also something more. They had your typical touristy things based on “western” theme – kid’s cowboy and Indian outfits, road apples and cow pies, petrified wood, agates, etc. But they also had several displays of Buffalo Bill Cody artifacts from his traveling wild west show. Turns out he lived in North Platte for thirty years and the idea for his traveling show and first “trial runs” were right here in North Platte. In addition, they have a display of 20,000 hand carved figures (some of which are animated) depicting the entire wild west show. Every half hour the animated show comes on and explains the history of the wild west show and the history of this miniature display (we were fortunate to be there on the half hour). Lastly, out back they have some larger items on display including a MUFFLER MAN! For all things muffler man; and the rare Uniroyal Girl, and the rarest of them all – Texaco Man, check out:
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/
Lastly, while reading some of the literature on North Platte we discovered a museum dedicated to the North Platte Canteen that we hope to visit some time in the future. Seems that on 17DEC41 the citizens of town were going to welcome some Nebraska Army personnel traveling via train for deployment to the war. Turns out train had soldiers from Kansas, but the town folks supported the Kansas boys with cookies, cigarettes, coffee, postcards and taking messages for loved ones in the few minutes the train stopped. Rae Wilson, drug store clerk, decided they should do the same for every train with troops stopping in North Platte. On X-mas day 1941 started a volunteer effort that provided small comforts to over six million service personnel, no matter the weather or time of day. The Canteen’s efforts were documented in the New York Times and were the subject of a Charles Kuralt video.
http://npcanteen.net/
Today’s drive was much more relaxed then yesterday’s and we arrived at the RV park in North Platte with plenty of time to enjoy the pool and decompress. Dan happened to notice that was a very big “tourist trap” right next to the RV park called Fort Cody Trading Post, and suggested they check it out!
http://www.fortcody.com/
Yes, it turned out to be your typical tourist trap, but it was also something more. They had your typical touristy things based on “western” theme – kid’s cowboy and Indian outfits, road apples and cow pies, petrified wood, agates, etc. But they also had several displays of Buffalo Bill Cody artifacts from his traveling wild west show. Turns out he lived in North Platte for thirty years and the idea for his traveling show and first “trial runs” were right here in North Platte. In addition, they have a display of 20,000 hand carved figures (some of which are animated) depicting the entire wild west show. Every half hour the animated show comes on and explains the history of the wild west show and the history of this miniature display (we were fortunate to be there on the half hour). Lastly, out back they have some larger items on display including a MUFFLER MAN! For all things muffler man; and the rare Uniroyal Girl, and the rarest of them all – Texaco Man, check out:
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/
Lastly, while reading some of the literature on North Platte we discovered a museum dedicated to the North Platte Canteen that we hope to visit some time in the future. Seems that on 17DEC41 the citizens of town were going to welcome some Nebraska Army personnel traveling via train for deployment to the war. Turns out train had soldiers from Kansas, but the town folks supported the Kansas boys with cookies, cigarettes, coffee, postcards and taking messages for loved ones in the few minutes the train stopped. Rae Wilson, drug store clerk, decided they should do the same for every train with troops stopping in North Platte. On X-mas day 1941 started a volunteer effort that provided small comforts to over six million service personnel, no matter the weather or time of day. The Canteen’s efforts were documented in the New York Times and were the subject of a Charles Kuralt video.
http://npcanteen.net/
Trivia: 1) The photo labeled Oakley, KS, commemorates a competition on between William Cody and William Comstock; what was the competition? 2) What did the winner get? 3) Why does Muffler Man’s left hand point down, and right hand point up? 4) Who was given the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1872, and then taken back in 1916?
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