Legend Rock Media

11/17/2024

As a certified historian (I have an actual Bachelors in History!), I love any chance I can get to share history. This story was one I stumbled on by chance. Lonita Bentley stopped by the Thermopolis Musuem to look around and started chatting about her dad.

Subsequently, I spent a few hours with her, learning about this tough guy that found out that driving stage was a more dangerous job than mining for coal!

Her stories about her dad and the newspaper article I found on him are priceless! Enjoy the ride!!!

Coal miner John Hulse discovered that driving a stagecoach in Wyoming was more dangerous than working in the mines. He survived hold-ups, run-away horses…

07/03/2024

From the dusty trails of the Old West to the digital pages of modern literature, fiction has wielded immense power, reshaping perceptions and guiding cultural evolution.

Owen Wister was one such trailblazer.

Prior to 1902, cowboys were seen as rough and rowdy characters but then along came this Harvard tourist to Wyoming. His imagination, fueled by his time in the Cowboy State, helped change the image of the lawless cowboy.

Wister introduced the concept of a "Code of the West" through his characters, emphasizing values such as loyalty, fairness, and respect for others. This code became influential in shaping the idealized image of the cowboy as a principled individual rather than wild hoodlums. Today, many of us in Wyoming still value this "Code of the West" first introduced in a fictionalized account of our state.

Wister used real incidents to write his famous western romance and if you want to hear more, tune in to Pioneers of Outlaw Country! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2031252/15333614-fact-to-fiction-the-real-inspiration-for-the-virginian.mp3?download=true

This series was made possible through a grant from Wyoming Humanities!

07/03/2024

I love my new sign, too! Thank you, Shannon Watts Art and Design

06/30/2024

I was asked to be part of the Hot Springs County W**d & Pest tour. I wasn’t either the pest or w**d - but gave a history talk on the antics of our outlaw founders!

https://open.spotify.com/episode/06PWrOURTmIu3xGBHK8Bbm?si=B4W3sa5LTqSE9HLGLg5tUA (Link to the full story of Ben Hanson, the outlaw founder of Thermopolis!)

It’s exciting to see the progress in the battle against the invasive cheatgrass. We are merely days away from getting approval to use a new chemical that has an 88% success rate!!! It shows the tenacity of our scientists as they cut through the bureaucracy to help our farmers and ranchers.

06/29/2024

When you travel through Medicine Bow - be sure to stop at the hotel that was inspired by most famous western novel of all time: The Virginian! This episode compares Owen Wister's true adventures as a Tenderfoot to his fictionalized version that made him one of the most known authors in the world!

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2031252/15333614

06/29/2024

06/26/2024

One of the highlights of my history adventures is sharing Wyoming’s rich past with others.

Recently, I had the privilege of guiding Author Margaret Coel and her group through a fascinating tour. We kicked off our journey at the mouth of the Wind River Canyon, enjoyed sarsaparillas at the Hole in the Wall bar, relaxed at the Bath House, and wrapped up our tour at One Eyed Buffalo Brewery in downtown Thermopolis. We ended the day in Hudson listening to Father Drew play the drums with the Ridgley brothers in Hudson.

It was a truly memorable experience delving into the wild past of this incredible state and I’m ready to greet the next group! Next tour is the Hog Ranch of the ghost town of Andersonville!

If you have a group interested in joining a customized history tour, don’t hesitate to contact me! It’s honestly one of my favorite things to do!

🏞️📚

06/02/2024

A special thank you to the Hot Springs Pioneer Association for the flowers! 💐 I couldn’t ask for a greater group of folks to work with!!! 🥰

05/31/2024

Tie-dye shirts are perfect for summer! We have everything you need to make shirts for the whole family :)

05/31/2024

Patricia Hengeveld will be here June 1st for signing for her new book, Shadow Hawk. Come out and support a local author!

05/31/2024

They were daring adventurers, forgers of a new life, homesteaders …. and forgotten to history. These vanished people were true pioneers of Hot Springs County, Wyoming. The Pioneers of Outlaw Country. Cowboys, Lawmen and Outlaws… to the b...