Ft Caspar Announces Free Lecture Series

Fort Caspar Museum is pleased to announce its annual FREE summer lecture series for 2015. The lectures will be held on eight consecutive Wednesday evenings at 6:30 pm, from June 3rd to July 22nd. Each presentation will focus on a different "Impression on Wyoming," from past to present and from east to west. These free programs are funded in part by the Fort Caspar Museum Association and the Wyoming Humanities Council.

Each lecture will take place in the Multi-Use Room at Fort Caspar Museum. The programs are adult focused and will last approximately 60 minutes, including the lecture and a discussion opportunity. Most of the talks will feature a PowerPoint presentation, and if the speaker has published on a relevant topic, the lecture will conclude with a book signing.

The first lecture on June 3rd will be "Songs of the Cowboys" with historian and musician Michael Engberg. He will play "Cowboy songs" on his guitar and talk about their origins and the people who collected them.

On June 10th, Valerie Innella Maiers from Casper College will discuss "Caspar Collins and the Artistic Climate of the 19th Century." Maiers will place young Collins' artwork in historical context and will use the Museum's current exhibit of his work as a starting point for her talk.

Fort Caspar Museum's manager Rick Young will present "The History of Fort Caspar and the Evolution of the Museum" on June 17th. Mr. Young has worked at Fort Caspar Museum since 1985. He will present the history of both old Fort CaspEr and Fort CaspAr, as well as the evolution of the museum.

On June 24th, Jeff Barnes will delve into the complex biography of William F. Cody in "The Buffalo Bill Mysteries." Many questions surround Cody, such as whether or not he really rode for the Pony Express, how he earned his nickname, and why he was issued two Medals of Honor for one battle.

Barbara Mueller will talk about "John Colter: Superhero" on July 1st. She will critically examine the myths, the possible routes, and the stories of this famous mountain man.

On July 8th, Jolene Allphin will talk about "Emigrant Stories Along the Mormon Trail." Allphin will reveal some lesser-known aspects of the Mormon pioneers and will link the history of the Willie and Martin handcart companies, the Fort Kearney-South Pass Survey Company, and the Utah War Expedition.

On July 15th, Larry Woods will explore the remarkable story of "Chenoweth: Gentleman Horse Thief." Otto Chenoweth was a well-educated artist who rubbed elbows with local Casper politicians and dabbled in horse theft.

And finally, on July 22nd, Terry Richards will give a talk about the "Battle of Walking Across Logs." As a direct descendant of Chief High Backed Wolf, Richards is in a unique position to share the oral history of the Lakota Indian Wars and "Bloody Bozeman Trail."

For more information, contact the Museum at 307-235-8462 or check the Fort Caspar Museum website, www.fortcasparwyoming.com. Fort Caspar Museum is located at 4001 Fort Caspar Road.