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Third in a series of posts about traveling in Colorado & Wyoming.
Following the tour of the Denver Mint, we headed to Golden Colorado, with the intention of visiting the Coors Brewery.
When we arrived at the Coors Brewery, the lines were long and the parking lot full. We parked on an adjacent street and walked to the back of the line. Once we got there we found out that purses weren’t allowed. (We missed this on the Coors website.) So, back to the car my husband hiked in the hot sun with mine.
As we joined the line that snaked under a canopy with misters, we saw a small shuttle bus pull up. We had been told a bus came every 10 or 15 minutes. Seeing the size of the bus, and the line, we had second thoughts.
At the same time, new arrivals asked a Coors employee how long a wait they could expect. We discovered that we were looking at a two hour wait from where we were in the line. We calculated that might bring us to the Brewery just a half hour before closing time. Disappointed that he hadn’t shared that information with us earlier, we nixed the tour and headed back to the car. Note that this was the first week in June, which was the beginning of their summer hours and tourism season. Be prepared, and like the Denver U.S. Mint, go early in the day!
The Buffalo Bill Museum
Next on our list was the Buffalo Bill Museum and grave, also in Golden. We followed the Lariat Loop to get there. Wow! We had experienced driving up Mount Washington in New Hampshire, but the Rockies are a whole other experience! The hairpin turns and narrow roads are challenging. Not only are the curves challenging, but you are also sharing the road with hikers and bicyclists. Go slow.
A very genial fellow greeted us. He sold us our tickets and offered to answer any questions we might have once we completed our browsing through the exhibits. They offer a senior discount (65+) so we saved a couple of dollars.
What you’ll find in the Buffalo Bill Museum
The Buffalo Bill Museum was well-laid-out and chock full of information and memorabilia about his life and times and his Wild West Show. Good lighting and well cared for items, including the head of the last buffalo that he shot. The museum included videos with short segments of his show. There was information about his discovery of Annie Oakley and signing her for the show.
One item that intrigued us was a fairly thick binder that had lists of all the places where he had taken his show. What stamina the performers must have had, as travel then wasn’t as comfortable or as fast as today. There was a sign inviting visitors to look up their town. To our amazement, we found ours. We vowed to inquire at our historical society when we returned. The museum has posted a pdf of the binder so you can also look for your city or town here.
The Denver Parks and Recreation Department runs the Buffalo Bill Museum. Although a bit challenging to get to, the roads are kept in good condition. The museum may be one of the more unusual ones you may every visit and the view stupendous. Not only do you learn about a “self-made” man, but also about the times he lived in and how he shared his love of the American West with the world.
Adjacent to the museum is the Pahaska Teepee Gift Shop and Buffalo Bill’s grave site. The gift shop has quite a selection of western gear, including Stetson hats, Native American Indian crafts, and books about local historic people and events. For those who need re-fueling after the drive and museum tour, there’s a snack bar with buffalo burgers, buffalo chili, fudge, and more.
Buffalo Bill’s Controversial Grave Site
There was some controversy about where Buffalo Bill was to be buried. He had founded Cody, Wyoming and once expressed that he wanted to be buried near there. His wife and sister insisted he changed his mind and wanted to be buried on Lookout Mountain. Lookout Mountain has a great view of Denver and The Plains, and was where he was most happy. Thousands of people turned out for his funeral and burial in 1917 due to his reputation and the esteem that people had for him. There are photos of the mourners and their early autos on Lookout Mountain for the burial. It must have been quite a challenge to get up the mountain road in those vehicles.
Conspiracy Theory about where Buffalo Bill is buried
During the debate over where Buffalo Bill should be buried, there was a rumor that people from Cody, Wyoming would try to dig up the body. Several yards of cement were poured over the grave. At different times guards were posted when there seemed a plot to take his body to Wyoming.
There’s also a story that a look-alike was substituted. There was time to do so as he died in January and was embalmed several times until warm weather arrived to melt the snow and allow burial.
The Museum Director disputes this as 100’s of people filed past the body to pay their respects and he’s sure they would have known if it wasn’t him.
Note: If you want to know more about Buffalo Bill, there’s the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming, which is five museums in one about Buffalo Bill and the Old West .
The Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater
Red Rocks Park Impressive and Challenging
After leaving the Buffalo Bill Museum, we continued on the Lariat Loop until we jumped onto Rt. 70 and used a map and GPS to get to the Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater near Morrison. The Red Rock formations were impressive, but we were unable to see the amphitheater as there was a concert that night and they were only letting ticket holders in. So we recommend checking their event schedule before you go. Many concert goers had arrived early and were tailgating in the parking lot. It was a very hot day and many had makeshift canopies to block the sun.
The steps up to the amphitheater entrance were a bit of a challenge. Perhaps a combination of the altitude and heat, but I felt light-headed and had to pause several times, even though there weren’t all that many stairs, but they were on a fairly steep incline. The way back to the parking lot wasn’t as bad but I was glad I had water with me. This was early June so we wondered how hot it would be as summer progressed.
There are many other sights in the area, such as the Colorado Railroad Museum, the Triceratops Trail, and the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum, but they would have to wait for another trip.
