Wednesday in Wyoming -- August 31, 2016

We've reached the end of the month and the end of our Rawlins Mural Tour.  What better way to finish the tour than with the largest grouping of art -- six pictures of the same subject, a wild stallion named Desert Dust.

While many of the murals were painted directly on the building, these are not, but are, as you can see, framed oil paintings.

I have to admit that I was saddened to learn that Desert Dust was eventually captured in 1945.  However, as the tour brochure assures us, wild horses can still be seen in the Red Desert west of Rawlins.

The Old West is still alive!

Wednesday in Wyoming -- August 24, 2016

Have you ever heard of Cattle Kate?  One of the more controversial characters in Carbon County history, she was lynched in 1889 for alleged cattle rustling.  But did she do it?  Historians believe she did not.

If you're interested in learning more about her, here's a link:
http://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-cattlekate.html

Not only was Cattle Kate a controversial person, but this portrait of her in the Rawlins Mural Tour created its own controversy, in part because of the style the artist used.

What do you think?  Do you like the mural?  And, if you read the story, do you believe Kate deserved to be hanged?

Wednesday in Wyoming -- August 17, 2016

Although most of the pictures in the Rawlins Mural Tour are outside, five pieces hang in the lobby of one of the city's banks.  All five, which are referred to as the Scoggin Collection, since they were painted by artist Bill Scoggin, feature the life of a cowboy.

And,  yes, that's the vault door you see in the lower left corner -- proof that the art is inside a bank.

Wednesday in Wyoming -- August 10, 2016

Carbon County, like much of the West, had its share out outlaws, including the notorious Big Nose George Parrot.

If you look closely, you'll see that this part of Rawlins' Mural Tour shows the stagecoach Big Nose robbed and the murder of  two deputies.  The upper right side leaves no doubt of Big Nose's fate: he was hanged.

Why are there shoes in the lower right side?  Don't cringe too much, but they were made from the outlaw's skin and wore worn for the inauguration of one of Wyoming's governors, Dr. John E. Osborne.

The shoes are currently on display at the Carbon County Museum in Rawlins.  And,  yes, I've seen them.

Wednesday in Wyoming -- August 3, 2016

Rawlins, Wyoming is noted for its Mural Tour, otherwise called "A Walk Through Carbon County History."  As you can guess from the name, the twelve murals that decorate the city feature different aspects of local history.

This one, very appropriately placed on the side of a building in the middle of town, is called "Historic Downtown" and shows what Rawlins looked like in the 1940s.  As you can see from the dumpster, although the mural may be historic, progress continues.