Sacajawea, Chief Washakie's Graves and Wyoming Pioneer Museum of Lander

We have been watching a couple of mule deer meander around the field beside us and also come into the campground.  Talk about big ears!  No moose, yet. Grace and Buddy are having a great time watching the deer.

Hello, big boy

We went in search of 2 graves:  Sacajawea and Chief Washakie.  Sacajawea was the Shoshoni woman who accompanied Lewis and Clark and the expedition of 1804-1806, finding a route to the Pacific Ocean.  And Chief Washakie, also Shoshoni, was known as the friend of the white man, never engaging in warfare with the whites.  Both graves are located on the Wind River Indian Reservation, but trying to find these 2 proved a bit of driving around.  Sacajawea's grave, as well as her two sons, Baptiste (born during the time she was with Lewis and Clark) and Bazil, an adopted son, was located appropriately in Sacajawea Cemetery.  I like the custom of the Native Indians - bury the dead, honor them with a marker, then let it go back to nature.  No mowing of grass, no nothing.

Notice narrow path to walk through

Jean Babtiste, Sacajawea, Bazil's graves - all are buried here

Great sculpture

I was in awe of the natural setting - so many wildflowers.  Some grave sites were very ornately decorated in Native American symbols and colors.  After reviewing her grave and the two sons, we drove to Washakie Cemetery where Chief Washakie is buried.  Again, very humbling, very reverent to see this.

Chief Washakie's grave

Drove back into Lander (the Wind River Indian Reservation) is 15 miles west of Lander at the base of the Wind River Mountain Range - the reservation is the 7th largest in size of the country.  Have to say that of many reservations we have been on, Wind River seems to be more affluent.  Many farms, big spreads of land.  Did not witness the poverty that I have seen in some other places.

Photo of Chief Washakie

Visited the Wyoming Pioneer Museum of Lander.  What a charming, informative place.  And it was free!  Many buildings on display - you could go inside and see how/what the function was of that building such as Livery, mercantile, blacksmith, pioneer home, log cabins, church, one room school house.  All buildings except one were original.  Cute thing - local kids were at the museum - there is a  week long program (summer camp) where the kids learn pioneer living.  They are dressed in period costumes, we saw them just as they had finished making butter and were coming out of the mercantile building.  How adorable.

In the blacksmith shop

Original cabin from the 1800's 

Display, after display, after display!

Kids is period dress - summer camp learning pioneer stuff

Weather here has been hot - and flood warnings are in place.  The snow is melting fast off the mountains and many rivers and streams are over their banks.  They said that May set the record for the most rainfall every.  But we are seeing beautiful green pastures, fields, the mountains are still snow covered.  Just a beautiful area.