Inside the museum, you will find a sheep wagon, representative of Johnson County's Basque people, and a military weapons display including rare guns typical of standard issue from nearby Fort Phil Kearny, whose short existence protecting the Bozeman Trail in the late 1860s lasted only two years.

Many exhibits contain the personal stories of owners whose lives, in some way either dramatically or more subtly, were a part of history - items such as a dime given to a small child by Calamity Jane, Metzer's bugle which survived the Fetterman Battle and which contributed to the legends about the 14-year-old soldier, and a bible used for comfort in a foreign land.

These artifacts - approximately 9,500 - are on exhibit in the museum's 10,000 sq. ft. of floor space. The museum office and gift shop are located in a former Carnegie library built in 1911, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The museum's holdings are a priceless resource, intriguing to the casual visitor and invaluable to students of America's pioneer history.

Our museum is dedicated to following the late Jim Gatchell's vision of preserving the history of Johnson County, Wyoming, with emphasis on its Frontier Era, through the collection and conservation of related art, archives and artifacts. In the interest of educating museum visitors, the staff will continue to develop projects including interpretive exhibits, publications and programs which focus on the Powder River Country of Johnson County.