Diorama Drama…Or…Miniature Massacre

In Virginia City, while passing through Virginia City, this little collection caught my attention. To be honest, I almost missed it. I didn't see the sign for the Hangman's Museum, and the fall-down, old western shanty, blends in with the rest of the towns facades. A few trivial displays line the walls, but one of the most impressive miniature dioramas is the centerpiece.

The scene displays the lynching, or perhaps one might call it vigilante execution, of a number of accused criminals in the town over a century ago.

While many models I have come across in museums around the state have been shoddily made, this one is quite elegant, despite its ghastly content. 

Go West...

I am not big reader of poetry, but every time I look at these photos of Thunder Jack, I can't help but think of the following few words by the British poets collectively known as the Pet Shop Boys.

"Go West...
Life is peaceful there...
Go West...

In the open air...

Go West...
Where the skies are blue...

Go West...

This is what we're gonna do..."

I'm convinced that song is about America and its pioneer spirit. But the song might be about the hard working men of America...the men who need a break after a long day laboring at the various toils of manly duties out there in the manly world....

 

Men like police officers keeping the peace with their nigh sticks...
Men like bikers in shiny black leather cruising the streets late at night...

Men like cowboys riding bareback in lonely territory, a lariat at their side, longing for conversation.

Men like the chiseled construction worker unafraid to work with his shirt off on while riveting steel.

Men like the proud native warrior, who wrestled a bear once by himself and lived to tell the tail...
Men like our proud sailors and soldiers,  with a salute and a "Yes Sir," they do this country proud...

So perhaps the song is a bit of both...Maybe it is a tribute to America and maybe it is a tribute to our hard working men. I mean, it's not like the men above are all going to sit around a hot tub talking about the Golden Girls. These are real men here. Real American Men. Men who embody the spirit of the Pioneer West.

So Go West, young man. Go West...maybe to San Francisco. 

The Trip Back Home...

Today, is a day of introspection for me. I am back in Bozeman, safe and sound. And I really couldn't have been more eager to return to a town even though I generally mock this place at every instance.

In tribute to my automobile crash, the fact that I am here, and that today is my birthday of all things, I decided to post the following photo set of the trip back home. You will soon notice there is a theme...

Taking inspiration from the amazing signage art on the business right next door to the motel I ended up stranded at for two nights, I decided to pay tribute to the life of my old vehicle. 

This is the hospital that took care of me once I realized I had a concussion. Great people and great nurses at this facility in Browning. 

In Bynum, Montana, we stopped and met the world's largest dinosaur. In fact, we met quite a few dinosaurs.

In Choteau, many more ancient reptilian thunder beasts anticipated my trip homeward.

And yes, the salvaged plate is upside-down in many of these. I blame the mild traumatic brain injury...

Until finally, I reached home base. 

I want to thank Amy for taking these amazing pictures and for being an amazing person for picking me up in the middle of nowhere.

On a Considerably Lighter Note...

In the "There's a Desperate Need for an Apostrophe Department File" I present to you:

Bears Hump.

Whether the author of this well illustrated sign meant "Bear's Hump," or not, I may never know. Perhaps it is just a warning to the hikers, especially since the cyclists and the horseback riders have obviously been stricken from the record. Or perhaps the sign indicates that bears have a tendency to seek coitus with hikers as opposed to those humans seeking equestrian or bicycle transportation. 

Or simply it is a declaration of love. That bears just like to do it in the woods.

So many questions remain because a little diacritic is possibly absent. Is it "Bears Hump?" or "Bear's Hump?" Which goes along quite well with the age old question about whether bears shit in the woods (if you didn't know...they do) and the other question asking if the Pope is Catholic. Of course the Pope would probably not condone bears humping unless they were properly wedded, but that is another post for another time. 

My Birthday Vacation Ended Quickly...

Quick note...

I am fine, save for a few bruises. However, I am counting my blessings. The sheriff, highway patrol officer, border patrol officer, state trouper, Black Feet tribal officer, paramedics, and tow truck driver all were in agreement that I am lucky to have walked away from this accident. 

That is all.