Well, we got back from our trip. We wound up spending more time at the museum, my wife was enjoying it as much as I was.
Unfortunately my camera died before we got to the museum, so I wound up taking pics with my old phone.
I didn't realize how many trade guns made it west, clear up into the 1910's HBC was selling flintlock trade guns, most in the museum were about 24 bore.
It would seem that after 1840 half-stock percussion were the most popular.
We also followed the Mormon trail East and checked out most of the roadside signs. My wife would research the markers and narrate as we would keep driving, it was pretty neat if she found journal entries that matched our location,
On the way back from Missouri we followed the South bank of the Platte and saw Courthouse and Jail rocks, Chimney rock and Scott's Bluffs, we visited the Pioneer museum at Chimney rock and the visitor center at Scott's Bluffs.
Picked up some good books and maps.
I did get some good pics of Bordeaux's trading post at Museum of the fur trade (good spot to get out of the heat), it fits in well for Plainsman stuff.
Also talking to one of the ranchers here at home about the trip he heard when he was a kid, that there used to be a trading post about a mile from my place, you can still see teepee rings out in the pastures. Lt. Warren passed by here in 1857, Custer in '74 and Lt Col Dodge in '75.
I'd like to work on my persona time period for late '40's to early '50's before the major hostilities with the tribes broke out and the treaty was signed.
I hope to spend some time at Ft. John/ Ft. Laramie and more Oregon trail sites here in Wyoming later this summer.