WLM | arts
2015
By Jenn Simmons, Washakie Museum
Images by David Huber Photography
Mammoth
Quick Draw
T
he life-size bronze Columbian
Mammoth stands guard
outside the Washakie
Museum and Cultural Center,
enticing passers-by with its
magnitude. Casper sculptor Chris
Navarro created the mammoth
that makes such a powerful first
impression for travelers, but what
is inside the museum keeps visitors
there for hours.
The Washakie Museum and Cultural
Center in Worland, Wyoming,
serves the Big Horn Basin as a
history museum and an art and
cultural center, as well as the local
Visitor Center. The present 25,000
square foot facility opened in 2010
and houses two permanent exhibits:
the Ancient Basin and the Last West,
as well as a constantly changing
temporary gallery. Dinosaurs,
mammoths, rifles and a sheep wagon
are only a fraction of the exhibits,
many of which are interactive. The
museum also holds lectures, book
signings, community theater, formal
dinners, live musical performances,
children’s programs and art shows.
Washakie Museum is a registered
non-profit entity, operating on
donations, membership fees, patron
support, grants and fundraising
efforts.
www.wyolifestyle.com
29