The cowboy culture has always thrived in the west, but now Casper, Wyoming is taking steps to attract a wider scope of arts and artists to its beautiful town. According to a press release by the Casper Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Nicolaysen Art Museum is sponsoring a new event in June. To add to the perfect weather and breathtaking scenery, this Festival will feature a mix of arts and entertainment. The launch of the “Windows of Wyoming” art project will also coincide with the event.

Casper, Wyoming ~ Nicolaysen Art Museum:

Take part in a brand new event at the Nicolaysen Art Museum, the first annual NIC Summer Art Festival. This event is similar to the Art Show and Sale in November, but it will be moved to the grounds surrounding the NIC. Various artists and many entertaining events will be held under large outdoor tents provided by Kistler Tent and Awning. The Festival will be June 16th and 17th from 9am to 6pm. A wide range of art pieces, from over 50 regional artists will be available for sale. Hand woven baskets, jewelry, furniture, pottery, paintings and so much more will be offered.. Several local vendors will serve food during the show. Inside the NIC, the artwork of the late Chris LeDoux will be on exhibit. This great singer and songwriter was an illustrator and sculptor. The pieces in this show are from the Larsen Family Collection of Art and speak of what it means to work and live on the rodeo circuit. LeDoux once said of his rodeo experience, “My heroes had always been cowboys. So I thought this (rodeo) would be great to try. So I tried it and won a buckle and that was it. I was bitten by the bug.” These pieces reflect LeDoux’s love and fascination with rodeo. To kick off the Festival the NIC will host a fashion show on Wednesday the 14th in conjunction with the College National Finals Rodeo which is being held in the City, June 11-17. More information on the Art Show is available at http://www.thenic.org/or call Holly Turner at 307-235-5247.

UNITY ART PROJECT UNDERWAY – On June 16, 2006, the Nicolaysen Art Museum will unveil a unique art creation as part of its June 15-17 art festival. The Windows of Wyoming art project, dubbed W.O.W. has recruited 44 artists and 26 community groups to create works of art for windows of the Townsend Building at lst and Center Streets. This abandoned building was an excellent choice for this project as it is centrally located in Casper and has some historic significance for the city. The art work will be on panels that are approximately 5′ by 4′. The windows of this hotel, darkened for over 25 years, will be brought back to life with color and beautiful images, creating a work of art on a grand scale. For more information on this project contact Holly Turner at the Nicolaysen Art Museum at 307-235-5247.

An article on Wyoming ranch land was featured in the Miami Herald (Home Section) on Friday, March 10 2006. It seems a new Wyoming land rush is at hand…

“As cities grow and populations expand, wide open spaces become more and more precious. Visions of rolling hills and sprawling ranches make the neighbors seem a bit too close. There is a yearning for land… particularly the raw spirit and natural beauty of the American west. It seems everyone wants a piece of that dream. Everyone wants a piece of wonderful Wyoming.

Faster than Hollywood can turn out films showcasing the vast beauty of the west’s brilliant landscape, investors, sportsmen, and second home enthusiasts are buying some of the most desirable ranch property in the United States. Rural Wyoming land has become much more than a good investment; it’s become a hot commodity. Leading the rush is Brooks Realty and Advisory Group, a family owned business that has developed over a half a million acres of ranch land since 1969. Over the last few years, Brooks has brought a number of privately owned ranches onto the market that are now being offered to the public in pristine, unspoiled 40+ homesteads.

Tres Brooks, president of Brooks Realty, describes the Wyoming ranch market as “a real estate diamond in the rough.” He also comments, “There is added value to land the moment the purchase is made. Unlike the intangibles like stocks and bonds, owners have something they can touch, feel and experience. They can utilize their property for camping, building a second home, or just watching the wildlife. It’s certainly a lot more interesting than reading a financial report! ”

One of the fastest selling ranch properties in Wyoming is the historic Diamond B Ranch located in Laramie County just 25 minutes northeast of Cheyenne. Mr. and Mrs. John Bruegman originally settled the Diamond B ranch in 1910 as part of the U.S. Government’s Homestead Act. Starting with just ten head of livestock and some poultry, the Bruegman’s built a prosperous dairy farm and horse ranch that provided their extended family a good livelihood and wonderful lifestyle for several decades. For many years, the Bruegmans would proudly bring 105 of their finest horses into Cheyenne to take part in the world famous Frontier Days to celebrate that lifestyle and rekindle the romance of the Old West.

With just a low down payment, and guaranteed financing, buyers from across the country are snapping up Diamond B’s homesteads almost over night. Wyoming’s tax structure makes it doubly appealing with no corporate or personal taxes, along with some of the lowest property and sales taxes in the nation. With prices starting at just $1,895 per acre (with a 40 acre minimum parcel purchase), Wyoming is an investment almost anyone can afford. Mark Twain said it all… “Buy land. They’re not making it anymore.” For more information visit www.diamondbranchwy.com or call 877-2BUYWYO (228-9996).”

Despite the fact the film Brokeback Mountain failed to take home Oscar gold, it keeps scoring big for Wyoming. The tourism board  says that calls are still coming in to enquire about the fictional Brokeback. Though actually filmed in Canada, the movie has brought plenty of attention to Wyoming land and ranches.

There is so much to do and see in Wyoming, and it seems this rather controversial film has put this beautiful state into the spotlight. People forget the vastness of nature and all culture and history that still lives in this this western gem. The allure of wide open spaces and small town living is something that seems to be capturing the hearts of America. Places like Casper and Cheyenne embrace the spirit of the west and offer country living with city conveniences.  Brokeback Mountain gives viewers a touch of the way things used to be, but a look further back in history will lend a bit more insight…  According to Wymoing’s government archives….

 “One of the earliest explorers of Wyoming was John Colter in 1807. While exploring the Rocky Mountains, he discovered a region of steaming geysers and towering water falls so unusual that his written reports nicknamed the area “Colter’s Hell.” The same area, in 1872, was set aside forever as a place to be enjoyed by everyone. It became known as Yellowstone, the world’s first National Park.

Wyoming owes its early settlement in part to the gentlemen of Europe. Their fondness of beaver top hats sent early-day trappers to the Rocky Mountains in search of the prized pelts. Famous mountain men such as Kit Carson, Jim Bridger, Davey Jackson and Jedediah Smith were among the trappers, explorers and traders to first roam the Wyoming territory.

Gold in California and the lure of rich land in Oregon brought increasing numbers of pioneer wagon trains rolling over the Oregon Trails through Wyoming. Pony soldiers came to protect the wagon trains from hostile Indians, and the soldiers established forts along the trails.

The most important of the western military posts was Ft. Laramie in southeastern Wyoming. Ft. Laramie became a haven for gold seekers and weary emigrants. It was also an important station for the Pony Express and the Overland stagecoaches, and it served as a vital military post in the wars with the Plains Indians. Ft. Laramie witnessed the growth of the open range cattle industry, the coming of homesteaders and the building of towns which marked the final closing of the wild, western frontier in 1890.

Wyoming was the scene of the end of the great Indian battles. Ft. Phil Kearny in northern Wyoming had the bloodiest history of any fort in the West. Thousands of well organized Indians from the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Sioux tribes fought battle after battle with the U.S. Cavalry. A famous battle took place in 1866 when 81 soldiers set out from Ft. Kearny and were drawn into a classic military ambush by Indians led by Crazy Horse and Red Cloud. None of the “blue coats” survived.

Great herds of buffalo once grazed on the rolling hills of Wyoming, giving rise to one of the state’s best known citizens, William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody. Today in the town he founded, Cody, near Yellowstone National Park, is an enormous museum dedicated to Buffalo Bill and the West he loved and helped settle. Near the turn of the century, Buffalo Bill took his Wild West Show to Great Britain and the European continent to give audiences a brief glimpse of the cowboys, Indians and other characters who lived in America’s west during Wyoming’s early days. “

Contrary to popular belief, and the mystical moves of Brad Pitt in the movie “A River Runs Through It,” fly fishing can be enjoyed by everyone. Now, just because deep sea fishing didn’t do it for you, don’t worry…fly fishing probably will.

This is an entirely different realm of fishing… this an interactive and thinking type fishing. There is no leisurely boat time, no waiting for them to bite, this is your effort and your work that brings them in the boat. Frustrating yes, rewarding.. you bet. But truth be told, once you master the cast (which truly isn’t as difficult as it seems), the feeling of being in nature and actually being a part of the river, is an experience unlike any other.

In Wyoming, where land, ranches and wide open spaces are the name of the game, fly fishing is exceptional. In Casper, Wyoming, the Ugly Bug Fly Shop can take care of all your needs. Their guided trips on the North Platte River will give anglers a chance to bring in Cutthroat and Brown trout averaging 17 to 22 inches long!

The guys at Ugly Bug are happy to set you up with guides, lodging and everything you need to try out fly fishing Wyoming style. Even if you’re just a beginner, it’s worth a try. Cast a line, try it out…. feel the rush of bringing in that big fish on that small line!