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| Mary Hepburn is a free-lance writer in North Platte.
She is active in her church, including singing in the choir. |
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Buffalo Bill’s Scouts Rest Ranch
Features: Buffalo Bill's Scouts Rest Ranch Museum
Office Hours:
March 24-
Memorial Day;
Mon - Fri 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Memorial Day-Labor Day; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Every Day
Labor Day-October 24, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Part of Buffalo Bill State Historical Park, this state recreation
area offers horseback trail rides, camping pads with electricity,
primitive sites and a group picnic shelter.
Buffalo Bill State Recreation Area is located next door to the
Historical Park, which makes it easy to tour the ranch house and
barn that Col. William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody built for
his home in North Platte during the heyday of his famous Wild West
Show. Cody owned some 4,000 acres here, which were appropriately
named Scout's Rest Ranch. The park encompasses 25 acres of the original
ranch, including the house and barn.
This recreation area offers beautiful camping along the Platte
River. There are 50-amp electrical campsites and primitive sites
for the tent campers. Buffalo Bill State Recreation Area is a convenient
stop off of I-80 at the North Platte Interchange. The recreation
area offers fishing, picnic tables, fire rings, and hiking trails. |
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Buffalo Bill Scouts Rest
Ranch
User Friendly
By Mary Hepburn Disabled people want to be included, especially when
it comes to sight-seeing.
Scout's Rest Ranch in northeast North Platte encourages visitors to come
to the ranch and they will go out of their way to accommodate people in
wheelchairs.
Since Scout's Rest Ranch - the home of Buffalo Bill Cody - is considered
a national historic site, there are certain accommodations that can't
be made.
"We are not allowed to alter the main house," said Arik Riggins,
assistant park superintendent.
Although the well-known and publicized Cody house cannot be changed, the
staff at the historic site makes every effort to satisfy visitors.
"Last year, a person in a wheelchair wanted to come inside the house,
so we did lift them up the porch steps and into the house," Riggins
said. "We try to accommodate the best we can."
Tour guides are also available to help if a person in a wheelchair wants
to go inside the house on the main floor, he continued. There are also
hand railings by every staircase to assist people who go up and down the
stairs.
Riggins says he and park superintendent, Steve Kemper, hope to have a
film ready in the spring that will show each room in the main house.
"We plan on doing this to make it possible for the disabled to 'see'
the house," Riggins said.
Although the main house can't be altered to meet ADA (Americans with Disabilities
Act) requirements, there is access to the rest of the grounds. Sidewalks
and paved roads at the ranch make getting around easy, according to Riggins.
Vehicles are not allowed on the grounds, but cars carrying disabled visitors
can go right up to the barn. The barn has an incline ramp to make it easy
for those in a wheelchair to view inside.
There is a lot more to the park as well. If camping is what you are looking
for, there are 23 spots for campers.
"One of the sites is larger and wider with a concrete pad for a picnic
table," Riggins explained. "We always have people that use that
spot and it's usually a handicapped person."
In addition, the covered picnic shelter on the grounds includes three
wheelchair accessible tables.
The buildings are open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from March 29 until Memorial
Day weekend and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily from Memorial Day until Labor
Day. The grounds are open 24 hours with a park sticker.
Although the office hours don't seem to coincide with camping hours, an
honor system is in place.
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NPTSummer 2004 Issue
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