by Karin Leperi
It’s not often in my life that I can say I had a brush with a Prince. In fact, now that I look back on a lifetime of worldly experiences, I can’t ever remember running into royalty. Well, as it turns out, that’s exactly what happened on a recent trip of mine to Cody, Wyoming. To be more exact, I crossed paths with the Prince of Monaco while visiting Buffalo Bill Cody’s old stomping grounds in the town that bears his name – Cody, Wyoming.
After checking in to my boutique room at Chamberlin Inn, I learned that H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco would be in town to reprise a 100-year visit by his great-great grandfather Prince Albert I. What you probably already know about the current Prince of Monaco is that he is married to South African former Olympic swimmer, Charlene Wittstock and his mother was the renowned actress Grace Kelly. So, it was a big deal to me.
Camp Monaco
It all started in 1913, when Prince Albert I became the first reigning European head of state to visit the United States. Though the visit was not official but rather a personal one spurred on by the Prince’s scientific interest in weather, his sojourn was marked with occasion and ceremony.
While in the West, Prince Albert was guided by Buffalo Bill Cody for a two-week excursion into the Rocky Mountains near Yellowstone Park, roaming the mountains and high plains while hunting elk and black bear. Their camp, located in a meadow up the North Fork of the Shoshone River in what is today the Shoshone National Forest, was appropriately dubbed ‘Camp Monaco.’
To celebrate their successful hunt, ranger Harry Miller blazed and primed a nearby spruce for the Prince’s artist, Louis Tinyare, to paint and commemorate the ‘Camp Monaco” name and date. The spruce they chose germinated in 1792, making it over 121 years old at the time of the 1913 signing.
The Camp Monaco Prize
The current Prince of Monaco was scheduled for a public visit to the Buffalo Bill Museum of the West on Thursday, September 19, 2013. And since he shares his forefather’s passion for science and the environment, he would also be awarding a $100,000 scientific prize for biodiversity. (The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation-USA is one of the sponsors and focuses on biodiversity, climate change, and water issues.) The award is named the ‘Camp Monaco Prize’ in honor of the previous expedition of Prince Albert I and their hunting camp called Camp Monaco.
I later found out that the current Prince Albert II had his picture taken standing by a tree stump that had been dedicated to the Buffalo Bill Museum of the West by the U.S. Forest Service. On that stump is indelibly painted the name: Camp Monaco. Apparently, the ancient spruce died during the massive Yellowstone wildfires of 1988 in which over 793,000 acres were burned. Eventually, the 5,000 pound spruce tree stump was airlifted to the museum, where it is now on exhibit. Today, the stump symbolically connects the two Prince Alberts across the century and with a town called Cody. The legacy continues.
No Room at the Inn
Unfortunately, all my attempts to extend my stay met with roadblocks: There was just no room at the Inn or anywhere, for that matter. Apparently, quite a few people were in town hoping to catch a glimpse of the Prince, just like me. Regrettably, I missed meeting him by only four days.
I may have missed meeting my prince, but I knew the Monaco legacy was inextricably intertwined with this very special place called Cody. And though our paths were not meant to intersect, I still felt a very special connection. Plus, I had several marvelous days at the Buffalo Bill Museum of the West and a full day in Yellowstone National Park, where I even saw a waterfall and the Old Faithful geyser.
If You Go:
♦ Museum: centerofthewest.org
♦ More about the Museum: http://centerofthewest.org/explore/buffalo-bill
♦ Guide to Yellowstone: http://www.ypf.org/
Yellowstone Lower Loop Self-Guided Tour from Cody
About the author:
Karin Leperi is an award winning writer and photographer with bylines in over 75 publications that include print, broadcast, and internet media. A gypsy at heart who particularly enjoys bucket-list experiences, she has traveled to 80 countries and is still counting. Specialties include travel, culture, cuisine, nature, adventure and lifestyle. Her photo website is: www.travelprism.com
Photo credits:
Cody Buffalo Bill Center by Paul Hermans / CC BY-SA
All other photos by Karin Leperi:
The Chamberlin Inn
Buffalo Bill Cody Portrait
Stump with Camp Monaco Engraving
Yellowstone Falls
The best place to start exploring St. Boniface’s heritage is at the former St. Boniface City Hall, which now houses a tourism office. It is also the starting point of a guided walking tour of old St. Boniface. The red brick building dating back to 1906 is the first item on the tour. Other points of interest include an outdoor sculpture garden beside the tourism office, a Romanesque-revival style brick firehouse built in the early 1900s, a cultural center, a train station built in 1913 that now houses a restaurant, a French-speaking university, and St. Boniface Cathedral. The tour ends on the grounds of Saint-Boniface Museum.
Louis Riel, a controversial figure in Canadian history, was one of Université de Saint-Boniface’s most famed alumni. He is considered a hero by some and a traitor by others. Born in 1844 in St. Boniface, he became a leader of the Métis people, a recognized Canadian aboriginal people of mixed European and First Nations heritage. In the late 1860s unrest grew among the Métis in the Red River area, fearing their livelihood and way of life was threatened by the planned transfer of land from the Hudson’s Bay Company to Canada. In 1869, Riel’s forces took control of Fort Garry, the headquarters of the Hudson’s Bay Company. From 1869 to 1870, he led a provisional government, a government which would eventually negotiate terms leading to Manitoba becoming a Canadian province and ensuring some protection of French language rights. He is frequently called the “Father of Manitoba”.
During Riel’s provisional government, his forces arrested men who had plotted to recapture the fort. Thomas Scott, one of the men arrested, was court-martialed and executed by firing squad. The outrage over this incident led the Canadian government to send in forces and regain control of the region. With a bounty on his head, Riel fled to the United States. He returned to Canada, to what is now the province of Saskatchewan, in 1885 to help Métis obtain legal rights. His peaceful petitions produced little result and the Métis rebellion turned violent. Canadian government troops squashed the rebellion. Riel was put on trial for treason. A jury found him guilty but recommended his life be spared. The judge ignored the jury’s recommendation and sentenced Riel to death. He was executed and buried in the cemetery at St. Boniface cathedral. A granite tombstone now identifies his grave, initially marked by a wooden cross.
St. Boniface Cathedral is a major Winnipeg architectural landmark. A fire in 1968 destroyed the 1894 church, leaving its historic stone walls. Behind the facade of the ruined church sits a newer, modern church, a cathedral within a cathedral. Stained glass windows designed by architect Etienne J. Gaboury decorate the new church. Old and new coexist in a quiet and peaceful setting.
Inside the museum, exhibits reveal the lives and culture of Manitoba’s Francophone and Métis communities. The large collection of artifacts in the Louis Riel exhibit include his trunk, a lock of his hair, his shaving kit, his cribbage board, his moccasins, and the coffin he was originally laid in. Louis Riel’s sash, or ceinture fléchée, is also on display. The ceinture fléchée is a traditional piece of French-Canadian clothing, widely worn in the 18th and 19th centuries, wrapped twice and tied around the waist. Other exhibits include depictions of fur trading life, clothing from the 1800s, artwork, and a chapel. My favourite part was the rooms depicting life in days past, complete with weathered wood beams, hooked rugs on wood plank floors, white metal-framed bed, and cast iron stove.
La Maison Gabrielle-Roy, to the east of old St. Boniface, provides glimpses into the life of a middle class Francophone family in the early 1900s and insight into renowned author Gabrielle Roy. Gabrielle Roy was the recipient of many prestigious literary awards and her books, written in French, were translated into many languages. Roy’s father, a colonization officer, had the house built in 1905. Gabrielle Roy was born in 1909, the youngest of 11 children. The house now functions as a museum and rooms have been restored to look as they would have during Gabrielle’s childhood. The floors are original and the wall colours authentic to what would have adorned the Roy household. The furnishings are not the original Roy family furnishings, but are true to the period. The piano in the parlor is a Bell piano, the same kind that had a prominent place in the Roy family’s life.
Fort Gibraltar is a replica of the original fur trading post built in 1809. The fort was abandoned in 1835 and destroyed by flood in 1852. The replica was built in 1978 to reflect key elements of life in the Red River valley from 1815 – 1821. Inside its wooden walls, costumed interpreters relive daily life of the original inhabitants. They are behind the counter in the general store, forging metal at the blacksmith’s shop, sewing, tending to an outdoor fire, and working in the workshop. Fur pelts hang in the warehouse. A fur press sits along one wall. It was used to press the fur into 90 pound bales for transport in canoe. A voyageur would typically transport two bales at a time.
Just four miles off of US 1 at MM 30, I found a more isolated, off the beaten path world, where I kayaked roundtrip over a couple of hours in waters 1-18 feet in depth from Big Pine Key to the No Name Key (where the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion was staged). The winds whistled through the palms on a mostly cloudy morning and afternoon, helping to keep the heat and mugginess in check. Our guide from Big Pine Kayak Adventures was Bill Keogh. He’s kayaked 800-plus of the Florida Keys.
“Kayak Dave” said this about how one paddles a kayak, “It’s like sex, so long as you’re having fun, it doesn’t matter how you do it!” He admonished me to turn my body more instead of my elbow during my three mile roundtrip to and from Boot Key (where Radio Marti broadcasts to Cuba take place) as light to moderate rain pelted me from above the first half of my journey. Thunder and lightning thankfully weren’t part of the storm. We started out at Sombrero Beach on Marathon’s Vaca Key, facing the Atlantic. This Key is named for “the cow of the sea,” the manatee. Vaca is Spanish for cow.
I’d never forget the challenges I faced over 1.5 miles using a sea kayak the first time. One of the realities of this sport is that weather plays a pivotal role on one’s experience. I set off from Key Largo into Garden Cove in a Current Designs 17 foot, 52 pound sit-in model. The 25 knot winds immediately caused me to drift about in the rough waters either because my foot pedal adjustments (foot pedals move the rudder) made on shore didn’t lock in and/or I didn’t keep my feet fully on them.
I follow the path to the end of the Lagoon to the seawall at Second Beach. As I walk along the seawall I come to another place that Pauline Johnson liked to visit in the park —Siwash Rock “where the twining roadway branches in two.” This monument of nature stands as a reminder to the Squamish people of one man who lived a good life. The tall pinnacle of rock that rises just off the shore represents Skalsh, a warrior who was turned into stone by Q’Uas the Transformer as a reward for his unselfishness. It is one of the best known legends about a young Indian who was about to become a father and decided to swim in the waters of English Bay to purify himself so his new-born son could start life free of his father’s sins. The gods made Sklash immortal by turning him into a pinnacle of rock. Two smaller rocks representing his wife and son stand in the woods overlooking Siwash Rock.
One final stop on the Boyhood Home Complex is the bronze Tom and Huck Statue at the foot of Cardiff Hill. You can pose for a photo and be one of Tom and Huck’s “robber gang.” Look beyond the statue, and you’ll see 244 uphill steps that lead to the historic wooden Mark Twain Memorial Lighthouse, and be rewarded with a Birdseye view and sweeping panorama of the river and the town of Hannibal.
Across from the Cave Complex is the Sawyers Creek Fun Park with bumper boats, waterworks, miniature golf for all you mini-golf duffers, a cafe and the towns only all year round Christmas store with an abundant selection of Christmas ornaments, trees, and holiday decorations to give your Christmas a Mississippi River flair. The Mark Twain Riverboat has daily excursions including a one hour sightseeing cruise or a two-hour romantic sunset dinner cruise where you can wine and dine with all the nostalgic ambiance of an earlier slower paced era of style and class.
If the fireworks are spectacular try the Ghost Tour on for size and visit all the sites of Haunted Hannibal aboard a shuttle bus with tales of murder and mayhem and paranormal apparitions. You’ll visit the Baptist Cemetery for a ghostly tour of the grave sites of slaves, Confederate soldiers, murderers and their victims. There is also a haunted dinner and ghost walk available and to top it all off, you can stay at one of the haunted bed and breakfasts where ghostly apparitions may appear to share the room with you in a scene right out of House on Haunted Hill.
