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Thank You Paravicini Family (L to R): Riley Wilson and Emily, Shay and John Paravicini accept a framed map from Museum Director Clint Gilchrist. New Officers L to R: Kaidi Raney (Secretary), Ken Marincic (Vice President), Dan Tau (Treasurer) and the 2023 new officers for the Sublette County Historical Society. Not pictured is Jerry Boyer, President. New Board members Kimberly Ervin (L) and Jon Boroff (R) were elected as new members of the Board of Trustees. Not pictured is Brenda Baker. Thank you Sandy Sandy Smith (L) accepts a thank you gift basket from Museum Curator Andrea Lewis (R). Thank You Jim (L to R): Rob Tolley, Jim Gehlhausen, Ken Marincic. Rob and Ken present leaving Board member Jim Gehlhausen with a couple gifts to thank him for his years of service while on the Board of Trustees. Looking forward Museum Executive Director Clint Gilchrist talked about the future plans of the Museum.

The Museum of the Mountain Man held their annual meeting and Spring Thaw Party on Thursday, March 2nd at the Museum in Pinedale. The event is their annual business meeting to bring on new board members and elect their new officers for the year, as well as tell the membership about the happenings of the past year and upcoming projects.

Three board members were going off the board and thanked for their years of service: Jim Gehlhausen, Jeness Saxton and Dawn Ballou. They elected three new board members, Kimberly Ervin, Jon Boroff and Brenda Baker. New officers for the year are President Jerry Boyer, Vice President Ken Marincic, Dan Tau as Treasurer, and Secretary Kaidi Rainey. Staff member Sandy Smith, who is moving away, was recognized for her many years working for the Museum, helping with memberships and spearheading the annual Art & Wine Auction during Rendezvous.

A special recognition was given to the Paravicini family for their donation of a portion of private land that adjoins the Fort Bonneville historic site near Daniel, Wyoming. The donation cleans up some land legal boundary issues and protects the entire archaeological site. The historic site will now be managed jointly with the State of Wyoming and the Sublette County Historical Society. The site is important as an early fur trade fort and trading post on the historic Green River Rendezvous grounds, established by Captain Benjamin Bonneville in 1832. The historic site was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. John, Emily and Shay Paravicini, and Riley Wilson, represented the family in accepting a historic map showing Fort Bonneville, as a thank you gift from the Historical Society.

Outgoing Board President, Rob Tolley, gave a brief overview of the past year for the Museum and Historical Society. He pointed out that the non-profit organization is financially sound and living true to their historic practice of not owing any money. He thanked the Sublette County Commissioners and Museum Board for their continued support of the Museum’s operations. They provide about 40% of the annual funding for the Museum. The institution is also working hard to grow their endowment, using a portion of the interest to help fund some of their operations. A recent acquisition to the collection in the past year was a gun that was owned by mountain man Jim Baker, an 1873 trap door Springfield rifle, that was given to local man, Vint Faler in 1883. Tolley put the institution’s achievements into perspective by saying this year was the 59th annual meeting for the Historical Society, 29th Wreath & Chocolate Auction, 22nd Living History Days, 13th annual Sommers Homestead Open House, and 3rd annual Halloween at the Museum. The Historical Society owns and operates the Museum of the Mountain Man, the Sommers Homestead Living History Museum, the Lander Trail-New Fork River Crossing Historical Park, the Trappers Point historical site, Rendezvous Park in Daniel, the Emerson Schoolhouse, a portion of Fort Bonneville historic site, and the Worl house and outbuildings in Pinedale.

Museum of the Mountain Man Executive Director, Clint Gilchrist, gave a presentation on "Looking Forward: The Bicentennial of Rendezvous." The Museum of the Mountain Man is the only museum in the nation dedicated to the Rocky Mountain fur trade. The Museum has served this purpose well over the past thirty years, since it was built in 1990. The next two decades, between 2025 to 2040, will be the 200th anniversary of many significant dates in the Rocky Mountain fur trade era. The Museum and Historical Society are looking forward with plans to expand the facilities to meet the demand and opportunities they see coming in the future. They will be hosting the 2024 Fur Trade Symposium, which is held every three years around the country.

The Museum has a twenty-year relationship with the American Mountain Man organization, and members of their group come every year to give talks and demonstrations at Living History Days to school children in May, and during the Green River Rendezvous each year in July. One of the big expansion plans for the Museum is to build a replica fur trade fort on the Museum’s north lawn, which will be used for expanding the living history demonstrations and interpretations by the AMM, and have capability to be staffed all summer long as an authentic fur trade era fort.

In addition, the Museum is in the process of purchasing the collection of Native American historian, Bad Hand, who has been giving presentations on pre-1850 Plains Indian culture each year during Rendezvous at the Museum for the past 28 years. Now, readying for retirement, his collection of over 1,000 authentic and replica Native American clothing and accoutrements will find a permanent home at the Museum of the Mountain Man. As part of being able to handle and display the impressive collection, the Museum plans an expansion of the building to include more display space, curatorial handling, and storage space. "We will be able to tell a story in a way no other museum in the country can do," Gilchrist said. There are items representing 15 Plains Indian tribes in the collection, he said.

The expansion plans include a new collections-care area which will include a freezer room to sanitize furs and leathers, a photography room, additional storage space, climate-controlled archival space, and processing space. The expansion will allow the institution to create needed office space and expand their growing research library. The plans ultimately include a conference space with food service kitchen, an experience theater, a bigger gift shop, a larger reception area, and more display space. Gilchrist said they expect to double the visitation to the Museum, triple the facility space, double to triple the endowment, and plan to ultimately open year-round.

The National Fur Trade Symposium – "1824, The Eve of Rendezvous" – will be held September 12-15, 2024 at the Museum of the Mountain Man. The three-day conference will bring in historians and fur-trade enthusiasts from around the nation and will include academic talks as well as field trip tours. Sign-up information will be announced later by the Museum as the schedule is finalized.

Related Links www.MMMuseum.com - Museum of the Mountain Man, Pinedale, Wyoming, 307-367-4101, Summer Hours: May 1 - October 30