9 Sep
As we cruise around the USA, from time to time we stumble onto what we call a "nugget". Something that was not on our radar but was really awesome. Today was one of those days. We had heard from the lady in the Jackson Hole Visitor Center and also from a high school friend about a museum outside Dubois WY that has some military vehicles. OK, that's fine. We've see many, many military museums on our travels and we've seen hundreds of military vehicles, but I was not at all prepared for what we would see here, and neither was Doreen.
The National Museum of Military Vehicles, about eight miles southeast of Dubois WY, is Smithsonian-level quality or better. It is the largest collection of military "rolling stock" in the U.S. outside of the armed forces themselves, and it is the brain-child of Mr. Dan Starks. Dan bought his first tank in 2012 planning to have it participate in the Dubois annual parade, and since then has acquired hundreds of tanks, jeeps, trucks and military vehicles of all types. As he acquired more vehicles the public requests to see them kept increasing and it became evident he needed a facility to properly display them along with historical notes, technical specifications, etc. In May 2017 construction started on a 140,000 sq ft building (3.2 acres) and the $100 million museum opened on 7 August 2020 currently displaying over 500 fully restored vehicles, plus an exhaustive collection of firearms and other military items.
That 3.2 acres does not include the row after row of vehicles they have stored/on display outside, some under cover and some not. They also have a beautiful military memorial area just outside the main entrance.
This is not just a huge building full of vehicles. Most every display has been meticulously restored and researched. About 95% or more of the vehicles have been completely restored back to operational condition! To prevent corrosion and deterioration and to prevent the chance of fire or explosion, all of the explosives, lead-acid batteries, petroleum, oils and lubricants had to be removed. Our tour guide said that within a day or so most any of these vehicles could be started and driven. That is amazing!! The National Museum of Military Vehicles has won a 2022 Tripadvisor Travelers' Choice Award for being in the top 10-percent of attractions worldwide. Folks, this is a must-do if you are at all interested in military history, firearms or military vehicles. This place is indeed a work of art.
We entered the museum and as you would expect, military veterans pay no admission. We paid for Doreen and Liberty was welcomed so we did not have to worry about the length of stay. A tour started at 1000 hrs and we were a bit early, so the staff suggested we hang out in the weapons vault.
Near the middle of the building’s interior is an amazing weapons vault. It holds Dan's $10 million collection of historical weapons, including a rifle fired at Custer’s Last Stand and a pistol used by General Pershing in World War I. The collection includes 270 Winchester rifles. Because all of these weapons are fully functional, and many are fully automatic, the vault has a safe door you would expect to see at the national mint and it is secured each night.
The top weapons is Gen George Patton's Colt M1911A1 ivory-handled pistol. The bottom weapon is Wyatt Earp's Colt single-action Army .45 pistol (1890).
On 17 June 1775, the first shot heard at the Battle of Bunker Hill was from this musket by Pvt John Simpson, a 26 year old citizen soldier from Deerfield NH. They were given the order, "Don't fire until you can see the whites of their eyes." because they were very low on ammunition. Simpson fired the first shot of the battle, killing a British officer at 5o yards. He was court-marshalled for his actions but not punished.
The collection goes on and on. A few more pictures:
Two of my favorites. Second one down is a Thompson submachine gun. My dad used one of these in World War II. The bottom weapon is an M1 carbine but the sniper version with night vision scope.
All types of shoulder-fired and unique military weapons
Over 270 Winchester rifles on display!
On the left, an M1911A1 (I own one) and on the right, a Beretta M9 (I carried in Iraq)
A Heckler & Kock MP5 submachine gun concealed in and can be fired from a brief case. Notice the barrel slightly protruding through the left side of the brief case, and the trigger on the brief case handle!
At 1000 hrs it was time for our General George C. Marshall Gallery tour that covers the history of the Second World War and lasts about 2-1/2 hours. Our tour was led by the museum curator, and extremely knowledgeable Army veteran. At 1330 hrs the General Lewis “Chesty” Puller Gallery tour focuses on the American experience during the wars in Korea and Vietnam but we did not stay for that.
Again, my picture count was over 100 easily, but we will just include a sampling.
GPA amphibious Jeep
A DUKW (pronounced "duck") 2.5 ton 6-wheel amphibious vehicle
A Higgins boat LCVP
LTV-4 unloading a Ford GPW Jeep
Endless display of tanks
We finished our tour and continued on our own through the Korean War and Vietnam War areas
A door gunner. Our son-in-law James Buehner was a door gunner on an HH-60 helicopter when he served in the Air Force in Alaska.
Vietnam-era UH-1 Iroquois "Huey". An example of the detail that went into this museum, the research is incredible. The signage lists the complete history from when it deployed, the unit it was assigned, where it served, who it was transferred to, and when it left Vietnam.
Muzzel sections from the 16-inch guns on the USS Missouri under which Japan signed the Articles of Surrender
A German Kubelwagen. In the early 1970's, Volkswagon duplicated this in their "The Thing" vehicle
Communications gear
Patrol Boat, River - "The Brown Water Navy" My cousin Jesse Linch served on one of these.
P.O.W display
Women medics in Vietnam
Air Force Firefighters
Needless to say, I could post many more pictures here but they would not appropriately show the amazing displays in this museum. If you are ever in this area you will not be disappointed if you plan a stop here.
As we departed we drove through the area where vehicles are displayed outdoors:
After departing the museum, we drove into Dubois and Doreen went into the Cowboy Cafe and picked us each up a piece of their famous pie and a cinnamon roll to share. Sorry, no pictures.
From there we went to a gas station that has a "jackalope" display. A jackalope is a mythical animal of North American folklore, in the category of fearsome critters, described as a jackrabbit with antelope horns. As you can see, they have modified that just a bit here. Anyway, no trip to Dubois would be complete without a stop here LOL!
That's it for today. We returned to Riverton with a cold drizzle coming down. We made a stop by the local Walmart for a few items. Doreen made a pot of chili as our temps dipped a bit here the last couple days. Supposed to be in the 30's tonight.
We will probably stay in town tomorrow and visit some sights here.
No comments:
Post a Comment