There is a second gun museum in Cody Wyoming that is a lot smaller than the main one, but just as interesting - albeit in very different way. The Cody Dug Up Gun Museum houses a large collection of guns literally "dug up" and in less-than-ideal condition. These can be fascinating to see, as much like archaeologists learn about people by their waste, we can see what guns were actually in use by finding the ones that were dropped and lost throughout time. It is easy to assume such things were all dropped in gunfights, but they were often lost in more mundane ways - falling out of holsters or bags while on horseback, thrown away when broken, or just simply lost and forgotten.

The Dug Up Gun Museum presents gun mostly from the "Old West" period, but with some sections dating back to American independence and some as recent as World War Two. The guns are in a wide range of conditions, from complete disintegrating relics to rusty-but-maybe-functional. Nearly every gun is paired with a descriptive card, and it is a place one could literally spend hours - the more you look at each can,e the more you realize that there is to see.

If you are visiting Cody to see Yellowstone, the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, or just passing through, I would highly recommend stopping in for a visit to the Dug Up Gun Museum. admission is free, with donations requested. The Museum is located on 12th Street just north of Sheridan.