An Interesting Encounter with Buffalo Bill

Several times, Elder Black and I saw the roadside sign not far from Idaho Springs, advertising the Museum and Grave of Buffalo Bill. One day, after an appointment, we decided to make the ten minute detour and see what it was all about.  Yessirrreee!  It really was a nice museum, beautiful mountain overlooks, and the final resting spot of William F. Cody, know as Buffalo Bill.

He grew up on the plains, joined the army, and was a decorated soldier. Finally, Cody took up the trade that gave him his nickname, hunting buffalo to feed the construction crews of the Kansas Pacific Railroad. By his own count, he killed 4,280 head of buffalo in seventeen months.  He is supposed to have won the name "Buffalo Bill" in an eight-hour shooting match with a hunter named William Comstock, presumably to determine which of the two Buffalo Bill’s deserved the title. This would horrify Colorado citizens today.

Later, Buffalo Bill became a showman and  organized Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show featuring real Indians, cowboys, buffalo, and other strange assortments of interesting characters.

Cody died on January 10, 1917, and is buried in a tomb blasted from solid rock at the summit of Lookout Mountain near Denver, Colorado and our own Idaho Springs.  We are glad we took the bait and followed the sign to this beautiful Colorado lookout and Buffalo Bill’s final resting place. If there are buffalos in heaven, they better be on the lookout. . . (That is, if Cody makes it to heaven.)

The actual tomb.

Marker indicating his valor in Indian Warfare. This too would be frowned upon in Colorado today.

From this lookout, you can see Denver.  Notice the skyscrappers near the horizon.

From the same lookout:  Golden, CO

We wanted the challenge this cute family to baptism, but didn't dare startle them from their precarious vantage point.

Buffalo Grandpa

Grandma Oakely

Elder and Sister Black

The Smartest Deer in Colorado

Silver Plume, Colorado: Railroad Country

The former mining town of Sliver Plume, population 200 sits at one end of the three-mile, engineering masterpiece known as the Georgetown Loop Railroad.  We hope to ride the train sometime before we leave our mission.  We have a few investigators who live and work here.

The old #12 Steam Engine that still takes tourists on the loop.

The water tower.

The train dock.

Elder Black walking the track less traveled. We were turned down in Silver Plume by those who wanted our cookies, but not our message of truth and happiness.

The #12 Steam Engine.

Even though we arrived in the evening when no one was there, the steam was still coming out of the whistle on top of the engine.

Our Mountain Home So Dear! (Idaho Springs, Colorado)

Our mountain home so dear . . .

Front Yard on April 15th




Our back yard--Welcome to Colorado!



We have had three snowstorms since this one.

Where crystal waters clear
Flow ever free,

Flow ever free.



Clear Creek runs right by our home.  As it rises, the
rafters will start making their way down.





This water wheel in Idaho Springs is the identifying feature of
our fair city from the freeway.  In a few weeks, when it stops
freezing every night, they will divert the stream to start the
water wheel.





Notice the water wheel in the background.  It
was used for one of the main mine refineries.



At the water wheel, this statue of Charlie Taylor,
 one of the original miners of Idaho Springs,
who said his secret to success was never kissin' women and
 never takin' a bath.

While through the valleys wide,
the flowers on every side
Blooming in stately pride,
are fair to see.

 That handsome man is posing outside the Denver Temple.

The temple isn't very large, but it is larger than our beautiful Monticello Temple.
Yes, you can rent clothing and it does have a nice cafeteria.











We had to go down to Denver to find the flowers blooming.  The Denver Temple
is wonderful!  We will have the opportunity to attend quite often.  We love that place!

In sylvan depth and shade,
in forest and in glade
Where 'er we pass,
Where 'er we pass.

 Idaho Springs on a foggy day.

Idaho Falls, in fact our back yard, is where the Gold Rush in Colorado began
in th 1860's.  There are hundreds of old mines in the foothills of the Rockies.

Another big, old mine right by our home.

Of course the railroad was important here also. 

The hand of God we see,
in leaf and bud and tree
Or bird or humingbee or blade of grass.

The Colorado Rockies are gorgeous!  We can truly see the

hand of God in his creations.

These elk were huge for this early in the season.

This rare white deer was grazing near our church house.

She hangs with with a normal mule deer and her fawn.

Her neck had some tan spots.  She was very curious

about me and my camera.



The Missionary Training Center

Loved it!!!  This was one of the greatest weeks of Marcia's life and one of the hardest of LeGrand's life.  Marcia loved everything about it (except worrying about LeGrand) and it about killed LeGrand, but he survived to tell the tale of being so ill he wanted to die and then really being very afraid he would before he could even to Colorado to begin his misison.

 If a mission was only one week in the MTC, it would be worth everything to get there.  

The obligatory MTC Map picture.



I love my companion!



Denver Colorado South Mission

LeGrand and I will begin our fulltime missionary service for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 4th @10:00 a.m.  We have been called to the Denver Colorado South Mission for a six-month "membership support and leadership" mission.  We will live in a town that needs some help with a little branch or ward and see what we can do to help the members while also supporting the missionaries in their proselyting. 

President Alan Maynes, LeGrand's former CES supervisor, recruited us for the the cause, taking into consideration LeGrand's health and our personal circumstance.  This seemed impossible to us at first, but the stars lined up and we both recognized the Lord's hand in this opportunity.  We could not deny it was "the Lord's will" so we checked with Jill and Jodi to make sure they wouldn't fall in love or anything drastic while we were gone.  They both confirmed they had no interest in boys and assured us we could go for two years if we wanted--they would still be single!  Well, that didn't last past the day we sent in our papers, but we are going anyway.

We appreciate your prayers for us and all the missionaries in  the world.  We are excited and thrilled to have this chance to add our voice to those who declare that God has restored His church on the earth today and happiness comes to those who follow Him.


After sending off five sons, it is now our turn!  No airport scene for us--
we will drive our own car to the mission.  The best part is knowing and
loving our mission companion before we even get there.



Mike and Em's New Arrival

Mike and Em have a new little girl, Jessica Nicole Black.  She looks very familiar--we are trying to decide if she looks more like Amy or Katelyn.  All the siblings are very adoring of #6 except maybe Christian who just can't quite figure out why he has to share his mom now with this little thing wrapped in pink.  He'll figure it out and be a better man for it. Congratulations Emily and Mike!