John Bernhisel

If you look closely at these words, you may find clues pointing to two silver bars hidden somewhere in the Big Horn Basin. More clues will appear each week throughout April. See Big Horn Basin Treasure Hunt on Facebook for more information.

Questions:

1. How many other counties does Park County, Wyoming touch?

2. From what mountain range does the Bighorn River emerge near Thermopolis, that forms the southern edge of the Big Horn Basin?

3. Of the four American Presidents who were assassinated, who lived the longest after being shot?

4. Complete this famous quote. “I am tired; my heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands…”

5. If you were to write out the numbers from 0 to 99 on paper, how many times would you write the number 1?

Fun Facts:

While several U.S. states are home to some of North America’s largest mammals, you can see the 15 largest land mammals by visiting just two places: Wyoming’s Big Horn Basin and Alaska.

Victoria’s Secret has annual sales greater than the entire economies of about 30 countries.

In 1864, nearly blind and in his 60s, Jim Bridger safely guided U.S. troops from Casper to Virginia City, Montana, avoiding the most dangerous stretches of the Bozeman Trail during a time of increasing conflict on the northern plains.

On much of the high-elevation border between Park and Fremont counties, a drop of water can flow one direction through Cody and the Shoshone River, or turn the other way and begin a much longer journey through the Wind and Bighorn rivers, stretching close to 300 miles before the waters eventually come back together near the old townsite of Kane.

Cottage cheese gets its name from the fact that it can be easily made at home, in your own cottage.

Latitude and longitude reflect levels of precision. Coordinates given to two decimal places, such as 44.49, -109.24, locate a general area within about a mile, such as the Buffalo Bill Reservoir. Extend that to five decimal places, and you can narrow it down to within a few feet.

Researchers estimate that lead exposure, primarily from paint, gasoline and pipes, may have reduced the average lifespan of Americans in the baby boomer generation by about two years.

Across the Big Horn Basin, place names generally fall into four groups. Some are local eponyms, named for people who actually lived there, such as Cody and Otto. Others are honorific eponyms, recognizing figures who never called the area home, like Powell and Cowley. Some draw directly from the landscape itself, including Thermopolis, Shell and Greybull. And a few come from the colorful stories behind their founding, with names like Burlington and Bonanza reflecting those origins.

Answers:

1. Eight (five in Wyoming: Big Horn, Teton, Washakie, Fremont and Hot Springs; three in Montana: Gallatin, Park and Carbon)

2. The Owl Creek Mountains (one of the largest waterfalls in geologic history once flowed over them)

3. James A. Garfield, who lived 79 days (William McKinley lived 8 days, Abraham Lincoln about 11 hours, and John F. Kennedy died almost instantly)

4. “... I will fight no more forever.” Chief Joseph, Oct. 5, 1877

5. 20 (1, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 31, 41, 51, 61, 71, 81, 91)

(John Bernhisel is a former coach and teacher in Cowley who now writes for the Lovell Chronicle.)