When Caroline Lockhart penned a series of Western novels, she at times used people she knew in the Cody area as inspiration. Lockhart’s 1912 book, The Lady Doc, “made me infamous,” she later recalled, because some of her friends recognized themselves in the characters.

On Thursday, Ranger Christy Fleming of the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation will explore how Lockhart used Cody area residents in her book. Fleming will focus on three of Lockhart’s novels and the locals said to be the basis for the characters. 

The program begins at 6:30 p.m. at Northwest College’s Fagerberg Building in Room 70. It will also be livestreamed on the Powell Valley Community Education Facebook page www.facebook.com/PowellValleyCommunityEd.

Fleming’s presentation, titled, “Caroline Lockhart and her Many Characters,” is the third event in PVCE’s Bighorn Canyon Spring Speaker Series. Although Lockhart became famous while living in Cody — where she owned the Cody Enterprise — she later purchased a ranch in the Dryhead area outside of Pryor, Montana, to pursue her dream of becoming a “Cattle Queen.” Lockhart’s more than 6,000-acre L/Heart ranch is now a part of the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area.

The speaker series will wrap up on May 13, when Ranger Jen Prentiss shares her 10 favorite hikes in and around Bighorn Canyon. 

For additional information, go to the Powell Valley Community Education website at nwc.edu/pvce/ or contact Fleming at 307-548-5402.