July finds us in Buffalo, Wyoming for Longmire Days. If you’re not familiar, Longmire was a a TV series which eventually ended its 7th season on Netflix. It’s about a laconic Wyoming sheriff in the imaginary town of Durant, WY in the fictional Absaroka County. The story is derived from a series of books by Craig Johnson (Walt Longmire Mysteries). Craig is on his 21st Longmire book and story. The town of Durant is loosely based on the town of Buffalo, WY. I have been here before, but never during Longmire Days. I got a chance to speak with Craig Johnson last year while we were in Tucson for the Tucson Book Festival. Super nice, down-to-earth guy. And his wife is as nice they come.
For four days, the town celebrates all things Longmire: from his favorite beer (Ranier) to the Ford Bronco he drives in the series. Stars of the show, Robert Taylor, Louanne Stephens (who played his motherly, unfiltered dispatcher), John Bishop (who portrayed Bob Barnes, the show’s local “character”), A. Martinez (‘Jacob Nighthorse’, the sometimes bad guy), and author, Craig Johnson. Johnson lives 20 miles away on a ranch in Ucross, WY (population: 25).
We attended several events of the week: ‘A Longmire Conversation’ with the cast and Johnson; the Longmire Days parade, ‘A Tale of Two Walts’, a conversation with actor, Robert Taylor (Longmire) and Craig Johnson, and the Range War Rodeo. Other events included ‘Tea with Ruby’, ‘Brunch with Ruby’, ‘Return to Sender’, a reading of Johnson’s latest Longmire book by the author, a 5K run, a live auction, a talent show judged by the cast, a pancake breakfast, autograph sessions, skeet shooting with Craig Johnson, horseback riding, and more. All the proceeds go to The Longmire Foundation, which donates all its money to charities.
We ate at the Busy Bee Cafe, Walt Longmire’s diner of choice, and at the Virginian Restaurant at the Occidental Hotel. The Virginian is named after Owen Wistler’s book. “One thing we know for sure is that the scene in ‘The Virginian’ where Owen Wister’s (protagonist) finally gets his man is staged outside of the Occidental Saloon,” said Amber Manning, event planner for the Occidental. If you are old enough, you may remember the movie or TV show.
Guests of the Occidental included: Buffalo Bill Cody, Teddy Roosevelt, Ernest Hemingway, Herbert Hoover, and Calamity Jane, who drove freight wagons on the Bozeman Trail.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid rode to the Occidental from their hideout at the nearby Hole-in-the-Wall. The famous cattle detective and killer, Tom Horn, was another frequent visitor. And legendary frontier sheriffs like Frank Canton and “Red” Angus were regulars at the bar.
All-in-all, we thoroughly enjoyed our ‘Longmire Days’ and our stay in Buffalo.
