#longmireposse

“I’ll always be a Tennessean, but I’ll die in Wyoming.” Doug Brothers

When I got off of the exit here in Buffalo, Wyoming - over a week ago now - I really had no particular plan. I had felt so stirred up on the inside that I knew I had to get out of town for the foreseeable and go west. As you have learned by now, a huge piece of my heart is constantly nestled at the foot of the Bighorn Mountains. Buffalo, with a population of around 5000, is where that piece of heart lays. A reporter from the Buffalo Bulletin had asked me earlier in the week how I had come to know of the town. I shared with him that, back in 2012, I met Walt Longmire.

At the time, “Longmire” was about to premiere on A&E and while watching the finale of The History Channel’s “Hatfields & McCoys” miniseries, I recall seeing a trailer for it. I remember seeing Walt’s white and maroon Ford Bronco tearing across what was to be the High Plains of Wyoming. I would later find out that the show is filmed in New Mexico, in and around the Santa Fe area - a magical place in its own right. But what I remember most of all was the vastness of the land. I thought on it really hard the other day and tried to remember if I ever had the Wyoming bug before Longmire, and to the Sheriff’s credit, I believe it was solely him. I have since gone on to read all of the Walt Longmire novels (written by Craig Johnson), and enjoyed the show, which can be viewed in its entirety on Netflix. The Sheriff’s beverage of choice in both the novels and the television series is Rainier beer, so over the years upon arrival to town, I always stop in at Crazy Woman Liquors and pick up a twelve pack of cans (the only option). I normally drink it at the saloon here in town too, where you can have it in a glass bottle. Either way, it has always taste “mountain fresh since 1878,” and for me marks my return to The West.

The first day or two was all about settling in. I unpacked a few shirts, hung up my coats, and sat down to write about the 20-hour journey out here. I stopped in at the local IGA for some provisions, and got to talking with Dorthie at the register about some trails up in the Bighorn Mountains that I had not hiked yet, but needed to based on her suggestions. I continue to be amazed at the willingness of this town’s ability to welcome you in. I can honestly say that I have never met a stranger in Johnson County. Over the years of visiting several times, I have made some friends, and am sure to catch up with them whenever I am out.

A long-standing Thursday night tradition here in town is the Occidental Saloon Jam, hosted by David Stewart. David is a successful singer and songwriter with cuts in Nashville that range from Bluegrass to Country. I have gotten to know David over the years and he always welcomes me back with open arms. The last time that I was out, which was around two months ago, I was able to meet some Jam regulars. One of those regulars is a gentleman by the name of Doug Brothers. Doug actually grew up in Tennessee, and my Knoxville folks will recognize the Brothers name from Brothers Bedding, their family-owned business. I always enjoy seeing Doug; it is like visiting with a “good ole boy” from East Tennessee in the Cowboy State of Wyoming. I could go on about multiple folks and their stories. It is interesting only being away for a little over a week and feeling like you know the community that you are visiting more than community back home.

After the Jam on Thursday night, David and I got to catch up and talk about life and new tunes. He let me know that he had just gotten two cuts on Eddy Raven’s new bluegrass record and was going to be out of town Saturday and Sunday. David kindly asked if I would hold the fort down with some music in the saloon the nights that he would be gone. I was happy and honored to oblige. It was what he asked that followed that really caught me off guard. The Travel Channel had a crew coming through to film the town, and more specifically, the Occidental Hotel and Saloon. David said that they were going to be filming in the saloon Saturday morning and would I want to provide the music? I think I almost hopped up on the bar and did a little jig for joy. I humbly accepted.

I woke up Saturday morning and shaved the travel and first few days off of my face. I washed up and put on my best Wrangler snap and tucked my shirt in; I wanted to look presentable. I then hopped in the truck and made the short drive down to Main Street. When I opened the saloon door, you would have thought based on the crowd size that it was 8 pm and not 8 am: the crew had chosen the early call time due to the lighting in the saloon, and The Chamber Of Commerce had done a wonderful job of wrangling up some folks for hot coffee and bloody marys. I made my way up to the stage area and got situated. The director came up and gave me the lowdown on what was going on and how this would play out. The director wanted to know if I was comfortable being perched on the barstool and strumming a couple chords. I let her know that “it’s what I do.” She laughed, I signed the paperwork, and they got to it. It was wonderful to see a small portion of the folks of Buffalo having coffee and catching up with people they hadn’t seen in a week or two. There was nothing but smiles on people’s faces for as far as I could see.

The filming was over in what seemed like seconds. I reckon we must have all acted our part in one take. Maybe the Oscars will add a multiple supporting cast award and we’ll take the prize. I packed my things up and made my way over to the bar for some hot coffee. While standing there I got into a really good conversation with the President of the Chamber Of Commerce about his story, and how he and his wife came to live in Wyoming. He runs one of the only internet radio stations based out of Wyoming, and we got to talking about that and how I had come to know of Buffalo myself. I shared about meeting Walt Longmire some years ago and he mentioned that Craig Johnson (the author) was a buddy of his, and he had hosted him on his radio program several times. I explained to him what a big deal  the town of Buffalo has become over the years to me. Nearing the end of our conversation he told me, “It sounds to me like you need to move out here.” I smiled back and said, “Maybe so.”

I finished my coffee, said my goodbye-for-nows and made my way towards the saloon door. I was stopped by a man who looked to be around my age and asked, “So what’s going on?” I replied that I wasn’t sure what he was talking about. He then laughed, and explained that he was with the local paper, the Buffalo Bulletin. I introduced myself to him and explained that I had just read the last two editions front to back and that I was a fan of the paper. He seemed a little caught off guard by this, but was kind and said thank you. I told him that that was the best way to find out what is going on in a town around you, reading the paper, and that I thought a lot of people had forgotten that over the years. He asked me several questions, and I got to share with him about what the town meant to me, about the friends that I have made here, and what an impact The Sheriff of Absaroka County has had on me (which I explained was how I had come to know about the real county, Johnson County).