Well, you may very well still be a true Wyomingite, but knowing the history of the state you reside in is half the fun of being proud of your heritage. I wasn't even aware of this book until I had already lived in Wyoming for more than 26 years, but as soon as I found it, I devoured it. Now, I see references to it all over the state, and it makes the historic revelation that much more meaningful.

If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm referring to The Great Wyoming Novel: The Virginian, by Owen Wister. 

You may have even seen it in film-form once or twice, and even Trace Adkins has starred in a version brought to screen. The Virginian is thought to have been the very first Western novel, written by Wister after his travels through the Cowboy State during the Johnson County Cattle Wars. The novel features a fictionalized version of events that center around the same historical ties.

It all takes place in Medicine Bow, Wyoming, and one trip to the Medicine Bow Museum will show just how proud they are of their claim to fame from Wister's novel. You'll see references to Owen Wister all over the Cowboy State, including rooms in historic hotels that purport that he sat at their saloon and wrote parts of his novel.

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