August 23, 2023 |
Photo – Meeting Poster – Courtesy Little Snake River Museum
The Little Snake River Museum hosts monthly meetings to collect stories from longtime residents. Tonight’s meeting will focus on stories about rattlesnake encounters.
Every month since 2012, the Little Snake River Museum and the Little Snake River Valley Education Center have teamed up to hold a series of gatherings called Life and Times on the River. LSRV Education Center Coordinator Ryanne Mikesell said the purpose of the meetings is to record the personal accounts of older residents.
The latest Life and Times on the River meeting is tonight, at 5:00pm, at the Little Snake River Museum in Savery. Mikesell said every meeting has a chosen topic for the participants to speak about. Tonight’s talk is titled Rattlesnake Tales and will focus on stories associated with the venomous reptiles. Mikesell said she hasn’t personally encountered a rattlesnake, but the animals are known to inhabit the area.
While Mikesell hasn’t met a rattlesnake, another resident wasn’t as lucky. Mikesell said a woman from Baggs was bitten by a rattlesnake two years ago. Thanks to the quick thinking of medical personnel, Mikesell said the woman fully recovered.
Mikesell said the Little Snake River Museum and the Little Snake River Valley Education Center take turns hosting the Life and Times meetings depending on the time of year. The meetings are held at the museum in the summer and at the education center in the winter. Mikesell said both the education center and local resident Linda Fleeming contribute ideas for conversation topics. Mikesell said meeting attendees will occasionally watch films relevant to the area or speak to local authors as well.
Mikesell said some of the participants have since passed away. Having their stories recorded allows people to listen to the experiences of past Little Snake River Valley residents.
Mikesell said a recent meeting focused on previous winters. The education center coordinator told a story about one resident who had a particularly unpleasant winter experience.
Mikesell said the meetings typically attract between eight to twenty people.
The Life and Times on the River meeting recordings are stored at the Little Snake River Museum. Mikesell said she is working to make the audio available online.
Event attendees are encouraged to bring old photographs to the meetings. Museum staff will scan the pictures to make them available digitally.
The Life and Times on the River’s Rattlesnake Tales begins at 5:00 tonight at the Little Snake River Museum in Savery. Call Ryanne Mikesell at 383-6861 for more information or to reserve space on the Community Bus. RSVP’s are suggested, but not necessary. Admission is free. Light dinner will be served during the meeting.
