Park County made the cut. 

Our bid for the Wyoming State Shooting Complex is now one of just three finalists left, and while there are plenty of reasons as to why the location south of Cody is the “one to beat,” in at least one metric we’re very much the underdog. 

The other finalists are the state’s three largest cities — or were until Cheyenne pulled out of the race before the next round of presentations Monday morning.

So what. 

According to a member of the Park County group trying to bring the complex here, the State Task Force scored Park County’s proposal as by far the best of the four finalists. Park County received 77.57 points out of 100, Cheyenne 71.9, Casper 71.47 and Gillette 69.52.

Cody certainly punches far above its weight in the amenities it has due to being a tourist town, and here in Powell we can provide both accommodations and some great places to eat, whether a sit-down restaurant, a cafe or a food truck. 

Yes, together we’re still short of the infrastructure the big cities of Casper and Cheyenne can boast, but amount of amenities is just one of four criteria being considered. There’s also the site itself, the business plan and just how well a fit the area is. 

There’s also quality of amenities to be considered, and in that regard this area is hard to beat. Many big time shooters I’ve heard about are also big outdoor folks, and while the Black Hills and Casper Mountain are nice, Yellowstone National Park is kind of a big deal. 

As a member of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, I can’t forget that amenity, which includes a world class firearms museum. That could be the clincher right there. Park is the only one of the four counties left with a bonafide Smithsonian affiliate museum — we actually have two, including Heart Mountain Interpretive Center — that has an entire museum devoted to firearms. 

I mean, how more perfect can you get for a place to host a shooting complex? One of the first displays you go by at the firearms museum is one on the evolution of shooting sports and famous shooters’ firearms.

Also, depending on when these events are held, shooters could even overlap with a hunting season, and there’s so much good hunting in the area, whether your forte on the range is skeet or long range shooting. 

So, yes, Park may be the smallest county left in the running, but the panelists voting on where to put the range are clearly thinking far beyond mere population numbers.