The Collector:

Becki Peterson, Wilson, Wyoming

The Collection: 

If you happen to drive through the alpine Western town of Wilson, Wyoming, don’t miss the collection of colorful cowboy boots pinned to a barn wall at Puzzleface Ranch.

“All of these boots were used by our students over the years,” explains ranch hand Becki Peterson, a cow horse competitor who teaches riding fundamentals to locals and tourists alike. “As they grew out of them, on the wall they went for future kids to use.”

The wall, now a town icon, sports about 70 pairs of flashy footwear: “Ariat, Ferrini, Lucchese, Corral—a little bit of everything,” Peterson notes. “Some are as old as 25 years.”

And if these boots could talk, what would they say? “This is what’s left of the students who didn’t listen,” replies Peterson with a wink.