Red Desert and Great Divide Basin
Perhaps nowhere in the west are the spaces as wide and open as they are in the 108 miles between Rawlins and Rock Springs. This high desert land (all elevations range upward from 6,000 feet above sea level) is truly the "home where the antelope roam" and, if the skies do just happen to be a bit cloudy all day (a most unusual occurrence), you can almost bet it won't rain. In fact, if much rain did fall, the entire region would turn into a huge lake. The area between Interstate-80 and the distant Green Mountains and Antelope Hills on the skyline to the north form the Great Divide Basin, a "hole" in the Continental Divide that drains to neither ocean, only into itself. While the traveler's first impression of this region might be of a hard, dry and barren land, closer inspection will reveal a fascinating variety of flora and fauna co-existing in a totally interrelated desert community. Far from being a dead place, the basin literally shimmers with life.
Elk and mule deer are common in the Green Mountains to the north and in the sand dunes region on the basin's west edge. Antelope are everywhere in the region, particularly in the Red Desert section north of the community of Wamsutter - one of the most important pronghorn antelope ranges in the state. Hawks and eagles dominate the sky while the sage grouse, largest member of the grouse family, fly closer to the ground. Coyotes, bobcats and an occasional mountain lion are in constant search for the great variety of rabbits and rodents that live in the ground. The basin was the home of the last known herd of wild bison in Wyoming. Some of the largest wild horse herds in the world call this area home. The Red Desert is a unique piece of North America - well worth a closer look.
Star Valley
Wyoming's Star Valley, known as the "Little Switzerland of America," is a valley floor dotted with neat farms surrounded by steep, rugged mountains. The area's many dairy herds and dairy products enhance its claim to the European title.
Dairying is the principle industry in the valley and dates back to the earliest settlement. Family cows provided milk, butter and cheese for the table. Through the ingenuity, thrift and industry of the hardy settlers, their products soon exceeded their own consumption, so in 1889, a creamery was established. This provided a modest beginning for a lasting industry. Star Valley now produces more milk than any other area in the state and is widely known for its fine cheese and dairy products.
The Mormons built their first Star Valley settlement on the Wyoming-Idaho state line. Because they could travel easily from one state to the other, the hamlet was known as Freedom. Another western boundary spot was called Border and one village took its name from literature - since it reminded a Star Valley Mormon of Goldsmith's poem, The Deserted Village, he called it Auburn.
One of "nine young men from Kentucky" who accompanied Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on their explorations of Louisiana Territory, John Colter became one of the expedition's most adept hunters. He was about thirty years old when the expedition set off in 1804, stood five feet ten inches tall, and looked out at the world through piercing blue eyes. read more
This is a land that time forgot. From Yellowtail Dam across the Bighorn River in Montana to the 47 river-miles of Bighorn Lake, the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area rewards the visitor with spectacular scenery. read more
