Wyoming through Time - Dinosaurs to Pioneers By Dina Mishev
Old West trail
Although it has little history as an actual state (after all, it’s only been one since 1890), the territory that is today Wyoming goes way back. Way, way back. Luckily, your transportation options aren’t as limited as those of early visitors – covered wagon, foot, or horse – so it won’t take years to see it all. Four days is all you’ll need to get a sampling of Wyoming’s yesteryears.
Day 1: Exploring the Oregon Trail outside of Casper
Between 300,000 to 500,000 people traveled the Oregon, California and Mormon Trails between 1840 and 1860. All three trails (as well as the Pony Express trail) went right through Casper and it just so happens that the nearby sections are some of the best preserved of the whole 2,000 mile Oregon Trail. See for yourself – and see how the pioneers did it – with a covered wagon ride. Area outfitters offer everything from hour-long rides to week-long adventures ending at the famous Independence Rock. But none of today’s rides are quite so basic you are made to suffer the same hardships the pioneers did (cholera, little water, hardtack for three meals each day). Chefs can do more with a Dutch oven than most of us can do with a professional kitchen. If you elect for an overnight, you’d most likely retire to a 10-foot by 10-foot
South Pass City State Historical Site, Wyoming. Fred Pflughoft
range teepee. Trucks follow with port-a-johns.
Day 2: Ghost Town: South Pass City
In the late 1860s, South Pass City was home to 2,000 some gold miners living in 300 (often ramshackle) buildings. But by 1872 the Clarissa Mine had played out and most of the miners had moved on. Unlike many of its contemporaries, South Pass left a lasting mark though: Legislator William Bright, a South Pass saloon keeper and mine owner, introduced a women’s suffrage bill in the territory’s first legislative session. Governor Campbell signed it into law Dec. 10, 1869 and Wyoming became the first place in the country to give women the right to vote.
Learn more about Bright as well as other notable South Pass citizens at the town’s Interpretative Center. Or walk through each of the 17 authentically restored original structures. Sidle up to the counter and order a sarsaparilla or shop at the Smith-Sherlock General store. For a real taste of what life was like for the miners, try panning for gold in Willow Creek.
Day 3: Plains Indian Museum
You could stop at every reservation between Illinois and Wyoming, but why, when the Plains Indian Museum at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody can teach you as much as you want to know about all the tribes that lived, and still
Buffalo Bill Historical Center
live, in the area? After a $3.8 million remodel and reinterpretation, the Plains Indian museum reopened in June 2000 as a living, breathing place where more than just Indian objects are on display. The museum tells the story of the lives of Plains Indian people, their cultures, traditions, values and histories, as well as the contexts of their lives today through traditional displays as well as interactive kiosks. It is the rare museum the kids appreciate and enjoy as much as mom and dad.
Day 4: Way back in time
Before pioneers and miners, dinosaurs ruled Wyoming. At the Wyoming Dinosaur Center in Thermopolis, you can check out 20 full-size dinosaur skeletons (many found nearby), watch as professional prep technicians clean and stabilize newly-found bones and fossils, or even play paleontologist yourself. Warm Springs Ranch, 15-minutes from the center, is home to a giant layer of rock called the Morrison Formation. Many of the country’s most significant dinosaur finds come from this rock layer (it runs much of the length of the Rockies). The Wyoming Dinosaur Center has identified 60-some dinosaur sites on the ranch and uses paying volunteers to help excavate their finds … or help make new ones. It’ll give the kids a great topic to write their “what I did on summer vacation” essay on. You’ll return home wondering if it’s too late for a career change.
The L.A.-area family we met on our sleigh ride had just flown in for a few days of frosty fun in Jackson. They'd heard Jackson Hole offers everything from big-time skiing and snowboarding to world-class wildlife viewing, shopping and culture, and they weren't disappointed.
read more
You can play in one of nature's largest sandboxes in the country just a few miles north of Rock Springs at the Killpecker Sand Dunes. The dunes seem out of place in southwest Wyoming. It's the kind of environment you'd expect to find in the deserts of Africa or the Mid-East. read more
