Wyoming's Historic Sites
Wyoming's Historic Sites offer a fascinating glimpse into the state's rich cultural and historical tapestry, reflecting significant events from Native American history to western expansion. Key sites include the Medicine Wheel, a revered Native American sacred site, and Independence Rock, a prominent landmark on the Oregon Trail where countless travelers left their mark. The Oregon Trail Ruts provide tangible evidence of the migration patterns of the mid-nineteenth century, while Fort Phil Kearny highlights the complex interactions between Native Americans and settlers during the "Red Cloud War." The Horner Site reveals insights into prehistoric life through ancient tools and weapons, dating back to around 5000 B.C.E. Additionally, the Wyoming State Capitol stands as a testament to the state’s progressive history in women's suffrage. Each site tells a unique story of the people who shaped Wyoming, making them valuable resources for understanding the diverse narratives of the American West. Exploring these historic locations invites a deeper appreciation of the region's past and its ongoing significance.
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Wyoming's Historic Sites
Expedition Island
Location: Green River, Sweetwater County
Relevant issues: Western expansion
Statement of significance: This was the embarkation point of Major John Wesley Powell (1834-1902) for his 1871 expedition down the Green and Colorado Rivers and possibly for his 1869 trip as well. On these trips, Major Powell explored the last large land area unknown to European Americans in the mainland United States.
Fort Phil Kearny and Associated Sites
Location: Story, Johnson County
Relevant issues: Native American history, western expansion
Web site:www.fortphilkearny.com
Statement of significance: Established in 1866 to protect travelers along the Bozeman Trail, the fort was under virtual siege (1866-1868) in the “Red Cloud War” as Sioux groups fought successfully to prevent the invasion of White people into their hunting grounds. This was one of the few times when the Army was forced to abandon a region it had occupied.
Horner Site
Location: Cody, Park County
Relevant issues: Native American history
Statement of significance: This site has yielded evidence that several distinctive weapons and tools found in the Plains region were all part of a single prehistoric flint tool industry of Early Hunter origin. Initial age estimates place occupation of this site at approximately 5000 B.C.E.
Independence Rock
Location: Casper, Natrona County
Relevant issues: Western expansion
Statement of significance: This is a well-known natural landmark on the Oregon Trail, 1,900 feet long and 850 feet wide. Numerous travelers painted, carved, or wrote their names on its surface over the years.
Medicine Wheel
Location: Kane, Big Horn County
Relevant issues: Native American history
Statement of significance: This represents one of the most interesting and mysterious remains of late period aboriginal culture. Its builders and function are unknown. Composed of loose, irregularly shaped, whitish flat stones placed in a circle, it is apparently little modified since its construction (c. 1800); twenty-eight linear spokes, 70 to 75 feet in length, radiate from the hub.
Obsidian Cliff
Location: Mammoth, Park County
Relevant issues: Native American history
Statement of significance: Obsidian Cliff occupies a unique position in national prehistory as a singularly important source of lithic materials for prehistoric peoples of interior western North America. It is recognized as an exceptionally well preserved, heavily utilized lithic source that served the utilitarian needs and ceremonial requirements or early Indigenous peoples over a large area of North America for twelve thousand years.
Oregon Trail Ruts
Location: Guernsey, Platte County
Relevant issues: Western expansion
Statement of significance: Worn from 2 to 6 feet into an eroded sandstone ridge on the south side of the North Platte River, this roadbed gives clear physical evidence of the route followed by those who migrated westward across the Plains in the mid-nineteenth century.
Penney Historic District
Location: Kemmerer, Lincoln County
Relevant issues: Business and industry
Statement of significance: This district includes the Golden Rule Store and the home of James Cash (J. C.) Penney (1875-1971), who began here, in 1902, the retail chain that still bears his name.
Sheridan Inn
Location: Sheridan, Sheridan County
Relevant issues: Cultural history
Statement of significance:William F. (“Buffalo Bill”) Cody (1846-1917) operated this hotel from 1894 to 1896, catering principally to sportsmen. The frame building has a piazza on two sides.
South Pass
Location: South Pass City, Fremont County
Relevant issues: Western expansion
Statement of significance: This was the easiest passage through the Rocky Mountains, heavily used by westbound settlers, fur traders, and miners in the nineteenth century. The traffic through the pass helped establish an effective U.S. claim to the Pacific Northwest.
Upper Green River Rendezvous Site
Location: Daniel, Sublette County
Relevant issues: Business and industry, western expansion
Statement of significance: Of the fifteen annual meetings held by mountain men of the Rocky Mountain fur trade from 1825 to 1840, this was the most popular rendezvous site. The annual spring trading fair held here attracted Anglo-American traders and trappers, including Kit Carson and Jim Bridger, and Native Americans.
Wyoming State Capitol
Location: Cheyenne, Laramie County
Relevant issues: Political history, women’s history
Statement of significance: As a territory, Wyoming was the first major jurisdiction in the United States where women had full suffrage, and in 1889, an all-male group drafted a state constitution that included woman suffrage. When Wyoming Territory applied for statehood in 1890, Congress, after a close vote, passed the Wyoming statehood bill. This building represents that symbolic victory for the woman suffrage movement that commanded national attention.
McCormick, Kylie Louise. "Marking the Past: A History of Wyoming's Historical Markers." Wyohistory.org, 1 Oct. 2022, www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/marking-past-history-wyomings-historical-markers. Accessed 5 June 2024.
"Seven Must-Visit Cultural and Historic Sites in Wyoming." Travel Wyoming, 13 June 2023, travelwyoming.com/article/7-must-visit-cultural-and-historic-sites-wyoming/. Accessed 5 June 2024.
Talbolt, Starley and Michael E. Kassel. Historic Lakeview Cemetary of Cheyenne. The History Press, 2023.