Jackson is a special place. With its proximity to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks, skiing, and wildlife, it gets a lot of visitors. When I stopped by, I was expecting a small town full of lodging and tourist traps, but there was much more to it. My three hours in the town only gave me a small taste of what it has to offer.
The city of Cody, founded by Buffalo Bill Cody, has a few great activities to keep visitors busy during their stay. My time there was limited because we arrived a bit later in the day than we had hoped, but we were still able to get a nice feel for the town. We started with a quick look at the downtown area along Sheridan Avenue, where most of the action is.
Is Fort Washakie, Wyoming, the resting place of the famed Shoshone guide who helped lead the Lewis and Clark Expedition? The controversy surrounding the death of Sacajawea began in the early 1900s. She was thought to have died in 1812 of an unknown illness, but research through Shoshone oral tradition by suffragette Dr. Grace Raymond Hebard opened a new chapter in Sacajawea’s life with many unanswered questions.
In the middle of the Sweetwater Valley along Highway 220 in Wyoming, Independence Rock juts out of the ground. This rock stands 130 feet high, 1,900 feet long, and 850 feet wide. It was a landmark for emigrants heading west on the Oregon, California, and Mormon trails.
The first thing that comes to mind when I hear the word “Casper” is “Casper the Friendly Ghost”. The first thing that came to mind when I drove into the city of Casper on a Friday afternoon is “ghost town”.
Just outside of Guernsey, Wyoming, south of the North Platte River, is a section of solid rock that has been cut into by history. The wagon ruts were made by brave pioneers heading west on the Oregon Trail in the mid-1800s. Oregon Trail Ruts State Historic Site preserves this history.
As a kid, I always enjoyed playing the old Oregon Trail computer game. It was a fun and educational way to learn about settlers and hardships in the West. I remember getting to Fort Laramie was one of the milestones in the game. I had no idea where the fort was located and didn’t know much about it other than it was part of the Oregon Trail. When the opportunity came up to visit the actual fort, I jumped on it.
At 124 Capitol Avenue is the Wyoming Governor’s Mansion. It’s a state historic site not too far from the Wyoming State Capitol and a few blocks north of downtown Cheyenne. The mansion was built in 1904 and served from 1905 to 1976.
The Wyoming State Capitol building was constructed between 1886 and 1890, before Wyoming was even a state. It’s located just north of downtown Cheyenne and open to visitors during working hours from Monday through Friday. Tours are free and self-guided, but guided tours can be provided upon request in advance.
The historic Cheyenne Depot, in the heart of downtown Cheyenne, was built in 1886 for Union Pacific passenger trains. It stands directly down the street about a mile from the Wyoming State Capitol building. The building was donated to the city of Cheyenne by Union Pacific in 1993.