Gillette in Campbell County, Wyoming — The American West (Mountains)

City Acquires Ditch Lands

Burlington Lake

— Burlington Lake Trail —

City Acquires Ditch Lands Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 29, 2022

1. City Acquires Ditch Lands Marker

Inscription.
By October 1943, negotiations were completed where the City of Gillette took over the CB&Q water ditch, according to Mayor Roy Montgomery. Under the terms of the agreement, the city received title to all the land through which the ditch ran, including the lake bed north of the tracks. The lake bed was to be utilized in building a city park. The work of filling in the ditch was postponed until after the war.

Erected by Campbell County Historical Society and Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Parks & Recreational Areas • Railroads & Streetcars • War, World II • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical month for this entry is October 1943.

Location. 44° 17.994′ N, 105° 29.449′ W. Marker is in Gillette, Wyoming, in Campbell County. It can be reached from the intersection of East Warlow Drive and North Osborne Avenue, on the left when traveling east. The marker is on the Burlington Lake Trail at McManamen Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 501 East Warlow Drive, Gillette WY 82716, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally,

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this marker is in Wyoming’s Powder River Basin.

It is also in the American Mountain West,

on the Great Plains,

on the Northern Plains,

and specifically on the High Plains.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Improvements After the War (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Disposal of the Ditch (approx. 0.2 miles away); Flood Waters Under Control (approx. 0.2 miles away); McManamen Park Walkway Improved (approx. ¼ mile away); 1912 Flood Disaster (approx. 0.3 miles away); Gillette Beautification (approx. 0.3 miles away); Champion of Gillette's Green Spaces (approx. 0.4 miles away); Dog-Banning Proposal (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Gillette.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Burlington Lake Trail

Also see . . . History of Burlington Lake (Gillette News Record).

(By Patrick Filbin,
Courtesy Rockpile Museum

2. Marker detail: Mayor Roy Montgomery
3/7/2017) Excerpt: The city of Gillette look over the lake in 1943 when it was no longer needed by the railroad. The surrounding park was named McManamen Park in 1989 after Jim McManamen, a councilman from 1971-74 and from 1977-84 who lived near the park and who worked tirelessly to have the area turned into a park.

(Submitted on July 22, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 29, 2022

3. City Acquires Ditch Lands Marker

Looking southeast from the Burlington Lake Trail. East Warlow Drive is in the background.

Credits. This page was last revised on July 25, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 21, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 10 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 21, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 3. submitted on July 22, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.