Sweetwater Station in Fremont County, Wyoming — The American West (Mountains)
Sweetwater Station
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, May 29, 2016
1. Sweetwater Station Marker
Inscription.
The modern burg of Sweetwater Station is at the intersection of U.S. Highway 287 and State Route 135 in central Wyoming along the Sweetwater River. It is a place of scenic beauty and historic significance. Prehistoric groups camped along the Sweetwater River for over 12,000 years. Archaeological sites with pithouses dating from 5000-7000 years ago were found near Split Rock and Jeffrey City to the east. The Oregon/Mormon Trail passed just to the south and includes what is called the sixth crossing of the Sweetwater River. At this crossing in October 1856 the Willie Handcart Company was stranded in a blizzard until rescued by their Mormon brethren sent by Brigham Young from Salt Lake City. In the late 1800s the Rawlins to Fort Washakie Road was established as a stage and wagon freight route. It passed just to the north of Sweetwater Station. This road was designated the Chief Washakie Trail in honor of the great chief of the Wind River Reservation. Washakie was instrumental in establishing this road and the tribe under his command organized its own freight teams and wagons to move goods and people from Rawlins to the reservation.
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From this point north along Highway 135 you can see the spectacular escarpment of Beaver Rim, which contains 65 million years of sedimentary formations. Below Beaver Rim is the Wind River Basin in which the town of Riverton and a portion of the Wind River Reservation are located.
Erected by Wyoming State Parks and Cultural Resources.
Location. 42° 32.671′ N, 108° 11.309′ W. Marker is in Sweetwater Station, Wyoming, in Fremont County. It is at the intersection of Wyoming 789 (U.S. 287) and Wyoming Highway 135 on Wyoming 789. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4189 Wyoming 789, Lander WY 82520, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Wind River Country. It is also in the American Mountain West. Globally, it is in North America, the Rocky Mountains, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.
More about this marker. This marker is located at the Sweetwater Station rest stop.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 15, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 12, 2016, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 7,123 times since then and 468 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on July 12, 2016, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
