Lusk in Niobrara County, Wyoming — The American West (Mountains)
Cows, Wildlife and Gold
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, June 7, 2016
1. Cows, Wildlife and Gold Marker
Inscription.
Cows, Wildlife and Gold. . The Cheyenne River drainage system has been the locus of human activity for thousands of years. Native Americans used the corridor in search of wild game and wild plants resources. When gold was discovered in the Black Hills in 1875, miners, gamblers, freighters and road agents were among those following the Cheyenne-Deadwood road through this area. Stage coaches carried gold to the railroads in Cheyenne and brought passengers back. Robber's Roost, a creek crossing a few miles north of Mule Creek Junction, was a favorite spot for hold-ps. General George Crook and his men camped nearby on the Cheyenne River in June 1876 during the Powder River Campaign while Custer waged his battle on the Little Big Horn. , In the 1870s and 80's thousands of cattle came, later followed by thousands of sheep - most of them trailed from Cheyenne. Ranches were built up in the late 1870s and 1880s. A few of them remain in the same family today. The Cheyenne River and its tributaries have water sources for pioneers, livestock, wildlife, and the irrigation of alfalfa fields. , Today most of the sheep are gone. Longhorn cattle were replaced by Herefords, and later my mostly Angus cattle. The short nutritious grasses of the area feed some of the best beef animals in the world. Calves are moved from these prairies in the fall to become beef for this nation and the world. Hunters come from throughout America to harvest the pronghorn antelope and mule deer made abundant by the rancher's development of water and pasture.
The Cheyenne River drainage system has been the locus of human activity for thousands of years. Native Americans used the corridor in search of wild game and wild plants resources. When gold was discovered in the Black Hills in 1875, miners, gamblers, freighters and road agents were among those following the Cheyenne-Deadwood road through this area. Stage coaches carried gold to the railroads in Cheyenne and brought passengers back. Robber's Roost, a creek crossing a few miles north of Mule Creek Junction, was a favorite spot for hold-ps. General George Crook and his men camped nearby on the Cheyenne River in June 1876 during the Powder River Campaign while Custer waged his battle on the Little Big Horn.
In the 1870s and 80's thousands of cattle came, later followed by thousands of sheep - most of them trailed from Cheyenne. Ranches were built up in the late 1870s and 1880s. A few of them remain in the same family today. The Cheyenne River and its tributaries have water sources for pioneers, livestock, wildlife, and the irrigation of alfalfa fields.
Today most of the sheep are gone. Longhorn cattle were replaced by Herefords, and later my mostly Angus cattle. The short nutritious grasses of the area feed some of the best beef animals in the world. Calves are moved from these prairies in the fall to become beef for this
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nation and the world. Hunters come from throughout America to harvest the pronghorn antelope and mule deer made abundant by the rancher's development of water and pasture.
Location. 43° 22.729′ N, 104° 13.258′ W. Marker is in Lusk, Wyoming, in Niobrara County. Marker is at the intersection of CanAm HIghway (U.S. 85) and U.S. 18, on the left when traveling north on CanAm HIghway. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Lusk WY 82225, United States of America. Touch for directions.
More about this marker. This marker is located at the Mule Creek Junction Rest area on U.S. Highway 85, half-way between Newcastle and Lusk, Wyoming.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, June 7, 2016
2. Cows, Wildlife and Gold Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on September 28, 2016. It was originally submitted on September 28, 2016, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 311 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on September 28, 2016, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.