Sinks Canyon

Sinks Canyon. Corridor to the Winds. From the time the glaciers of the last Ice Age retreated about 16,000 years ago, people have journeyed into Sinks Canyon. The canyon is a natural pathway into and over the southern Wind River Mountains. For thousands of years people, and wildlife, have moved up from the Lander Valley, through the canyon and over the mountain passes and back again. Wildlife migrated seasonally following forage and prey. Prehistoric people came to the canyon to hut, quarry valuable stone for tools and to pick abundant fall berries. Archeological evidence shows people camped in the canyon 9,000 years ago. Native American use of the canyon continued over the centuries with tribes such as the Crow and Shoshone using the resources of the canyon in much the same way as the prehistoric hunters. European explorers, fur trappers, cattlemen and settlers all followed in more recent times. Mountain men trapped beaver in the river; lumber mills and stone quarries helped build the new town of Lander in the late 1800s. Cattle and sheep herder moved their animals through the canyon in the spring to reach the lush high mountain meadows. People have visited the canyon from the beginning for its scenic and geologic wonders. Preserved today as a state park and National Forest, the canyon is still a Corridor to the Winds for people and wildlife.