The historic Sierra Madre Range occupies the western-most section of the Medicine Bow National Forest. Historically, gold and copper mining, and later logging, were the big attractions to the area. But today, wildlife and related outdoor activities . . . — — Map (db m305590) HM
Established July 20, 1862. Located west of the Medicine Bow River at the north base of Elk Mountain. The site was selected by and the post built under the command of Major John O'Ferrall, 11th Ohio Cavalry. It was established to protect the . . . — — Map (db m95377) HM
The area near the Wagonhound Rest Area has played an important role in western transportation since the earliest days of human activity in the Rock Mountain west. The area has provided Wyoming's earliest inhabitants, explorers, westbound settlers, . . . — — Map (db m47142) HM
The stone circles of "Tipi Rings" as this site mark the location of a prehistoric Native American campsite. The stones were probably used to anchor the skins of conical tents known by the Sioux word "Tipi". the stones were placed around the base of . . . — — Map (db m47141) HM
This site lies at the northern-most extent of the Snowy Range Mountains, a spot where the high mountain peaks end and the winds begin. Winds here may exceed 70 miles per hour at times, blowing winter snows, leaving ridges and slopes bare, and . . . — — Map (db m47140) HM
Gateway to the sites of Ghost Towns of the Copper Country. Once a favorite hunting ground of Prehistoric man, later "Camp le Grand" became a noted rendezvous of Indians and trappers. In 1897 the townsite was laid out by Willis George Emerson and . . . — — Map (db m95468) HM
Camped near this spot in 1878,
while on a fishing trip.
It was here that his attention
was directed to the fiber
from his bamboo fishing pole
which he tested as a suitable
filament for his incandescent
electric lamp.
Born February . . . — — Map (db m107499) HM
"When you say that, smile"
Owen Wister
Whose writings acquainted the nation with pioneer Wyoming ranch life, made Medicine Bow the beginning of his most popular novel, "The Virginian," — — Map (db m89702) HM
Muddy Gap sits at a crossroads of many historic sites related to the Oregon and Mormon Trails. From Muddy Gap, Independence Rock is 18 miles northeast, Split Rock is 10 miles to the northwest; Devils Gate is 14 miles northeast, and Martin’s . . . — — Map (db m95472) HM
April 21, 1836, General Sam Houston and the Texian Army defeated Mexican President, General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. On May 14, 1836 the defeated Santa Anna signed the Treaty of Velasco, establishing The Republic of Texas, an independent . . . — — Map (db m283695) HM
In the summer of 1867, a survey partly led by General Grenville M. Dodge seeking a route for the Union Pacific Railroad, stopped one half mile south west of here.
General John A. Rawlins, a member of the party, spoke of the spring there as the . . . — — Map (db m89705) HM
The hills located to the south and west (your left) are part of the Rawlins Uplift, a 40 mile long, north trending fold in the earth's crust. The geologic feature rises a thousand feet above the surrounding plains. Granite rocks that range in age . . . — — Map (db m95470) HM
In the summer of 1867, a survey party led by General Grenville M. Dodge seeking a route for the Union Pacific Railroad stopped here.
General John A. Rawlins, a member of the party, spoke of the spring as "the most gracious and acceptable of . . . — — Map (db m67982) HM
The pioneer William Daley (1844-1922) built both the original 1866 Fort Phil Kearney flagstaff for the Bozeman Trail fort and this replica which is placed here in memory of the Daley Family in 1865. — — Map (db m89703) HM
The Wyoming State Penitentiary was constructed in different stages. The first construction occurred three years after statehood in 1893 following authorization by the Wyoming Territorial Legislature and the laying of a cornerstone in 1888. The . . . — — Map (db m89706) HM
These mountains, which are a portion of the Medicine Bow National
Forest, are called the Snowy Range. The latter is an appropriate name
since it can snow here at any time of the year. Ten foot drifts are not
uncommon in the winter, while . . . — — Map (db m285431) HM
World War II
US Army
Chorzelski, Michel Fl O • Hakeman, Lloyd N. 1st Lt • Simonson, Donald W. 2nd Lt • Sureson, James A. 1st Lt • Syler, Raymus M. Tec 5 • Kizzire, William L. Capt • Henningsen, Peter W. 1st Lt • Howard, Earl T. S Sgt • . . . — — Map (db m231292) WM
The wetland complex you see before you is a cooperative venture proposed and designed by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, engineered by the Soil Conservation Service and funded by Peter Storer and the Storer Foundation through the Ducks . . . — — Map (db m107279) HM
In a before time, only the natural forces of wind, water, weather
and fire affected plant and animal life in Wyoming. In later times: native
Americans hunted, camped and lived in this basin. Since that time, the
natural wildness of the land has . . . — — Map (db m308070) HM
The old road bed & cut below are believed to be part of the rail road that was constructed in 1887 by the Union Pacific Railroad to connect Fort Steele to Denver, CO. It was to follow the North Platte to North Park, Colorado and down the Cache la . . . — — Map (db m89987) HM
The Fort Fred Steele sawmill had traveled thousands of miles by rail and wagon prior to its arrival and installation here, along the North Platte River. The Lane and Bodley 15 horsepower steam-driven sawmill began its journey through the military . . . — — Map (db m89818) HM
The bridge tender's house was constructed by the Union Pacific Railroad to serve as an employee surveillance point. The bridge tender could respond quickly to locomotive-caused fires and could remove flood debris which might damage the bridge and . . . — — Map (db m89754) HM
During construction of the Union Pacific Railroad land speculators and a large contingent of undesirables kept pace with or move ahead of the construction crews and their military escorts. Townsite speculators tried to anticipate depot locations, . . . — — Map (db m89755) HM
Construction of the Union Pacific Railroad stimulated the growth of the timber industry in southern Wyoming. Two companies began supplying ties to the railroad in 1868, but the firm of Coe and Carter was the leading supplier to the Fort Fred Steele . . . — — Map (db m89817) HM
The post cemetery served as a graveyard for soldiers, their dependents, and civilians during the army occupation of Fort Steele (1868-1886). Although some soldiers died during the Indian Wars of the 1860s and 1879s, most of the military deaths at . . . — — Map (db m89988) HM
Two cannons located at opposite ends of a meridian island each bear the same inscription.
This cannon of Civil War vintage was for many years an essential part of oil field tank farm equipment. It was used in making holes in a tank . . . — — Map (db m89707) HM
The Post Trader's House was "T" shaped in three sections. The stem of the "T" was built first and over time other rooms were added to the house. The small fireplace was actually designed to burn coal. Many houses of this time period included coal . . . — — Map (db m90004) HM
Two stone foundations and chimneys remain of the five enlisted men's barracks once at Fort Fred Steele. The walls were constructed of logs and boards and battens while a shingled roof protected pine floor boards. Tar paper covered interior walls. . . . — — Map (db m89949) HM
At age 18, Fenimore Chatterton arrived in Wyoming on September 12, 1878 to begin a lifelong career of service to Wyoming.
The young Fenimore came west on the Union Pacific to Fort Steele for a bookkeeping job at the J.W, Hugus Trading Post. . . . — — Map (db m89995) HM
The south central portion of Wyoming has long been a travel corridor for prehistoric and historic people. Native American tribes from the Great Basin region to the west crossed this area to hunt buffalo on the eastern plains.
From 1810 . . . — — Map (db m67988) HM
Officially abandoned in 1886, the fort came under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior in 1887. In 1892 and 1893 most of the buildings were sold a public auction. In 1897 the land, opened to homesteading, was patented by the Union . . . — — Map (db m89913) HM
Fort Fred Steele was established in 1868 to protect the North Platte River railroad crossing and the crews builting the Transcontinental Railroad. Named after Civil War hero Major Frederick Steele, the Fort and its soldiers provided vital services . . . — — Map (db m89997) HM
After the fort was decommissioned and the military buildings were sold at auction, the residents of the Fort Steele community converted some of the old structures into homes and businesses or built anew on top of bare foundations. The schoolhouse . . . — — Map (db m89948) HM
This Tranquil Image of Fort Fred Steele... (ca. June 1872), by its artistic commander Colonel Philippe Regis de Trobriand, 13th Infantry, belies the post's relatively brief, but dynamic history (1868-1886). This encampment on the south bank of . . . — — Map (db m89844) HM
General Steele commanded a division of the Union Army at Vicksburg. Later he commanded all Union forces on the line of the Arkansas, exercising President Lincoln's policy of conciliation and reconstruction. At the end of the war he served in Texas, . . . — — Map (db m89846) HM
commander of Fort Fred Steele from October, 1871 until September, 1873; was born an aristocrat in Tours, France, but came to America as a soldier of fortune to fight in the Civil War. Commissioned as Colonel in 31st Infantry, he commanded . . . — — Map (db m89845) HM
Major Thomas Tipton Thornburgh, 4th Infantry... left Fort Fred Steele on September 21, 1879 with his regiment's Company E, plus Company E, 3rd Cavalry and Companies D and F, 5th Cavalry, in response to a complaint by U.S. Indian Agent N.C. . . . — — Map (db m89828) HM
The collapsed sand stone building west of the sign is all that remains of the once imposing eight room, one and one-half story Commanding Officers quarters. Residences for staff officers were four, wood-framed double quarters with a captain in . . . — — Map (db m89946) HM
U.S. Army Officers Who Commanded Fort Fred Steele from it's Inception (1868) until its Abandonment (1886)
Baker, Eugene M. (Maj, 2 Cav) • Bartlett, Charles G. (Capt, 4 Inf) 1869 • Bascom, Gustavus, M. (1/Lt, 13 In) 1872 • Bisbee, . . . — — Map (db m89947) HM
The powder magazine housed the fort's munitions and therefore was located away from the main military complex. Ironically, it is one of the few fort structures remaining. It replaced the original magazine, a dugout constructed when the post was . . . — — Map (db m89994) HM
The Union Pacific Railroad and the North Platte River are important parts of the story of Fort Fred Steele. Located where these two great resources met, the fort and the local industries surrounding it would depend upon the rails and water for . . . — — Map (db m89759) HM
The cattle industry was also large in the area with some very large cattle companies that owned land in and around the area. One of the largest, the Swan Land & Cattle Co. owned by the Swan Brothers stretched from near present day Scottsbluff, NE to . . . — — Map (db m89970) HM
You are in Carbon County, an area central to Wyoming's past and present ranching industry. In the 1930s the county was populated by over one million sheep and annually shipped more pounds of wool than any other county in the United States.
. . . — — Map (db m67987) HM
Anglo-European Coal Miners Near Rock Springs, Wyoming... killed 26 Chinese on Thursday afternoon, September 3, 1885, and torched their nearby settlement. More than 550 other Orientals fled into the hills. Two days later, Fort Fred Steele's . . . — — Map (db m89829) HM
Sheep ranching came in to the Rawlins & Ft. Steele area in the 1880's with I.C. Miller being one of the earliest. He owned the first flock in 1875. In 1882, about 16 large sheep outfits were listed in the Rawlins area and numbers rapidly grew. . . . — — Map (db m89968) HM
The first authentic sheep wagon was built by James Candlish in Rawlins in 1884 from an idea given him by George Ferris. Caddish, a Canadian blacksmith, followed the Union Pacific construction to Fort Fred Steele and lived there until the troops . . . — — Map (db m89967) HM
Sheep were introduced to Wyoming in the 1850's near Fort Bridger, about 180 miles west of Fort Steele. By 1880 the number had grown to over 350,000 head ranging primarily along the route of the Union Pacific Railroad. The Cosgriff Brothers owned one . . . — — Map (db m89950) HM
plus other lines of transportation and communication - train, telegraph and telephone - bisected America while linking its east and west coasts during one of our nation's most remarkable eras of development. Those lifelines also sustained the . . . — — Map (db m89924) HM
The Parco Inn was built as the architectural highlight of Wyoming's most elegant company town. Frank Kistler, founder of the Producers and Refiners Oil Company (PARCO), hired the Denver-based architectural firm of Fisher and Fisher to design a . . . — — Map (db m89715) HM
Passenger travel on the Union Pacific Railroad began in July of 1868, with the first trans-continental service beginning just 10 days after the golden spike was driven on May 10, 1869 at Promontory Point in Utah. The first passenger trains were . . . — — Map (db m89915) HM
depicts a bustling military community astride the continental Union Pacific Railroad and flanked on the north and east by the Platte River.
Although the variety flora is limited, bitter cottonwood trees grown profusely with a smattering of pine . . . — — Map (db m89926) HM
Thornburgh's Command Defended Themselves Behind a Breastwork....
of barrels, sacks of flour, wagons and dead horses as Ute Indians rained bullets down bluffs along Milk Creek. The battle that raged from about noon on Monday, September 29, . . . — — Map (db m89824) HM
In 1901, the Fireman's Fund Insurance Company included a plat of Ft. Steel in its insurance rating of the town. The town had not grown as planned, probably due to the closeness of Rawlins and that the timber industry had started building its own . . . — — Map (db m89820) HM
Fort Fred Steele was established in 1868 as one of a group of military posts placed along the route of the Trans-Continental Railroad to protect and support the railroad construction. Today, except for the Powder Magazine (south of the Railroad . . . — — Map (db m71623) HM
In 1868 the Union Pacific Railroad was rapidly moving west with the short lived railhead towns leading the way. In early July, General Dodge ordered the citizens of Brownsville to move three miles from the river to the edge of the Dry Desert. . . . — — Map (db m89916) HM
It is not happenstance that Wyoming hosts a wealth of our nation's wildlife resource. Early explorers wrote descriptions of the buffalo, "... blackening the plains as far as the eye could see. The pronghorn antelope were as numerous as the buffalo." . . . — — Map (db m67986)
"From the Platte west to Fort Bridger... is one almost uninterrupted panorama of barren hills, sandy plains, ugly tortuous ravines, and blank desolation... All life and all living things, seem to be gone." (Overland Trail traveler Demas Barnes, . . . — — Map (db m89716) HM
