No larger than a dog, the eohippus, or dawn horse, first appeared approximately 55 million years ago. It had four toes on its front legs and three on its hind legs. Eohippus remains have been found in Wyoming’s Wind River Basin. Over time, . . . — — Map (db m86912) HM
This region is totally unfit for either rail or wagon roads and can only be traversed with the greatest of difficulty. - U.S. Army Lieutenant Henry Mayandier, while attempting to map a wagon route across the Big Horn Basin in . . . — — Map (db m86910) HM
This statue by artist/sculptor, Steve Wirth, depicts Byron Sessions, survey map case in hand, as he prepares to oversee the construction of the Sidon Canal.
It was the policy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, often . . . — — Map (db m91254) HM
Following Mormon settlement of the Salt Lake Valley beginning in 1847, church leaders envisioned colonization of the entire inter-mountain region. In following decades, Mormons emigrated from Utah into Idaho, Arizona and Wyoming. Seeking to improve . . . — — Map (db m91252) HM
In 1900 the prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints, sent settlers to northern Wyoming under direction of Apostle Abraham Owen Woodruff. They wee to establish two communities, Byron and Cowley, and build the Sidon . . . — — Map (db m190065) HM
In 1900, Lorenzo Snow, prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints, sent settlers to northern Wyoming under direction of Apostle Abraham Owen Woodruff. They were to establish two communities, Byron and Cowley, and build . . . — — Map (db m190064) HM
The Deaver Reservoir equalizing, or regulating reservoir missing word(s) serves water to about 1,800 acres on missing word(s) Frannie Division of the Project. For 75 years, the reservoir provided the domestic water supply for . . . — — Map (db m190068) HM
Douglas Fir Bark BeetleThe Douglas fir bark beetle enters the bark where it introduces a fungi and creates galleries in the phloem – the layer under the bark that transports nutrients from the leaves throughout the tree. The galleries . . . — — Map (db m88169) HM
For at least 10,000 years, the area where Medicine Lodge Creek flows out of the Bighorn Mountains has provided a home for humans.
Discovering Ancient Cultures In 1968, the University of Wyoming began an eight-year archaeological . . . — — Map (db m163208) HM
Petroglyphs and pictographs often preserve the only known records created by our human predecessors. The rocks are found at Medicine Lodge, some believe to be as old as 2500 years, has barely wasted the affects of time and weather. Mosaic of . . . — — Map (db m163206) HM
Big Horn Basin in northwest Wyoming is bound on the west by the Beartooth and Absaroka Mountains, on the south are the Wind River and Owl Creek ranges, on the north the Pryor Mountains and on the east are the Big Horns. The Basin is nearly . . . — — Map (db m91289) HM
These two plaques offer brief history of the Bighorn Basin.
Bighorn Basin -- It's Creation
Before you lies the Bighorn Basin, which has its southern end in Wyoming and extends into Montana. Six hundred million years of . . . — — Map (db m91305) HM
Several of the prehistoric trails that led through the Big Horn Mountains intersect here. The first people using these trails may have entered the area on the very same path you are now using, as long as 10,000 years ago! Over time, possibly due to . . . — — Map (db m91307) HM
The large rocks next to you are granite. These were formed within the earth's crust 1 billion years ago. Their exposure is the result of the eroding forces of wind, water, and ice. This granite contains quartz and resembles the rock containing gold . . . — — Map (db m91320) HM
The Flying Tigers were American boys from 41 of our states, fighter pilots trained in our own Army and Navy, who became members of the new A.V.G. (American Volunteer Group) employed by the government of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek to protect the . . . — — Map (db m91260) HM WM
Side A
One of the largest cattle operations in the Wyoming Territory, the Mason-Lovell Ranch moved its headquarters here in 1883. At its peak the ranch grazed cattle from Thermopolis, Wyoming to the Crow Reservation in Montana. . . . — — Map (db m91280) HM
Medicine Mountain to your left, was named for the Medicine Wheel, a stone circle that lies atop a ridge below its summit. Designated a National Historic landmark, this symbol remains a mystery as the builders and purpose of the Medicine Wheel remain . . . — — Map (db m91319) HM
Thousands of stone circles lie scattered over the Northern Plains and Rocky Mountains. What were they used for?
Over 100 of these stone circles are known as Medicine Wheels. The Bighorn Medicine Wheel is probably the most well known and sacred . . . — — Map (db m169029) HM
The white man called it the Medicine Wheel, but to many Native Americans Indians it is, "The Place Where the Eagle Lands." To many people it is a sacred place, and there are few that leave without experiencing something outside the ordinary.
It . . . — — Map (db m169030) HM
"Eventually one gets to the Medicine Wheel to fulfill one's life." -- Old Mouse, Arikara
High in the Big Horn Mountains at nearly 10,000 feet above sea level, lies the Medicine Wheel - a place of worship, a National Historic Site, and an . . . — — Map (db m169026) HM
Raptors are graceful hunters of Bighorn Canyon. The location is ideal home for these birds of prey because of the abundance of food and excellent nesting spots. Watch for these magnificent birds in action. — — Map (db m62158) HM
Reconstruction of 52 miles of US 14A between Big Horn Lake and Burgess Junction, began with a bridge and causeway at the lake in the mid-60s. The mountain project was described as "one of the most difficult" in the Department's history.
Then, . . . — — Map (db m91285) HM
was developed for the U.S. Army during WWII by the Willys Motor Company. Its tough four-wheel drive made it the first all-terrain vehicle. By 1945 over 500,000 had been delivered to the Army and other branches of the armed forces. The Jeep was also . . . — — Map (db m91259) HM
In honor of
The Mormon Colonists
of the Big Horn Basin
who, under the leadership of
Abraham O. Woodruff, first camped near this site in May 1900. These pioneers, under many difficulties, established towns, notably Byron, Cowley and . . . — — Map (db m91255) HM
For many years, the northern most road over Wyoming's Big Horn mountains was commonly referred to as the Dayton-Kane Road. It connected those two towns on opposite sides of the mountain, the latter now just a memory beneath the waters of Big Horn . . . — — Map (db m91284) HM
A National Historic Landmark
Located on Medicine Mountain, the Medicine Wheel is one of North
America's most important and well preserved Native American
sacred landscapes which has played and continues to play an
essential role in the . . . — — Map (db m169033) HM
The earthbound journey begins . . . . . . when a raindrop or snowflake hits the upper slopes of the Big Horn Mountains. It joins other drops and gains momentum seeking the path of least resistance. Say “goodbye” to the drop as it . . . — — Map (db m88182) HM
The hillside below the cliffs is managed as a wildlife winter range. Elk and deer in the Big Horn Mountains live at high elevations during the summer, but move down to the lower areas during the winter. The Forest Service helps maintain this winter . . . — — Map (db m153241) HM
The presence of humans in the Big Horn Basin goes back more than 10,000 years. Evidence suggests that the prehistoric people were nomadic hunters and gatherers. Indians inhabited this area until 1878. In the late 1870s settlers, ranchers, and . . . — — Map (db m88172) HM
The large, granite building blocks of Shell Canyon are an extraordinary 2.5 billion years old. Called basement or bedrock, they form the bottom layer covering the molten material in the earth’s core. At some point, the huge plate of bedrock . . . — — Map (db m88189) HM
The red cliff face to your left flanks Sunlight Mesa. At the top is Elephant Head Rock, so named because of its shape. The triangle-shaped mountain to the right is named Pyramid Peak. To your far right is a prominent rock-topped mountain called . . . — — Map (db m68892) HM
If you are a seeker of waterfalls . . . . . . . mark Shell Falls as unique in terms of waterfall origin. Waterfalls form in three basic ways: 1. Where Hard Meets Soft Falls commonly form where a hard, resistant streambed meets a softer one. . . . — — Map (db m88179) HM
Shell Creek nourishes a rich diversity of flowering plants, which in turn attracts tiny winged visitors. Hummingbirds are noted for their uncanny ability to hover in the air like helicopters. By turning their wings upside-down on the backstroke, . . . — — Map (db m89166) HM
Water is a scarce commodity in the arid west. Wherever streams and rivers flow, you will find the pathways of early exploration and travel, the magnets of human settlement. Shell Creek is no exception. Archaeologists discovered evidence that . . . — — Map (db m88186) HM
Can water really move mountains? Bit by bit, grind of water rippling over rock wears the mountain away. In a more dramatic fashion, run-off from melting snow during May and June creates a massive force capable of muscling huge boulders downstream. . . . — — Map (db m88168) HM
In June 1959, a tornado roared over the south rim of the canyon directly before you. Its path was along Granite Creek to your left and through what used to be Granite Creek Campground. One person was killed. The twister ripped up timber and laid it . . . — — Map (db m71500) HM
So, what is an “Oasis” anyway? The dictionary defines it as “a green area in a dry, arid region.” What makes it so green? If you guessed WATER, then you were right. Most of this area gets less than ten . . . — — Map (db m88192) HM
2.5 billion years of geologic history lie exposed in the canyon walls of Shell Creek. Gradual cutting action by Shell Creek eventually exposed the basement granite layer that lies above the earth’s molten core. However, Shell Canyon itself formed . . . — — Map (db m88178) HM
Fire has a number of beneficial effects. It eliminates diseased and dying trees, recycles nutrients back into the soil, and starts the cycle of growth again by allowing sunlight to reach the ground, stimulating the growth of grass. The Forest . . . — — Map (db m88171) HM
By the late 1800s, settlers were already trying to wring a livelihood from the harsh environment in Shell Canyon and the valley below. Average precipitation here is less than ten inches per year and land suitable for cultivated crops is scarce. . . . — — Map (db m131490) HM
