This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Yellowstone Fires of 1988. Check back over the next few months for information about what has happened since in the world’s first national park. Written material and video will be posted as it becomes available detailing events, reflections, and learning experiences relating to the summer of 1988.
Media Contacts: Chuck Coon, (307) 777-2831, chuck.coon@visitwyo.gov
Lori Hogan (307) 777-2889, lori.hogan@visitwyo.gov
To download high resolution PDF images, click on images below. Additional formats and Beta SP video footage available upon request. Please provide proper credit for the images by downloading the
Spring 2008 Image Captions and Credits. A link to contributory images and video can be found at the bottom of this page.
The Great Race of 1908
March 8, 1908 - Cheyenne citizens eagerly await a team of Americans driving a Thomas Flyer in an international automobile race. The Cheyenne Daily Leader reports that the Americans are leading the French, German and Italian teams by 400 miles but due to poor roads and exhaustion the team would spend the night in Sidney, Nebraska. Around noon on March 9, the American team was greeted by nearly 8,000 men and women along Seventeenth Street in Downtown Cheyenne, one of the largest welcome receptions along the North American route.
The automobile race was no ordinary race – it was The Great Race. Four countries, fourteen men and six automobiles traveling 20,000 miles from New York to Paris. These men did not have the luxuries we enjoy today; rather they literally pushed their way through snow drifts and across icy rivers, fighting the elements of pelting rain, high winds and intense sun; sheltered only by their caps and fur-lined jackets.
The Cheyenne Daily reporter, whom met the team in Sidney, Nebraska on March 8, 1908, greeted American driver Monte Roberts as he stepped from his car and immediately inquired the distance to Cheyenne and a place to eat. “So you have heard of old Cheyenne, then,” inquired the Leader’s correspondent. “Heard of it – well, the Cheyennese and their famed hospitality are mighty well known nearly every where this old car has stopped – and the man who rides from New York to Sidney couldn’t help but hear of Cheyenne. Besides, that is our objective point, you know, and “all roads lead to Cheyenne,” as the poet says.”
After passing through Cheyenne, the course followed the southern portion of Wyoming along what is today I-80. The teams met this section with a fierce blizzard and treacherous roads but were greeted warmly. Today visitors travel the same section unknowingly and perhaps unaware what lies just off the interstate.
Worthy I-80 Side Shows
One of our state’s favorite sons, the late Chris LeDoux, once observed that a lot of people thought Wyoming was what they’d seen from their car windows while driving Interstate 80. And that was fine by him. Like a lot of locals, LeDoux was not really interested in seeing the state grow in terms of population. Of all the states in the country, Wyoming has the fewest people within its borders. Most of the population clusters, if you can call them such, are along I-80. It’s the in-between you can divert to that really makes a trip interesting and the interstate highway across Wyoming’s
southern tier holds a tank full of “tweeners.”
Native American artifacts are a cultural turn from I-80 at its easternmost Wyoming point in Pine Bluffs where a summer dig site has netted a pristine collection showcasing nomadic tribal life dating back 10,000 years. There’s a good small town rodeo in Pine Bluffs most Friday nights during the summer so if you have the chance to stay for the show it would make for a great introduction to Wyoming’s official sport.
From Cheyenne west, a non-interstate option of hearty consequence is Happy Jack Road. Several stories circulate as to the “Jack” in question. Needless to say he must have smiled a lot. Take a turn to the left, on dirt, entering the Vedauwoo Recreation Area located about a half-hour west of Cheyenne.
Once you motor in a short distance plan on staying awhile. The landscape is adorned with truly odd-shaped rocks in clusters of magical arrangements. There are plenty of hiking and biking options in this beautiful area or simply set out for a serene picnic.
We’ve all heard about the value in taking the high road. If a stretch of summer and fall season highway ever qualified it is Snowy Range Road – exit in Laramie. First, you can see Wyoming Territorial Park as soon as you get off I-80. Stop in for a close-up look at the only place ever capable of keeping the legendary Butch Cassidy behind bars. Point west and in a half-hour or so you’ll be in the midst of shining mountains and glorious forests. Not to worry if you are unaccustomed to high country driving. The road is superbly laid out for easy passage. Many convenient pullouts make breaks to breathe the fresh, clean air a must.
If you’ve a mind and the time a visit to the Encampment-Saratoga area in the valley west of Snowy Range Scenic Highway will be enriching. The free hot springs dip available in Saratoga is invigorating and the historically accurate two-story outhouse exhibited in Encampment is, well, one (or two) of a kind.
Once you’re back managing your way westward it would be worthy of effort to consider a fairly new addition to the offerings of southwest Wyoming –
Wild Horse Viewing Loop Road between Rock Springs and Green River.
Chances are you probably passed by a wild horse herd or two on the way to this location but sometimes keeping an eye on the road – obviously a recommended procedure – can make you miss the marvelous mustangs. By taking the professionally interpreted and clearly marked stretch, a staging of wild horses is almost guaranteed. Few sites can compare to watching the interactions of these proud symbols of the American West.
At the western edge of the state, Evanston has great up-close buffalo viewing at Bear River State Park right along I-80. You could also engage the family in welcome relief along the newly revamped walking trail adjacent to the river that runs through town.
High Roads & History
Scenic road trips in Wyoming are a given. They are there for the taking all across the state. Where there is road construction the delays are minimal and the waits worthy, not only for the views that surround - beautiful mountains and waterfalls near Togwotee Pass - but also to give you time to study your travel materials. After all, you’ve come this far shouldn’t you see, and do, everything possible? It would be a shame, for example, to be traveling in a beeline to Yellowstone National Park and miss the remarkable looks of Red Canyon and Sinks Canyon near Lander or the Wind River Canyon between Shoshoni and Thermopolis. If you have a hankering to feel like you’re at the top of the world drive the Chief Joseph and Beartooth scenic routes out of Cody.
The really unique addition is that after learning about our country’s westward expansion by way of exhibits and displays you can actually visit sites that still appear as they did to the pioneers.
Native American history abounds on Wind River Indian Reservation
The western lifestyle that centers on ranching and rodeo is alive and well in Wyoming. You don’t have to drive far from the main roads to find it. Maybe a bit of handmade chocolate from the Meeteetse Chocolatier would help bring a smile. Tim Kellogg works at a friend’s ranch early in the morning and makes chocolate delights throughout the day. His other passion is saddle bronc riding. Dan Miller croons western tunes nightly in Cody while not on the road announcing nationally television bull riding events. Both men have moved to new digs in their towns – Meeteetse and Cody.
Spring Sage Strut
It’s a late March morning near Lander, Wyoming. We are out before dawn with the regional Game & Fish Department expert in western sage grouse habits and habitat, Tom Ryder. The wildlife biologist clearly explains what we see and hear on the sage grouse spring strutting ground nearby. “This is the method this particular upland game bird uses to reproduce each year out here on the sagebrush plains. Wyoming has the largest sage grouse population in the United States,” Ryder says. The male birds put on quite a show. Their white breast patches are puffed up prominently and the popping sound they make attracts ladies of the species. It’s something of a percolating affect – pup pup pup pup; pup-pup pup. The sound is constant and it begins well prior to daylight. “They inhale and fill their air sacks – the two big, almost balloon-like structures in the bird’s sternum – inflating them and then forcefully expelling the air out of their mouth. That sound can carry for up to two miles, “Ryder explains quietly. We watch the strutting and listen to the popping. Certain boys, as some boys do, have to stand taller, bounce their balloons a little showier, and make more noise. It’s hard to tell if they get the girl. The matches are made and the annual cycle of life begins. What’s not hard is finding the strutting grounds, or leks, in the late winter-early spring along Wyoming’s sage-filled open country. Primetime is mid-March with a peak around April 15. Begin your sage search with the Lander Game & Fish Department office in central Wyoming by calling: 307.332.7723 or the state headquarters general information line: 307.777. 4600.
Following I-25 in Wyoming provides a trip filled with inspiring scenic views and fascinating side excursions. Spend three days exploring the 350 interstate miles from the Colorado border, just south of Cheyenne, to the Montana line just north of Sheridan – and see all that Wyoming has to offer in between. Detour off the main highway to see Fort Laramie, Teapot Dome, the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center and more. read more
When NOLS students step into the world's wild places, they bring not only their backpacks, but also more than 40 years of experience in expeditioning. read more
