Annual Festivals: Annual State Fair, Jackalope Days, High Plains Music Festival
In 1886, when the railroad neared Fort Fetterman, there were already some 2,000 people settled in an area surrounding the fort. The railroad company secretly selected the Douglas town site in order to prevent settlement before the town was laid out and before long, a thousand inhabitants were on hand building the new town. From the beginning, Douglas was in the midst of excellent cattle country and soon became an important shipping point. By 1890, the emphasis switched from livestock to agriculture and farming grew steadily.
In 1905, the Wyoming Legislature provided $10,000 for a Wyoming State Fair and the city of Douglas matched the funds. An additional $4000 was borrowed by local residents from local banks for operating expenses. Douglas continues to host the state fair every year.
As for outdoor recreation opportunities, Douglas has lots to choose from. Visitors can camp, hike, mountain bike, fish, hunt and view wildlife all around the area. Just to the south is the Laramie Mountain Range, Medicine Bow National Forest and the Platte River runs right through town. Don’t forget Ayres Natural Bridge located just 5 miles off of I-25. A remarkable natural bridge over La Prele Creek, the site offers a beautiful spot for a picnic.
Powwow is the steady thump of beaters on a hide-covered drum, a cadence of mixed voices singing in Arapaho, Shoshone, Crow, or Lakota, and the sweep and swirl of men and boys wearing brightly colored regalia, of young girls with fringed shawls, older women dressed in buckskin, even tiny tots in beaded moccasins and creamy white buckskin outfits. Begun as a ritual gathering of spiritual leaders and medicine men, powwow is now a social event. read more
Whether you're traveling to Wyoming by air, by car, by RV or on horseback, you can find the information for planning your travel here. read more
