The Heartland of the Wild West The Oregon/Mormon Trail
Day One
Starting at one of Wyoming’s lowest elevations in Torrington (4,104 feet above sea level), take U.S. 26 to Fort Laramie National Historic Site, the most important outpost on the major emigrant trails - the Oregon, Mormon, California and Pony Express. A quick side trip to Register Cliff near Guernsey shows hundreds of pioneer names etched in the soft sandstone. I-25 north travels through Douglas, where the Wyoming State Fair may be in full swing and through Jackalope country to Casper. Tours in Casper include historic Ft. Caspar (the original spelling) and the newly opened National Historic Trails Interpretive Center, which tells the story of the early pioneers migration by wagon, hand-cart, pony express and rail.
Day Two
The ride from Casper to Shoshoni via U.S. 26 gives a bleak and fascinating look at stark ranch rangeland, including the bizarre moonscape of Hell’s Half Acre. Shoshoni offers Boysen State Park and the entrance to Wind River Indian Reservation, home of Shoshone and Arapahoe Indian tribes. The city of Riverton features the Riverton Rendezvous and Hot Air Balloon Rally. Seventy-eight miles west to Dubois, US 26 winds through scenic mountain country. The fresh mountain air of Dubois urges exploration of the National Big Horn Sheep Interpretive Center as well as the historic Tie Hack Memorial.
Day Three
Returning eastward on US 26 and south on US 287 through Ft. Washakie to Lander, see the site of Sinks Canyon State Park, where the Popo Agie River vanishes into a gaping canyon wall cave and reappears a half mile away. Historic Atlantic City, on WYO 28, offers fine dining and an exciting glimpse into Wyoming’s early gold rush era, with restored mining community buildings and “living history” exhibits. The frontier flavor of the Wild West is also evident at South Pass City State Historic Site. Back on US 287, the motorcoach follows the Overland Stage Route, the Pony Express Route, the Mormon, California, and Oregon trails through areas probably only heard of in Western movies, such as, South Pass; “Three Crossings;” Independence Rock; Whiskey Gap; Old Sweetwater Crossing - and on to I-25.
One of "nine young men from Kentucky" who accompanied Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on their explorations of Louisiana Territory, John Colter became one of the expedition's most adept hunters. He was about thirty years old when the expedition set off in 1804, stood five feet ten inches tall, and looked out at the world through piercing blue eyes. read more
When gold fever hit in the late 1840s, cries of “Ho California!” could be heard across the country as eager Forty-Niners and farmers packed up their families and belongings and headed west. read more
