We spent last night in Kemmerer,
Wyoming, whose claim to fame seems to be the home of J.C. Penney and the site
of the “Mother Store.” Kemmerer is a
cowboy town, as are most of the towns in Wyoming. On the way out of town we spotted a herd of
pronghorn on a hillside just beside the highway. Southwest Wyoming is home to the largest
migratory herd of pronghorn in the continental United States, and it is always
a thrill to see these graceful animals.
 |
| The Original J.C. Penney Store |
 |
| Pronghorn Herd, Sometimes Called Antelope |
 |
| I Think They're Staring at Us |
 |
| The Pronghorn Is the Fastest Land Mammal in the Western Hemisphere |
Although most ranches in Wyoming raise
cattle, we also passed several sheep ranches and were surprised to find
sheepherders who still traveled in their traditional sheepwagons. What a throwback to an earlier era.
 |
| A Wyoming Sheephearder and His Wagons |
One of the major sites associated with all
of the western trails is Fort Bridger. Established
by Jim Bridger and Louis Vasquez in 1843 as a trading post on the Oregon Trail,
it became a Mormon fort in the 1850s and then a U.S. military outpost in 1858. Fort Bridger is now a Wyoming State Historic
Park, and the evolution of the site is interpreted here.
 |
| 1880s Barracks, 1867 Commisary and 1868 Guardhouse at Fort Bridger |
Mountain men, Indian traders, Oregon
and California emigrants, Mormon pioneers, Pony Express riders, U.S. soldiers and
railroad men all passed through the fort. We toured several of the original buildings
and tried to imagine the fort’s pivotal role in westward expansion. Although many of the early structures no
longer remain, ongoing archeological excavations are uncovering evidence of the
fort’s history.
 |
| 1884 Commanding Officer's Quarters |
 |
| Ranch House |
 |
| Archeological Excavations Are Peeling Away the Layers of History |
Adjacent to Fort Bridger is a roadside
motel that served the Lincoln Highway, an early transcontinental highway that
also passed by the fort. Built in 1929,
the Black and Orange Cabins have been restored by the State of Wyoming. How cool that Wyoming has recognized the significance
of structures like these that reflect the need to accommodate travelers along
the new highway.
 |
| Black and Orange Cabins |
Southwest Wyoming is characterized by
its starkly beautiful desert landscape. We
steadily climbed through eroding hills of various shades of tan and green and
saw the Uinta Mountains in the distance. The Uinta Mountains are the only major
mountain range in the Western Hemisphere to run east and west. We crossed into Utah and arrived at Flaming
Gorge National Recreation Area. Flaming
Gorge was named by John Wesley Powell in 1869 and is a spectacular geological
wonder.
 |
| Southwest Wyoming Landscape |
 |
| Uinta Mountains Loom in the Distance |
The centerpiece of the Flaming Gorge National
Recreation Area is the huge Flaming Gorge Reservoir, which spans the
Wyoming-Utah state lines, which happens to be the forty-first parallel. The area is a popular area for fishing and
boating. We are staying on the west side
of the reservoir and have managed to snag a campsite with a water view. It’s hot and windy here, and there’s very
little shade, but it’s beautiful nonetheless. We’re going to rest here for the next day or
so and then explore the red rock cliffs and canyon that Flaming Gorge is known
for.
 |
| Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area |
 |
| Sunset at Flaming Gorge |
 |
| A Lovely View |
No comments:
Post a Comment