Of particular importance to Wyoming is cultural heritage tourism which draws tourists to our public lands and state parks. Wyoming has at least 31 state parks and historic sites, two national parks, one national monument, one national grassland, and seven national forests. All of these include, and/or are located in proximity to, historic and/or prehistoric archaeological sites. The information that archaeological research uncovers about these sites helps enhance visitors’ experiences and promote tourism within the state. The residents of Wyoming are very interested in archaeology because it is ubiquitous across the State. Many different people lived here at many different times and public interest in these past cultures is high.
South Pass, a major passage way through the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming, played an important role in prehistoric times as well as in the settling of the West in historic times. Significant trails; such as the California Trail, Oregon Trail, Read More …
The La Prele Mammoth site is a Clovis archaeological site in Converse County, Wyoming (U.S.A.) that preserves chipped stone artifacts in spatial association with the remains of a subadult Columbian mammoth (Mammuthus columbi). The site was discovered in 1986 and Read More …
Wyoming State Parks recovered a large chunk of the Medicine Lodge Creek Archaeological Site cliff wall, which had fallen away, with rock paintings on it. A sample from one of the paintings was dated to 800 BP with the Plasma Read More …
During the late 1830s and early 1840s, trading posts in Wyoming were relocating to major waterways and trail systems to capture the burgeoning indigenous bison robe and overland Euroamerican emigrant trade. Recent research discovered references to a “Fraeb’s trading post” Read More …
“The Crow country is exactly in the right place,” Crow Chief Arapooish told U.S. Army officer Robert Campbell in the 1830s. “It has snowy mountains and sunny plains; all kinds of climates and good things for every season. When the Read More …