Carbon County

Community - Encampment
This mining town was built where whole villages of Indians converged periodically at a "Grand Encampment" to hunt in the area. In 1897, copper was discovered in the Sierra Madre Mountains just above the settlement, and soon hundreds flocked to the area to get their share. A smelter was built along the river, and an incredible (for its time) tramway was built. This tram ran sixteen miles from the mining sight to the smelter and could carry almost a thousand tons of ore a day! Part of this tram is now on display at the Grand Encampment Museum.

Attractions

Grand Encampment Museum
807 Barnett , Encampment
Phone: (307) 327-5308
Hours: 7 days a week from late May through mid-October, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Admission: Free admission; donations gratefully accepted.
Description: The Grand Encampment Museum, located in Encampment, Wyoming, preserves history with its collection of over a dozen historical buildings filled with artifacts representing the timber, mining, and agricultural history of the Encampment valley.

Community - Fort Steele (No Description)

Attractions

Fort Fred Steele State Historic Site & Platte River (Bennett’s) Crossing Site
East of Rawlins—from Interstate 80, take Exit 219 toward Sinclair and follow the signs.
Phone: (307) 320-3013
Hours: Open daily from 9 AM to 7 PM. Season May 1st through November 15th. Site is closed from November 16th through April 30th.
Admission: No fee
Description: Named after the Union general of the 20th U.S. Infantry, Fort Fred Steele was one of three outposts established in 1868 to protect laborers working on the Union Pacific railroad. After the railroad's completion, Fort Fred Steele protected the bridge across the North Platte River. By 1886, the fort closed, and the town of Fort Steele became quiet until construction of the Lincoln Highway during the early 20th century which took motorists straight through the middle of town. Walk along an interpretive trail and see the remnants of two large warehouses, the officers' quarters, and the fully intact powder magazine.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places

Community - Hanna
The Hanna Museum offers an excellent background on this coal company town. The Recreation Center has a rare Rotary Locomotive on display. Three memorials honor miners lost in two explosions, in 1903 and in 1908, which took the lives of 228 local miners. The ghost towns of Old Carbon, Elk Mountain and the vast expanse of Medicine Bow National Forest are south of town. Activities to the north include the fishermen's paradise of Miracle Mile, and boating and fishing at Seminoe State Park. Shirley Basin offers big game hunting opportunities, and winter travelers can enjoy snowmobiling and cross country skiing.

Attractions

Hanna Basin Museum
502 Front Street , Hanna 82327
Phone: (307) 325-6465
Hours: Summer – Friday - Sunday 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm. Winter - Friday 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm and by appointment
Admission: Admission is free
Description: The Museum, located in the old Community Hall building, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Originally constructed as a saloon in 1890, the hall has served many purposes in the Union Pacific Coal Company Town. Sharing the Front Street site is The Miner’s Cottage, a restored exemplary Two Town House. The Hanna Basin Museum is an active participant in the Carbon Cemetery Restoration and Preservation Project. The Museum houses the Carbon archive, resources revealing life and death in the first coal camp (1868-1902) along the original line of the Union Pacific Railroad.

Community - Medicine Bow
The Union Pacific and the Central Pacific tracks were laid in the bend of the Medicine River. As a result of the two railroads the town of Medicine Bow arose. The river supplied a tank at the railroad that was kept for the engines. Soon after a general store, two saloons, and a hotel were built. The Hotel Virginian was an inspiration for writer Owen Wister. Medicine Bow is now famous for wind energy development. There is much to do in this small town. Hunting, fishing, camping, hiking and historical research are a few options from which to choose.

Attractions

Medicine Bow Museum & Historic UPRR Depot
405 Lincoln Highway PO Box 187, Medicine Bow
Phone: (307) 379-2383
Hours: The Museum is open daily during the summer months, and part-time during the winter months. Contact the Museum for times and dates.
Admission: Free
Description: The Museum is located in the 1913 railroad depot. The Union Pacific Railroad closed the depot in 1981, and deeded it to the Town. In 1983, the depot became home to the museum and its colorful Old West and Local History Artifacts. The Owen Wister Cabin and Monument are located next door. The cabin was used as Wister's summer home and winter hunting lodge in the Jackson Hole Area, and brought to Medicine Bow as a bicentennial project. The Monument, made of petrified wood, was erected in 1939, as a tribute to Wister and his book "The Virginian."

Community - Rawlins
Rawlins dates back to the year 1868, when tracks for the Union Pacific Railroad were laid. By 1870, Rawlins had become an important "jumping off place" for stagecoaches and wagon trains headed northwest to new gold fields. Through the 1870s, it was a wild town with outlaw activity a part of life, but the town's established citizens took vigilante action that climaxed with the lynching and skinning of the region's most notorious outlaw - "Big Nose" George Parrott. Today, Rawlins is the center of a thriving sheep and cattle industry and still is a major "station" on the Union Pacific.

Historic Downtown Rawlins
The Downtown Rawlins Historic District dates from the 1880s. From the Union Pacific Railroad north to West Spruce Street, from Third Street to Sixth Street, the buildings within the District are one or two-story brick commercial buildings interspersed with several important social and government buildings. The District represents several different architectural styles and influences ranging from simple commercial storefronts to high style, architect-designed buildings. The buildings of the District reflect several identifiable building periods in the town's history and also represent the use of several different building materials, including wood, locally quarried stone, brick, stucco, terra cotta, and concrete.
National Register Of Historic Places

Historic Neighborhoods
Rawlins Residential Historic District
The Rawlins Residential Historic District is adjacent to the north and east sides of the commercial district of the town, with tree-lined streets, uniformity of setbacks, and continuity of vegetation. Houses date from the late 1880s, with most constructed in the first two decades of the 1900s. Many demonstrate the Victorian talent for borrowing to express eclectic spirit. Residences are one to one and a half story wood frame with novelty siding and/or shingled exteriors, interspersed with a few brick homes with similar designs. A large number retain handcrafted stone retaining walls with ornamental caps that help unify the neighborhood.
National Register of Historic Places

Attractions

Carbon County Museum
Treasuring the Past, Committed to the Future
904 W. Walnut, Rawlins
Phone: (307) 328-2740
Hours: October-April, Tuesday-Saturday 1 pm - 5pm. May-September, Tuesday-Saturday 10am-6pm.
Admission: Free.
Description: We are committed to Carbon County History which includes: Permanent collection on the Union Pacific Railroad, pioneers, residents and outlaws, Native Americans, agriculture, the only Thomas Edison exhibit in Wyoming and much more.

Wyoming Frontier Prison & Museum
Under Lock & Key Since 1901
500 West Walnut , Rawlins
Phone: (307) 324-4422
Hours: Labor Day to Memorial Day, Monday through Thursday, 9 am – 4 pm. Tours Monday through Thursday, 10:30 am and 1:30 pm. Closed Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Memorial Day to Labor Day, 8 am – 5 pm seven days a week. Tours: Every hour on the half hour beginning at 8:30 and ending at 4:30.
Admission: Adults - $8.00, Seniors and children - $7.00. Your pets are always welcome!
Description: The Old Wyoming State Penitentiary in use from 1901 - 1981 offers guided tours through three cell blocks, the cafeteria, grounds and the Death House. Impending Statehood inspired plans for a State Prison one score after the Civil War. Construction began in the summer of 1888 when great slabs of rock and sandstone were dragged from the Larsen Stone Quarry. After 13 years of funding problems, and harsh weather, construction was completed and prisoners were moved from the territorial prison in December 1901. Having served the State of Wyoming for over eighty years the prison was abandoned September 6, 1981.

Community - Saratoga
For centuries the Valley was enjoyed by many Indian tribes. Not until the early 19th century did white men arrive. They found it windy, cold, barren, and a good place to leave behind. Some hearty people took time to enjoy the natural beauty, herds of big game, fishing, and the hot springs. Geography set the bounds on the community's growth and agriculture became the leading industry. In 1884 the town was named Saratoga after an Iroquois word Sarachtoue, which translates to "place of miraculous water in the rock." Saratoga still sits atop one of Wyoming's most active mineral hot springs.

Attractions

Saratoga Mineral Hot Springs
East Walnut Street , Saratoga
Phone: (307) 326-8855
Hours: 24 hours a day
Admission: Free
Description: Original inhabitants of the Valley, the American Indians, used the hot springs as a neutral area and believed that the hot springs had a healing power. The pool is now used as a place to relax and enjoy. The pool averages around 106° F from its coolest part to 119° F to its warmest part. The "Hobo Hot Pool" is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and FREE to the public. The pool is owned and maintained by the Town of Saratoga and there is a changing room with showers and bathroom facilities on site.

Saratoga Museum
104 Constitution Ave PO Box 1131, Saratoga
Phone: (307) 326-5511
Hours: Memorial Day weekend - October 15, Thursday through Monday, 10 a.m.- 4 p.m.
Admission: There is no admission fee, but donations are appreciated.
Description: The Saratoga Museum is housed in the town's original c. 1915 Union Pacific Railroad Depot. The museum opened in 1980 and provides an opportunity to explore the Platte Valley. We also feature one of Wyoming's largest and best gem and mineral displays, including our newest exhibit of Wyoming jade with hundreds of specimens.

Community - Savery
The stomping grounds of Jim Baker, a mountain man, was in this small town of Savery. Jim is one of the oldest Pioneers in the Rocky Mountains. In 1917 his cabin was transported to Cheyenne to be preserved as a lasting memory. Jim and his wife are buried one mile west of Savery. The Little Snake River Valley Museum is placed in an old school house. Included in the exhibits are old clothing, books, and farm implements. In Savery there are supplies, groceries, and campsites with hookups. There are weekly roping events on the rodeo grounds during the summer.

Attractions

Little Snake River Valley Museum & Jim Baker Cabin
Preserving our History for the Valley's Future
One block north of Highway 70 , Savery
Phone: (307) 383-7262
Hours: Open Memorial Day through the end of October weather permitting, Monday – Saturday, 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Sunday 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Admission: Admission is free
Description: The museum serves as home for many historical displays important to the Little Snake River area. The museum building was the Savery School for many years, donated in 1972 for community activities and later as a museum. The grounds are the final resting place to many historical buildings from around the valley: the Jim Baker Cabin, built in 1873; the Blair Cabin built in 1888 by husband and wife with nothing but a broad axe; the Brown House; he Dutch Joe Schoolhouse established in Savery in 1900; and the Stobridge House; even a water tank from the gold mining days.

Community - Sinclair
Sinclair, Wyoming, first known as Parco, is ''truly an oasis in an otherwise drab desert territory,'' reported the Rocky Mountain News in August of 1925. The town was a company-built town designed by the Denver-based architectural firm of Fisher and Fisher. It was financed by oil magnate Frank Kistler to house workers for a large Producers and Refiners Oil Company refinery built in 1922-1923 at this location. The refinery and town, renamed Sinclair in 1942, prospered under the management of the Sinclair Refining Company. From its inception, Sinclair remained one of the most important refineries in the State of Wyoming.

Parco (Sinclair) Historic District
Sinclair was constructed in 1924-1925 and consists of numerous public buildings set around three sides of a central east-west plaza, fountain and park. Residences are located along streets and blocks in a grid pattern running north, west and east from the plaza area. In order to foster a sense of community spirit commonly absent in company towns, as well as to maintain an architectural cohesiveness, the architects designed residential and public buildings using Spanish Colonial motifs with unpainted stucco, polychrome clay tile roofs, and dominant masonry construction to accurately simulate the appearance and form of many southwestern adobe missions.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places

Attractions

Parco-Sinclair Museum
315 Lincoln Avenue PO Box 247, Sinclair
Phone: (307) 324-3058
Hours: The Point of Contact is the Sinclair Town Clerk. Please call her to arrange a tour.
Admission: Free
Description: The museum is presently located in what was originally the First National Bank of Parco from 1924 to 1933, then housed the Parco Federal Credit Union. Beyond the inner door was once the Parco Mercantile Company, and the Parco Post Office was tucked in one corner. One of the first buildings in Parco, the upstairs rooms were the offices of the Producers and Refiners Corporation. Frank Emerson Kistler built the refinery then founded the town to house the workers. Denver architects William E. and Arthur Fisher designed the public buildings in an early Spanish Colonial style still seen today

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