Lincoln County
Community - Cokeville
The community was named for the coal found here.
Community - Kemmerer
Kemmerer is the hub of activity for the southern end of Lincoln County in the Ham's Fork Valley. Named for the financier of early coal exploitations in the area, for many years the town was the center of a thriving coal mining industry. Now it is a small town with a population of 103 pronghorn antelope, 113,000 fossil Fish and 3000 people located near the Fossil Butte National Monument, some of the best hunting and fishing in the world, and the majesty of Yellowstone Park.
J.C. Penney Historic District
James Cash Penney opened his first store, named the "Golden Rule" in 1902 on the eastern edge of Kemmerer's business district. By following rigid economies and selling for cash, Penney made substantial profits and established a chain of such stores, which by 1913 were known as the J.C. Penney Company. The secret of Penney's success was that he confined his stores to small communities, refrained from expensive locations, had no fancy fixtures and handled only merchandise that created a general demand. Penney formulated the merchandising ideas here which enabled him to create the first truly nationwide department store chain.
Attractions
Fossil Butte National Monument (Haddenham Cabin)
864 Chicken Creek Road, PO Box 592 , Kemmerer
Phone: (307) 877-4455 E-Mail: Point of Contact:
Hours: Visitor Center May 1-Sept 30, Daily 9 am-5:30 pm; Oct 1-Apr 30, Daily 8 am-4:30pm, closed winter holidays. Monument grounds open sunrise to sunset. Upper road closed Nov 1 until snow melts in late May.
Admission: Fossil Butte National Monument does not charge a fee but donations are welcome. Visitors may purchase annual National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Passes at the visitor center.
Description: The Haddenham Cabin is located in the southeast portion of Fossil Butte National Monument on the Quarry Trail, a 2.5-mile loop leading to the south face of Fossil Butte. Built by David C. Haddenham ca. 1918 it served as on-site shelter for himself and his family during their seasonal quarrying work. He quarried in the area from the late nineteenth century to his death in 1968. He provided universities, museums, and private collectors with specimens of rare fossils dating back 40 million years, significantly from 1918 to 1950. The cabin was used after the historic era into the 1960s.
Fossil County Frontier Museum
400 Pine Avenue, PO Box 854, Kemmerer
Phone: (307) 877-6551
Hours: Labor Day - Memorial Day, Monday - Friday 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Memorial Day - Labor Day, Monday - Saturday 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Admission: Admission is free.
Description: Museum covers coal mining and the lifestyle of early settlers as well as the more colorful bootlegging history.
J.C. Penney Historic House
On the Triangle, 109 J.C. Penney Drive, Kemmerer
Phone: (307) 877-4501
Hours: Memorial Day - Labor Day
Admission: Free
Description: In 1902, James Cash Penney opened the “Golden Rule” store in Kemmerer which became the J.C. Penney chain. The home is a rectangular, barely two story, gable roof, clapboard building first occupied by the Penney family in 1903 or 1904. Originally located toward the back of a long narrow lot in the original townsite of Kemmerer's commercial district, it was moved to the downtown triangle in the 1970s when the Town was given land by the Union Pacific Railroad Company. The house was Penney's home from about 1904 to 1909, when the organization of his nation-wide store system was formulated.
Lincoln County Courthouse
Sage and Garnet Streets , Kemmerer
Phone: (307) 877-9056
Hours: Call for hours
Admission: Call for admission information
Description: The Courthouse is an architectural landmark in Kemmerer. Constructed in 1925, the Salt Lake City architectural firm Headlund and Watkins designed the building. The structure is unique because of its distinctive neoclassical façade. The mixture of classical detailing, such as the dome and entablature, with the large brick parapet walls is an unusual combination of architectural elements. It embodies the distinctive characteristics of Classic Revival construction as adapted to a small western community's tastes and budget. The building is associated with coal development in southwestern Wyoming and the mineral investments which ignited economic growth in the region.
Community - LaBarge
La Barge is located in the northern end of Lincoln County just across the Lincoln-Sublette County borderline. The citizens of Sublette County shares some very close ties with this town. LaBarge is in the same school district as Big Piney and Marbleton. It has an elementary school but the older students are bussed 20 miles to the Big Piney Middle and High Schools and the families of these towns have known each other for generations. LaBarge's economy also depends on the energy resources available in both Sublette and Lincoln Counties, as do many of the neighboring communities of Sublette County.
Attractions
Names Hill State Historic Site
Ft Bridger
Phone: (307) 782-3842
Hours: Park is open 24 hours a day
Admission: Admission is free.
Description: This site, on the cliffs rising above the Green River, is one of three locations along the Oregon Trail where emigrants registered their presence. Here they camped and carved their names into the soft limestone. The earliest dates back to 1822 (making it the oldest pioneer inscription in Wyoming), but the most famous is that of mountain man Jim Bridger, who despite reportedly being unable to read or write, left his mark here in 1844. The Indians using pictographs, as well as the white men, left their marks on the rock.
