Sweetwater Station

Sweetwater Station stands in central Wyoming along the Sweetwater River at the intersection of U.S. Highway 287 and State Route 135, a place of scenic beauty and historic significance. Prehistoric groups camped along the Sweetwater River for over 12,000 years, and archaeological sites with pithouses dating from 5000-7000 years ago were found near Split Rock and Jeffrey City to the east. The Oregon/Mormon Trail passed just to the south and included what is called the sixth crossing of the Sweetwater River. At this crossing in October 1856 the Willie Handcart Company was stranded in a blizzard until rescued by their Mormon brethren sent by Brigham Young from Salt Lake City. In the late 1800s the Rawlins to Fort Washakie Road was established as a stage and wagon freight route and passed just to the north of Sweetwater Station. This road was designated the Chief Washakie Trail in honor of the great chief of the Wind River Reservation. Washakie was instrumental in establishing this road, and the tribe under his command organized its own freight teams and wagons to move goods and people from Rawlins to the reservation. North along Highway 135 rises the escarpment of Beaver Rim, which contains 65 million years of sedimentary formations, and below Beaver Rim lies the Wind River Basin, where the town of Riverton and a portion of the Wind River Reservation are located.

Wyoming · United States