Monuments to Wyoming History

Wyoming residents long worked to mark, preserve, and protect important historic sites, with groups such as the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Wyoming Oregon Trail Commission, inspired by Ezra Meeker, marking places of historical importance as early as 1908. In 1927, inspired by its residents' work, Wyoming created the Historical Landmark Commission, the first state historical markers program in the nation. In 1929, the Commission wrote that few states possessed as many outstanding historic sites tied to the upbuilding of civilization in the West as Wyoming and called that wealth a sacred heritage and priceless asset. One example is the Texas Trail Monument, connected to the network of routes used to drive Texas Longhorns north, including one route that entered Wyoming near Cheyenne, passed Fort Laramie, Newcastle, Upton, and Moorcroft, and then went west to Powder River. Dedicated in 1940, the monument's frieze was originally unpainted; Wyoming later tried to preserve it by painting it in the 1970s, but because it could not withstand time and harsh weather, it will be allowed to deteriorate naturally while the monument continues to be cared for by Wyoming State Parks and Cultural Resources.

Wyoming · United States