I miss writing my blog almost as much as I miss doing fun stuff!!!!
We have three more weeks left on our volunteer stint at Curt Gowdy State Park. As I mentioned previously the park is located between Laramie and Cheyenne WY. Cheyenne is the capital of Wyoming and at times is the most populous city, however Casper's population is close to or may surpass Cheyenne. Both of the cities population is around 60,000. But I find Laramie much more interesting.
Laramie takes his name from Jacques LaRamie, a French trapper who disappeared in the Laramie Mountains in the late 1810's and was never heard from again. He was one of the first europeans in this area and his name was given to a river, mountain range, peak, a US Army fort, county and city.
In 1869, Wyoming was organized as Wyoming Territory, the first legislature of which passed a bill granting equal political rights to the women of the territory. In March of 1870, five Laramie residents became the first women in the world to serve on a jury. Also, since Laramie was the first town in Wyoming to hold a municipal election, on September 6, 1870, a Laramie resident was the first women to cast a legal vote in the United States.
In 1886, a bill was signed by Governor Warren that established the University of Wyoming, making it the only public university in Wyoming. Laramie was chosen for the site and UW opened in 1887.
War Memorial Stadium
Some photos of Laramie valley and downtown Laramie
I have to give a shout out to Grand Avenue Pizza --- best pizza west of Italy :) Located on the corner of Grand Avenue and Third in downtown Laramie. Yum! It is a Friday Night Tradition for Jon and I. Last week, we invited some new friends to enjoy with us.
A few days ago Jon and I took a day off from our volunteer duties, and got on the motorcycle for a day in the sun. We are staying 80 miles or so from portions of the Oregon Trail.
Our first stop was at the Oregon Ruts. This is a preserved site of wagon ruts of the Oregon Trail on the North Platte River, approximately 1/2 mile from Guernsey WY. The Oregon Trail here was winding up towards South Pass. Wagon Wheels, draft animals, and people wore down the trail about two to six feet into a sandstone ridge, during its heavy usage from 1841-1869. The half-mile stretch is the best preserved set of Oregon Trail Ruts anywhere.
Our next stop was at Register Cliff. The cliff is a sandstone precipice rising one hundred feet from the valley floor of the North Platte River. Travelers camped here along the river bank and inscribed their names into the cliff. Many of the inscriptions were made during the peak years in the 1840's and 1850's, however some are as early as 1829.
Next stop Fort Laramie (originally founded as Fort William and then known as Fort John)
The fort was a significant 19th century trading post and diplomatic site. The Fort was founded in the 1830's to service the overland fur trade during the middle 19th century. The fort is located at the bottom of the long climb leading to the best and lowest crossing point at South Pass into the western descending valleys thus making it the primary stopping point along the Oregon Trail. In 1849, the US Army took command of the fort with the primary responsibility to protect the wagon trails of migrant travelers on the Oregon Trail, as well as the subsidiary trails which split off farther west such as the California and the Mormon Trails.
This weekend Jon and I are on a "vacation from our vacation"................ Stayed tuned for the next chapter in our travels!
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