Title: Gateway to the Rockies - The deep history of the southern Laramie Valley
Biography: Spencer Pelton has been the Wyoming State Archaeologist since 2019 and maintains adjunct status in the Department of Anthropology through that role. Spencer is a native of East Tennessee and moved to the West in 2009 to pursue a varied archaeological career in government, private, and academic sectors. Spencer’s role as State Archaeologist tasks him with overseeing the University of Wyoming Archaeological Repository, researching and publishing significant Wyoming archaeological sites, providing public talks and hands-on experiences for Wyoming citizens, and responding to archaeological human burials as they arise. Spencer is interested in all aspects of High Plains and Rocky Mountain archaeology, but has been especially active in studying the earliest sites in the region. Spencer lives in Laramie with his wife, Hallie, and daughter Macel.
Presentation Summary: Crossing the Rocky Mountains has been a challenge since the earliest Americans arrived to the midcontinent over 13,000 years ago, but the southern Laramie Valley is one of the best places to do it. Here, archaeological and historical evidence indicate a long, unbroken legacy of people negotiating the rugged terrain on the southern Rocky Mountains. State Archaeologist Spencer Pelton has been researching the archaeological record associated with this travel corridor for several years at the Willow Springs campsite and other historical sites related to the Overland Stage Route. This presentation summarizes that work for a popular audience, highlighting the deep time reasons for why Laramie, and the University of Wyoming in Laramie, exists in the first place.
This project is funded in part by the Wyoming Semiquincentennial grant from the Wyoming State Parks and Cultural Resources office.
