Best Of Wyoming

Located in northeast Wyoming in the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains, Ucross fosters the creative spirit of deeply committed artists and groups by providing uninterrupted time, studio space, living accommodations, and the experience of the majestic High Plains, while serving as a good steward of its 20,000-acre ranch. 

Residency Program

In the shadow of the Wind River Mountain Range on Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge, the Green River is an oasis that bisects the high desert sagebrush plains of southwest Wyoming.   The river corridor is vital for more than 250 species of resident and migrant wildlife.

The Red Desert is one of Wyoming’s gems—a place of astounding biodiversity and uniqueness. The Nature Conservancy is collaborating with public agency and industry partners, and using  science, to set conservation priorities, so that interested parties can work together to protect the Red Desert’s wildness.

The area near Jeffrey City provided a path for early settlers to cross the high plateau. The Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office offers a history and early photos of this region:

“The Sweetwater Valley contains three distinctive granite landmarks: Independence Rock, Devil’s Gate and Split Rock. The last of these, Split Rock, with its unforgettable gunsight notch, was visible to emigrants for two days or more as they approached and then left it behind them.”

Courtesy of WyoHistory.org, a project of the Wyoming State Historical Society.

The Modern West Podcast #28: Tiny Town Big Bands

In the mid-20th century, the little town of Elk Mountain, Wyoming drew crowds from miles and miles away to its summer dances on the bouncy floor at the Garden Spot Pavilion.

Editor’s note: This story originally aired on Oct 17, 2017

Explore the Modern West collection of Wyoming history here.

The Modern West #12: Wide-Ranging Sounds On The Open Range

The old saw may be “We play both kinds of music, Country AND Western,” but melody in the mountains is more than guitars and campfires. If you would like to listen, click here. Editor’s note: This podcast originally aired on June 20, 2016. 

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Wyoming Territorial Prison incarcerated 1,063 outlaws, including the notorious Butch Cassidy. It’s the only federal penitentiary built in Wyoming and is one of the oldest buildings still standing. Now a museum, visitors can walk into the iron cells where convicts were locked up. Exhibited are convict photographs and displays relating to confinement. Visit the prison’s Broom Factory and watch volunteers make brooms just as the convicts did in the 1890s.

The University of Wyoming Geological Museum, in the east wing of the S.H. Knight Geology Building, exhibits the story of ancient Wyoming.

Planetarium Shows and Schedule:

The UW Harry C Vaughan Planetarium offers shows that are open to the public on Tuesday and Friday evenings as well as every other Saturday morning.  Saturday shows are geared toward a younger audience and include a free activity after the show.  Please see the schedule online at http://www.uwyo.edu/physics/_files/docs/planetarium.html or email planetarium@uwyo.edu for more information on show titles and descriptions.

LINCOLN HIGHWAY HISTORY (1912)  The Lincoln Highway was one of the earliest transcontinental highways for automobiles across the United States of America. Conceived in 1912 by Indiana entrepreneur Carl G.

Built between 1881 and 1882 in southeastern Wyoming, the Ames Monument was commissioned by the Union Pacific Railroad (UP) as a memorial to brothers Oakes Ames (1804-1873) and Oliver Ames (1807-1877) and their role in building the Transcontinental Railroad. The Ames Monument is sited on what was the high point of the UP, where it passed through the Laramie Mountains on its way west to meet the Central Pacific Railroad in northern Utah.

The Connor Battlefield Historic Site consists of 20 camping and picnic sites nestled in an oxbow of the Tongue River in the shade of large cottonwoods. Connor offers a quiet, relaxing campsite, away from the hustle of the road in the peaceful shade of a river bottom. Community facilities are within a few blocks, and yet a visitor would never know it. Camping sites operate on a first-come, first-served basis, without reservations. Camping is seasonal. The park closes to camping and vehicles on October 31.

History

The introduction and first day diary entry from An Account of the Connor Battle from the diaries of Captain H.E. Palmer from August 23-28, 1865 are included below:

What is 11 feet high, 40 feet long, weighs 6 tons, packs 11 inch teeth and eagle like vision, and could run 45 miles per hour? Sixty five million years ago, a male T-Rex named Stan was the ultimate land-based killing machine. At the T-Rex Museum in Ranchester, Wyoming, you can hear a live lecture program on the T-Rex and the Triceratops, see a life-sized skull cast of famous T-Rex Sue, Triceratops Mikey, dinosaur dioramas, and a beautiful mineral collection.

Rogues gallery started in 1993....in a historic building in Hulett, built around 1917. The gallery is home to a museum of frontier items like Plains Indian artifacts and weapons and beadwork from the 19th century, early west cowboy guns, saddles, and items from the frontier.  The gallery is also the art studio of artist Bob Coronato, noted for intaglio print making, Chine Collé etchings...oil paintings and rodeo posters. Bob has had rodeo posters included into the Library of Congress collection, Cody Stampede, Cheyenne Frontier Days, and Sheridan, Wyoming just to name a couple.

Endangered Black-Footed Ferrets Have A Chance At A Comeback

Wyoming Minutes - One-minute audio snapshots of Wyoming. 

The Affectionate Sounds Of A Mountain Lion And Her Kittens

Wyoming Minutes - One-minute audio snapshots of Wyoming. 

Ancient Species Encounter New Diseases

Wyoming Minutes - One-minute audio snapshots of Wyoming. 

Whiskey Mountain Bighorn Sheep Need Help With Recruitment

Wyoming Minutes - One-minute audio snapshots of Wyoming. 

Bighorn Lambs Are An Important Part Of Herd Health

Wyoming Minutes - One-minute audio snapshots of Wyoming. 

Bicyclists willing to brave the unpredictable elements of spring in Yellowstone National Park can travel 49 miles of park roads from the West Entrance at West Yellowstone, Montana, to Mammoth Hot Springs. There is no bicycle access to Old Faithful or Canyon until the first interior park roads open to public motorized vehicle access in late April.

Albany County has hundreds of mountain bike trails from easy to extreme to choose from. Laramie has 3 bike shops and 2 outdoor shops that have knowledgeable bike enthusiasts to assist in your summer outdoor adventures. Some offering mountain bike and fat bike rentals. (See video)

Cycling Medicine Bow – Routt National Forest

Cycling is a great way to travel through National Forest System lands. There are many, many miles of trails and roads accessible by mountain bike on the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests and Thunder Basin National Grassland. These remote, winding roads are ideal for cycling and trails take riders on an exploratory journey.

Explore the many trails by clicking the link below.

Courtesy of the US Forest Service web site.

The Flaming Gorge NRA is located in the northeast corner of Utah and the southwest corner of Wyoming. It is South of I-80, between Green River and Rock Springs, Wyoming and extends into the Uintah Mountains towards Vernal, Utah. The area is a mixture of climate, topography, and recreation opportunities well suited to a variety of summer and winter interests.
(Mountain biking trails can be found on the Ashley National Forest site.)

Bear River is a year-round park that offers nearly 300 acres that are ideal for picnicking, hiking, wildlife viewing, group activities, bicycling, skiing, rollerblading, remote control cars and many other activities. The park is home to a small head of captive bison and elk kept for public viewing. Three miles of foot trails are within park limits. They include 1.2 miles of paved trail and an arched footbridge that crosses the Bear River. Another 1.7 miles of packed gravel trails are on the of the west side of the river.

The Grand Teton Music Festival has celebrated the awe-inspiring community of Jackson Hole with exhilarating music since 1962. At the core of this celebration is the seven-week classical music Festival held each summer. Prestigious soloists and musicians from renowned orchestras flock to stunning Jackson Hole for the Festival to renew their artistic inspiration and share their talents and passion with the local community. Since 2006 internationally acclaimed Maestro Donald Runnicles has led the Festival as Music Director, and helped the orchestra reach new heights.

The Wyoming Symphony Orchestra began in 1920 but did not incorporate until the 1940’s. “Musicians always find other musicians to play, and back in the 20’s they traveled long distances on dirt roads to play together” according to WSO Executive Director, Kate Tiernan.

"Music can change the world."  ~Ludwig van Beethoven

The Powder River Symphony had its beginnings as the Gillette Community Orchestra on November 23rd, 1986.  The orchestra, consisting of band and orchestra students from local schools and other community residents, was formed in September to give members a chance to play in a full orchestra.  Susan Barry (the first strings instructor in the Campbell County School District) was the first conductor of the 25-member orchestra.

The University of Wyoming Symphony Orchestra is a 90-member ensemble playing the finest in orchestral repertoire. With soloists ranging from internationally known guest artists to faculty performers to student competition winners, and with tours throughout the Rocky Mountain region, the Symphony performs many exciting concerts each year.