The Overland Trail

[tamrock]

Last after noon driving home from a trip in Montana and NW Wyoming, I stopped by Casper Wyo and took some time to visit the reconstructed Fort Casper museum. It only cost 3 bucks. The first pictures are a few of the fort and the last two I took two days earlier of the area where a remnant of the Overland trail can still be seen west I think I was?, of South Pass that was a very mild grade the Overlander's got through the Rocky Mountains at. (just imagine moving at a walking pace for 300 miles through that country) After the pioneers got over South Pass the could head SW to Utah and California or NW to the Oregon territory. Following the old overland trail through the state of Wyoming is a must do, for any of you who are interested in our western history. So much of the route's landscape is unspoiled due to the completion of the railroad in 1869 that was to the south and also travels about the same route as Interstate 80 through Wyoming. The railroad ended this major overland route taken to and from across the western US so long ago and left it pretty much undeveloped and abandoned. Much of the landscape of the old overland route I'm thinking looks pretty the same as it would have to the pioneers a 150 years ago. Places like here at Ft Casper and Ft Laramie you can view the many artifact that had been recovered from these sites.

 

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[3xflyfisher]

Wide open Wyoming!

 

[vpnavy]

Nice photographs! Thanks for sharing...

 

[texasred777]

Tamrock, I have read a lot of your posts, but not sure what you do for a living. I believe I did see it mentioned in one post; but being an 'old man', I forget. (That's my excuse.) Anyway, I envy you being able to travel to all these beautiful, rugged, historical sites! Keep the pictures and comments coming. We all thank you and appreciate the time you spend posting these.

 

[curious kat]

Wow...that looks like a fun place and history lesson as well, thanks for sharing with us.

 

[tamrock]

Tamrock, I have read a lot of your posts, but not sure what you do for a living. I believe I did see it mentioned in one post; but being an 'old man', I forget. (That's my excuse.) Anyway, I envy you being able to travel to all these beautiful, rugged, historical sites! Keep the pictures and comments coming. We all thank you and appreciate the time you spend posting these.

I'm a over the road peddler of underground hard rock mining equipment & supplies. We still do it the old fashion way by calling on folks in person. That way of peddling is fading away I've noticed as folks don't seem to find the need to be personally engaged as much these days, since you can do, conference calls, emails and other new ways to present your goods. I'll try and stick it out 7 more years and then trow my hat in on this racket and maybe open up and go threw that gate to the lower 40 acres to stay.

 

[texasred777]

I wish you a lot of luck with your plans. Yeah, you don't see many 'traveling salesmen' anymore. I would believe the sights that you see during your travels make the job a lot better. When I worked on the petroleum/gasoline/diesel equipment at the convenience stores/service stations, I got to travel a bit; but not like you do! I 'ranged' in an area of about 70 to 90 miles diameter of Waco, Texas. I would take a lot of the farm roads during those travels to see some of the off-the-beaten-path sights. Made the time pass a lot quicker.

 

[curious kat]

I'm a over the road peddler of underground hard rock mining equipment & supplies. We still do it the old fashion way by calling on folks in person. That way of peddling is fading away I've noticed as folks don't seem to find the need to be personally engaged as much these days, since you can do, conference calls, emails and other new ways to present your goods. I'll try and stick it out 7 more years and then trow my hat in on this racket and maybe open up and go threw that gate to the lower 40 acres to stay.

Gee tamrock I think that's pretty neat that you do that. Think the world needs more human to human contact in that way, makes for nicer folk...least I think so.

 

[RGINN]

Cool reconstruction but those teepees are probably just somethin thrown up to give you the idea. They don't appear to be true to the northern style but more like a generic thing. The door opening is right, and the smoke flaps look right but they're not tied off in the northern fashion. Sorry to be critical of those folks up there but I did live in one of those for about 6 years and had to study them. I'll back off and call them a good representation.

 

[tamrock]

Cool reconstruction but those teepees are probably just somethin thrown up to give you the idea. They don't appear to be true to the northern style but more like a generic thing. The door opening is right, and the smoke flaps look right but they're not tied off in the northern fashion. Sorry to be critical of those folks up there but I did live in one of those for about 6 years and had to study them. I'll back off and call them a good representation.

The whole place was set up with replications, reproductions, representations and look a like props, all good faith to give it that image of life on the frontier.. They very well may have got their tepees online.
Tipi, Teepee, Teepees for Sale! I do thank you for bringing your knowledge to our attention of proper tepee construction.

 

[RGINN]

It's probably a tourist thing, but anything that sparks an interest in history is ok by me. Panther Primitives is one of the best manufacturers of period tents. That's where I got my teepee. They said they combined the northern and southern styles but it was pretty much northern. I lived in the southern plains, and every Kiowa, Kiowa-Apache, Commanche that visited me would trip over that tied together flap at the bottom of the door, cause their doorways were open at the bottom.

 

[tamrock]

Indeed! RGINN, History is worth the preservation. Following the old overland in Wyoming is very interesting. If I was a dad east of the Missouri taking my kids on a road trip to California, Oregon or Washington I'd take the detour off the interstate and take my kids back in time along this historic route. There are some very interesting and wonderful sites from Fort Laramie and the Guernsey wagon ruts to South Pass City. What would the kids see on I-80, but massive truck stops or "travel centers" as they call some now full of fast food joints and toys they don't need. These pictures I took are a Gatling gun at Ft. Laramie on the east and South Pass City in the west. Just some of what you'd see on this road trip back in time.

 

[RGINN]

I've camped along the Sante Fe trail and the California Road in Oklahoma. I like to imagine myself up on a hill in the past watching that great migration and not having a clue it signalled the end of the world as I knew it.

 

[old digger]

Cool Pictures! The Jim Bridger Trail is also visible between Greybull and Cody, Wyoming, similar to your fifth photo.

 

[tamrock]

I've camped along the Sante Fe trail and the California Road in Oklahoma. I like to imagine myself up on a hill in the past watching that great migration and not having a clue it signalled the end of the world as I knew it.

I do the same, as I don't have a time machine to take me back to where I was meant to be. I read this book some time ago (Entrepreneurs of the Old West) Entrepreneurs of the Old West by David Dary ? Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists. The book is on early years of the business of trade between the native peoples and the early entrepreneurs seeking the opportunities of the lands west. I recall a story in the book about the freight wagons running the early Santa Fe route with goods. These teamsters were hauling several wagons of flour to the town of Santa Fe. They were in the open country and came under attack by some young warriors of a plains tribe . The teamster left the freight wagons and high tailed it to a hill and watched the attackers stop at the wagons and vandalized the freight and tore open the bags of flour and threw hand fulls of flour at each other as though they were having a snowball fight with each other and then road away after they had their fun with those bags full of flour. No one was hurt or killed. They only lost a few bags of flour for trade in Santa Fe.

 

[texasred777]

I really like to read the dialogue that all of the people have with their pictures, and the following replies. It's really interesting. Like this one of Tamrock's, with RGINN's comments, and Tamrock's follow-ups.