Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Ice Slough, Fremont County, Wyoming


The Ice Slough, or what I used to always hear people around here refer it by, the "Icey Slough".



Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Little Sandy Crossing, Sweetwater County, Wyoming.


This is a State of Wyoming monument to the Little Sandy Crossing in Sweetwater County, near Farson.   





Pony Express Monuments, Farson Wyoming


One of the disadvantages of taking these photos the way I do, on a catch as catch can basis, is that you get some truly lousy photographs that way. Weather and light conditions can simply be against you. But, on the passing by basis I take these, there's not much I can do about that as a rule.  I've driven past these monuments to the Pony Express at Farson a few times, but this is the first time I had time to stop and take a picture.  Unfortunately these late afternoon, sub zero photographs, are not good, and there isn't much I could do about it.


While you could never tell from this bad light photograph, this 2003 monument to the Pony Express shows to riders greeting each other on a starry night.  The winter snow has obscured, and dirtied, the monument.  If I have a  chance to photograph it again in morning light, I will.  The top of the monument says "East meets West".


This is an older State of Wyoming monument to the Pony Express which also notes the Big Sandy Station that was once on this location.


This monument to the Big Sandy Station was dedicated at the same time, and by the same donors, as the East Meets West monument. For some reason, this one looks just as clean as when it was dedicated, while the East Meets West monument does not.

Saturday, December 3, 2016

Sweetwater Station, Freemont County Wyoming.


There's a highway rest station on top of Beaver Rim at Sweetwater Station that I've stopped in a million times, but I've never photographed it before.  Probably because there's always been a lot of people there and I felt self conscious about it.  Anyhow, the other day I went through and it was just me, so I took these photos with my Iphone.

The photos here will be left large so that the details on the signs can be read.  I didn't do a very good job of photographing them while there, but it was relatively early in the day and light conditions were not idea.


This is a converging location on the trail and a lot of different things are significant about the spot.  It's a significant Oregon Trial spot in and of itself.  It was also the location of an Army post, protecting the trail, during the 1860s.  Lt. Caspar Collins, who lost his life famously leading a mixed company at the Battle of Platte Bridge Station, was stationed at Sweetwater Station.





Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Thursday, November 17, 2016

Owen Wister Monument, Medicine Bow Wyoming


This is a monument to Owen Wister in Medicine  Bow, Wyoming.  Granted, it isn't in the "some gave all category", but we have strayed from the strict criteria that implies a bit.  Wister is famous, of course, for writing The Virginian, in which Medicine Bow plays a prominent part.



The monument is located just outside of a museum, which was not open when I drove through and stopped (I'm afraid I've driven through many times and not stopped).  The same location has a plaque with a large collection of the local brands on it, scene here.