Wyoming

Fort Laramie once stood sentinel over the Oregon, California, and Mormon emigration trails; was a stop on the Pony Express route; and served as a staging ground for both peaceful and hostile dealings with Plains Indians. Its association with important figures, including Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, and historic events makes Fort Laramie an icon of the American West.

Following a day's journey from Fort Laramie, emigrants spent the night at Register Cliff , which rises one hundred feet above the North Platte River valley. The soft, chalky limestone rock made it easy for emigrants to inscribe their names into the cliff before continuing on their journey. The earliest signatures date to the late 1820s when trappers and fur traders passed through the area.

Oregon Trail Ruts State Historic Site , also called the Guernsey Ruts, is located where the geography of the area forced the Oregon Trail to change course. At this point, the Trail was blocked from continuing along the North Platte River by a steep ridge of sandstone rock. It had to go up and over the ridge in order to continue heading west.

Granger Stage Station State Historic Site is located in the town of Granger, WY. It was built as a stage station along the Overland Trail in the 1850s. Fort Bridger State Historic Site oversees, maintains, and interprets the Stage Station. Many trails came through Granger including the Oregon Trail, California Trail, Mormon Pioneer Trail, and the Pony Express Trail.

Independence Rock was the most-noted landmark of the wagon trails west of Fort Laramie. The rock derived its name from a party of fur trappers who camped and celebrated Independence Day near the rock on July 4, 1830. Eventually, thousands of emigrants camped at the foot of this 1,900 feet long by 850 feet wide granite outcrop. They carved their names and messages into the granite, using Independence Rock as a bulletin board for Oregon Trail.

The National Historic Trails Interpretive Center is operated by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and is a public-private partnership between the BLM, the National Historic Trails Center Foundation, and the City of Casper, Wyoming. It tells the stories of American Indians, early explorers, and the Oregon, Mormon, California, and Pony Express trails.

Jim Bridger established Fort Bridger in 1843 as a fur trading post. It was composed of two double-log houses about 40 feet long that were joined by a pen for horses. The fort soon became a vital resupply point for wagon trains on the Oregon, California, and Mormon trails and expanded in size. I

The Bedlam Ruts are a fine stretch of Oregon Trail ruts and swales that visitors can walk. This Trail segment is on 40 acres of undeveloped public lands jointly managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service (Ft. Laramie National Historic Site).

Located along the Sweetwater River, almost at the edge of the Continental Divide, Burnt Ranch was a key spot along the route to the west coast. Geography and human events made it one of the places contributing significantly to the growth and ultimate power of young nation.

Split Rock is a "gun sight" notched landform that rises 1000 feet above the sagebrush plains. It was visible to emigrants for two days or more as they approached, and then, left it behind. Some of the emigrants found the landform to be a useful navigational tool, since it guided them directly to South Pass. The Bureau of Land Management has developed an interpretive site on the south side of Split Rock.