Lander, Wyoming

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We arrived here in the middle of a rainstorm and it is still raining two days later. We decided to come this way after reading about it in the Big Rigs Book by Ken and Ellie Hamill. It is an old western town from the gold rush days. It is located at the base of the Wind River Mountains, 5,300 feet above sea level. Between 250-300 days of brilliant blue skies and illumination from the sun is the benefit from such a high elevation. Lander is the southern gateway to the Shoshone National Forest and the Wind River Mountains and Red Desert. The drive up was absolutely beautiful. The Wind River Mountains and the Red Desert and Red Canyon were spectacular. The wind River flows for many many miles through this canyon. You could certainly let your imagination run away with you and visualize the indians riding on horseback through this entire area of the country.

Historically, Lander was created to provide protection for the newly established Wind River Indian Reservation. Lander originated in 1869 as a small military post called Camp Augur. A few settlers moved in to ranch and farm and the crossroads became known as Pushroot. In 1875, the town of Lander was named aftger Colonel F. W. Lander who headed a survey of an Oregon Trail cut-off in 1857-58. His crew maintained winter quarters at nearby Fort Thompson/Camp Mcgraw that year. IN 1884, a town site was platted and Lander became the county seat of Fremont County, also established that year. It is a beautiful area of the country. While here we visited Atlantic City, South Pass City, Miner's Delight, and Sinks Canyon State Park. Atlantic City, South Pass City, and Miner's Delight were all old gold mining towns from the 1800's. These towns have been revived and are now open to tourists.

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Photos

Downtown Lander
This resembles an old Western town of yesteryear. This area is sorrounded with history from the gold mining days of the 1800's.

The Old Lander Bar
The old Lander Bar is a unique place and it gives you the feeling you are back in the old days of mining.

Sinks Canyon State Park
Sinks Canyon is so named because of the Middle Fork of the PopoAgie (pronounced popo Shuh), a rushing mountain river that flows out of the Wind River Mountains and through the canyon. Halfway down the canyon, the river abruptly turns into a large limestone cavern, and the crashing water "sinks" into fissures and cracks at the back of the cave. The river is underground for no one knows how far until it appears 2 hours later 1/4 mile downstream from the cave it entered into an area called " The Rise". The rise is a calm small pool containing 12-15 lb. trout. You can't fish there as it is a state park and the fish are protected. The river then continues down to the valley below.

The Cavern
Where the water goes when it is underground is unknown. But it takes two hours for it to reappear 1/4 mile downstream in a calm pool called "The Rise". There are 12-15 LB. trout in the Rise but you cannot fish there as they are protected . This is a state park.

The Rise
It has been proven that the water flowing into the Sinks is the same water flowing into the rise two hours later. Geologists speculate that while underground the water circulates up and down and through many narrow winding passages and pools until it resurfaces. It was also proven that more water flows out of the Rise than comes into the Rise giving speculation to the fact that there are small springs in the rise or underground that make this happen.
The age of the sinks is unknown but they are likely an Ice Age feature thousands of years old.

Big Horn Sheep
There are hundreds of wild animals and birds here. Here is a Big Horn Sheep that was just about 15-20 yards from me as I was taking it's picture.