Historic Trails
Travelers have been making the trek to Converse County since long before Wyoming was a state. The Oregon, California, Mormon Pioneer and Pony Express Trails pass through this area. The trails largely follow the North Platte River as it makes its way through the county.
From as far away as Scottsbluff, Nebraska travelers got their first glimpse of what lie ahead as Laramie Peak (located on Converse County’s southern horizon) appeared on the skyline. Traveling the comparatively easy flanks of the Platte and North Platte rivers up to this point, Laramie Peak signaled the entry into more mountainous and difficult terrain.
South of Douglas, an area known to emigrants as “Red Earth Country,” proved difficult for early day travelers and their animals. “While some were struck by the region’s natural beauty,” says the Wyoming State Historical Preservation Office, “many simply wanted to leave this rugged country behind.” An Oregon Trail marker has been placed in this area and can be visited by following Hwy. 94, or the Esterbrook Highway, south out of Douglas.
Further down the trail, Ayres Natural Bridge was one of Wyoming’s first “tourist attractions,” drawing travelers from the nearby Oregon Trail. Modern day visitors also visit the rock archway with LaPrele Creek flowing beneath.
Near present-day Glenrock, history enthusiasts can visit the “Unthank Monument.” On June 23, 1850, 19-year-old Alvah Unthank carved
his name on Register Cliff near present-day Guernsey. On July 2, 1850 Unthank died of cholera east of present-day Glenrock and near the North Platte River. Cholera was caused by drinking dirty water, but early day pioneers believed it was contagious and sometimes left sick families behind. Unthank’s grave has been preserved over the years and a marker, placed in 
1913, marks the Oregon Trail’s passage through the area.
Mormon Canyon, located east of Glenrock, is so-named because some Mormon travelers on the Mormon Trail wintered here in the 1850s. Led by Brigham Young, roughly 70,000 Mormons traveled the Mormon Trail between 1846 and 1869 to escape religious persecution. The Pioneer Company of 1846-1847 established a route from Nauvoo, Ill. To Salt Lake City, Utah, covering about 1,300 miles that would include construction of ferries and the placement of markers for others to follow. Much of the route follows or parallels the Oregon Trail.
Early day travelers in search of more northern destinations took one of two cut-offs and headed north on the Bozeman Trail. Located north of Douglas on Hwy. 93, Fort Fetterman was the last fort constructed along the Bozeman Trail. Visitors are welcome at the Fort Memorial Day to Labor Day. The officers’ quarters have been restored to serve as a visitor’s center.
| P.O. Box 1212, Douglas, WY 82633 |