Before the Railroad: 1860s Archaeology in the Laramie Valley

In this talk, Spencer Pelton, Wyoming State Archaeologist, presents recent research conducted by the Office of the Wyoming State Archaeologist (OWSA) that explores Wyoming’s earliest historic archaeological record. The 1860s demarcate the transition from the prehistoric to historic archaeological records in the Laramie Valley of southern Wyoming, first with the popularization of the southern Overland State Route and later the Union Pacific railroad. This presentation focuses on recent archaeological research at two stage stations, the Willow Springs and Big Laramie stations, and Albany County's earliest historic ranch, the 1866 Hutton Home Ranch. Given the sparse written record that accompanies these earliest historic sites, the archaeological record is important for understanding this earliest record of Euro-American settlement in the Laramie Valley.