Visit An Old Wyoming Town Frozen In Time

Are you already thinking about places you would like to visit this summer?

Think about South Pass City, Wyoming.

It's a true old West town that is frozen in time, on purpose

It's easy to find, but still a long drive.

South Pass City is just west of Jeffrey City and south of the Wind River Reservation.

You'll be driving on gravel roads for a while. It's worth it.

South Pass City buildings and exhibits are open seasonally from May 25th to October 19th daily from 10am to 5pm.

The grounds are open, weather permitting, from sunrise to sunset.

Visit their events page for a history hunt and hike scheduled.

There are guided tours of the city.

The English Tunnel tour is a must-experience event.

You'll see a classic boomtown in Wyoming’s old Sweetwater Mining District.

South Pass City was laid out in 1867, peaked about 1870, and soon began a long and steady decline.

America's first female governor, Nellie Ross, was from South Pass City.

As Wikipedia documents, South Pass City, Wyoming had its first brush with greatness in 1861 when Mark Twain (aka Samuel Clemens) passed through the area and ended up including his experience there in his writing of "Roughing It".

In the town, you'll find Wyoming's first Masonic Lodge.

The town boasted the first female justice of the peace ever in Esther Hobart Morris.

While considered to be in the middle of nowhere today, at the time it was an important and bustling little community.

At its peak in 1869, South Pass City had around 1,000 residents and perhaps 250 buildings.

The gold that could be found began shirking in the 1870s and it brought down the population with it.

It's worth the visit today, to experience the real Old West.