Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Understanding why two tribes, historically great enemies, would share the same
reservation requires a history lesson and some imagination. By 1877, most Native
Americans had been relocated to reservations, yet the Northern Arapaho remained
landless. With winter rapidly approaching, the U.S. government turned to Chief
Washakie, requesting that the Shoshone share their reservation with the Arapaho just
for the winter. Washakie conceded, but made it clear that by spring the visitors must
be relocated. Spring came and went with Washakie repeatedly demanding that the
Arapaho be removed from the reservation. His pleas fell on deaf ears, and the former
archenemies were forced to make the best of the situation.
They each established their own governments and mostly occupied separate parts
of the reservation. The Arapaho settled the eastern part of the land, with the towns
of Ethete and Arapaho as their hubs; the Shoshone developed the western portion,
which includes the towns of Fort Washakie, Burris, and Crowheart. Although there
have been few major conflicts, the two cultures tend to keep to their own with little
interest in intermixing.
Today the reservation has some incredibly beautiful vistas of the Wind River Val-
ley and its craggy mountains. Standing in the middle of its pristine wilderness, it's
not evident that oil and gas fields are the primary source of revenue for the reserva-
tion. Although plagued by unemployment and poverty, the two tribes possess a great
sense of cultural pride, explicitly expressed each May-September through a series of
powwows and other cultural celebrations.
For more information on the Wind River Reservation, or to plan a visit, contact
the
Wind River Heritage Center
(307/856-0706,
www.wind-river.org
)
.
South Pass City Historic Site
One of the region's few gold mines,
South Pass City Historic Site
(35 miles south of
Lander, 2 miles off Hwy. 28, 307/332-3684,
www.southpasscity.com
,
May 15-Sept. 30, $4
nonresidents, $2 residents) is a beautifully restored site with 20 original log, frame, and
stone structures, including the jail, a livery, a stable, a school, saloons, and homes. The city
was founded in 1867 and, in addition to its mining legacy, is well remembered for its pivotal
role in women's suffrage. A territorial representative from South Pass City, William Bright,
introduced the bill that made Wyoming the first territory to grant women the right to vote
in 1869; South Pass City's justice of the peace, Esther Hobart Morris, was the first woman
to hold political office in the United States.
