Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
grizzlies today have been reported east of Great Falls, more than 100 miles from the nearest
mountain range.
The reintroduction of the
gray wolf
is one of the greatest—and most controversi-
al—wildlife success stories of the 20th century. Numbers went from zero—gray wolves
were last seen in Montana and Wyoming in the 1930s—to more than 1,700 now living
throughout Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho. Yellowstone National Park is the best place to
catch a glimpse of the elusive wolf. The Lamar and Hayden Valleys are especially good
places to view one of the 100 or so wolves that roam through Yellowstone in 10 different
packs.
THE WYOMING JACKALOPE
As much a design staple as statewide lore, the famed jackalope is to Wyoming what
bigfoot is to the Pacific Northwest. Does it exist? Could it possibly? Stop into nearly
any roadside tavern and you are bound to see a mount of the creature. Ask around
and the locals will gladly play along.
Popularized by Douglas Herrick in 1939, the jackalope is supposed to be an ex-
tinct antlered rabbit species, a cross between a pygmy deer and some sort of killer
rabbit. Among the beliefs surrounding these legendary creatures are that jackalopes
can travel at speeds of 90 mph and can mimic human sounds when chased.
Sighted in Colorado, New Mexico, and Nebraska in addition to Wyoming, jack-
alopes have cousins in Germany (called the
wolperdinger
) and in Sweden (the
sk-
vader
). Drawings of antlered rabbit-like creatures date back to the 16th century in
scholarly European works, so it is not just the stuff of goofy Wyoming calendars.
Those who sit on the fence between believing and not believing cite a disease
called papillomatosis, which indeed causes parasite-caused growths on the top of a
rabbit's head to harden, perhaps resembling antlers.
For those who prefer lore to science, the story of Douglas Herrick, a taxidermist
from Douglas, seems a believable origin. Herrick and his brother Ralph returned
from a hunt one day and slid their catch onto the floor. A hare landed next to a set of
antelope antlers, and a pop-culture idea was born. The brothers mounted the antlered
bunny, and the rest is history.
