Westward Expansion
Things to See & Do in Wyoming
Fort Caspar Museum and Historic Site
Fort Caspar Museum and Historic Site, located in Casper, collects, preserves and exhibits artifacts concerning the social and natural history of Fort Caspar, the City of Casper and central Wyoming. Exhibits include Native American artifacts, western art, and exhibits relating to the history of the area.
Oregon National Historic Trail
As the harbinger of America's westward expansion, the Oregon Trail was the pathway to the Pacific for fur traders, gold seekers, missionaries and others. Beginning in 1841 and continuing for more than 20 years, an estimated 300,000 emigrants followed this route from Independence, Missouri to Oregon City, Oregon on a trip that took five months to complete. The 2,170 mile long trail passes through Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho and Oregon.
Mormon Handcart Historic Site at Martin's Cove
South of Riverton, Wyoming, the Mormon Handcart Companies has a Visitor's Center at Martin's Cove. You can get handcarts to trek into the cove both summer and winter.
Uinta County Museum
The Uinta County Museum is located in the historic Carnegie building, completed in 1906. A lovely example of Classical Revival architecture, the building was designed by New York architect Albert Randolph Ross (who also designed a Carnegie Library in Washington, D.C.). In 2008, an expansion of the building was completed. Designed by Jackson architect Kurt Dubbe, the new building echoes the historic features of the original structure. Their mission is to collect, preserve, and interpret the history of Uinta County and the surrounding region, and to make our collections available to the public.
California National Historic Trail
The California Trail carried over 250,000 gold-seekers and farmers to the gold fields and rich farmlands of California during the 1840's and 1850's, the greatest mass migration in American history. Today, more than 1,000 miles of trail ruts and traces can still be seen in the vast undeveloped lands between Casper Wyoming and the West Coast, reminders of the sacrifices, struggles, and triumphs of early American travelers and settlers. More than 240 historic sites along the trail will eventually be available for public use and interpretation. The trail passes through the states of Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Oregon, and California.
Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail
Led by Brigham Young, roughly 70,000 Mormons traveled along the Mormon Pioneer Trail from 1846 to 1869 in order to escape religious persecution. The general route is from Nauvoo, Illinois, to Salt Lake City, Utah, covering about 1,300 miles. The Mormon Pioneer Trail travels through five states over both public and private land.
Fort Laramie National Historic Site
This unique historic place preserves and interprets one of America's most important locations in the history of westward expansion and Indian resistance. Established in 1834, Fort Laramie began as a fur trading post. By the 1840s, wagon trains rested and resupplied here, bound for Oregon, California and Utah. In 1849 as the Gold Rush of California drew more westward, Fort Laramie became a military post, and in 1876, Fort Laramie served as an anchor for military operations, communication, supply and logistics during the "Great Sioux War." Fort Laramie closed in 1890.
Crook County Museum & Art Gallery
The Museum reflects the history of Crook County. Permanent exhibits include Indian artifacts, cowboy artifacts and pioneer artifacts dating from 1875. Also included is furniture from original Courthouse, 1888, the Sundance Kid was on trial here; a Vore Buffalo Jump Diorama and display; a Custer Trail diorama showing the route taken by Custer through Crook County and the Black Hills; and Crook County photographs, brands, and local artifacts. The Museum has a complete microfilm collection of Crook County newspapers.
Grand Encampment Museum
The Grand Encampment Museum, located in Encampment, Wyoming, preserves history with its collection of over a dozen historical buildings filled with artifacts representing the timber, mining, and agricultural history of the Encampment valley.
Cheyenne Frontier Days™ Old West Museum
Since the early days of the cattle industry and the advent of the Union Pacific Railroad, Cheyenne and Wyoming have played an integral part in the development of the West. The Old West Museum gives residents and visitors to Wyoming an opportunity to discover and experience our heritage through exhibits, educational programs and research opportunities.
Old West Books

Phone: 719-260-6030
Email: info@oldwestbooks.com

Old West Books has been in business since 1997 and specializes in books on the American West, Custer, military, Civil War, Indian Wars, cowboys, cattle industry, fur trade, Lewis and Clark, travel and exploration. They stock a mix of rare out-of-print books and new titles. Books are shown by appointment only. Books may also be bought via the Internet, catalogs, and book shows. 

Pony Express National Historic Trail
The Pony Express National Historic Trail was used by young men on fast paced horses to carry the nation's mail across the country, from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California, in the unprecedented time of only ten days. Organized by private entrepreneurs, the horse-and-rider relay system became the nation's most direct and practical means of east-west communications before the telegraph. Though only in operation for 18 months, between April 1860 and October 1861, the trail proved the feasibility of a central overland transportation route, and played a vital role in aligning California with the Union in the years just before the Civil War. Most of the original trail has been obliterated either by time or human activities. Along many segments, the trail's actual route and exact length are matters of conjecture. However, approximately 120 historic sites may eventually be available to the public, including 50 existing Pony Express stations or station ruins.
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Pocketful of Pinecones: Nature Study With the Gentle Art of Learning : A Story for Mother Culture
Karen Andreola, renowned interpreter of the Charlotte Mason method of education, has written a unique sort of book in the homeschool world. Pocketful of Pinecones is a teacher s guide the nature study cleverly disguised as a heartwarming story written in the form of a mother s diary. Woven into the story are: More than 100 examples of what to look for on a nature walk, Latin names for the living things to observed by the characters, study questions, nature poems and verses. Other features includ...
Greenleaf Press
Greenleaf Press is a small family-owned and operated publisher and supplier of quality books for children. They are committed to "twaddle-free", living books, and approach teaching history to children using biography and chronology. You will find sections in the catalog covering each major historical period in order, with a variety of biographies, reference books, and historical fiction. For Israel, Egypt, Greece, Rome, the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance and Reformation there are Greenleaf Stu...
Critical Thinking: Reading, Thinking, and Reasoning Skills
Based on Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, Critical Thinking will allow students to garner more knowledge from new information by knowing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating. A brief review in each unit provides frequent indications of student mastery. This series is written for grade levels 1-6.
A Reason For® Reading
A Reason For® Reading offers a series of over 100 Leveled Readers that provide small increases in difficulty from level to level. These colorful books feature Scripture stories and Christian value themes. Story Guides include high-frequency words, teaching ideas, discussion questions, and much more.
How to Drive: Real World Instruction and Advice from Hollywood's Top Driver
Want your child to be the best--and safest--driver possible? This book is for you! Ben Collins is a professional driver and is a former Top Gear Stig driver. He offers strategies for increasing control and safety and to encourage fun and efficient driving for all skill levels.