Utah: Mormon Handcart Visitor's Center

We were driving along Highway 220 in Wyoming. It was hot. Bria was bored. We needed a break. I spotted a small sign that said Mormon Handcart Visitor's Center, and decided to pop in for a few minutes to stretch our legs. 

That few minutes to stretch our legs quickly stretched into one of Bria's favorite memories from the trip!

We parked and walked down the hill to the Visitor's Center, where we were greeted by a tour guide. A missionary from the church, she was incredibly knowledgeable about the location and its history, and shared with us the story of Mormon pioneers who passed through this area in the mid-1800s. One story in particular makes this sacred ground, as a fateful trip of two handcart companies - the Willie and Martin companies - had tragic results here.

With the experienced assistance of our guide, we toured the Visitor's Center, then watched a movie on the handcart experience before heading out to pull a handcart for ourselves. Bria and I picked up the crossbar and started walking, with a little help from the guide pushing the back. I can't even fathom pushing that thing across half the country.

They have a little gravel loop set up for people to pull the carts around (none of this mountainous uncharted terrain for us), just long enough for the cart to get empty and visitors to start to get the idea of what this might have been like.

Eager to join the members of their church in Utah, more than 3,000 Mormon pioneers traveling from England, Wales, Scoland, and Scandinavia made the journey, most of them with very little money. While it could cost around $600-$800 to outfit a covered wagon, a family could get a handcart for around $20, making it an accessible option.

Each cart had two wheels, was about 4 1/2 feet wide, and weighed 60 pounds. The family's belongings were packed into a box three feet by four feet, and generally carried up to 250 pounds, though they were capable of loads up to 500 pounds. Originally the carts were made entirely of wood, but a stronger design was substituted in later years, and metal elements were included.

The Visitor's Center is on the site of the former Sun Ranch, one of the first ranches in Wyoming. The Mormon Church purchased the land in the 90s, and established the center in the ranch's headquarters.

Additional historical buildings remain, and we enjoyed touring the little bunkhouse and wash house, where Bria learned about the old saying "don't throw the baby out with the bathwater." Being the baby of six, she knew her baths would have been an experience in pioneer days!

A family could spend the entire day here - there is so much to do that we couldn't get to on a brief pit stop. We stopped into Fort Seminoe on the way out, but didn't spend a lot of time looking around.

There are also additional homestead buildings, and trails that bring you to Martin's Cove, Devil's Gate, and lots more. Our guide shared the story of how Devil's Gate (the place in the bluff where the river goes through) got its name (from an old Native American legend), and Bria has been telling it for weeks, complete with sound effects and big hand motions!

This was a really fun and educational stop, and we highly recommend it if you are in the area.

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Wyoming: Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area

There’s nothing quite like a remarkable feat of nature to bring out the “oohs” and “aahs” from the family, and Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, straddling the border of Wyoming and Montana, is fantastically remarkable.

Considering the other well-known parks in the area (yes, Yellowstone, I’m looking at you), Bighorn is often spoken of as a treasure waiting to be discovered. Covering more than 120,000 acres, the park features a 55 mile long canyon. It is a breathtaking marvel, more than 1,000 feet deep at Devil’s Overlook, where we stopped to stretch our legs and explore a bit of history in the strata.

Researchers have found Upper Jurassic Period fossils, fossil tracks, and bones in the park, which piqued the imagination of our dinosaur lovers. Among the discoveries was the remains of Pleistocene animals in debris piles at cave entrances.

There are living animals in the park, too, of course. Wildlife in Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area includes bighorn sheep, wild horses, coyotes, mule deer, snakes, small mammals, mountain lions, bears, and more than 200 bird species. According to the park’s website, the 39,000-acre Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range, about one-fifth of which lies within Bighorn Canyon National Park, provides habitat for sheep and for approximately 160 wild horses managed by the Bureau of Land Management.

In addition to wildlife, the park features a wide variety of recreational opportunities. There are picturesque hikes, and water activities abound. Camping is available within the park, along with fishing, boating, and more to explore. It’s also a great place to stretch your legs and take in some beauty on your way between the Black Hills and Yellowstone.

By the way, if you’re thinking the children seem to have shrunk a little, you’re right – the photos shared here are a throwback from our 2010 summer vacation.

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