These Small Towns in Wyoming Have the Best Historic Districts
The state of Wyoming is, for many, an essential site for the American West, whether in the old days before statehood or in more modern times as a land with opportunities as big as the western skies overhead. Wyoming's history, as the historic districts of these towns show, captures legends like Buffalo Bill, the Sundance Kid, and George Custer, as well as more modern associations with famous Hollywood films and America's timeless love for the great outdoors. Wyoming only achieved statehood in 1890 — well after the states to the east, but Wyoming has made good use of its time by living out a colorful, dramatic existence ever since.
Laramie
Despite being one of Wyoming's largest towns, Laramie, in the state's southeast corner, boasts a modest 32,000 inhabitants. The town's mountain setting puts it more than 7,000 feet above sea level — and this elevation has shaped Laramie's past as much as its present. First founded in 1868 as a stop on the Union Pacific Railroad, the town has more than 20 sites on the National Register of Historic Places. These include the Wyoming Territorial Penitentiary, now a museum, and the Old Main building, a structure built in 1886 that today houses administrative offices for the University of Wyoming.
Laramie has long been a center of the state's educational activities. Other points of interest in the Downtown Laramie Historic District include the Kuster Hotel, built a year after the town's founding, and Laramie's oldest stone building. In an example of modern history recognizing the more distant past, the Wyoming House for Historic Women opened in downtown Laramie in 2012.
Rock Springs
Rock Springs, population 23,000, lies in Wyoming's southwest corner and is equidistant from neighboring Utah and Colorado. Known today as Wyoming's "International City" for its diverse population, the town has moved past a less tolerant history: in 1885, white coal miners attacked and killed Chinese miners in what became known as the Rock Springs Massacre. The town features a Carnegie Library, built with funding from the American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.
The library today hosts an original painting by US painter Norman Rockwell — a sure draw for lovers of bygone American culture. Also downtown is the Rock Springs Historical Museum, a structure built in 1894 that celebrates local history and earned an overdue renovation in 1988, when the town celebrated 100 years of establishment.
Kemmerer
Kemmerer, with just 2,400 residents, shares Wyoming's southwest corner with Rock Springs and a coal-mining history of its own. Kemmerer's historic downtown, built around central Pine Avenue, offers visitors gems like the Fossil Country Frontier Museum, which commemorates its mineral-rich past. Kemmerer's coal production continues today, if on a smaller scale.
The town is famous for another industry altogether: the original JC Penney store, a pioneer of big-box retail in the style of IKEA and Target, was founded in Kemmerer in 1902. Visitors to the town can learn more about the retailer's trailblazing success at the JC Penney House and Museum, located a short walk from Pine Avenue on JC Penney Drive.
Buffalo
Buffalo, a small northeastern town with 4,600 inhabitants, bears a name that evokes the essential spirit of the Old American West. The scenic town offers visitors much to consider along these lines, not least at the Jim Gatchell Museum, which houses over 15,000 artifacts from the town's past days. According to a few historians and quite a few legends, Buffalo offered shelter to the famous outlaw Butch Cassidy, as well as his gang known as the "Wild Bunch."
The downtown Occidental Hotel, known locally as "the Ox," offers a brick-built setting, wall-mounted game, and Western charm galore. For a reprieve from historical sites and a turn through nature, the nearby Bighorn National Forest offers hiking, camping, and relaxation within an easy drive from downtown Buffalo.
Cody
Cody, a northwestern town with 10,200 inhabitants, takes its name from an iconic symbol of the Old West: Buffalo Bill, full name William Frederick Cody, the legendary entertainer. The town's Buffalo Bill Center of the West is a museum complex that comprises five separate exhibition sites and serves as a major draw for travelers interested in the history of America's bygone frontier days.
Sports fans may be drawn to the town's active rodeo offerings, including the Cody Stampede Rodeo, held each July — in a town that calls itself the "Rodeo Capital of the World." Given the town's importance as a tourism center, most of its visit-related sites lie along Sheridan Avenue, which includes western-themed saloons, standard American cuisine, and even a mini-golf course for school-aged visitors in Cody City Park. Nature lovers should know that Cody and its Yellowstone Regional Airport offer access to the eastern side of the famous national park of the same name.
Sundance
The underrated town of Sundance, a hamlet of fewer than 1,100 souls, enjoys an outsized reputation for the Western lore that comes to life on its streets. Like Cody and Buffalo, the town's western roots show in its name: the town took its name after the Sun Dance, a practice of several Native American tribes local to the region. The Sundance Kid, a legendary Western outlaw, would take his nickname during a long stint in the town's former prison.
Unfortunately, the Sundance Film Festival, named after the character played by Robert Redford in a hit 1969 film, takes place not here but in sites around Park City, Utah. Culture lovers visiting Sundance should seek out the Crook County Museum and 1875 Art Gallery, home to over 7,000 artifacts of Native American life, as well as exhibits on the controversial US Army officer George Custer. Nature lovers will not want to miss the nearby Bear Lodge Mountains, themselves part of the Black Hills National Forest.
Jackson
For a modern spin on the American West of old, the town of Jackson, population 10,700, offers a rich menu for the curious traveler. The town is often called Jackson Hole, drawn from its position in the Jackson Hole valley. The Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum offers tourists a first-stop summary of the town's natural and social histories, from its status as a wildlife mecca to its later reputation as a playground for wealthy skiers and good-time seekers.
Jackson Hole Town Square offers food and drink aplenty, while those eager for social media-friendly photo opportunities will enjoy the Elk Antler Arches, made entirely of elk antlers, on the same square. Nature seekers will appreciate the town's proximity to the Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. Jackson's airport, Wyoming's busiest, is the only US airport inside a national park (Grand Teton).
Wyoming, since becoming a state in 1890, has lived a vibrant and sometimes dramatic past. From railroad towns like Laramie to trailblazing businesses like Kemmerer's JC Penney and the state's numerous coal mining settlements, the state has since developed tourism hotspots like Cody as well as world-famous outdoor recreation hubs such as Jackson. The state's wealth of museums, celebrating Western lore and much else, add a final layer of interest for the traveler planning their next trip through the American West.
