Into Wyoming.

Saturday May 14th
Rick Myers, a lovely elderly gentleman who is on the museum board, met me with park ranger Justin as I was riding up to Mitchell Pass to hand over a copy of Steve Frederick's article for the Scott's Bluff Star Herald.

 Riding over Scott's Bluff through Mitchell Pass..

By an Oregon Trail marker just outside Lyman, and about two miles to the south of Horse Creek Pony Express station. This was run by French Canadian M Reynal and his Indian wife. According to Burton, Reynal's life history had to be 'received with many grains of salt' and he over-charged for 'well-watered whisky'.

Yay!  Crossing into Wyoming just beyond Lyman...

 

 The Horse Creek locality was famous for a vast gathering of around 10,000 native Americans which took place here in 1851.  This was to attend a peace council called by the Federal Government to try and protect the interests of the increasing numbers of immigrants travelling up the Platte valley. The council was originally planned to take place at Fort Laramie, but was moved here to provide grass for the huge accompanying horse herd.  The so-called Fort Laramie treaty was signed on September 17th 1851 and allowed for protected tribal grounds for the Plains Indians and unmolested travel for the emigrants, but it was not long before the treaty broke down and friction resumed.

A little further on, Kathy Minter and son Josh kindly let me camp in the field in front of their house.