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Town of Elk Mountain , Wyoming
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Welcome to Elk Mountain , Wyoming
Population: 192
Elevation: 7,264 feet
Elk Mountain
is a small town, population 192, located at the base of it's 11,156
foot namesake, in Carbon
County, Wyoming.
Our
town
is
located at an elevation of 7,264 feet and was named after
Sioux Chief Standing Elk. Elk
Mountain has
a land area of 0.3 square miles. Education is provided by Carbon County
School District #2, with grades K-6 attending Elk Mountain Elementary,
in Elk Mountain and 7-12 attending HEM High School in Hanna, Wyoming. Elk Mountain has a variety of
activities for each season, some of which include world class trout
fishing, hunting, snowmobiling, hiking, skiing, and camping. Please
take the time to come visit us, we look forward to seeing you.
Lying in the shadow of its 11,156-foot
namesake, the settlement of Elk Mountain
is a quiet community of cottonwood-lined streets, picturesque
buildings, with world class trout fishing right downtown. Much of the
historical significance of the Elk Mountain
area lies in the development of a transportation network linking the
east and west coasts. The Medicine Bow River
crossing was used by the John C. Fremont expedition of 1843. On August
2nd of that year, Fremont's party
camped in the proximity of the "Medicine Butte", an early name for Elk Mountain . The river would
become a major crossing for immigrants and stage travelers.
In 1850, the Stansbury expedition, led by
famed mountain man Jim Bridger, crossed the Medicine Bow farther north
seeking a route for wagon travel. Later, in 1856, Lt. F.T. Bryan,
discovered regular use of Stansbury's route and suggested it be used
for the Overland Stage started by Ben Hollady. By 1862, the operation
was imperiled by constant Indian attacks. Holladay
chose to move the line southward, back to the Medicine Bow River
Crossing, where he built a stage stop.
In 1862, Fort
Halleck was built on the
Overland Stage route a few miles west of Elk Mountain
to protect travelers passing through this region. The fort was named
after Major-General Henry G. Halleck, a key military aide to President
Lincoln. The government maintained the fort from 1862 to 1866 when it
was decommissioned because the Indian threat was diminishing. The owner
of the stage stop found a sufficient volume of trail traffic to
maintain a toll bridge, although eventually stage traffic waned.
Elk Mountain 's first mercantile store was constructed in
1902 using lumber from the Carbon Timber Company. In 1905 the Elk
Mountain Hotel was built by John S. Evans, on the property previously
used by the Overland Stage Station. The building's architecture is Folk
Victorian style, reminiscent of what was found on the frontier during
that time. Next to the Hotel stood the Garden Spot Pavilion. The Garden
Spot was host to such notable entertainers as Louis Armstrong, Tommy
Dorsey, Glenn Miller, and Lawrence Welk. These entertainers inspired
hundreds to "jump on and ride" the Garden Spot's magical dance floor.
The Hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The
Hotel property served as an important component in the economic and
social life of the Elk
Mountain
community, as the lodging, mining and livestock industries boomed. The
property enjoyed a steady clientele and became a way-station for
entrepreneurs and laborers who traveled here for the timber, mineral
and ranching industries. The luxurious inn still stands where it was
first constructed almost 100 years ago and welcomes guests year-around.
Sitting as it does along the banks of the Medicine Bow River, Elk Mountain
is a Mecca
for trout fisherman from across the country. Visitors interested in
beautiful scenery should take the round-the-mountain drive on Pass Creek Road
as it is an area of stunning vistas teeming with wildlife.
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Town Council:
6:30 p.m.,
2nd Monday of month at Town Hall
Next Meeting:
January 9,
2012
Town Hall
Hours:
Right click
and select "Save target as"
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